Column of Honor: 11.17.07: Buy High, Sell Low, and Other Inaccuracies

Apparently, Domino’s Pizza’s idea of how large a “large” pie is actually quite a ways away from my idea a “large” pizza. Their large is more like my medium. Oh well, I can’t get enough of the combination of pineapple, grilled chicken and diced tomatoes.

ROH Call

ROH Champions—As of 11/17/2007

ROH World Champion—Nigel McGuinness (champion since 10/06/07, 2 successful defenses)

Next Defense:: Austin Aries, New York, NY 12/29/07

V.1 defeated Jay Briscoe, wristlock submission (10/21/07 San Francisco, CA)
V.2 defeated Chris Hero, wristlock submission (11/02/07 Philadelphia, PA)

*Due to injury, Nigel McGuinness’s future defenses up through Final Battle 2007 (12/30/07) remain questionable and subject to change

ROH World Tag Team Champions— Jay and Mark Briscoe (champions since 03/30/07, 17 successful defenses)

Next Defense: vs. Rocky Romero & Davey Richards Dayton, OH 11/30/07

V.1 Ultimate Endurance: defeated Pelle Primeau & Mitch Franklin, Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw, Hallowicked & Gran Akuma (4/27/07 St. Paul, MN)
V.2 defeated Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) (4/28/07 Chicago, IL)
V.3 defeated BJ Whitmer and ROH World Champion Takeshi Morishima (5/11/07, Hartford, CT)
V.4 defeated Claudio Castagnoli and Matt Sydal (5/12/07, New York, NY)
V.5 defeated The Kings of Wrestling (Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero) (6/09/07, Philadelphia, PA): 2 out of 3 falls- 2 straight falls
V.6 defeated Claudio Castagnoli and Matt Sydal (6/22/07, Dayton, OH): 2 out of 3 falls- 2 straight falls
V.7 defeated El Generico & Kevin Steen (6/23/07, Chicago Ridge, IL)
V.8 defeated Jimmy Rave & Genki Horiguchi (7/17/07 Osaka, Japan)
V.9 defeated SHINGO & Susumu Yokozuka (7/17/07 Osaka, Japan)
V.10 defeated “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson & Nigel McGuinness (7/27/07 Long Island, New York)
V.11 Steel Cage Match: defeated. Kevin Steen & El Generico (8/24/07 Hartford, CT)
V.12 defeated Kevin Steen & El Generico (8/25/07 New York, NY): 2 Out of 3 Falls – 2 straight falls
V.13 defeated Austin Aries & Matt Cross (9/14/07 Detroit, MI)
V.14 Ladder Match: defeated Kevin Steen & El Generico (9/15/07 Chicago Ridge, IL)
V.15 defeated Roderick Strong & Rocky Romero (11/02/07 Philadelphia, PA)
V.16 fought The Age of the Fall to a double disqualification (11/3/07 New York, NY)
V.17 No DQ match: defeated The Age of the Fall (11/3/07 New York, NY)

FIP Heavyweight Champion: Roderick Strong (since 11/10/2006)
SHIMMER Champion: Sara Del Rey (since 6/2/2007)
Top of the Class Trophy (For ROH Students): Ernie Osiris (since 11/02/2007)

Top Feuds & Pairings:

-Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness
-Roderick Strong vs. Nigel McGuinness (FIP / ROH title rivalry)
-The Age of the Fall vs. The Briscoes
-The No Remorse Corps vs. The Resilience vs. The Vulture Squad
-Vulture Squad vs. Age of the Fall
-Delirious / Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Albright, Whitmer and Adam Pearce (The Hangman’s Three)
-Chris Hero vs. Claudio Castagnoli

ROH News
(via the ROHnewswire… and other sources when attributed)

A Very Morishima New Years

According to the ROH newswire, Takeshi Morishima and Naomichi Marufuji are confirmed to appear for both New York shows, December 29th for the fifth pay per view and December 30th for Final Battle 2007.

So maybe we’ll actually be getting Morishima vs. Danielson IV, in a Fight Without Honor? A leads to B leads to C leads to D in my book. That book being “my first alphabet”, but regardless.

If KENTA is coming along for the ride, I’m with J.D. Dunn on the suggestion that he face off against his one time protégé Davey Richards. That match stems from Richards betraying KENTA at United We Stand.

Danielson vs. Necro to Headline Dayton, OH

Bryan Danielson has been in a fighting mood lately. He wants to prepare for his next battle against Takeshi Morishima by taking on one of ROH’s toughest brawlers. The Necro Butcher has stepped up to the plate. 11/30 in Dayton will see Bryan Danielson vs. The Necro Butcher with relaxed rules. This will be a fight.

Roderick Strong will have his hands full in Dayton as former partners will collide. 11/30 in Dayton will see Strong vs. Austin Aries!!!

We aren’t done yet for Dayton. ROH World Tag Team Champions Jay & Mark Briscoe will have a busy night in Dayton. They will put the belts on the line against Davey Richards & Rocky Romero in a bout that will be taped for ROH’s 4th PPV. Then they will compete in the most loaded Tag Team Scramble in ROH history in non-title competition. Faction warfare has exploded in ROH and it will continue in Dayton with The Briscoes vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black vs. Jack Evans & Ruckus vs. Brent Albright & BJ Whitmer under Tag Team Scramble rules.

Dayton fans are in for a treat (and for the first time in a long time, an absolute, concrete blockbuster line up for that area) with the Danielson vs. Necro Butcher match. I just got in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s Giant Size Annual # 4, their fourth anniversary show, which features Danielson vs. Necro and that match has been very highly praised. Being live a few weeks back to watch Necro live in action in New York, the one thing that rings true about his matches is that they come very close to feeling as frenzied and out of control as a Sabu or a Homicide match. You get the feeling he could bust out into the audience at any moment. Plus he has the sickest, hardest looking punches in the biz…and that’s probably because he is really punching his opponent!

