wrestling / Columns

Column of Honor 12.30.07: Final Column 2007 Part Four

December 30, 2007 | Posted by Ari Berenstein

Welcome back! Now its time for my fellow 411 writers to get in on the act. So I let them go for it–they were able to write about anything related to ROH that they wanted. They could be positive or negative. They could write about one wrestler or about the year in general. Hell they could even write about why we don’t see Kikutaro anymore!

Compositions about Honor

Jerome Cusson

It’s fitting that the events that took place in Chicago both featured similar weather: crappy. In February, ROH’s first time in the city limits, 950 braved the weather and unsure parking situation to witness the farewell of a true legend, Samoa Joe. Despite the whistles andcramped environment, Chicago came back in a big way. After a disappointing ending to Chicago’s run in 2006, 2007 was a renaissance.

December 1 took the area back to where we started: icy conditions and a horrific storm that caused a car accident and a changed show. Yet, 900 still braved even worse conditions than in February to enjoy the best show ROH could have delivered under the circumstances.

To see Joe’s farewell, Daniels’ speech, Cabana’s goodbye, the KENTA/Danielson rematch, the last ROH matches of Homicide and Matt Sydal, the one and only ladder match in ROH history, a major upset involving Jimmy Jacobs; and the coup-de-gras, two Pay-Per-View tapings, was a tremendous honor. We may not be the wild Manhattan Center or the place where ROH began all those years ago, but Chicago is still awesome.

You will notice I am not choosing any award winners. This is because to look the year 2007 as a whole, kudos should be given to every wrestler who stepped foot in an ROH deserves an award; from Bryan Danielson wrestling with one eye, to Claudio Castagnoli taking his step as one of ROH’s elite. Kevin Steen and El Generico went from having matches cut to being involved in one of the greatest feuds in company history. Colt Cabana, Christopher Daniels, Homicide, Jimmy Rave, Matt Sydal, and Samoa Joe all said farewell in what seemed like a parade of goodbyes. Also, Lenny Leonard and Dave Prazak deserve special recognition for the job they do as THE announcing team in Ring of Honor. Maybe they’ll never have the down-home or southern drawl, but I will put these two gentleman against any wrestling announcing going in the last 15 years.

Finally, I thank any fan who has attended a show (special props to anyone who braved inclement weather, particularly at Unscripted III), bought a Pay-Per-View, and/or purchased a DVD. As much as ROH fans might make me roll my eyes or frustrate me sometimes, I think they are the best wrestling fans in the world. Their enthusiasm makes going to live shows a family reunion, not just another canned crowd…coughWWEeventscough.

For all this I say thank you to everyone associated with Ring of Honor: fans, staff, wrestlers, referees, announcers, and most importantly the mastermind of this family circus, Gabe Sapolsky.

Jerome Cusson is your go-to guy for retro reviews about Friends & South Park in addition to being one of Chi-town’s ravenous ROH fans. Check him out in 411’s Movie / TV Zone every week!

Theo Fraser

The Year That Couldn’t Be Topped?

2006 really was an incredible year for Ring of Honor. The company was widely acclaimed to get better and better each year, and after the ‘Summer of Punk’ and Kobashi’s appearance in 2005, it was thought to be nigh on impossible to top. But then we saw the white-hot ROH/CZW feud, the insanely amazing stretch of shows during the Milestone Series (which included the biggest crowd to date at Better Than Our Best), the first UK tour, KENTA and Marufuji’s string of great matches with the home-grown talent, and the debut at the Manhattan Centre to name but a few key events of the year. There was absolutely no way that 2007 could come even CLOSE to matching that, let alone surpass it…right?

Not by a long shot. It is of course entirely subjective, but I’d wager that I’m not alone in thinking 2007 to be ROH’s finest year to date. Let’s look at the facts, shall we?

