15.02.2006, 08:24
Thankfully, the show drew surprisingly well despite all the obstacles and
started off with a bang when Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, Alex Shelley and
Jack Evans interrupted a scramble match the Christopher Street Connection, Dunn
& Marcos, and Special K were about to have. Aries, Strong, Shelley, and Evans were originally slated to be part of a series of matches "booked" by fans through voting at the show. In a scathing promo, Alex Shelley told the fans they would not be subjecting themselves to the whim of the ROH fanbase and instead would be proving themselves as the next generation of the company by taking the top spots. After a highspot filled match (and win) against Special K, the newly formed Generation Next faction would go on to win a second match later that show, an eight man tag match against a team made up of John Walters, Jimmy Rave, and the Briscoe Brothers that went over 40 minutes. In one show, four underused wrestlers immediately made themselves a force to be reckoned with and put some much need "buzz" back into ROH.
ROH Booker Gabe Sapolsky says: "This is one of the most important things to ever happen in ROH. There was a lot of negative stuff going on at the time and we just lost a lot of talent and big names that were in the middle of storylines. The talent roster was also stale as it was. We also lost our top feud of the year when we weren't able to finish Daniels vs. Punk and a new champion in AJ Styles. We needed new top players and we needed them in a hurry. We didn't have time to build them up slowly like we normally do in ROH. The whole idea was to create a faction that could be a main event group out of guys that were ready to breakthrough to the next level. Alex Shelley, Roderick Strong, Austin Aries and Jack Evans were perfect together and they all came through big time with this. If things didn't work out at that Generation Next show I don't know if ROH would be here today. Those four created a lot of excitement and gave ROH a fresh face when we were in need of not just top stars, but new stars because things were getting stale. Generation Next forming will always be one of the most important moments in ROH history and something I will always be very proud of."
6) Low Ki turns on Samoa Joe to conclude Reborn: Completion
Personally, this might be my favorite moment of all. Here is what I wrote about this particular moment in my overall thoughts of the show: I loved everything in the main event six man match up to the fireball ending. I'm not saying I disagree with the use of the fireball because it really would have tied into the Reborn: Stage 1 show in Minnesota a few months before, but the spot just didn't look good at all. Only one out of every ten fireballs look believable, and this wasn't one of those. Luckily, the post-match angle more than made up for the ending as the beat down of Samoa Joe and the Briscoes had
everything that is good about professional wrestling. It was believable by having Jay Briscoe taking his brother out of the ringside area, which allowed the heels to gang up on Joe. The crowd going absolutely crazy when Low Ki's music hit had me out of my chair as well. Here is a guy whose back the company rested itself on for its first year and just about defines the words respect and honor in how he presents himself at shows. Low Ki played his role to perfection while standing in front of the fallen Joe to the point where I thought he was going to kill one of the Havana Pitbulls if they made a wrong step. Low Ki takes realism in wrestling to a whole new level. Every fan in the crowd was waiting for Low Ki to kick Homicide's ass only to experience a true shock when Ki turned heel on Samoa Joe. In terms of shock value, this rivaled Hulk Hogan turning on Randy Savage at Bash at the Beach to form the New World Order in WCW. The closing shot of Homicide, the Havana Pitbulls, and Low Ki posing over Joe (now draped under an ROH flag) could not have been booked any better. This was an ending that makes people want to see Joe come back and get his revenge and that is what wrestling is all about.
7) At Our Best
I'm using this whole show as a moment because it was so important to the history of ROH. Just days after a highly publicized incident with owner Rob Feinstein, the entire company was in a state of flux. It wasn't known whether the fans would wash their hands of the company. It wasn't known if members of the roster might do exactly what Low Ki did, and outright quit or no-show the booking. The day of March 13, 2003 came and ROH ended up having one of the best shows of its entire existence. The crowd was rabid. The wrestlers put on one hell of a performance after another, including a must-see cage match between Samoa Joe and Jay Briscoe. Even Teddy Hart had a match without an incident! When it was all said and done, ROH had already taken steps to survive into the future and in less than a month would begin a new era with ROH: Reborn.