Even though (SPOILER ALERT) Aries gets his payback and revenge on Roderick Strong at the fourth pay per view, technically they are actually one and one against each other in singles matches. This will be the rubber match. To be honest, in a way I wish The Resilience was not disbanded, because I feel that the feud could have stood to have a Steel Cage Warfare or some kind of elimination bout against the NRC or three way with The Vulture Squad thrown in.

The Briscoes tape a tag title match and it will be placed on the PPV broadcast in January. I don’t know if that telegraphs a title change, but I tend to doubt it. I still believe the story of the ROH World Tag Team Titles is the struggle between Age of the Fall and the boys from southern Delaware.

Sweet Threesome

“Trios Tournament 2007” is coming to Chicago on 12/1. Sweet & Sour Inc. will be represented in the Trios Tournament by Chris Hero, Tank Toland & Bobby Dempsey. Super agent Larry Sweeney originally only wanted Hero and Toland in the tournament, feeling that they are such great athletes that they don’t need three members on the team. When ROH officials insisted on a third member, Hero volunteered Dempsey. Hero said he and Toland are such great athletes that they will carry Dempsey to a victory in the Trios Tournament.

The final team of the Trios Tournament has been added. ROH World Tag Team Champions Jay & Mark Briscoe will get to select a partner of their choice to compete in the tourney. The Briscoes will reveal who their partner is in the next ROH Video Wire.

I actually had picked in my mind this exact unit for Sweet & Sour Inc. Larry Sweeney’s wrestling debut is set to be at Final Battle, so you don’t want to rush that or ruin the anticipation of his encounter with Claudio Castagnoli. At the same time, Bobby Dempsey is the perfect “weak link” or scapegoat for Sweet & Sour should they not make it to the finals.

In the absence of The Resilience, The Briscoes fit in as a babyface team to help keep things in balance among The Force. Fine by me, but I don’t anticipate them walking away with the whole thing.

Both of these three man squads join The Age of the Fall, No Remorse Corps, The Vulure Squad and Hangmen Three in the tournament. The winners of the qualification round head into a three team scramble finals and the winner of that receives “three wishes”—in other words, the ability to call their own title shots and perhaps stipulation grudge matches.

Do or Die: The Great Chicago Skyfire?

A “Do Or Die” Four Corner Survival has been added to 12/1 in Chicago. Who will be the next competitor to earn a spot and climb up the card? 12/1 will see Human Tornado vs. Seth Skyfire vs. Shane Hagadorn vs. Silas Young.

Skyfire is a smaller, cruiserweight style competitor who spent much of his career wrestling for Ohio Valley Wrestling. Think of him as a taller, more filled out and not British version of Spud. According to Thomas Bobo on the ROH forums, Seth Skyfire actually had a match in ROH in 2005 that did not make tape, but now that he has been dropped by WWE developmental, he has another chance here to make a huge impression.

Silas Young had a decent showing against Davey Richards, certainly was given a much more competitive match against him than expected. Human Tornado doesn’t seem like someone who needs to be in a Do or Die match, and I think Shane Hagadorn is pretty much protected for the next fifty years, so long as he remains Adam Pearce’s “manservant”. Heh, that phrasing still cracks me up.

More from Chicago

There will be much more than the “Trios Tournament 2007” on 12/1 in Chicago. There will also be singles matches. The first bout has been signed and it is a rematch one year in the making. One of the greatest moments in Chicago ROH history took place one year ago at “Chicago Spectacular: Night 2” when Delirious made Bryan Danielson tap. The two have not locked up since that match. Now one year later they will collide one-on-one. Danielson vs. Delirious is set for 12/1.

Delirious vs. Danielson IV…eh, okay. It doesn’t really do too much for me, but it’s not an offensive match by any means. I just don’t like that it means Delirious will likely have to do the job back, after having a submission victory from the eight man elimination tag as a hefty part of his ROH accomplishments.

Sports Agent at Work

Larry Sweeney has gotten his lawyers involved and now referee Paul Turner will no longer be able to referee Chris Hero’s matches. Turner was the referee for Hero’s controversial World Title Match on 11/2 in Philadelphia. Sweeney promises that this is only the first step until “justice is served for the greatest athlete in all of pro wrestling.” Sweeney recently tried to get Hero to opt out of his contract so he could negotiate a “10 year deal worth $350 million” with another organization. Needless to say this attempt failed.

Oh that Gabe…you have to love that A-Rod / Scott Boras riff. Its true, except for the fact that Chris Hero is likely worth that $350 million contract and A-Rod isn’t worth half of what he will actually receive in his new deal with the Yankees.

Who would win between Sweeney and Boras if we made a reality show where the goal was to sign clients to the most lucrative contracts?

Poor Paul Turner…all the dude was trying to do was make a judgment call. No one really gives those ROH referees any slack whatsoever. All the fans boo them when they are introduced for the matches; the wrestlers are constantly hounding them to get the call right (i.e. to their advantage)…and I’m sure Bobby Dempsey has taken Todd Sinclair’s share of the pizza on many an occasion. ROH referees, I sympathize with you guys 100%. Wear those black and white zebra stripes with pride!

Some Leisure Reading

Check out the main page of ROHwrestling.com for three new articles looking at the chip on Roderick Strong’s shoulder including the philosophy of ROH officials when it comes to a secondary title, a preview of the “Man Up” PPV and why you might not ever see a Ladder War in ROH again and a look at an eruption in ROH.

