wrestling / Columns
Column of Honor 12.30.07: Final Column 2007 Part Five
Okay seriously, this is getting silly. How can a Final Column have SIX parts? Well by now I’m sure you guys feel like you’ve been in the middle of a twelve round fight, but we’ve still got plenty of ROH coverage to go. Round two for 411’s writers as they give you their year end awards!
Awards from the 411 Staff & Friends
Brad Garoon
Wrestler of the Year
Bryan Danielson.
Honorable Mentions: Claudio Castagnoli, Nigel McGuinness & Takeshi Morishima
Tag Team of the Year
The Briscoe Brothers.
Honorable Mentions: Kevin Steen & El Generico, The Age of the Fall & The No Remorse Corps
MVP of the Year
Takeshi Morishima.
Honorable Mentions: Jimmy Jacobs, Bryan Danielson & Nigel McGuinness
Debut of the Year
Takeshi Morishima.
Honorable Mentions: Mike Quakenbush, Jigsaw & Tyler Black
Comeback of the Year
Jimmy Jacobs.
Honorable Mentions: Bryan Danielson & Necro Butcher
Breakout Star of the Year
Jimmy Jacobs.
Honorable Mentions: Claudio Castagnoli & Jack Evans
Match of the Year
5) Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer – Supercard of Honor II ****½
4) The No Remorse Corp & Matt Sydal vs. The Resilience & Delirious – Death Before Dishonor V Night 2 ****½
3) Briscoe Brothers vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico – Man Up ****½
2) Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness – Driven ****¾
1) Briscoe Brothers vs. Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin – Good Times Great Memories *****
Worst Match(es) of the Year
Roderick Strong vs. Delirious – Fifth Year Festival Philly.
Honorable Mentions: Ernie Osiris vs. Sara Del Rey – Fighting Spirit & Takeshi Morishima vs. Adam Pearce – Driven
Promos of the Year
The Age of the Fall debuts.
Honorable Mentions: Jacobs addresses his “big brother” & McGuinness and Danielson pick teams for the $10,000 tag team match.
Funniest Moment(s) of the Year in ROH
McGuinness and Danielson pick teams for the $10,000 tag team match.
Honorable Mentions: The Dempsey switch in the sauna & Albright announcing the name of the Hangm3n.
The “You Fucked Up” award
Homicide’s title reign.
Honorable Mentions: The FIP belt is defended semi-regularly in ROH and never gets over. SHIMMER women disappoint for most of the year.
Most “Honorable” Wrestler of the Year
Colt Cabana for putting everyone over on his way out of the company and generally being a class act. Samoa Joe should have done the same thing.
Best Heel
Jimmy Rave for being a baby and leaving the company because of his booboos.
Top 3 Shows of the Year
Good Times Great Memories.
Honorable Mentions: Driven & Man Up
Prediction(s) for 2008
Claudio Castagnoli will win the ROH World Championship. The Age of the Fall will win the tag team titles. Erick Stevens will break into the main event scene. ROH will take steps towards a TV deal. ROH will have a live PPV.
Brad Garoon has evolved into one of 411 Wrestling’s elite wrestling show reviewers. Every week he covers such independent promotions as PWG, FIP and SHIMMER, not to mention his BG Says special edition write ups covering the remainder of indie and international wrestling. He is also a secret (Well not so much any more) member of The Age of the Fall, which doesn’t bias his perspective of ROH reviews that he does with Jacob Zeigler. He also co-hosts The Cool Kids’ Table Podcast with Zeigler and Berman, a triforce of wisdom if there ever was one.
Samuel Berman
Wrestler of the Year – “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson
I think given the fact that Danielson had to spot the entire roster the first four-and-a-half months of the year, that his body of work since then more than solidifies him in this position.
Apologies to: Takeshi Morishima
Tag Team of the Year – Jay & Mark Briscoe
Anyone else in this spot would be an absolute joke.
Apologies to: Kevin Steen & El Generico, Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin, Naruki Doi & Shingo
MVP of the Year – Jay & Mark Briscoe
Elevated their game to the highest levels in a year where ROH lost a number of mainstays and had to integrate a roster’s worth of newcomers. Danielson might have given them a run for their money had he not had to rehab his shoulder until May, but as the year stands, this one’s another easy choice.
Apologies to: “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, Takeshi Morishima, Claudio Castagnoli
Debut of the Year – Takeshi Morishima
It was unclear exactly what ROH was getting when Morishima debuted in February, but after winning the ROH World Title he continued to improve with each passing defense, including a number of great matches that seemed to come out of nowhere. The only real complaint about Morishima might be that he was portrayed as being too dominant in his first year in ROH.