8) Great Muta in ROH at Final Battle 2003 Because ROH was originally an offshoot of RF Video, the company's fanbase was well versed in buying wrestling tapes. Back in 2003, just like today, wrestling in Japan was extremely popular
within the tape trading community. One of the major Japanese promotions, All
Japan, sent a contingent of men over to America that were able to match up
against ROH wrestlers in four inter-promotional matches. Homicide was able to
wrestle Satoshi Kojima in a match that was so important to Homicide that Low Ki
returned as an unadvertised "second" in Homicide's match. The ROH fans had come en masse to see the Great Muta, popping for every single thing the former WCW star did in the main event match. The green mist. The red mist. The shining wizard. All of Muta's trademark moves were displayed and the rabid fanbase ate up every second of it. While injuries throughout the years had taken their toll on Muta's body, he still had a charisma that very few men can match.
9) Paul London vs. Michael Shane street fight at Unscripted
You wouldn't know it if you had only watched WWE TV in the last two years, but Paul London is a tremendously talented worker. London got his spot in ROH the old fashioned way, he earned it. Brought into the company with several other
students from the Texas Wrestling Academy, London had a worst case scenario in his first match when his opponent's ankle broke less than two minutes after the bell rang. From that point on, London became a star in the eyes of every ROH fan through a series of off-the-charts matches filled with suicidal highspots. Now, the story behind the show Unscripted is a column in and of itself, but for Paul London it was supposed to a be a show where he and his partner Spanky would compete in the ROH Tag Team title tournament. Well, Unscripted started off with Paul London (in a Spider-Man shirt no less) being told that Spanky would not be at the show. London brought out The American Dragon as a replacement, but the shit hit the fan when Michael Shane came to the ring to stir the pot. After London and Shane got into it for a bit, London apologized to Dragon for having to back out of the Tag Team
tournament as London had his sights focused on kicking Michael Shane's ass.
Later, London and Shane tore down the house with a street fight that was so spectacular that it originated the soon-to-be popular "Please Don't Die" catchphrase. Here is the closing part of my review of that very match:
London then went under the ring and pulled out a ladder. Not just any ladder, a giant ladder. The El Gigante of ladders. This ladder was as tall as Keith Lipinski's TNA reviews are long. (Editor's Note: only 3-4 people on Earth are going to understand that reference and even I'm not one of them) Okay, enough hyperbole, I think you get the point. So Get This, London props the ladder up against the top turnbuckle and RUNS UP THE F---ING THING like a ramp to jump off the top and hit a sommersault plancha onto Michael Shane! UNREAL. Back in the ring, London set up a smaller ladder and jumped off it, intending to hit Shane with a hurracanrana, but Shane countered the attempt into a POWERBOMB! This match is surreal! Shane climbed the ropes and hit a Picture Perfect Elbow. Kickout! London fought back and hit a superkick followed by a London Star Press. Kickout! London sets up the El Gigante ladder and had to kick the cheap thing to straighten it out because it was so wobbly. This was just INSANE to watch and the crowd chanted "You Sick Fuck!" But London was laid out by Shane, who then climbed to the top of the ladder and hit a Picture Perfect Elbow. HOLY SHIT! KICKOUT!! Shane went to climb the ladder again but London got up, ran to the ropes and hit a Lionsault-like move that took out Shane! London climbed the ladder as the crowd chanted "Please Don't Die! Please Don't Die!" London then hit a London Star Press off the top of the ladder!
I don't believe I saw what I think I just f---ing saw!
London finally pinned Shane for the win. This match totally shattered the five star rating system. The crowd was doing the "we're not worthy" bow while chanting, "Match of the Year!" After the match Michael Shane shook London's hand, hugged London, and then handed out a vicious clothesline! Chris Lovey was outraged! "What an asshole!"