If I had my druthers I could try to do a lengthy response on the justification for not establishing a secondary title in ROH, but I’m not feeling it this week. I will say that I am impressed that Gabe or whoever wrote the article on Roderick Strong had the stones to admit that the Pure title was mostly a flop. Except, sometimes it wasn’t, especially considering Doug Williams’ short run and Samoa Joe’s intense title defenses. The title never should have been folded considering it had regained so much momentum and even more importantly it had a ton of legitimacy thanks to Nigel’s year-plus run. Someone could have been helped with a huge rub from winning the title against Nigel and continuing the Pure title legacy. Now we’re stuck with ultra-predictable FIP title defenses by Strong and it looks like we’re going to get even more in the near future.

Some fans have speculated that this Strong vs. Nigel FIP / ROH title issue will all come to a head in FIP’s home territory of Florida in time for ROH’s Wrestlemania double shot in 2008. All well and good, but this is the fourth time we’ve done a champion vs. champion issue in as many years.

Future Announcements

The ROHwrestling.com Newswire will announce the brackets for the 12/1 Trios Tournament, one match for each NYC event and rosters for 1/11 in Boston and 1/12 in Edison plus more in exactly one week on Black Friday.

ROH is looking to set up Black Friday as a huge day centered on ROH news and likely their annual Black Friday sale. It’s a smart way to drum up business and website traffic to their website.

Hero’s Sandwich

Greetings and salutations, Hero-ites, it is I, Chris Hero, back for another week of the most popular segment on 411wrestling.com, its time for the Hero Sandwich. This week, the sandwich will have a distinct turkey flavor, as this week, I will be celebrating Thanksgiving a bit early, but in my opinion, its always better to be early than late, so lets jump on in. This week I will give you a countdown of the 7 things that I am indeed thankful for this year. You might ask “why just 7, Hero? Why not the standard ‘Top 10′ kind of list?” To that I say I’m Chris Hero, damn it, and I can do whatever the hell I want to do, so shut your mouths and don’t question greatness. I can only hope that you simpletons had as good a year as I did, but you know what? I doubt that you have, so just enjoy my list and wish that you were as great as me. Without further ado, let’s get started.

#7. The debut of ROH on Pay Per View. It’s because of this that yours truly will be able to get into 50 million homes, and get a foothold in the American psyche. In time, it’s inevitable that I will become the top professional wrestler in the world, and the poster boy for all that is good and right about America today.

#6. The Arrival of Mike Quackenbush in ROH. This might sound funny to all of you, considering the hatred that I have for this man, but let me explain. Now, I’ll be able to beat him up in another promotion on a regular basis. First it was only in CHIKARA, and then it was in CHIKARA and IWA-MS. Now, it will be in CHIKARA, IWA-MS and ROH. It never gets old for me smacking around that numbskull. It still amazes me that people think that “Quack the hack” is a good wrestler. That just proves my point about wrestling fans, which is that they really are not the brightest bunch of people.

#5. My Victory Over Misawa In Pro Wrestling NOAH. I know what you’re thinking. How can this only be number 5 on the list? Here’s why. If it was 10 years ago, it would have been far more significant, but now, Misawa is just a shell of his former self, and might just be one step away from the nursing home, or being taken out back and turned into glue. While it is a special distinction to hold a win over this wrestling legend, I’ve just had so many great moments in the ring this year that I have to place this one at #5.

#4. My Joining of Sweet & Sour Incorporated. When Larry Sweeney approached me late last year and made me the offer to be the cornerstone of his stable, I wasn’t 100% sure about how that would go, but now, eleven months later, I know that I made the right choice. Larry is without a doubt the best agent in all of pro wrestling, and he has more than lived up to the things that he promised to deliver. He is a man of honor and integrity, and in time, he will help me take my career to the next level. He’s already gotten me connections in Hollywood, surrounded me with all of the top people in the business, and gotten me all the matches that I’ve wanted. Sure, he hasn’t been able to stop the ROH office from conspiring against me on a regular basis, but he has hired an army of lawyers who will make sure that if anything fishy happens again, that a lawsuit will be filed, and we in Sweet & Sour Inc. will go to the mattresses with the powers that be in ROH. With Larry and I on the same page, the sky is the limit. The only downside of this whole thing has been that fat bastard, Blobby Dempsey following us around. Someone should slap the taste right out of that fat fools mouth. Oh, wait. I’ve done that about a thousand times and it still hasn’t quelled his need to stuff his maw. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to keep it up until the job is done, if you know what I mean.

#3. The Fact That Ari Berenstein Has Learned His Place. A year ago, the corpulent scribe of this column started a war that he had to know that he could never win. On multiple occasions over the past year, I have verbally slapped this tool around, and now he has come to realize that he stands no chance against a man of my intellect and rapier sharp wit. Fighting with Ari is like having a fistfight with a man with no arms, simply no competition. Now, a year later, he knows his place and that he should worship the ground that I walk on, because of the fact that I am the real draw to this column, not him. Sure, he tries hard, but lets get real for a second. I’m the straw that stirs the drink of the Column of Honor, not Ari. He’s a bit player while I’m the star. As the Rock once said, “know your role and shut your mouth.” Ari, take heed and do the same.