Apologies to: “Lighting” Mike Quackenbush
Comeback of the Year – Kevin Steen & El Generico
It’s hard to remember the details of their first runs in the company, while their exploits in 2007 will be impossible to forget. The other candidates made comebacks from injury rather than obscurity, but this was by far the biggest comeback in ROH this year, and goes in tandem with the next award as well.
Apologies to: Jimmy Jacobs, “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson
Breakout Performer of the Year – Kevin Steen & El Generico
Like I have stated before, Steen & Generico were the rags-to-riches story of the year for ROH, and went from non-entities to being true main eventers. Most impressively, they beat out an absolutely stacked field for this spot, with a number of other performers putting in banner years and taking their games to new heights.
Apologies to: Jimmy Jacobs, Claudio Castagnoli, Chris Hero, Shingo
Match of the Year – Jay & Mark Briscoe © vs. Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin, ROH World Tag Team Titles (Good Times, Great Memories, 4.28.07)
I’ve said all I can say about this match in my column and on The Cool Kids’ Table. If you don’t know how I feel about it, you obviously don’t read my stuff to begin with and probably don’t care what my Match of the Year is.
2. Jay & Mark Briscoe © vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico, ROH World Tag Team Titles, Ladder Match (Man Up, 9.15.07)
3. Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness, #1 Contendership to ROH World Title (Domination, 6.9.07 – Match Aired on Driven Pay-Per-View)
4. Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer, Steel Cage Showdown (Supercard of Honor II, 3.31.07)
5. Jay Briscoe & Erick Stevens vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico (Fighting Spirit, 4.14.07)
Worst Match of the Year – Roderick Strong © vs. Delirious, FIP World Heavyweight Title (Fifth Year Festival: Philly, 2.17.07)
Not due to any lack of talent on either guy’s part, but Delirious’ ugly fall left this one an unfortunate mess.
Sighs of Relief from: Jimmy Rave vs. Mike Elgin (Battle of St. Paul, 4.27.07)
Promo of the Year – Jimmy Jacobs’ “Big Brother” Promo (All-Star Extravaganza III, 3.30.07)
If you haven’t seen this, what are you waiting for? Jacobs had by far the best year on the microphone of anyone in wrestling, let alone just Ring of Honor.
Apologies to: Jimmy Jacobs’ “I Fight For Love” Promo, Colt Cabana’s Farewell Speech, Christopher Daniels’ “I Quit” Promo, Jimmy Jacobs’ “Age of the Fall” Promo
Funniest Moment of the Year – Sweet ‘n Sour, Inc. forces Bobby Dempsey to ride an exercise bike in a steam room (Race to the Top Tournament, Night 2, 7.28.07)
And I quote Chris Hero: “Five bucks says he dies…” Comedy gold, people!
Apologies to: Bryan Danielson & Nigel McGuinness Choose Sides (Race to the Top Tournament, Night 2, 7.28.07), Kevin Steen is fat because he’s “too full of talent” (Domination, 6.9.07)
The “You Fucked Up” Award (Kayfabe Division) – BJ Whitmer
Couldn’t put away former partner Jimmy Jacobs early in the year before getting injured and going on a huge losing streak, all leading to him changing his luck and becoming the clear third man in the Hangmen 3.
Sighs of Relief from: Chris Hero, Matt Cross
The “You Fucked Up” Award (Non-Kayfabe Division) – Jimmy Rave
So in retrospect, is job duty in TNA really worth it, Jimmy?
Sighs of Relief from: PAC
Most “Honorable” Wrestler of the Year – “Classic” Colt Cabana
Cabana made an incredibly classy exit from Ring of Honor, putting over a trio of guys before getting a feel-good win in his final match for the company. It was by far the best farewell tour of 2007, and if you aren’t catching my drift, try thinking a little harder.
Apologies to: Jay & Mark Briscoe, Austin Aries
Most “Dishonorable” Wrestler of the Year – Christopher Daniels
Mailed in a number of his performances (dating back to LONG before 2007 started) before complaining his way out of the company in late-April.
Sighs of Relief from: Takeshi Morishima, Roderick Strong, Kevin Steen, Chris Hero, Jimmy Rave
Show of the Year – Good Times, Great Memories, 4.28.07
As with the Briscoes-MCMG match, I’ve pretty much said all there is to say about this show. If you don’t own it yet, how can you possibly call yourself an ROH fan?
