Column of Honor-Special Editon 1.12.08: Why the Age of the Fall is the Decay of RIng of Honor

The following is the opinion of me, Jerome Cusson, and only me. They are not a reflection of what Ari Berenstein’s opinions are, but since Ari usually produces two parts anyway and he had a special edition last week, I figured I should get my own two cents in as well about what has become my least favorite angle ROH has ever run..

The Revolution will not be televised…just inserted on ROH DVDs

One of the most infamous videos “The Age of the Fall” has put on their website is a scene showing a Toys ‘R’ Us right next to a strip club. Jacobs and Black waxed nostalgia about being kids and going to their favorite toy store. This toy store being next to a gentlemen’s club is a sign of how bad our society has become. Take a few seconds before reading on about the problem with their argument. Go ahead. It shouldn’t take long.

Toys ‘R’ Us is a corporation and a symbol of capitalism in this country. It’s a big-box retailer that promotes toys to kids of parents who probably couldn’t afford to buy them. That strip club is likely owned by some gentlemen from the area just trying to make ends meet. That’s to say nothing of the strippers themselves, who may also be raising a child or trying to pay their way through school. If you’re thinking, “You’d rather your child support a strip club then a toy store,” then you’re wrong. Believe me, I’d rather not expose kids to the stereotype of the general seediness and desperation that strip clubs carry.

Ultimately, I’d rather have my child read a book and not live in Detroit, which was the site of this unfortunate mismatch. The fundamental problem with this group is not only the hypocrisy, but the fact that they have been so unclear about what they are revolting against. I’ll give you another example.

In Philadelphia, they went around and visited some of the historical sites: The Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. They talked about the great American Revolution and how all these different sites now being tourist traps. Okay, that’s fine. What’s not fine is a group of so-called Revolutionaries using a group of white men who enslaved a group of people as an example of the kind of revolution they want to have. Also, this is a completely different type of revolution. See, those old white men could have cared less about anything, save for the fact that they were being taxed by the big, bad Brits.

If “The Age of the Fall” is indeed revolting against all the evils of society, what kind of action are they or we going to take? Brawling with The Vulture Squad and The Briscoes doesn’t do anything except sell more DVDs for the company they supposedly hate. And if ROH really doesn’t want to endorse the group and wants nothing to do with them, stop airing all these videos on the DVD and stop promoting the website. At least when WCW has the NWO, they covered their asses by saying that NWO-related propaganda was bought and paid for, like any other commercial. I could go on, but I want to talk about the actual members a little bit. Of course, we’ll start at the top.

Jimmy Jacobs
Here’s another moment for you to consider. How many singles matches has Jimmy Jacobs had in the last year, that did not involve some sort of weapon, or were not part of a gimmick-type match? I’ll grant you the fact that he spent much of this year on the shelf with a knee injury, but he did wrestle the first three months of 2007 and has been back since August. I can count the number on one hand, the biggest of which was a match against Chris Hero at Motor City Madness 2007, and if you ask me, that was one of the worst matches ROH put on that year.

Even if you grant him the fact that he was still coming back from a knee injury, Jimmy Jacobs has a hard time generating any sort of heel heat without a weapon in his hand. I’ll go so far as to say he has trouble having a good match as a heel without a chair or spike. Even his epic match with Bryan Danielson saw Jacobs use the spike. It might not be noticeable to the naked eye and to the fans who love Jacobs so much, but I really noticed it and thought about it as this angle began.

The promos at the beginning of the year were spectacular. As much as I criticize his use of weapons, the match with B.J. Whitmer had a grea,t epic feeling. Also, I will never criticize someone who’s given so much of himself for the sport. I’m not accusing him of tanking matches. I just don’t think he has the ability to go to the next level as a main eventer, or representing ROH as the world champion.

Jimmy Jacobs has also spent much of the last year primarily as a loner. The last time we saw him before coming back from injury, he had a sour look on his face after finally getting with Lacey. The next time, he’s escorting Lacey out to a match. Then when he is ready to come back, he’s acting like a babyface and slapping hands with the fans. If you’re so bitter at ROH and the world, why do you fake being happy? Isn’t this the very thing your group opposes?

The final point is I just don’t buy Jacobs as a leader. Since he has been a loner and what one could consider “emo,” him leading this group doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. The way he’s acting and wrestling, he’s starting to come out like a ripoff of Raven. The biggest difference is Raven had someone to feud with and a reason to be angry. Paul Heyman’s greatest strength was storytelling and being able to have things make sense. The story of Jimmy Jacobs was going very well and evolving into one of the best characters ever. Because Jacobs has never talked about why he had such a look on his face after his night with Lacey, and because he hasn’t discussed his relationship with Necro and Tyler, Jacobs has made for a terrible leader.

The Necro Butcher

The Necro Butcher has a passionate group of followers. Let’s just say I’m not one of them. If people want to enjoy “Death Matches,” go right ahead. I don’t want this type of match or this type of wrestler in Ring of Honor. Variety in matches is always good, but there are guys who can actually wrestle that can have these matches without having someone like Necro involved. Someone who wrestles and acts like he does has no place in ROH if you ask me, especially if ROH wants to become more mainstream and accepted by the general wrestling population.

This has nothing to do with ROH selling out. ROH was doing just fine with the athletes they had before they decided to involve The Necro Butcher in a group that ROH clearly wants to have an impact through most of 2008. Necro fit right into the ROH/CZW because he was wrestling as a CZW wrestler, and his violent style worked because he wasn’t wrestling on every show and didn’t get exposed.