The best place to start is naturally with the promotion’s expansion onto pay-per-view. Since the PPV debut Respect is Earned in July, ROH has been more readily accessible than ever before. New fans don’t have to go through the lengthy process of signing up online, putting in an order for a product they know little about, and waiting days for the DVD to arrive. Thanks to the power of pay-per-view, you only need your TV remote, and voila, ROH is right there at your fingertips. These are no throw-away shows either; all three events so far have presented the very best of the promotion, so you are guaranteed to get your money’s worth. Whereas previously new fans might have been overwhelmed by the amount of DVDs and not had a clue where to start from, these PPVs are the perfect venue for new fans to get their first taste of Ring of Honor action.

The pay-per-view deal was easily the biggest story of the year for the company, but something else came extremely close; the announcement that Japanese wrestling legend Mitsuharu Misawa would make a rare Stateside appearance, wrestling at one of ROH’s biggest weekends of the year; Glory By Honor weekend. Not only was this a huge deal for the company to secure an appearance by arguably Japan’s most influential wrestler, but it was also an indy fan’s wet dream come true, giving them the chance to see Misawa in the flesh. It came as no surprise that both events at Glory By Honor VI were fully sold out.

Whilst these were the two major news stories of the year, they weren’t the only reasons 2007 was another successful year for the company. A much stronger relationship with overseas promotions Dragon Gate and NOAH (evident in the booking of a long-term ROH World title reign for Takeshi Morishima) led to the first ever ROH events being held in Japan, bringing with it exciting new talent and fresh matchups. Alongside the profitable return to the UK in March, this reinforced the notion that ROH has worldwide recognition and is a highly sought-after commodity.

Above all else, however, are the matches themselves. All the tours, foreign talent appearances and pay-per-view deals would mean nothing if the company weren’t delivering the high quality matches fans had come to expect. Fortunately, ROH did deliver, and in a massive way. In my personal opinion, 2007 gave us the best in-ring action in the promotion’s history, and that is patently obvious when you look at the sheer number of legitimate MOTYCs we have seen since January. Seriously, we have been utterly spoilt in terms of the matches we have witnessed this year. Look at the amount of incredible matches that came about purely through the Briscoes/Steenerico feud. That ONE feud was a massive draw for the company and gave us an unprecedented amount of classic matches. That’s the kind of thing other promoters can only dream of! And for some companies, that would have been enough to ensure them an extraordinarily successful year, but for ROH that was merely the tip of the iceberg. We had the renewed Danielson/McGuinness feud which produced my personal favourite match in the company’s entire history at Driven. We had the all-out bitter rivalry between Danielson and Morishima, which has yet to reach a climax. We’ve seen Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli break out from the pack to have some thrilling contests, often against each other. The Briscoes asserted themselves as the most exciting duo on the indy scene today with outstanding matches against a whole host of contenders, including the universally-praised exhibition of tag team wrestling at its best against the Murder City Machine Guns. Let’s not forget the angles, either, such as the Age of the Fall debut on September 15th, which was one of the most talked about angles of the entire year in professional wrestling. Clearly, ROH has been producing the goods, and the wrestling community seem to be responding in kind.

With Final Battle 2007 just around the corner and a blowaway card on paper, the best could be yet to come. 2008 has a hell of a lot riding on it… but if this year is anything to go by, I’m confident that Gabe, Cary and co can pull it off. So let’s raise a glass to Ring of Honor’s incredible fifth year in business, and let’s toast to five more!

Theo Fraser has delivered the latest on Nintendo news and information each and every week in the 411 Video Game section. He has been one of the most consistent and solid writers we have for that section, so be sure to read his column!.

Michael Melchor

After nearly a lifetime of being a diehard wrestling fan, this is the year it almost happened. Between seeing almost the exact same storylines play out on Raw week after week and TNA book itself into mind-numbing entropy, this was nearly the year I almost hung it up and walked away from the “sport” I love so much. (And none of this is to mention the steroid scandals or the Benoit tragedy, but that’s another story for another time.)