2. Driven / Chicago Live Show, 6.23.07
3. Domination / Boston Live Show, 6.9.07
Predictions for 2008:
-We will see a competitor win the ROH World Title for a second time.
-Tyler Black will break away from the Age of the Fall and become one of the top singles competitors in ROH.
-Eddie Kingston will join the ROH roster and quickly become the 2008 version of what Kevin Steen & El Generico were in 2007.
-YAMATO will join the ROH roster from Dragon Gate in an attempt to develop his talents and, like Shingo before him, will become one of the most consistent performers in the company.
-“Lightning” Mike Quackenbush will begin a more regular ROH schedule and eventually challenge for the ROH World Title.
-Ring of Honor will not make any headway on a weekly television deal, but will run a live Pay-Per-View by the end of the year.
Chris Miccio
Wrestler of the Year — Takeshi Morishima. Morishima dominated the ROH landscape almost immediately from his entry into ROH back in February, and his dropping of the title before years end was unfortunate but politically necessary. Morishima’s title defenses were overwhelming and his simple dispatching of most of ROH’s top stars was awesome to watch. His matches with Nigel McGuinness and Bryan Danielson are the stuff of legends, and his debut match against Samoa Joe was epic. Congrats, Mr. Morishima. It’s only upward from here!
Runners Up — Nigel McGuinness, Bryan Danielson, Chris Hero
Tag Team of the Year — The Briscoe Brothers. There is nothing that I can say that hasn’t already been said about the Briscoes, so all I’ll say is ” ‘nuff said”.
Runners Up — Steen and Generico, The No Remorse Corps (any combination)
MVP of the Year — Nigel McGuinness. This man has gone through hell and back this year, first against Danielson and then against Morishima. All I know is that whenever I saw Nigel, either live or on DVD, I knew that I was in for a treat from the hardest working man in ROH today. Cheers, Nigel!! Runners Up — Bryan Danielson
Debut of the Year — Mike Quackenbush. It was amazing to finally get to see Quack in an ROH ring, and he really proved that his reputation is well earned. I hope he gets well from the concussion quickly so that he can get back in an ROH ring and build upon his already impressive resume.
Runners Up — Erick Stevens, Jigsaw, Larry Sweeney
Comeback Wrestler of the Year — Austin Aries. It was a real downer when TNA pulled all of the shared talents from the ROH rings, but it sucked the most when it meant that Austin Aries had to be pulled out of the “faction wars” storyline. This rivalry was extremely flat without his leadership of the Resilience, and only picked up when he came back. His best of 3 series against Danielson to wrap up the fall cycle of shows was amazing, and its only going to get better from here. Welcome home, Austin.
Runners Up — Danielson, Jimmy Jacobs
Breakout Performer of the Year — Chris Hero. Mr. Hero has really started to hit his stride in ROH this year, what with winning the Survival of the Fittest event, as well as stringing together a long series of excellent matches, whether he wins or loses. Hero always puts on a great show, and might be the top guy in ROH when it comes to garnering fan reaction. All Hero has to do is open his mouth or show up with Larry Sweeney, and the crowd goes nuts, whether in the feeling of killing them or to cheer on their antics. Its just a matter of time before Hero gets to be a fixture on the top of the ROH card, and in my opinion, that’s great for ROH.
Runners Up — Jimmy Jacobs, Tyler Black, Erick Stevens
Matches of the Year —
1. Briscoes vs. Steen and Generico (Man Up PPV)
2. Danielson vs. McGuinness (Philly, June 2007)
3. Samoa Joe vs. Morishima (Feb 2007)
4. Danielson vs. Morishima (all 3 matches)
5. Danielson, CIMA, Marufuji vs. Richards, Romero, Mochizuki (July 2007)
6. Morishima and Danielson vs.KENTA and McGuinness (May 2007)
7. Briscoes vs. Motor City Machine Guns (April 2007)
8. BJ Whitmer vs. Jacobs (Steel Cage — March 2007)
9. Samoa Joe vs. Homicide (March 2007)
10. Homicide vs. Morishima (February 2007)
Worst Match of the Year — I don’t like to be too negative, but I’d have to say the Davey Richards vs. PAC match in NYC. It was way too disjointed live, and I didn’t like the way it played out on DVD either. I thought this would be better, but it wasn’t.