10) Bryan Danielson beats Austin Aries in a 2/3 falls match at Testing the Limit
This
was a match that realized what every big wrestling match should aspire to, get everyone involved over. Even in defeat, Austin Aries' stock rose by hanging with a man every ROH fan respected in Bryan Danielson. Despite losing, Aries proved he could keep up with one of ROH's icons, at times outworking and totally frustrating Danielson. The two men had a 75 minute epic match that had the crowd hanging on until the very end. A true step up for Aries during the 2004 progression of being on a Do or Die card, winning Survival of the Fittest, and beating Samoa Joe for the ROH Title. I also think that because the fans did not crap on the length of this match or CM Punk vs. Joe at World Title Classic (#18 on the list), ROH felt much more confident in having longer matches on the card. There are not enough times in wrestling when everyone does their role to perfection, and for two men to have a match well over an hour long that doesn't make me want to slit my wrists? That's an accomplishment and a half.
Runners up:
11) Corino vs. Homicide at War of the Wire
12) Low Ki defeats Spanky, Doug Williams, and Christopher Daniels in a four man Iron Man match and wins the ROH Title at Crowning a Champion
13) Punk gets beer poured down his throat by Raven at Death Before Dishonor I
14) Eddie Guerrero at A Night of Appreciation
15) CM Punk beats Austin Aries for ROH Title at Death Before Dishonor III
16) Mick Foley makes first ROH appearance at Glory By Honor III
17) Paul London's farewell at Death Before Dishonor I
18) Samoa Joe and CM Punk go for an hour at World Title Classic
19) The Rotweillers dominate at Manhattan Mayhem
20) The Riot in New York at the One Year Anniversary Show
21) James Gibson wins ROH Title at Redemption
22) The Second City Saints with the ROH Tag Team Titles in Chicgoo at Reborn: Stage II
23) Samoa Joe vs. Low Ki at Glory by Honor
24) Austin Aries beats Samoa Joe, Homicide, Mark Briscoe, Colt Cabana, and Bryan
Danielson at Survival of the Fittest
25) Bryan Danielson beats James Gibson to win ROH Title at Glory By Honor IV
26) Low Ki vs. Amazing Red at Road to the Title
27) Samoa Joe beats Xavier to win ROH Title at Night of Champions
28) KENTA beats Low Ki to retain GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title at Final Battle 2005
29) Jushin Liger appears in ROH at Weekend of Thunder
30) Jeff Hardy appears at Death Before Dishonor to a huge negative
reaction
started off with a bang when Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, Alex Shelley and
Jack Evans interrupted a scramble match the Christopher Street Connection, Dunn
& Marcos, and Special K were about to have. Aries, Strong, Shelley, and Evans were originally slated to be part of a series of matches "booked" by fans through voting at the show. In a scathing promo, Alex Shelley told the fans they would not be subjecting themselves to the whim of the ROH fanbase and instead would be proving themselves as the next generation of the company by taking the top spots. After a highspot filled match (and win) against Special K, the newly formed Generation Next faction would go on to win a second match later that show, an eight man tag match against a team made up of John Walters, Jimmy Rave, and the Briscoe Brothers that went over 40 minutes. In one show, four underused wrestlers immediately made themselves a force to be reckoned with and put some much need "buzz" back into ROH.
ROH Booker Gabe Sapolsky says: "This is one of the most important things to ever happen in ROH. There was a lot of negative stuff going on at the time and we just lost a lot of talent and big names that were in the middle of storylines. The talent roster was also stale as it was. We also lost our top feud of the year when we weren't able to finish Daniels vs. Punk and a new champion in AJ Styles. We needed new top players and we needed them in a hurry. We didn't have time to build them up slowly like we normally do in ROH. The whole idea was to create a faction that could be a main event group out of guys that were ready to breakthrough to the next level. Alex Shelley, Roderick Strong, Austin Aries and Jack Evans were perfect together and they all came through big time with this. If things didn't work out at that Generation Next show I don't know if ROH would be here today. Those four created a lot of excitement and gave ROH a fresh face when we were in need of not just top stars, but new stars because things were getting stale. Generation Next forming will always be one of the most important moments in ROH history and something I will always be very proud of."