What got me into wrestling all those years ago wasn’t “Hulkamania” or the endless menagreie of characters that the WWF had to parade out. That got my interest, but what finally sold me on the concept was the NWA. In particular, the Four Horsemen. These guys ran their mouth about what they could do and when, then they got in the ring and backed it up. Not because they were particularly buff or dominant, but because they could wrestle their asses off. I had no clue what “suspension of disbelief” was at that young age, but I’m fairly positive the fact that I bought into the feuds and matches of the Horsemen – and the guys they squared off against – is what hooked me for the rest of my life. Ergo, the fact that it’s nearly impossible to suspend that disbelief watching WWE or (especially) TNA is what almost made me walk away for a while this year…

…until I finally sat down and watched a promotion I’d heard so much about. I finally sat down and gave Ring of Honor a chance by watching some of the newer shows. Actually, I think the first show I watched from beginning to end was the “Respect Is Earned” DVD. Partly because of the “PPV” atmosphere, I was drawn in to the show from the get-go. Seeing Bryan Danielson again (I’d watched the first two RoH shows years ago) was neat as well, and kept my interest.

What grabbed me and kept me – hook, line, and sucker – was the in-ring action and the way the RoH roster played off of each other. For the first time in a long time, I could believe without question that the two guys in the ring were there to prove themselves. To decimate the guy they hated across the ring. To win gold and elevate their own stock in the sport. To show that they were the better man – if not the Best In The World.

The more I thought about it, the more I was struck by déjà vu. Here was this small, independent promotion based out of the Northeast that made a lot of their money through video sales that put on great shows every time they stepped out against two much bigger companies that had a seeming lock on the market but couldn’t book a decent story or feud to save their lives. Needless to say, with RoH, I get that ECW feeling (circa 1995) all over again.

2007 will always be remembered, by me, as the year that I almost walked away from wrestling – all to be pulled back in by Ring of Honor. My thanks go out to Cary Silkin, Gabe Sopolsky (sp?), and the entire RoH roster for bringing back the sport of pro wrestling and for saving my fandom during an otherwise bleak year.

Double M has been and is currently 411’s Music Zone editor and a former 411Wrestling Zone writer, and now he too knows that ROH can save wrestling fandom. He gets in the writing mood every now and again and each time it’s a worthwhile read.

Matt Short

ROH and NOAH in 2007: Thoughts From a Gaijin in Tokyo
2007 was a great year for the relationship between NOAH and ROH. While the two promotions had exchanged talent over past years, ’07 saw things to a whole different level. I was lucky enough to be in Japan for the early half of the year and got to see things from a different perspective.

I had the opportunity to attend NOAH’s first show of the year, a card that was headlined by The Briscoes challenging Takashi Sugiura and Yoshinobu Kanemaru for the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team titles. The prospect of seeing NOAH vs. ROH with gold on the line was enough for me to get a ticket, but there were little things throughout the show that hinted at some of the extra tension that we would see through the rest of 2007. One was Akira Taue attempting some flippy-do roll through escape from a wristlock by Nigel McGuinness. Later in the same match Nigel completed the escape perfectly and proceeded to shout at Taue “That’s how you bloody do it, Sunshine!” A six-man tag that featured Morishima against Misawa resulted in a spot where Morishima’s entire team performed Samoa Joe’s patented Ole Kick on the Boss. Of course while these little hints at growing in-ring conflicts could be easily dismissed (well the Ole Kick thing was kind of an obvious message to Joe), the underlying story was the fact that these tiny little tidbits were highlighting the strengthening relationship between the two companies.

The best thing about this show’s main event was the fact that the crowd had no idea what to think of The Briscoes. To the Japanese crowd Jay and Mark were their worst nightmares of America come to life. With six teeth between them and their casual swearing (the only English the Japanese know without fail are curse words) they kind of just sat there not wanting to believe that these two were actually challenging for GHC gold. The Briscoes managed to win some of the crowd over with their impressive double team offense but it was quite a shock when they actually won the titles. They didn’t have a long title reign, but they manage to the Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team division some new life. The evil foreigner angle works great no matter what country you’re in. Ricky Marvin and Kotaro Suzuki captured the belts from The Briscoes in a truly epic match and then went on to have a great year defending the belts. NOAH had shown good faith in allowing ROH stars to hold gold and it paid off in the long run. But of course ROH now had to give a little bit in return.