Promos of the Year — This was tough, so I’ll call it a tie between anything involving Hero, Sweeney, Toland, Del Ray, and Bobby Dempsey and the Project 161/Age of the Fall stuff. The Sweet & Sour Inc. promos have been comedy gold, with the punch line always on Dempsey, and Hero always looking like “the man”. The entire Project 161 deal was awesome to follow, and the web site and videos are making it keep its legs. In addition, the promo that Jimmy Jacobs cut with the bleeding Jay Briscoe hanging over him at “Man Up”? That was incredibly disgusting, but unquestionably memorable.
Funniest Moment of the Year — well, considering my predilection to Sweet & Sour Inc. I would have to say the segment that was shot at the indoor sports complex with Chris Hero jogging in front of Bobby Dempsey with all sorts of snacks to motivate him to catch up and run. I almost pee’d my pants with that one.
The “Feiny”: You Fucked Up Award — this hurts, but I have to give this award to two people who I have nothing but respect for, but in my estimation, they shit the bed with their choices this year. Samoa Joe and Homicide for picking to stick with TNA and watching themselves get buried on the under card by washed up has-beens. I know that they’re both making a far better living in a financial sense, but I cant imagine that it’s a whole lot of fun watching guys who can’t wrestle their way out of a paper bag get more of a push than them. Its sad to see such great talents passed over, but you know what? If they’re happy and didn’t take Dixie Carter up on her offer, I guess they’re okay with their situation.
Most Honorable Wrestler of the Year — umm..Can I say Chris Hero? Oh, wait. He’s the next winner. The most honorable wrestler of the year is clearly Nigel McGuinness. I’ve already expressed my feelings about Nigel earlier in my awards, so I wont drag on with the same hyperbole. Nigel is the best poster boy for ROH and what it takes to be “the man” in ROH. I hope his injuries heal quickly so that he can really get the chance to show what he can do with the belt around his waist, and as the leader of the ROH roster. Stay in it to win it, Nigel!
Most Dishonorable Wrestler of the Year— Chris Hero. As I have said before, I am a big fan of Chris Hero, but it’s because of the fact that he is without a doubt the best heel on the entire ROH roster today. His arch-heel status was cemented by his behavior in the Survival of the Fittest Final match, as was his status as the single smartest man in ROH. He abused the system to an amazing level, and its because of this constant abuse of the system, never mind his abuse of ROH officials and Claudio Castagnoli, well, it was an easy choice to give Chris Hero this honor.
Top 5 Shows of the Year —
1. Respect Is Earned
2. Man Up
3. Glory By Honor VI, Night II
4. Fifth Year Festival, NYC
5. Good Times, Great Memories
Predictions for 2008 —
1. Chris Hero will win the ROH World Title, when though, I have NO IDEA.
The Briscoe’s and the Age of the Fall rivalry will run for the better part of the first 6 months of 2008, culminating with the Briscoe’s winning the blow off match and getting their Tag Titles back in the process.
2. Nigel McGuinness will have a great deal of success defending the ROH World Title for the first half of 2008, only to drop it sometime during the summer of 2008.
3. Bryan Danielson will shine as the best wrestler in the world today, and make at least one younger talent look like a million bucks and will help to elevate that young talent towards the top of the ROH card.
4. Erick Stevens will harness his inner ‘Dr. Death” Steve Williams and become a player for the ROH World Title or FIP World Title.
5. ROH will introduce a new second singles belt.
6. The ROH PPV’s will begin to garner more mainstream attention, and prove themselves as true players in the PPV world.
7. ROH event DVD’s will start to see shelf space in one major retail chain.
8. At least one of the “trapped” talents in TNA will come home to ROH and make a HUGE impact.
9. The Column of Honor will become the #1 Internet authority regarding ROH and everything ROH related.
10. The Attack of the ROH-bots podcast will get better sound quality.
11. We’ll all continue to be blown away by the ROH product, and have a blast at live shows and when watching DVD’s.
Well, that’s it for 2007. Many thanks to Ari and the great people of 411wrestling.com for making this all possible, so keep up the great work.