Since ROH runs so many shows and Necro plays such a prominent role, he’s become very exposed. All of his matches seem to fall into a very familiar pattern, moreso than everyone on the roster because he either doesn’t know or doesn’t use professional wrestling skills to give himself a variety of moves to how he works. I must have seen the bodyslam onto a chair, and the tiger driver into the chair, and the backbreaker onto the backs of two chairs on every show since October. I’m kinda tired of it. And I’m tired of talking about him, so let’s move on to something else.

Tyler Black

Since Tyler Black is the newest member of the roster, I’m going to go easy on him. I’ve been impressed with his work in WSX, and the limited amount of IWA-MS shows I’ve seen him wrestle on. Black has looked a little uncomfortable during “The Age of the Fall” videos. Why this is, I don’t know. I like his look, his movement in the ring, and his actual move set. To me, the quicker he is separated from the group, the better off he will be.

The one thing I will criticize is how he was brought into the company. If you follow independent wrestling, then you know Jacobs and Black are partners across the independent scene. From all indications, they’re a darn good one too. If you’re a fan who is more of a casual fan or only follows ROH, then how would you know about this? Of course there are a lot of fans who don’t live in the ROH bubble. This, however, is the equivalent of watching The Empire Strikes Back without hearing about what happened in Star Wars. You might be able to appreciate everything that’s happening and enjoy the movie, but you’ll be confused as to what the hell is going on.

Part of good storytelling is always doing your best to explain things, leaving as few holes in the plot as possible. The smaller details are what make a really good wrestling company better than WWE or TNA. Without even acknowledging the other companies, Jacobs and Black could cut promos talking about their friendship over the years. Also, an explanation as to why and how Jacobs brought Black into ROH as a member of “The Age of the Fall” would be a much-needed touch, so fans who live in the bubble can be enlightened and not left without a light switch. Plus, since they have the tag team championships now, it might actually give the fans a reason to care. Speaking of those belts…

The Tag Team Title Situation

Gabe Sapolsky, as reported in the Wrestling Observer, felt The Briscoes were getting stale as tag team champions. This apparently was his justification for giving “The Age of the Fall” the belts. The fact that this team doesn’t seem to generate much heat either way seems to go against the theory of ROH giving the fans what they want. I’ve been to live shows and watched the DVDs very carefully to listen to the response given to this group. They don’t seem to be drawing the kind of heat needed for a really big heel team.
By contrast, Kevin Steen and El Generico drew a huge ovation after their match with The Briscoes back in February. The group also drew major heat when Steen went after Mark Briscoe’s head. The hanging, the placing of Mark Briscoe’s body in barbwire, all the videos, and all the street fights feel like it’s just being done for shock value and a plea for attention. Kevin Steen dropping Mark Briscoe two weeks after the almost tragic incident in Detroit felt so real because everyone knew it was real. Mark Briscoe’s parents pleading with Mark not to go in the ring is real, genuine emotion. How Kevin Steen and El Generico did not earn a single title reign during their feud of the year candidate with The Briscoes is a mystery to me.

Even the No Remorse Corps could have used a run with the tag team titles. They’ve finally come into their own and gained some chemistry with each. See Survival of the Fittest for a good example, as they try to take Las Vegas over, but won’t let Davey Richards have any fun. There was no rhyme or reason for their first tag team title match against the Briscoes at Glory By Honor VI except to have “Age of the Fall” come out after the match and have a huge brawl. Then, somehow they received two more title chances on Pay-Per-View of all places. If the NRC could have been given additional promo time about how they killed “The Resilliance” and have been dominant during the “Faction Warfare,” they would have made great champions. Unlike the forced AOTF/Vulture Squad feud, the No Remorse Corps has immediate heat with The Vulture Squad. There’s Rocky Romero and Julius Smokes’ relationship which goes back to “The Rottweilers, and has been addressed only once since Romero returned to regular competition. There’s Jack Evans needing back-up to help defeat his own former stablemate Roderick Strong. Plus, the NRC and Briscoes would have been an interesting dynamic, since the NRC has the one-man advantage.

Giving Jacobs and Black the belt feels like ROH trying to use the belts to get heat on the wrestlers, instead of the other way around, like it should be.

Going Home… Again

As I end this long commentary about my problems with “The Age of the Fall,” I want to make it clear that I still love this company. Seeing Misawa wrestle for the first time was a great pleasure. The Austin Aries/Bryan Danielson feud still proves that ROH remains the best wrestling company in the world. All three of the pay-per-views that have aired are contenders for the best televised wrestling shows this year. However, this entire storyline is a distraction, and to me, a real black mark for the company.

When you combine the lack of good storytelling and the explanation of the group’s incomplete message on their being in ROH, you end up with a bad angle. Period. End of Story. And if this angle continues to be shoved down my throat, I will re-consider whether I go to live shows and purchase DVDs on a regular business. “The Age of the Fall” isn’t the only problem I have with ROH, just the biggest. After almost 3,000 words though, I’ll save my other issues for another time.

I encourage comments of course, but I really want anyone who disagrees with me to e-mail me at [email protected]. I know this faction is the source of great debate among fans, and I want feedback very badly. If you like what’s going on, tell me. Also, if you agree with me, I want to know if there are other reasons I may have missed or points I could have emphasized more.

Thanks everyone for reading and be sure to tune in next week as Ari returns with a look at Edison amongst other things. Also, be sure to check out some of my other reviews here on 411.