6) Low Ki turns on Samoa Joe to conclude Reborn: Completion
Personally, this might be my favorite moment of all. Here is what I wrote about this particular moment in my overall thoughts of the show: I loved everything in the main event six man match up to the fireball ending. I'm not saying I disagree with the use of the fireball because it really would have tied into the Reborn: Stage 1 show in Minnesota a few months before, but the spot just didn't look good at all. Only one out of every ten fireballs look believable, and this wasn't one of those. Luckily, the post-match angle more than made up for the ending as the beat down of Samoa Joe and the Briscoes had
everything that is good about professional wrestling. It was believable by having Jay Briscoe taking his brother out of the ringside area, which allowed the heels to gang up on Joe. The crowd going absolutely crazy when Low Ki's music hit had me out of my chair as well. Here is a guy whose back the company rested itself on for its first year and just about defines the words respect and honor in how he presents himself at shows. Low Ki played his role to perfection while standing in front of the fallen Joe to the point where I thought he was going to kill one of the Havana Pitbulls if they made a wrong step. Low Ki takes realism in wrestling to a whole new level. Every fan in the crowd was waiting for Low Ki to kick Homicide's ass only to experience a true shock when Ki turned heel on Samoa Joe. In terms of shock value, this rivaled Hulk Hogan turning on Randy Savage at Bash at the Beach to form the New World Order in WCW. The closing shot of Homicide, the Havana Pitbulls, and Low Ki posing over Joe (now draped under an ROH flag) could not have been booked any better. This was an ending that makes people want to see Joe come back and get his revenge and that is what wrestling is all about.
7) At Our Best
I'm using this whole show as a moment because it was so important to the history of ROH. Just days after a highly publicized incident with owner Rob Feinstein, the entire company was in a state of flux. It wasn't known whether the fans would wash their hands of the company. It wasn't known if members of the roster might do exactly what Low Ki did, and outright quit or no-show the booking. The day of March 13, 2003 came and ROH ended up having one of the best shows of its entire existence. The crowd was rabid. The wrestlers put on one hell of a performance after another, including a must-see cage match between Samoa Joe and Jay Briscoe. Even Teddy Hart had a match without an incident! When it was all said and done, ROH had already taken steps to survive into the future and in less than a month would begin a new era with ROH: Reborn.
8) Great Muta in ROH at Final Battle 2003 Because ROH was originally an offshoot of RF Video, the company's fanbase was well versed in buying wrestling tapes. Back in 2003, just like today, wrestling in Japan was extremely popular
within the tape trading community. One of the major Japanese promotions, All
Japan, sent a contingent of men over to America that were able to match up
against ROH wrestlers in four inter-promotional matches. Homicide was able to
wrestle Satoshi Kojima in a match that was so important to Homicide that Low Ki
returned as an unadvertised "second" in Homicide's match. The ROH fans had come en masse to see the Great Muta, popping for every single thing the former WCW star did in the main event match. The green mist. The red mist. The shining wizard. All of Muta's trademark moves were displayed and the rabid fanbase ate up every second of it. While injuries throughout the years had taken their toll on Muta's body, he still had a charisma that very few men can match.
9) Paul London vs. Michael Shane street fight at Unscripted
You wouldn't know it if you had only watched WWE TV in the last two years, but Paul London is a tremendously talented worker. London got his spot in ROH the old fashioned way, he earned it. Brought into the company with several other
students from the Texas Wrestling Academy, London had a worst case scenario in his first match when his opponent's ankle broke less than two minutes after the bell rang. From that point on, London became a star in the eyes of every ROH fan through a series of off-the-charts matches filled with suicidal highspots. Now, the story behind the show Unscripted is a column in and of itself, but for Paul London it was supposed to a be a show where he and his partner Spanky would compete in the ROH Tag Team title tournament. Well, Unscripted started off with Paul London (in a Spider-Man shirt no less) being told that Spanky would not be at the show. London brought out The American Dragon as a replacement, but the shit hit the fan when Michael Shane came to the ring to stir the pot. After London and Shane got into it for a bit, London apologized to Dragon for having to back out of the Tag Team
tournament as London had his sights focused on kicking Michael Shane's ass.