Theo Fraser
Wrestler of the Year: Bryan Danielson
2. Nigel McGuinness
As far as singles competition went this year, there were two guys that stood out above the rest. Nigel McGuinness and Bryan Danielson both had fantastic years, consistently producing some epic encounters in the ring, and whilst it’s McGuinness that holds the prestigious World Title, I’ve got to give the edge to Danielson for being involved in quite so many legitimate MOTYCs since his return in April. Discussion of the top singles matches to take place this year basically revolves around what order you want to place the Bryan Danielson matches. Some will argue for the Manhattan Mayhem II Morishima match, where Danielson put in a gritty performance after suffering a potentially career-threatening eye injury. Others will strongly put forward the KENTA match from the Driven PPV bonus disc, which tore the house down at an already stellar event. Others still will say that nothing even compares to the contest with McGuinness that main evented the second pay-per-view. And that’s just picking out THREE incredible matches from the bunch he’s had in just ONE year…some wrestlers won’t even achieve that in an entire career. This man deserves the highest accolades, and you can’t get much more praise than being named the Wrestler of the Year. It may have been coined as a way to get him over as a heel, but Danielson’s assertion that he is the “Best Wrestler in the World” is hard to fault.
Tag Team of the Year: The Briscoes
2. Kevin Steen & El Generico
The tag team division in ROH this year was absolutely dominated by these four individuals, but I’ve got to give it to the Briscoes in particular for having easily the best year of their career. They are fast approaching becoming the longest reigning ROH tag team champions in the history of the company, and their title defenses have been just breathtaking. They can literally go with anyone, from intense brawls to straight up tag team exhibitions; Jay & Mark have got all their bases covered. Add to that the fact that they’ve been involved in two of the hottest feuds and angles of the year, with Steen & Generico, and the Age of the Fall respectively, and you have an impressive resume for the Briscoes in 2007. ROH should be indebted to this tag team as they have been arguably the number one draw this year. It’ll be a hard year to top, that’s for sure, but at the rate that these guys are going, constantly evolving and improving themselves, I’m confident they can give it a good shot.
MVP of the Year: The Briscoes
2. Bryan Danielson
3. Nigel McGuinness
Whenever these guys were on the card, you always knew you were going to be treated to something special. On multiple occasions, the Briscoes’ matches went on as the main event ahead of World Title defences, which just goes to show how much the company values the efforts and Jay & Mark. Everything I mentioned about them in the Tag Team of the Year category applies here, but suffice to say the Briscoes have consistently brought their A-game, and have always delivered to the best of their abilities. When Danielson was out with injury and the TNA guys were pulled, the Briscoes carried the company with stellar performances each and every night. They are an asset to Ring of Honor and deserve a ton of the credit for making 2007 another successful year for ROH.
Debut of the Year: Matt Cross
2. Mike Quackenbush
3. Erick Stevens
With the mass exodus of TNA talent earlier in the year, 2007 saw the ROH debut of a large number of wrestlers, particularly from CHIKARA after the two sides began negotiating various deals. Mike Quackenbush’s first appearance worked indy wrestling fans into a frenzy, as they had been asking for The Quack for years. And whilst he has had some exciting match ups in ROH competition, his appearances have been sporadic. Meanwhile, the man formerly known as M-Dogg 20 has been going from strength to strength, quickly building a name for himself, and his return this Final Battle weekend has been anticipated for quite some time.
Matt Cross first appeared on the ROH scene during the Fifth Year Festival, and after impressing in Dayton, he immediately sided with Austin Aries, with the former Generation Next leader recruiting him in the fight against the No Remorse Corps. It was off to a rocky start, especially after Aries was forced to leave the promotion, but Cross and teammate Erick Stevens soldiered on, refusing to quit. The tide turned once again when Aries made his return to ROH at the Driven PPV, which was also the event where Matt Cross really stood up and broke out of the pack. He busted his ass in the 6-man opener and was just on fire, wowing the crowds both in the building and at home. Death Before Dishonor V: Night 2 was Cross’ next big opportunity at stardom, participating in the Philadelphia Street Fight against the NRC. Cross delivered one of the most unbelievable moves I’ve seen all year, possibly longer, running along the bleachers, kick-flipping off the wall into a senton on his opponents below. It looked simply astounding, and after the match there were two words left on all the fans’ lips: Matt Cross. It’s be a good debut year for the former Resilience member, but the question now is, can Matt Cross be the breakout star of 2008?
Comeback of the Year: Bryan Danielson
2. Austin Aries
3. Jimmy Jacobs
Returning from a pretty severe shoulder injury, ROH fans questioned whether we would still see the Danielson of old upon making his comeback. But evidently those 5 months away from the ring did the world of good for the Best Wrestler in the World, as he easily surpassed all expectations, going on to have one of the best years in his career. American Dragon returned with a revitalized moveset, adding a freshness to his matches we hadn’t seen in quite some time. Dragon ramped up his usage of MMA holds, and began creating multiple finishes that played off of his vicious original “MMA elbows”; the most memorable of which was at Glory By Honor VI Night 2, in which he delivered what can only be described as the “MMA Nut-stomp” to Takeshi Morishima. Aside from that, we saw leaping leg-lariats, increased groundwork and a darker, more sadistic side that we hadn’t really seen before. We’ve also been treated to more Danielson MOTYCs than ever before. Bryan Danielson has looked better than ever, making his return to action easily the best comeback of the year.