The much anticipated Joe vs. Morishima match went off well, with the ROH legend getting the win over the NOAH star. But that took a backseat to what happened when Morishima challenged ROH champion Homicide. He tore through Homicide like he was nothing and took the belt. After an easy victory over BJ Whitmer at the end of his first US tour Morishima returned to Japan with the ROH World Championship. As far as trading gold goes, the ROH giving up its top title to a visitor while NOAH just gave up a tag title that wasn’t as big at the time. It was a very unbalanced exchange, though all in all Morishima’s title reign was something that he needed badly. It has often been said that Morishima was being groomed to become a major star of NOAH, but despite this he could never quite make it. While he had the tools to do it, he lacked a good deal of main event experience. Sure he could work well with NOAH guys, but that wasn’t good enough. If Morishima was going to break out and be a major star in Japan, not just limited to NOAH, he needed a chance to work with a wide variety of guys. This is where ROH came into the picture. Think for a second about the types of people Morishima got to work with one on one. Danielson, McGuinness, Castagnoli, SHINGO, Albright. Each of these guys brings something different to the table and by the time Morishima was nearing the end of his reign his matches were getting better and better. If there’s one thing that NOAH didn’t give Morishima it was a series of big singles matches to not just prove himself, but to really hone his craft. Since losing the ROH title Morishima has been booked to face Misawa in 2008 for the GHC Heavyweight Championship. With the experience he got during his ROH run now would be as good a time as any to give him a chance to run with the belt. And it would be his experience with ROH that would help him become a success.

Of course 2007 wasn’t all about title exchanges. New ROH stars got chances to shine in NOAH, like Chris Hero, The Briscoes, and Davey Richards along with veterans of NOAH tours like Rocky Romero, Nigel McGuinness, and Bryan Danielson. ROH stars got chances to appear in the NTV Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team tournament. Aside from Morishima, NOAH didn’t exactly send many new stars to North America but ROH did pay host to Japanese legend Mitsuharu Misawa. While there have been a lot of complaints about Misawa’s performance during his visit the gesture of his coming really meant something. The partnership between these two companies clearly means a lot to both parties involved and Misawa gracing the ROH ring.

For me the highlight of the ROH/NOAH interaction this year was getting to attend the ROH in Tokyo show this past July. I was more than happy to shell out my $70 bucks for a ticket. To me this show was a culmination of the interaction between these two companies. It was also a lot of fun to be a part of a Japanese crowd that was doing more than sit on their hands the whole show. It was great to see some fresh faces getting to compete with ROH stars. Go Shiozaki vs. Bryan Danielson has gotten a lot of praise, but I will say that it has to be the best match I’ve seen live (granted I haven’t been to a great many wrestling shows). I especially loved the atmosphere for the Morishima vs. McGuinness match. It was funny to me that the Japanese crowd was mostly behind Nigel, but they were still incredibly appreciative of both of their performances.

So 2007 was a success for both companies in terms of working together. I’d love for 2008 to be just as great, though short of more NOAH stars winning gold, I don’t know how they would be able to top it. What would I like to see happen next year in terms of NOAH and ROH? I want to see new guys come over and perform. Bring in Ricky Marvin & Kotaro Suzuki for a rematch with The Briscoes. Go Shiozaki has been more than impressive in his previous outings and would be a fun addition to any card. 2008 will have a lot to live up to and I’m looking forward to see where they take things.

Matt Short is 411 Gaijin touring America, although he hasn’t been jobbed out to the hometown roster just yet. You can read his fantastic look at Pro Wrestling NOAH and other Puro companies each and every week in The Navigation Log.

Michael Bauer

A Tale of Two Venues

There is an old saying for entertainment purposes that no two crowds are alike. The saying could never be truer for Ring of Honor, especially when you look at markets like Long Island and New York City. I’m one of the few who have been able to attend events in both venues this year and to say that there is a difference would be an understatement to say the least. I have friends who have never been to Ring of Honor in NYC, but they have witnessed Long Island in either the old Sports Plus or in this new Deer Park sardine can. They ask me just what the difference is. My reply generally relates back to sports and the whole Yankees/Red Sox rivalry. I tell them that the shows in Long Island are like watching them play in April, but the shows in NYC are like watching them in October. And since then, every single one of my friends who came out to the city knows exactly what I am talking about.