#2. The Departure of Samoa Joe, HOMO-cide, Colt Cabana and Christopher Daniels From ROH. Now these are some of the greatest moments of the year. I was so happy to see these overrated talents leave ROH and allow yours truly to take the spotlight in this company. We all know that ROH is so much better without them, all for different reasons. First, ROH is better without Joe because now the craft services table is always chock full of food…if you get there before Bobby. Back in the day, Joe would just eat everything and leave nothing for the rest of us. Now at least we have a fighting chance. Thank god that slob is gone. Do I even need to explain why ROH is better without HOMO-cide? We never needed a street thug like that in a company like ROH, where WRESTLING, not fighting, is the name of the game. As for Cabana, it was great to see him hit the road, because there is no need for comic relief on a pro wrestling show. This is a serious business, and people like that shouldn’t be in it. What a joke. Last but not least is “Old Man” Daniels. It was sad to see him check into the old folks home, but sometimes, that’s the way it goes. I hope the door didn’t hit him on the ass on his way out. For all of these guys, I say good riddance to bad rubbage. I’m so much better than any of them ever were or ever could be. Their so called legacy will be buried in the ground by the time my career in ROH has come to a fitting end.

#1. My Victory at Survival Of The Fittest . With this win, I proved what I had been saying all along, which was that I am the greatest wrestler in ROH today. I beat all FIVE of my opponents single-handedly, and no one in the history of this company has ever done before. It also landed me the permanent position of number one contender to the ROH title. I can’t wait to get my hands on McGuinness again, because this time I’ll finish the job and rip his arm clean off his body. If not for the vast conspiracy against me, I would be the ROH Champion even as we speak. SOTF was just the first step, and by this time next year, I will be thankful of being the reigning and defending ROH World Champion.

So, there it is, the things that I’m thankful for this year. Take the time and think about what YOU are thankful for this year. Like, I’m sure that YOU are thankful that I, Chris Hero, am around to give meaning to your sad, pathetic existences. I’m sure that YOU are also thankful that I, Chris Hero, am the greatest wrestler alive today. And I’m sure that YOU are immensely thankful that I, Chris Hero, will be in Ring of Honor for many years to come, thus guaranteeing that the price of admission will be well worth it. Like I said before, I’m sure your list wont be as amazing as mine has been, but then again, who else has had a year like me? With that in mind, I’ll take my leave for another week. Don’t put on too much weight this week stuffing yourselves with the traditional Thanksgiving fare. And on that note, I take my leave for another week. This has been your weekly dose of enlightenment; this has been your Hero’s Sandwich. Happy Thanksgiving. Sayonara, suckers!

Do you know what I’m thankful for Chris? That once again your egregious diatribe has to come to an end for at least another seven days.

Honorarium

-I still don’t get the whole Tombtsone / Keylock combination that Davey Richards does. Shouldn’t a tombstone be enough to win the match? Plus, how can a man tap out due to pain from an arm submission when they should be knocked the heck out by sudden impact to their head and neck?

-Independent wrestler Fergal Deviitt either looks like Josh Duhamel or Timothy Olyphant. I haven’t decided yet.

-I’m disappointed in the “Man Up” preview show, as its mostly just highlights of two matches, one being Briscoes vs. El Generico & Kevin Steen from Boston and the other being Morishima vs. Albright from Philadelphia. Now either match is really worth going out of your way to see and in the former it is good hype for the ladder match that will be shown on the PPV. But I don’t get why Morishima vs. Albright was shown, since they won’t be wrestling on the PPV and there’s plenty that could have been shown to hype up the grudge title bout between Mori and Danielson. We get fresh voiceovers from Dave Prazak and Lenny Leonard but not much else that’s new. That’s a bummer considering the “Driven” preview show had several fresh promos from wrestlers. I was expecting at least a small promo from The Briscoes or something from Steen & Generico proclaiming this to be their chance at greatness or some such. ROH could do and has done a lot more to preview their PPVs.

The Money Players: October and November 2007

Who are the money players? In the sports industry, money players are the athletes who are making the right plays at the right moments.

In wrestling, the concept of the money player is not all that different. The wrestler who has a great match or gives an impressive impression upon the audience ups their worth to the wrestling promoter. While you may be helping your team, you are also helping yourself and your career.

So once a month here at Column of Honor, I’ll be looking at some of the money players in Ring of Honor. We’ll also see who’s hot, who’s not, who’s making those key plays and who is dropping the ball, so to speak.

Money Players of the Month— October 2007

– Nigel McGuinness (NIGE): Nigel “played through pain” like no other since Bryan Danielson in late 2006. His accomplishments in winning the ROH World Title must surely be noted, but McGuinness earns the Moneyplayer award for October by being a team player in every sense of the world. He not only won the title, but defended the title against Jay Briscoe while injured, thus ensuring ROH a quality main event match in a new market. Wisely or not, McGuinness also decided to put up the title against Chris Hero in early November. He made the greatest risks to his body in order to do his job and keep the fans happy.

-Chris Hero (HERO): Meanwhile, no one could be less of a “team player” than one Chris Hero. He may have Sweet & Sour Inc. on his side for support, but believe me, it does not work the other way around for his stable mates. It’s all about Hero, all the time. At least he proved why he is the playmaker of his time in October, as he called his shot to win Survival of the Fittest 2007…and then he did so in record setting fashion. This was a clean sweep of the SOTF tournament where Hero displayed all of his technical acumen as well as his resourcefulness. He is the Terrell Owens of ROH, but like T.O., when he has a hot hand, no one can touch him. This month was an MVP, career game-like performance from Chris Hero.

Money Players of the Month—November 2007

–Austin Aries (ARES): The current number one contender is money right now in the ring. He continues to win and have good to great performances…and he continues to be one of the most popular wrestlers on the roster. He is a fantastic live draw. Fans want to see him and they want to see him wrestle for ROH. Two big wins against former ROH World champion Bryan Danielson prove once again why it’s best not to underestimate the ram.