Breakout Performer of the Year: Claudio Castagnoli
2. Takeshi Morishima
3. Chris Hero
An absolute ton of wrestlers stepped up their game in ROH competition this year, especially after all the top-tier talent were forced to leave and spots higher up on the card started opening up. Morishima came onto the scene and promptly won the World title, having an extremely dominant reign, and Chris Hero asserted himself in the upper echelon of the company with a prestigious Survival of the Fittest win, but it was Claudio Castagnoli that went from being left off the card at the start of the year to having the runaway match of the night on various events, ultimately securing himself numerous World Title shots.
Things were looking rough for the Most Money Making Man in early 07 after he was dropped from his WWE developmental contract before even starting in OVW, and ROH didn’t seem to know what to do with him. Things only picked up after Claudio’s makeshift team with Matt Sydal at the Respect is Earned PPV resulted in a spectacular match against the Briscoes, and Claudio appeared to be working harder than ever. Claudio continued on a streak of success, and after ‘officially’ splitting from Kings of Wrestling partner Chris Hero, things got interesting. Hero and Castagnoli became bitter rivals, but that didn’t stop Claudio from claiming other glory, going on to win the Race to the Top Tournament, thus receiving a future World title shot. Claudio’s rise to the main event was built slowly so that by the time his shot arrived at Death Before Dishonor V: Night 1, the crowd was molten and begging for Claudio to walk away with the title. He was unsuccessful on that occasion, but his stock rose into the stratosphere in the eyes of the fans. Now, the war against Chris Hero and Sweet N Sour Inc rages on, but Claudio is no longer seen as a mere mid card talent; he is a legit main eventer, and someone the company can rely on well into next year. The future is certainly bright for one Claudio Castagnoli.
Matches of the Year:
10. Nigel McGuinness vs Chris Hero- ROH Driven (Bonus Disc)– Incredibly enjoyable
9. Samoa Joe vs Nigel McGuinness- FYF: Liverpool– HIGHLY underrated, intense emotional finish
8. Nigel McGuinness vs Takeshi Morishima- Fighting Spirit– Morishima’s first great title defense
7. Jay Briscoe vs Mark Briscoe- FYF: Finale– This was “MANNING UP” personified
6. BJ Whitmer vs Jimmy Jacobs, Steel Cage Showdown- Supercard of Honor II– Epic
5. Bryan Danielson vs KENTA- ROH Driven (Bonus Disc)– Another awesome outing from these two
4.. The Briscoes vs Kevin Steen & El Generico, Boston Street Fight- Death Before Dishonor V Night 1– Hard to watch at times, these guys took so many unbelievable risks
3. Bryan Danielson vs Takeshi Morishima- Manhattan Mayhem II– Grueling contest, immensely satisfying, Danielson is THE MAN for gutting out the injury
2. The Briscoes vs Murder City Machine Guns- Good Times, Great Memories– Outstanding display of tag team wrestling at its finest
1. Bryan Danielson vs Nigel McGuinness- ROH Driven
It’s been an incredible year in regards to the number of quality matches we have seen, and I’d say at least half of this year’s shows have produced a MOTYC of some kind. Normally, it’d be a near impossible task to pick an overall match of the year with that in mind, but there was one match that stood out above all others this year and is quite simply one of the most magnificent wrestling contests I have EVER seen in my life. ROH’s second pay-per-view grew to an awe-inspiring climax as Bryan Danielson took on Nigel McGuinness with the Number One Contender’s spot on the line. Thanks to the history between these guys, the emotion was there right from the start, and you could tell that this one would be a little different when they started trading MMA holds and busting out a ton of groundwork. Wrestling of this kind just isn’t seen on American soil. They then took it up a notch, busting out their trademark offense, including Nigel unveiling a new cross body dive from the top rope to Danielson out in the crowd on the floor below. The finishing stretch was just tremendous, and those succession of head butts from both guys were disgustingly awesome. Dragon took advantage of Nigel’s mistake and rolled him into the Cattle Mutilation, picking up the submission victory. Chants of “This is Wrestling” filled the building as the fans showed their appreciation of the spectacle that Danielson and McGuinness had put on, and really showed that this is the kind of action wrestling fans want to see. Two guys going at it in a battle of one-upsmanship to see who is the better man. No frills, no gimmicks, just raw emotion and ACTUAL wrestling. This is a match for the ages, and one which will be talked about for years to come.