Long Island shows have always been considered the “B” cards and lineups due to the simple fact that they are always on Fridays. And while that fact maybe true, it doesn’t mean the action isn’t as good as a NYC show, but the crowd reactions don’t do the matches justice enough times. Since I started watching Ring of Honor back on May 12, 2006 with How We Roll (Yes, it was Christian’s appearance that helped), Long Island has had its fair share of big events that NYC never had. Obviously, Christian’s appearance was one, but let’s not forget the return of Steve Corino happened in Long Island last year. You saw the Race to the Top Tournament take place in Long Island, as well as the beginning of Colt Cabana’s farewell tour. And even more bizarre, Erick Stevens’s overness started in Long Island as not only Austin Aries aligned with him, but it was here that he first debuted the “Choo-Choo” which baffled us at first. The problem is, none of these seem huge because the crowd is not as fired up as it should be. Again, it’s like Yankees and Red Sox playing in April, where you want to see the win, but losing is not as critical as it is in October.

To date, I have been to five Ring of Honor shows on Long Island in a year and a half, with a sixth in February. After this weekend, I will have been to four NYC shows, in only a little more than four months. The pull of these shows in New York City in crazy, especially because of how rabid the fans are, meaning you know all the stops will be pulled. The first time I was there, I had an idea what to expect, but after a surprise from a friend landed me in the front row I realized that I have no freaking idea what to expect. The main difference is that every fan, from front to back was screaming at the top of their lungs, something you never see in Long Island. I was there the first time Danielson fought Morishima and from the very moment Danielson’s music started, you could just feel the whole crowd’s anticipation. I was there for Misawa vs. KENTA, where no fan would sit down, despite everyone behind them pleading. Going back to sports, it felt like a tie game in the bottom of the ninth, where every pitch brought people to their feet. It’s a totally different atmosphere, which is why they are having a second PPV taped there, something that would never come to Long Island even once. It’s an atmosphere so thrilling, that once you go there one time, you know that it will become every time.

Michael Bauer is 411’s weekly ECW reporter and a man who loves to wear his ROH hat full of signatures.

And now…something completely out of left field…

Steve Cook

Hello, I’m Steve Cook. You may remember me from such columns as “Ask 411 Wrestling”, “News From Cook’s Corner” & “Babes in Bondage Weekly”. I’m here today to address a few of the statements Mr. Berenstein has made about me recently in his column and on various podcast endeavors. Specifically, Mr. Berenstein’s comments alleging that he had some sort of dibs on a certain female member of the ROH talent roster. You see, unlike the egomaniacal Mr. Berenstein, I would never claim to have dibs on anybody…a woman has the right to choose, after all. We do live in the United States of America, and the conservative Supreme Court hasn’t overturned Roe v. Wade yet.

Before I continue, a word for “Chris Hero”, if that is his real name…Hero, how dare you refer to me as a “schlep”! See, I’ve been defending your act to people for years. They’d say things like “That Chris Hero, he’s nothing but a pasty flabby guy wearing ridiculous tights that wrestles like a fairy.” I would argue with them that while you may be a bit pale and your wardrobe could use work, you could wrestle with the best of them. Don’t cross words with me, boy! I’ll pull some strings and have you back in Highland working for Ian Rotten if you don’t check yourself. And don’t think they won’t have you laying down for Mickie Knuckles, because they will. Trust me.

Furthermore, I do not have a Pokemon collection. So there!

I would also like to express my disappointment towards the lizard faced man known as Delirious. I told you that my letters were to remain private and were not to be printed in Mr. Berenstein’s column. How dare you betray my trust! Don’t you think it’d be awful easy for my boy Gabe to stick somebody else under that mask? I can make it happen with the snap of my fingers. Don’t tempt me!