Previous Money Players:
September 2007: The Briscoes (BRSC)
August 2007: Kevin Steen (KSTN) & El Generico (GNRC)
July 2007: Claudio Castagnoli (CAST)
June 2007: Bryan Danielson (AMER)
May 2007: Jay & Mark Briscoe (BRSC)
April 2007: Colt Cabana (COLT)
March 2007: BJ Whitmer (WHIT), Jimmy Jacobs (HUSS), Jay and Mark Briscoe (BRSC)
February 2007: Samoa Joe (SAMO)
January 2007: Homicide (HOMI)

ROH STOCK INDEX

A Special Case: Nigel McGuinness: What is there to do when a successful company is about to roll out a new edition of a product and yet is set back by unforeseen circumstances? Well, there is an immediate impact felt within the stockmarket and it usually isn’t positive. That is certainly the case here with new ROH World champion Nigel McGuinness who was the stockmarket’s hero in October and yet one of its biggest busts in November. McGuinness, after raising brand consciousness and developing quality product, finally established himself as the top name brand product in Ring of Honor. Unfortunately a blow out bicep injury put to a halt to creation of new inventory and that has scared away the many bandwagon investors who would have surely jumped on to this title run in the near future.

So is Nigel’s stock up, down or in-between? Right now stock forecasters are hesitant to make predictions about his long term future, but in the short term there is a chilling effect on Nigel’s stock. If Nigel can return to action by the end of December 2007 the market may re-embrace him as the marquee ROH attraction. If he cannot return and is stripped of the title by default, then Nigel’s stock will certainly take a large tumble downwards.

Liquidation Sale: The Resilience: Most investors were taken aback by announcement of Resilience President / CEO Austin Aries when he announced that his group, The Resilience had been disbanded. However, expert sources say that insiders could see this coming for several months now. The product, while possessing valid and strong marketing value had never fully realized its true potential in earnings. Therefore its performance on the market was volatile at best, with investor confidence blowing like the wind.

In the hours after Aries announced the liquidation of The Resilience’s assets investors went into “sell off” mode. Now stock in The Resilience is almost worthless, leaving many who put their faith in Aries’ leadership ability high and dry, almost destitute and penniless. Aries’ co-partners in the firm, Erick Stevens and Matt Cross have seemingly gone their separate ways with the latter looking to explore investment opportunities in Japan. However, expert insiders say not to overlook the potential of these two deciding to team up once again in the near future, perhaps as soon as first quarter 2008.

On the Black Market: The Age of the Fall: In rather unsettling news this month, Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black, Co-founder of AotF, in accordance with the limited partners Necro Butcher and Lacey (last name unknown) announced that they were pulling their stock from the public market. They refuse to participate in the ROH stockmarket, citing unfair business practices by the ROH stock index and the fact that they would not be appraised at what they deemed themselves to be a fair market value, AotF have instead begun to sell shares of their company on the black market. Some expert insiders have rolled their eyes at the irony of such a move, but to be honest, not many are shedding tears over this decision. They cite the unethical business practices and weak hiring standards of this firm as being wholly antithetical to the nature of the ROH stockmarket. There are unconfirmed reports of alleged piracy, blackmail and conspiracy among this group. They also seem to be hiring anyone and everyone who wants into their firm, regardless of skills and abilities. Clearly AotF have low standards and as such insiders say that at any rate there would have been much tension and possible federal investigations had this group decided to stay on the stockmarket.

Breadwinners STOCK UP!

–Austin Aries (ARES): The market loves two things: proven winners and a hot streak. Aries has demonstrated both of those qualities especially these past two months. A string of victories against Roderick Strong, Bryan Danielson and Chris Hero show that Aries is on an upward trend back to the main event scene. The resurgent brand name of Aries in ROH action is the talk of the town in the market and these stocks have been yielding strong dividends.

–Chris Hero (HERO): At this point in time Hero is a fine addition to any portfolio and he will remind you of it every five minutes. However, Hero’s bombardment advertising campaign notwithstanding, his stock value has been skyrocketing much like Aries due to high performance results. Some experts have even dubbed him the uncrowned number one stock pick on all of the market.

–Hangmen 3 (THM3): Corporate takeovers are not their style; they’re more like Corporate bulldozers. They flat out eliminated their immediate competition in Kevin Steen & El Generico. They have also run an effective smear campaign against Delirious and the mask wearing traders. The HM3 take a big step up in value this month and could go farther up based on current future indicators.

Loss Leaders STOCK DOWN!

–Matt Cross (MD20) & Erick Stevens (CHOO): As mentioned in the special bulletin above, this pairing also did not meet analysts’ forecasts. While there were minor victories here and there to be celebrated, they just could not match up with their competitors in the same industry. In a cutthroat world of stocks and trading, perhaps this company was just too much of a “little guy” to compete with the big dogs.

–Takeshi Morishima (MORI): The ROH World Champion had established himself as a money making juggernaut for stock traders for a lengthy period of 2007. Sometimes however, even the greatest of brands suffers a defeat. The more devastating fact behind Morishima’s downfall was its sudden and unexpected nature. One second the Japanese import product was on top of the United States market and the next moment it lost ground to a British competitor. Morishima also lost ground to brands that were made in the “good ol’ U.S.A.”, to men such as Bryan Danielson. While Morishima remains a top notch brand, it has a ways to go if it ever wants to reclaim the top spot on the ROH market.

– Kevin Steen (KSTN) & El Generico (GNRC): The stock market was looking to forgive them after failing to meet quarterly profit markers, namely due to their inability to claim the ROH World Tag Team Titles. However, despite the public loving their product and name brand value remaining high, recent losses to the Hangmen 3 have dropped their stock immensely. They are going to have to go back to the drawing board as the old cliché goes. A new marketing strategy and more innovations that can lead to a positive reintroduction of their product may help pick this stock back up.