Worst Match of the Year: Sara Del Rey & Allison Danger vs Jetta & Eden Black- FYF: Finale
Nothing I saw this year was particularly terrible if you ask me, so this is just a case of the match I ‘least enjoyed’. Fifth Year Festival: Finale was an otherwise tremendous card, but this was the one match that let the side down a bit. Jetta & Black probably weren’t up to the standard of being on an ROH show, and it just wasn’t overly interesting. Nothing offensive, but it didn’t get me to want to see more of the UK lasses, so it was a bit of a failure in that respect.
Promo of the Year: Jimmy Jacobs’ Age of the Fall debut promo at Man Up
2. Christopher Daniels “I Quit” promo at Good Times, Great Memories
3. Jimmy Jacobs’ “Crest of Love” promo at Supercard of Honor II
Some of the ROH talent have really stepped up their game promo-wise this year, none moreso than Jimmy Jacobs. For me, it was the debut of the Age of the Fall on September 15th that instantly captivated me and just captured my mind. Moments like that are why I watch pro wrestling. Judging by the reactions on message boards and the like, I think others agree. We all knew that the much-talked about “Project 161” angle was coming to a head at the ‘Man Up’ PPV taping, but we didn’t have a clue it would end up like this. After the brutal Ladder War between the Briscoes and Steenerico, Jimmy Jacobs, Tyler Black and Necro Butcher (of all people!) stormed the ring and started putting the boots to the tag champs, busting them open with vicious barbed wire shots. They then lowered the buckle that was holding the tag belts above the ring, tied Jay’s feet to it, and then proceeded to hang him upside down from the ceiling, whilst Jimmy Jacobs stood beneath him, delivering a fantastic promo, telling us that we were witnessing the birth of the Age of the Fall. It looked like a cult sacrifice or some kind of tribal blood-letting, made even more gruesome by the fact that Jay’s blood was literally pouring down onto Jimmy’s face. The visual was terrific (if more than a little disturbing!), as Jacobs’ vivid white coat was gradually stained a dark, crimson red.
What was also so great was the fact that this was the culmination of months of slow build. Early in the year, we saw the great ‘Jimmy Loves Lacey’ videos, where Jimmy attempted to woo Lacey into bed, ultimately succeeding. But the images of Jimmy’s bleak face in the aftermath of their lovemaking suggested that something wasn’t quite right. All was explained in this promo on September 15th, and Jimmy revealed that love wasn’t the answer all along. He had devoted himself to love, but in the end, it meant nothing. Now, his only solace could be found by combating society itself, and the Age of the Fall movement was born from there on out. The whole spectacle was just terrifically produced, and you could feel that it was one of those moments that will be in video packages for years to come.
Funniest Moment(s) of the Year: 8/17 Video Wire- Sweet N Sour Inc skit
2. ‘Jimmy Loves Lacey’ videos
3. Kevin Steen – “Use it as pornography”
You could pretty much pick all the Sweet N Sour Inc skits and lump them all in together here, as they have been so off-the-charts awesome that they all deserve recognition. But my personal favorite was included in the August 17th Video Wire, in which Tank Toland made Bobby Dempsey drag him around a basketball court in a wheel chair…on all fours. It was just simply hilarious stuff, the timing was dead on, and I could watch this stuff all day. Please don’t let it end!
The “You Fucked Up” award:
1. It was heavily rumored that Jimmy Rave was to have an ROH title run by the year’s end, but then his ego got to him, he ran his mouth, and was promptly released from the company. Enjoying being Christy Hemme’s lackey, Jimmy?
2. Mark Briscoe’s botched Shooting Star Press to the outside at All-Star Extravaganza III, giving him a concussion and sidelining him for a month. It ended up helping the angle with Steen & Generico no end, but still, it was a damn nasty fall, and Mark was extremely lucky to walk away with ‘just’ a concussion.