Later, London and Shane tore down the house with a street fight that was so spectacular that it originated the soon-to-be popular "Please Don't Die" catchphrase. Here is the closing part of my review of that very match:
London then went under the ring and pulled out a ladder. Not just any ladder, a giant ladder. The El Gigante of ladders. This ladder was as tall as Keith Lipinski's TNA reviews are long. (Editor's Note: only 3-4 people on Earth are going to understand that reference and even I'm not one of them) Okay, enough hyperbole, I think you get the point. So Get This, London props the ladder up against the top turnbuckle and RUNS UP THE F---ING THING like a ramp to jump off the top and hit a sommersault plancha onto Michael Shane! UNREAL. Back in the ring, London set up a smaller ladder and jumped off it, intending to hit Shane with a hurracanrana, but Shane countered the attempt into a POWERBOMB! This match is surreal! Shane climbed the ropes and hit a Picture Perfect Elbow. Kickout! London fought back and hit a superkick followed by a London Star Press. Kickout! London sets up the El Gigante ladder and had to kick the cheap thing to straighten it out because it was so wobbly. This was just INSANE to watch and the crowd chanted "You Sick Fuck!" But London was laid out by Shane, who then climbed to the top of the ladder and hit a Picture Perfect Elbow. HOLY SHIT! KICKOUT!! Shane went to climb the ladder again but London got up, ran to the ropes and hit a Lionsault-like move that took out Shane! London climbed the ladder as the crowd chanted "Please Don't Die! Please Don't Die!" London then hit a London Star Press off the top of the ladder!
I don't believe I saw what I think I just f---ing saw!
London finally pinned Shane for the win. This match totally shattered the five star rating system. The crowd was doing the "we're not worthy" bow while chanting, "Match of the Year!" After the match Michael Shane shook London's hand, hugged London, and then handed out a vicious clothesline! Chris Lovey was outraged! "What an asshole!"
10) Bryan Danielson beats Austin Aries in a 2/3 falls match at Testing the Limit
This
was a match that realized what every big wrestling match should aspire to, get everyone involved over. Even in defeat, Austin Aries' stock rose by hanging with a man every ROH fan respected in Bryan Danielson. Despite losing, Aries proved he could keep up with one of ROH's icons, at times outworking and totally frustrating Danielson. The two men had a 75 minute epic match that had the crowd hanging on until the very end. A true step up for Aries during the 2004 progression of being on a Do or Die card, winning Survival of the Fittest, and beating Samoa Joe for the ROH Title. I also think that because the fans did not crap on the length of this match or CM Punk vs. Joe at World Title Classic (#18 on the list), ROH felt much more confident in having longer matches on the card. There are not enough times in wrestling when everyone does their role to perfection, and for two men to have a match well over an hour long that doesn't make me want to slit my wrists? That's an accomplishment and a half.
Runners up:
11) Corino vs. Homicide at War of the Wire
12) Low Ki defeats Spanky, Doug Williams, and Christopher Daniels in a four man Iron Man match and wins the ROH Title at Crowning a Champion
13) Punk gets beer poured down his throat by Raven at Death Before Dishonor I
14) Eddie Guerrero at A Night of Appreciation
15) CM Punk beats Austin Aries for ROH Title at Death Before Dishonor III
16) Mick Foley makes first ROH appearance at Glory By Honor III
17) Paul London's farewell at Death Before Dishonor I
18) Samoa Joe and CM Punk go for an hour at World Title Classic
19) The Rotweillers dominate at Manhattan Mayhem
20) The Riot in New York at the One Year Anniversary Show
21) James Gibson wins ROH Title at Redemption
22) The Second City Saints with the ROH Tag Team Titles in Chicgoo at Reborn: Stage II
23) Samoa Joe vs. Low Ki at Glory by Honor
24) Austin Aries beats Samoa Joe, Homicide, Mark Briscoe, Colt Cabana, and Bryan
Danielson at Survival of the Fittest
25) Bryan Danielson beats James Gibson to win ROH Title at Glory By Honor IV
26) Low Ki vs. Amazing Red at Road to the Title
27) Samoa Joe beats Xavier to win ROH Title at Night of Champions
28) KENTA beats Low Ki to retain GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title at Final Battle 2005
29) Jushin Liger appears in ROH at Weekend of Thunder
30) Jeff Hardy appears at Death Before Dishonor to a huge negative
reaction