Trendsetters

–All Out Brawling: No one corporate brand can lay claim to this month’s trendsetting movement, but each had a hand in resurrecting one of ROH’s more favorite staples of its early years—the all out brawl / riot between wrestlers. In San Francisco and again in Philadelphia, corporate stables such as The Vulture Squad, Sweet & Sour Incorporated, The No Remorse Corps and others have fought in blazing, out of control brawls, all to delight of the crowd. No one loves a bar fight more than the sharks at the stock market and over the last few months there has been enough action to keep all of the trading community happy.

Future Outlooks

(+) POSITIVE: Bryan Danielson (up), Austin Aries (up), Chris Hero (up), Adam Pearce , BJ Whitmer, Brent Albright, Roderick Strong, Davey Richards, Rocky Romero, Claudio Castagnol, Human Tornado

(/) NEUTRAL: Eddie Edwards (up), Shane Hagadorn (up), Nigel McGuiness (drops), Jack Evans (drops), Ruckus (drops), Julius Smokes (drops), Tank Toland (drops) , El Generico (drops) , Takeshi Morishima, , The Briscoes, Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw), Hallowicked, Delirious

(-) NEGATIVE: Erick Stevens (drops way down), Kevin Steen (drops), Pelle Primeau, Gran Akuma, Matt Cross, Irish Airborne,

Out of the stock market: NECRO Butcher, Tyler Black, Jimmy Jacobs (see above)
Added: Human Tornado

Penny Stocks
Looking for a cheap bargain? This is the place to speculate on the next possible big things…but look out; there could also be a few duds here.

–More than a penny for your thoughts
Pelle Primeau (PPRM)
Shane Hagadorn (HAGA):–The Friar Tuck haircut is gone.
Irish Airborne (IAIR)
M Dogg 20 “Matt Cross” (MD20)–groin injury will unfortunately keep him out for a while.
Julius Smokes (SMOK)

–Still just one cent
Jason Blade (BLAD)
Eddie Edwards (EDED)–may actually be developing along well. Still needs a personality though.
Eddie Osirus (EOSI)–new Top of the Class Trophy winner.
Mitch Franklin (MFRN)–old Top of the Class Trophy winner. Well, that was fast.
Bobby Dempsey (BDEM)
Rhett Titus (TTUS)
Alex Payne (PAYN)

Closing Thoughts / Ring the Bell: Well, we’d like to ring the closing bell, but it seems that Necro Butcher and Bryan Danielson have engaged in a fight about who gets to hold the hammer. Ah, the saga continues…

“Classic” Promo Month: Week Two

I wanted to go back and present some of ROH’s past promos that I really enjoyed or found compelling. These aren’t necessarily “the greatest ROH promos evar!” or else I would have called it as such. Rather these are “classic” promos in the sense that they are older but nonetheless remain quality due to content or circumstance. I hope you all enjoy.

Steve Corino gets ready to fight Homicide in a Barbed Wire match, War of the Wire (Framingham, MA 11 /29/03):

Gary Michael Cappetta (on a cell phone): Ok, what did you say? Corino, Corino, he’s on his way in? Ok, hold it right there cameraman, let’s try to get a word with him. Here he comes with his group. I can’t believe he has all of these people with him.

Corino (fading out): You might be able to find Homicide at the crackhouse…

Why it Works: Sure, its rough around the edges, there’s a few lines flubbed here and there and the video quality is how shall I put it…bootleg at best. However, there are several important factors to a good promo that are palpable here. Corino’s emotions are clearly evident, including his passion and his frustration about being in this situation to begin with. Fans watching this may not agree with everything he says, but his justifications for this war with Homicide are all out there.

Corino puts forth two major marks against Homicide. One is that “The Notorious 187” caused him to lose his hearing, which was a major outcome of their previous match at Better Friends, Stiffer Enemies. According to Corino, he put Homicide on the wrestling map thanks to the notoriety of their feud and the fact that he gave him international attention by booking him in Japan (which did actually happen). Corino has not created the monster, but he has seemingly enabled him and now he must deal with the consequences.

Corino talks a good game when it comes to wrestling politics and he always has managed to sneak in a little shoot against the internet / ROH fans in his promos. Then again as a heel, it’s never a bad thing to rile up the fans. Then again, Corino has his yes-man (LeGrande) back him up and his side of the story.

Camera crews would indeed follow both Homicide and Corino as they led into their barbed wire encounter, and as hardcore and bloody as it was, it wasn’t to be the end of their rivalry. At the end of the match and with his arms raised in victory Corino had extended a hand to follow the code of honor. Homicide looked down at the hand and just walked away.

Going Home

Name That Tune Week 10

Every week I’ll include an excerpt of music lyric and I’ll ask you guys to guess the song. The catch is that it will be a wrestler’s theme! All promotions are up for grabs, but I’ll focus mostly on the independent scene.

Here was last week’s clue

Clue: non-ROH
Lyric: “We was only funnin’ / but guiltily I thought you had it comin'”
What’s the name of the song and the artist?

The answer: “Hey Sandy” by Polaris (Chuck Taylor’s theme)

It didn’t matter if the song was outside of the confines of ROH this week, as many readers traveled to Jupiter on submarines for the answer.

This week’s winners:
soulpower—who name checks Chuck E. Cheech, an awesome tag team name.
Adam Ganser–I didn’t even need to look up the lyrics this week! I loved Pete and Pete as a kid and I love that theme song! And by God I love Chuck Taylor! It’s Hey Sandy by Polaris and the wrestler is the aofrementioned Chuck Taylor. Its unfortunate that the clue was ‘non-ROH’ because I’d really love to see him in an ROH ring. You might say he’s ‘Taylor-made’ for Sweet n’ Sour, Inc. Heh heh, I slay me. Anyway, thanks again for the column, I really enjoy it!
Mitchell Rose

That’s it? Well, it certainly seems we’re seeing where the dividing line takes place. Now let’s see if you can Name that Tune! for this week, November 17th, 2007!