Now that all of that has been settled, it’s time for me to address the one person who can make me come out of my drunken haze and bring some truth into this pack of lies that Mr. Berenstein calls a column. It’s true, I have a bit of a thing for the woman that carries the SHIMMER title belt with so much class and dignity, the lovely Sara Del Rey. I have tried to keep this under wraps, but Mr. Berenstein and his antics have left me with no choice but to let the cat out of the bag! What can I say, we met in Dayton and we just clicked. I’ve never felt this way about a lady wrestler before…

OK, so there was the one time with Traci Brooks. But once she filed the restraining order the thrill was gone.

If there is one thing I have learned from watching Ring of Honor, it’s that music is the way to a woman’s heart. The one song I think best expresses my feelings for Miss Del Rey comes to us from the famous St. Louis rock band Ludo. Don’t act like you’ve never heard of them! It’s called “Sara’s Song”…if you know the words, sing along!

I was aching, breaking down
The bluest guy the blues had found
You came, you gave me Butter Pecan
You let me ramble on and on

When we walked down the street
My heart you would steal
With Ewoks on T.V.
I knew it was real
Clumsy royalty and speech pathology
You found me all alone I found myself a Blarney Stone
And Sara, you take my blues away
Every night I cuddle up with you
And Sara, you take my blues away

I love you forever and ever and ever I do

I love it when youre dreaming deep
Curled up in a ball asleep
Warm and good and made of love
You’re just what I’ve been dreaming of

When we walked down the street
My heart you would steal
With Ewoks on T.V.
I knew it was real
Clumsy royalty and speech pathology
You found me all alone I found myself a Blarney Stone
And Sara, you take my blues away
Every night I cuddle up with you
And Sara, you take my blues away

I love you forever and ever I do
Oh, and Sara, you take my blues away
Every night I cuddle up with you
And Sara, you take my blues away
I love you forever and ever and ever I do

I think that pretty much sums it all up. Sara, I would never stoop to the level of Mr. Berenstein, a man who tries to grease the palms of Mr. Larry Sweeney to get what he wants. It disgusts me, it really does. But what else would you expect from a New Yorker?

Anyway, that’s all I have to say. Sara, if you want to find me so we can continue our conversation, you can find me every Wednesday afternoon right here at 411wrestling.com. Or you can MySpace me. Toodles!

Steve Cook has written nothing but a pack of lies about me right there…although he’s pretty right on about ‘Chris Hero”. I did say the contributors could write anything and so I include Cook here and thank him for his efforts. You can catch Cook in Ask411 wrestling every week!