3. The Hangm3n. I think this was ROH’s chance to really do something with Adam Pearce, but they’ve dropped the ball, as these guys are just constantly losing. They’ve yet to get that big win, and until that comes, the Hangm3n project will be seen as a failure. And as for BJ Whitmer’s hair…
Most Honorable Wrestler of the Year: Nigel McGuinness
2. El Generico
El Generico gets a mention because he constantly questioned Kevin Steen’s heelish ways, and tried fighting for the side of good when he could. But Nigel McGuinness was the man that most upheld the Principles of Honor this year, fighting with dignity and respect and working his ass off on his way to the top. Twice he challenged Morishima for the World Title, and twice he was unsuccessful. But Nigel didn’t let this deter him; he got straight back up again, went out to that ring and worked his way into getting a third and final shot, this time winning the big one, on pay-per-view, where it counts. Despite being involved in some pretty intense feuds with guys like Jimmy Rave, Bryan Danielson and Chris Hero, McGuinness didn’t feel the need to break the rule book to get ahead or enact revenge. His trusty lariats were enough to get the job done; he relied on his pure wrestling skills, confident that that was all he needed. Heading into Final Battle weekend as the World Champion, it appears to have paid off.
Most Dishonorable Wrestler of the Year: Chris Hero
2. Kevin Steen
3. Davey Richards
One word… SHENANIGANS!!! I don’t think Chris Hero has had a SINGLE match this year that didn’t involve him using various shenanigans to distract his opponent, fool the ref, or piss off the fans. One particular memorable moment for me was during the Pure Rules match against Nigel McGuinness at Death Before Dishonor V: Night 1, in which a Project 161-orchestrated blackout mid-match was taken advantage of by Hero, telling the gullible referee that Nigel had used up all of his rope breaks during the blackout. Hilarious to witness, but utterly dishonorable. But that was merely the tip of the iceberg. We saw Hero try to literally tear out the eye of Claudio Castagnoli by stomping his face into the Race to the Top Tournament trophy. We saw Hero intentionally target Nigel McGuinness’ torn left bicep in their impromptu World Title match when Nigel was clearly unfit to compete. We saw Larry Sweeney inject himself into all of Hero’s matches, providing distractions and tossing Hero various illegal objects. And let’s not forget Hero’s despicable treatment of Bobby Dempsey. Chris Hero is a cruel, heartless man, and his showboating and sickening smirk makes him a hard pill to swallow. This man is in dire need of an ass-kicking!
Show of the Year: ROH Driven
2. Good Times, Great Memories
3. Fifth Year Festival Finale
We’ve seen some top-to-bottom outstanding cards this year, but none moreso than Ring of Honor’s second pay-per-view, Driven. Not that it would change my vote, but I’m particularly referring to the DVD version of the event, rather than the PPV itself, as we had some fantastic bonus content included that didn’t make the cut for the two hour show. For the those two hours that made the air, I will say that it was the most fun two hours of wrestling I have seen in Lord knows how long. The pacing was absolutely perfect if you ask me; we had the incredibly hot and exciting opening 6-man that went a long way in putting Matt Cross over with the fans. Aries made his return to the promotion, and the fans were rabid, instantly drawing the viewers at home closer to the action. We moved to the Castagnoli/Sydal showcase that was so slick and had such exquisite execution, and I don’t know how anyone could be less than blown away by it. Whitmer and Marufuji provided a solid midcard contest to keep things going and move the Hangm3n story along, Albright and Morishima looked dominant in their respective squash matches, and then the main event between Danielson and McGuinness capped off the terrific card in epic style and was just in a league of its own. The segments and matches flowed into each other, and despite the lower production values than WWE or TNA, it had the feeling of being a ‘big league’ event. Add to that the bonus content I mentioned earlier, with the MOTYC between Danielson and KENTA plus an incredibly fun outing between Nigel and Chris Hero, and you have a winner in your hands. I wouldn’t even hesitate in shouting from the rooftops about how awesome this show was. Show of the Year by far, and that’s not just on the ROH spectrum either.
Predictions for 2008:
-Chris Hero wins ROH World Title
-Austin Aries becomes first ever two-time ROH World Champion
-ROH debuts in Canada
-Age of the Fall hold all the gold simultaneously at some point
-Eddie Kingston finally joins the roster
THANK YOU once again to all of my fellow 411 writers, Jerome Cusson, Theo Fraser, Michael Melchor, Matt Short, Michael Bauer, Steve Cook, Brad Garoon, Samuel Berman, Chris Miccio, this part of the Final Column is a tribute to your hard work and dedication to the world of professional wrestling and your recognition of ROH.
We conclude this ridiculously misnamed Final Column 2007 feature with PART SIX–My top 100 matches of the year–TOMORROW!