Clue: ROH alumnus
Lyric: “tell your children / not to do what I have done.”
What’s the name of the song and the artist?

Send in your answers here and if you’re correct I’ll list your name in next week’s column!

Ringtones

Justin, a hardcore FIP fan from Florida, wants to correct me on my reporting last week about the Nigel McGuinness vs. Roderick Strong confrontation:

First of all, I really enjoy the column and it really helps me keep up with Ring of Honor even though I can’t possibly attend any ROH shows (until Wrestlemania weekend that is). I was at the FIP show in Crystal River last night and I have to disagree with the statement that Roderick Strong was playing a heel when he confronted Nigel. It is fair to say that Strong had a bit more intensity in his delivery than his normal promo work in FIP but, he was very much still a babyface for the Florida crowd. I think when the clip is shown to an exclusive ROH audience it will come off as Roddy being the heel but I think that’s part of the beauty of this storyline. Strong will almost assuredly remain a face here in Florida because he’s standing up for our home promotion. I’m hoping Gabe gives this angle a proper build and sets up a huge blowoff match in FIP’s backyard at the Wrestlemania weekend shows.

I like the idea of building towards the Wrestlemania weekend shows and that each wrestler will have his own rooting section, but it is a fragile time right now for Nigel and how the fans take to him in ROH, so I hope they tread carefully with all of this. Fortunately the feeling I get from all the newswire reports is that Gabe is willing to give NIgel’s run with the belt a chance to get over, even with the bicep injury.

Josh wrote in to remind me to put Caged Rage, Manhattan Mayhem II and Motor City Madness 2007 on the ROH recommended list, and so I have.

Frequent emailer and friend to the column John Maberry wrote into plug his blog / column and so here it is: Check it out.

**The Independent Buy In**

2007

(Full list returns next week)

**FIP Battle of the Belts (Eddie Graham Memorial) (Stevens / Strong, Strong / Jay Briscoe, Jay Briscoe / Sweeney, Stevens / Delirious, Stevens / SHINGO) (NEW ADDITON)

This is a solid tournament, centered on getting Erick Stevens over in FIP given the momentum of his huge win against former partner turned rival Steve Madison at Unfinished Business 2007. Therefore, Stevens’s matches in the tournament get over the strongest. The final is an excellent bout against Roderick Strong, showing that these two have great chemistry and work well against each other in the ring. Elsewhere, Roderick Strong vs. Jay Briscoe is a hard and violent fight and if you like The Briscoes you’ll like this.

The undercurrent of the tournament is Dave Prazak’s desire for his men to win the title so he can throw it in the trash heap. Prazak proves to be a good foil for the tournament and his stacking the deck with three DP Associates members in the tournament give him good odds to win. His constant comments about how the title should have been determined in a battle royal instead of a tournament are funny at first, then grow rather annoying, then become funny again by the end of the show.

It’s a solid, if unspectacular show overall, but it’s a certain recommendation if you have spare cash and are done with the “must see” shows of the year.