Going Home

**The Independent Buy In** FINAL LIST FOR 2007

**PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2006: Night One (Strong / Romero, CIMA / Cross, Deliirous / Generico, 8 Man Tag)
**SHIMMER Women’s Athletes Volume 6 (MsChif / Melissa Last Woman Standing, Rebecca Knox / Allison Danger Pure Rules)
**PWG Hollywood Globetrotters (Super Dragon and Davey Richards vs. Roderick Strong and Jack Evans; Cape Fear (El Generico and Quicksilver) vs. Arrogance (Chris Bosh and Scott Lost); B-Boy vs. Frankie Kazarian; Alex Shelley vs. Chris Sabin.)
**PWG Beyond The Thunderdome (Super Dragon and Davey Richards vs. AJ Styles and Chris Daniels); Cape Fear vs. Arrogance; Joey Ryan vs. Chris Sabin)
**PWG Enchantment Under The Sea (Cape Fear vs. Briscoes; Matt Sydal vs. B-Boy; Super Dragon and Davey Richards vs. Arrogance; Austin Aries vs. Kevin Steen)
**wXw World Lightweight Tournament 2006 (Ares / Baron von Hagen, Pac / El Generico, Quackenbush / Roudin, 5 Way Tournament Match)
**ECWA Super 8 Tournament 2001 (Danielson / Low Ki, Danielson / Reckless Youth, Low Ki / Billy Fives, Danielson / Spanky)
**ROH FWA IPW:UK Frontiers of Honor 2 (Sydal / Richards, Cabana / Burridge, JC Thunder / Nigel McGuinness, Danielson / Brookside / Stone)
**PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2006: Night Two (Necro Butcher/Super Dragon, Hero/Horiguchi, Evans/Castagnolli)
**PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2006: Night Three (Generico / CIMA, Hero, Claudio, Necro, Romero / Cabana, Quicksilver, M-Dogg 20, Delirious, Generico / Sabin, Richards / Strong, Evans/ Horiguchi, Richards / CIMA)
**Chikara The Crushing Weight of Mainstream Ignorance (Quackenbush / Akuma, Steel / Steel, Sweeney / Kingston, Hair vs. Mask: Jigsaw / Icarus)
**Chikara King of Trios Night One (Order of the Neo Solar Temple / Los Ice Creams, Miyawaki, Yago & KUDO / Iron Saints, Sweeny, Eliis and Ryder vs. Neo Solar Temple POSEDOWN, Shima Xion / Nobutaka Moribe)
**SHIMMER Volume 7 (Daizee Haze/Cheerleader Melissa, Mercedes Martinez/LuFisto, Sara Del Rey/Nattie Neidhart)
**Chikara King of Trios Night Two (Sabin, Shelley and Dutt vs. Quackenbush, Jigsaw and Shane Storm / Hallowicked, Cheech and Cloudy vs. Lince Dorado, Pantera and Sicodelico Jr. / Olsen Twins vs. Miyagi and Yago / Quack T-Shirt Squad vs. Boyer and 2.0)
**Chikara King of Trios Night Three (Pantera, Lince Dorado & Sicodelico, Jr. vs. Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw & Shane Storm / Kings Of Wrestling vs. Kudo, Yoshiaki Yago & Miyawaki / Mike Quackenbush, Jigsaw & Shane Storm vs. Kudo, Yoshiaki Yago & Miyawaki / Ricochet vs. Claudio Castagnoli / Daizee Haze vs. Sara Del Ray / Mokujin Ken vs. Mecha Mummy / Matt Sydal vs. Hallowicked)
**UWA Hardcore: Hour of the Dragon (Ultimo Dragon / Black Tiger, Chris Sabin / Josh Prohibition, Mike Quackenbush / Claudio Castagnoli, Tyler Black / Josh Ambercrombie)
**Fight Sports Midwest: Chapter One (Samoa Joe / Eddie Kingston, Larry Sweeney / Bryan Alvarez, Josh Ambercrombie / Austin Aries, Hydra / “Old Timer” Jeff King) **Fight Sports Midwest: Chapter Two (Alex Shelley / Low Ki, Mike Quackenbush / Tiger Mask IV, Human Tornado / Josh Ambercrombie)
**CHIKARA: Rey De Voladores (Chris Hero / Claudio Castagnoli, Chuck Taylor / Lince Dorado, Cheech & Cloudy / F.I.S.T. (Gran Akuma & Icarus), Chuck Taylor / Ricochet / Pac / Retail Dragon)
**SHIMMER Women’s Athletes Volume 8 (Sara Del Rey / Mercedes Martinez, Daizee Haze / Tiana Ringer, Nattie Neidhart / Portuguese Princess Ariel, Allison Danger / Lufisto)
**CHIKARA: Anniversario? (Hero / Quackenbush, Hallowicked / Kingston, Pantera & Lince Dorado / Castagnoli & Sweeney, Worker Ant / Hydra, Player Uno / Shayne Hawke)
**CHIKARA: Maximum Overdraft (F.I.S.T. / Briscoes, Mike Quackenbush / Black Tiger, Hero & Castagnoli / El Pantera & Lince Dorado, The Colony / Los Tres Deliriouses, Daizee Haze / Sara Del Rey—2 out of 3 Falls)
**SHIMMER Women Athletes Volume 9 (MsChif / Amazing Kong, Cheerleader Melissa / Sara Del Rey, Tiana Ringer / Nikki Roxx, Lexie Fyfe & Malia Hosaka / Allison Danger & Cindy Rogers)
**PWG: Passive Hostility (PWG Tag Team Titles: Super Dragon & B-Boy / Cape Fear of El Generico & Quicksilver, PWG Title Three Way: Joey Ryan / Human Tornado / Kevin Steen, Scorpio Sky, Chris Bosh & Scott Lost / Kazarian, Sabin & Shelley, Richards / Romero)
**SHIMMER Women Athletes Volume 10 (Daizee Haze / Amazing Kong, Del Rey Nikki Roxx, Melissa / Lacey, Amber O’Neal / MsChif, Allison Danger / Cindy Rogers, Perez / Ariel)
**PWG: Based on a True Story (PWG Title: Joey Ryan / Human Tornado, Loser Leaves PWG: Kazarian / Scorpio Sky, Colt Cabana / Rocky Romero, Bosh / Steen)
**PWG Holy Diver Down (PWG Title: Human Tornado / El Generico, PAC / Kevin Steen, Arrogance / Motor City Machine Guns, Karl Anderson / Frankie Kazarian)
**FIP Unfinished Business 2007 (Dog Collar Match: Erick Stevens / Steve Madison, TLC: Sal Rinauro / Seth Delay, FIP Heavyweight Title: Strong / Albright, Jack Evans / Gran Akuma, Sweeney / Claudio Castagnoli )
**TNA: Instant Classic: The Best of Christian Cage (NWA Title: Jarrett / Cage, Barbed Wire Six Sides of Steel: Rhino / Cage, Against All Odds 2007: Angle / Cage, Destination X: Joe / Cage)
**UWA Hardcore: vs. Toryumon Japan Night 1 (Jushin “Thunder” Liger & Puma / Ultimo Dragon & Kazuchika Okada, UWA Canadian Tilte: Alex Shelley / MDogg20 / Josh Prohibition, Sonjay Dutt / Brian Lee / Chris Sabin, Larry Sweeney / Passion Hasegawa, Dan Paysan / Daisuke Hanaoka )
**UWA Hardcore: vs. Toryumon Japan Night 2 (Jushin “Thunder” Liger & Ultimo Dragon / Motor City Machine Guns, UWA Lightweight Title: Lionel Knight / Hiromi Horiguchi, UWA Canadian Title: Josh Prohibition / Kazuchika Okada, Derek Wylde / Daisuke Hanaoka / Puma, M Dogg 20 / Brian Lee)
**FIP Battle of the Belts (Eddie Graham Memorial) (Stevens / Strong, Strong / Jay Briscoe, Jay Briscoe / Sweeney, Stevens / Delirious, Stevens / SHINGO)
**PWG Giant Sized Annual # 4 (PWG World Title: El Generico / Bryan Danielson, PWG World Tag Team Titles: Roderick Strong & PAC / Kevin Steen & El Generico, Danielson / Necro Butcher, Aries / Romero, Fergal Devitt / Davey Richards, Karl Anderson, Bino Gambino & Scott Lost / TJ Perkins & The Young Bucks)
**WSX: The Complete First (And Last) Season (Episodes 1-9, Web Shows 1-9, Extras)

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 )
** 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)
** Motor City Madness 2007 (ROH World Title: Morishima / Stevens, Marufuji / Generico, Jacobs / Hero, ROH World Tag Team Titles: The Briscoes / Aries & Cross )
**Honor Nation (Aries / Danielson, ROH World Title: Morishima / Steen, Vulture Squad/ No Remorse Corps, Castagnoli / Hero, Butcher / Jay Briscoe)
**Glory By Honor VI Night One (Mitsuhara Misawa & KENTA / Morishima & Marufuji, Aries / Danielson, ROH World Title: McGuinness / Hero, ROH World Tag Team Titles: Briscoes / Romero & Strong)
** Glory By Honor VI Night Two (Danielson / Morishima, GHC Title: Misawa / KENTA, Aries / Hero, Castagnoli, Marufuji, Hero / Generico, ROH World Tag Team Titles: Briscoes / Age of the Fall)

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.

The 411 Staff contributions continue in PART FIVE–NEXT!

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Ari Berenstein

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