The ROH List
**Fifth Year Festival: NYC (Samoa Joe / Morishima, Homicide / Rave, Briscoes / Cabana & McGuinness, Albright / Whitmer, Evans / SHINGO / Xavier / Jacobs)
**Fifth Year Festival: Philly (Homicide / Morishima, Sydal & Daniels / SHINGO & Evans, Briscoes / Generico & Steen, Castagnoli / Aries, McGuinness / Perkins)
**Fifth Year Festival: Chicago (Morishima & McGuinness / Joe & Homicide, Cabana / Jacobs, Strong & Richards / Aries & Cross, Daniels & Sydal / The Briscoes, Albright / Castagnoli)
**Fifth Year Festival: Liverpool (Joe / McGuinness, ROH World Tag Team Titles: The Briscoes / Doi & SHINGO / FIP Title: Strong / PAC, 2/3 Falls: Delirious / Matt Sydal) **Fifth Year Festival: Finale (Joe / Homicide, Fight Without Honor: McGuinness / Rave, ROH World Tag Team Titles: Doi & SHINGO / Richards and Strong, Sydal / PAC, Falls Count Anywhere: Whitmer / Jacobs)
**All Star Extravaganza III (ROH vs. Dragon Gate 8 Man Tag, Strong / Evans, Mochizuki / Richards, Cabana / Sydal / Hero / Pearce, Homicide / Daniels)
**Supercard of Honor II (CIMA, SHINGO and Yokosuka / Dragon Kid / Saito / Mochikzuki, Strong / Aries, Whitmer / Jacobs, Evans & Doi / Richards and Romero, McGuinness / Hero, Daniels & Sydal / Delirious & Jay Briscoe)
**Fighting Spirit (ROH World Title: McGuinness / Morishima, Jay Briscoe and Erick Stevens Mark Briscoe / El Generico & Kevin Steen, Evans & Delirious / Strong & Romero, Claudio / Romero, Cabana / Williams)
**The Battle of St. Paul (ROH World Title: Morishima / Aries, FIP Title: Strong / Daniels, Delirious / Stevens / Romero / Evans, Albright & Pearce / Homicide & Cabana/ ROH World Tag Titles Ultimate Endurance)
**Good Times, Great Memories (ROH World Tag Team Titles: Briscoes / Murder City Machine Guns, Roderick Strong / Jack Evans, ROH World Title: Morishima / SHINGO, Austin Aries / Rocky Romeo, Adam Pearce / Colt Cabana, 6 Man Mayhem: Deliirous, Quackenbush, Hallowicked, Jigsaw, Akuma, Primeau)
**A Fight at the Roxbury (Four Corner Survival: Quackenbush / Hero / Castagnoli / McGuinness, ROH World Title: Morishima / Jay Briscoe, El Genercico / Matt Sydal, Steen / Briscoe, Danielson / Rave)
**Respect is Earned (ROH World Tag Team Title: The Briscoes / Castagnoli & Sydal, Danielson & Morishima / McGuinness & KENTA, Marufuji / Romero, Tag Team Scramble, Toland / Albright)
**Domination (ROH World Tag Team Titles, 2 out of 3 Falls: Briscoes / Hero & Castagnoli, Steen & Generico / Jigsaw & Quackenbush, Morishima / Strong, Sydal / Hallowicked, Lacey / Daizee Haze)
**United We Stand (Danielson & McGuinness / Marufuji & Morishima, KENTA / Rocky Romero, NRC vs. Resilience)
**Live in Tokyo (ROH World Title: Morishima / McGuinness, Briscoes & Marufuji / Sydal, Ricky Marvin & Atsushi Aoki, Danileson / Go Shiozaki, Fight Without Honor: Delirious / Strong )
**Race to the top Tournament Night 1 (ROH World Tag Titles: The Briscoes / Danielson & McGuinness, Evans / Steen, Quackenbush / Sydal, Hero / Stevens, Richards / Jigsaw, Delirious / Generico)
**Race to the top Tournament Night 2 (Generico / Claudio, Claudio / Quack, $10,000 Tag Team Challenge: Danielson, Aries, Sydal, Mark Briscoe / McGuinness, Strong, Delirious, Jay Briscoe, Generico / Hero, Evans / Albright)
**Death Before Dishonor V Night 1 (Boston Street Fight: The Briscoes / Steen & Generico, ROH World Title: Morishima / Castagnoli, Danielson / Sydal, Pure Wrestling: Hero / McGuinness, Richards / Evans)
**Death Before Dishonor V Night 2 (Philadelphia Street Fight: NRC & Sydal / Resilience & Delirious, ROH World Title: Morishima / Albright, Quackenbush / Danielson, McGuinness & Castagnoli / Hero & Jigsaw, Del Rey / Lacey, Steen / El Generico, Briscoe / El Generico )
** Caged Rage (Steel Cage ROH World Tag Titles: Brisoes / Generico & Steen, Steel Cage: Evans / Strong, ROH World Title Elimination Match: Morishima / Castagnoli / Albright, Resilience / Richards, Blade & Edwards, Hero / Hallowicked ) (NEW ADDITON)
** Manhattan Mayhem II (Two out of Three Falls: ROH World Tag Titles: Briscoes vs. Generico & Steen, ROH World Title: Morishima / Danielson, Hero / Castagnoli, Aries / Evans / Strong, Ruckus / Edwards, Cross & Stevens / Quackenbush & Jigsaw) (NEW ADDITON)
** Motor City Madness 2007 (ROH World Title: Morishima / Stevens, Marufuji / Generico, Jacobs / Hero, ROH World Tag Team Titles: The Briscoes / Aries & Cross ) (NEW ADDITON)

This section needs your help! If you want to recommend some good independent wrestling to your fellow internet readers out there, drop me a line for the column.

ROH @ 411 This Week

J.D. Dunn continues his review tour de force with a look at ROH United We Stand.

Brad Garoon takes on the two for one edition of FIP shows in Evening The Odds 2005 and Attack of the Masked Fippers.

Samuel Berman looks at Steen & Generico in the earlier run in ROh, starting with Generico vs. Aries in this week’s edition of The Independent Mid Card.

Alex Barcham dissects Glory By Honor VI: Night 1 in this week’s edition of Hitting Below The Beltway.

SHIMMER gets added attention this week thanks to Michael Weyer Shining a Spotlight and Ryan Byers’s first of three part Beginner’s Survival Guide.

Honor Bound Links

Do not go gentle into that good night Ron Gamble.

John Meehan breaks the code in this week’s Friday News Report. Well I could have solved very easily too, watch: X29. X is one away from Y, 2 is 2 and 9 looks like a stylized J. See? Easy!

While I have the ROH market update, JP handles all the rest of the stock and market / industry news in the Hamilton Avenue Journal.

Samuel Berman writes his piece del resilience with a special edition of The Up and Under, addressing what its like to admit to be a wrestling fan.

Mike Campbell also writes one of his best pieces, also addressing the idea of being a wrestling fan and the judgements other fans make about each other in his special edition of The Tiger’s Take.

FIP, PWG and CHIKARA all get the spotlight in this week’s 411 Buy or Sell.

Check out my thoughts and the rest of the 411 Staff’s picks for WWE Survivor Series 2007 in the Roundtable.

Stuart Carapola continues to travel through time by looking at past Survivor Series. Here are links to That Was Then: Survivor Series 1999 & 2000, 2001 & 2002,
2003 & 2004.

The Seventh Dimension: Xerox.

Bayani looks at the lack of Blue Chippers in this week’s Truth B Told.

HR / LR on the mystery partner.

The 4 R’s.

Ask 411.

Final Column 2007 is six weeks and counting—the biggest stories of the year, the biggest beefs and rivalries that were told in the ring, all here in this feature.

In our next fantastic adventure I’ll preview the Dayton Ohio showcase and so much more.

Until next week, have a Happy Thanksgiving holiday!
Brooklyn! DAH EM BAH SEE!
–Ari–