Innovator
10-02-2005, 10:22 PM
Ring of Honor drew an estimated 750-800 to the New Yorker Hotel with Pro Wrestling NOAH's Kenta Kobashi facing ROH pillar Samoa Joe in what turned out to be one of the most hard hitting and electric matches the company has ever produced ever, much less this year. Both men received standing ovations and streamers. Jay Lethal accompanied Joe to the ring. The crowd was easily split back and forth, although they were more cheering on a great performance then wanting to see one performer win over the other. The bout started off with Joe slapping Kobashi early and warning him they were in his house. As the match went on, both men had burst blood vessels all over their chest from back and forth chops. At one point, Kobashi hit Joe with a rapid succession of over 50-60 chops. It was absolutely insane to watch live, as sweat and skin just flew off of Joe's chest like an airplane propeller was hitting it. Joe came back to hit the muscle buster for a near fall. Kobashi hit several near falls with big suplexes and finally hit an insanely stiff lariat for the clean pinfall.
The crowd loved every second of this and was on its feet for all the exchanges and near falls. Most of the locker room was watching from the balcony of the building and was loving it as much, if not more, then the fans in attendance. It was one of those rare bouts where it didn't matter who went over, because both got over and in the process, Joe became a stronger name for going toe-to-toe with Kobashi. After the bout, Kobashi helped a spent Joe to his feet and shook his hand, then raised it. He thanked Joe, then left the ring.
When it was all said and done, this was probably one of the best matches I've ever witnessed live. I will very rarely say this but this is a DVD worth rushing out to buy when it's released just on the level the main event hit tonight. Samurai TV and the Japanese media were all over the show including filming ringside for the main event and interviewing fans and filming footage of the post-show autograph session. The entire atmosphere and environment of the match was nothing short of amazing. Easily one of the top moments of 2005.
Other results from the show saw:
*Claudio Castagnoli defeated Colt Cabana in the opening match after Cabana was distracted by members of Homicide’s crew showing up at different locations in the venue. The storyline going into the show was that ROH wouldn’t put Cabana vs. Homicide on as there had been “threats towards Cabana” since New York City is Homicide’s turf. The match was an OK opener, although the crowd was very much into both guys, to the point that it made the match better live.
*Christopher Daniels defeated Azrieal and Matt Sydal in a Three-Way Dance. The highlight of the match saw Sydal leap off the top, then use Azrieal’s back as a launch to catch Daniels with a tornado DDT. The crowd went insane for that. Daniels was down and out outside after a dive when Sydal eliminated Azrieal. Daniels and Sydal had some near falls before Daniels caught the pin with Angel’s Wings. The result of the match was never in doubt but everyone was working hard and the idea seemed to be that Sydal and Azrieal could compete with someone of Daniels’ stature.
*Tony Mamaluke and Sal Rinauro defeated BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs to win the ROH Tag Team championships. Mamaluke vs. Rinauro was advertised but they came out together to the “Rocky” theme and Mamaluke noted that he won the ECW World Tag Team championships in NYC before and wanted to win Tag Team gold again. He said that he and Rinauro had signed the open contract that the champions had for the belts and challenged for a shot right now. The match was OK and really picked up towards the end. Mamaluke kicked out of the champions’ finisher, a hurrancanrana off the top by Jacobs while on Whitmer’s shoulders. Jacobs was pinned with a double tiger driver-style finisher. Whitmer and Jacobs presented the new champions with the belts. Whitmer’s demeanor certainly would make one think a heel turn is coming.
*ROH Pure champion Nigel McGuiness pinned Jay Lethal. The backdrop of the story here was to give McGuiness the ball to run with as he got to do a lot of heelish smart ass mic work before the bout. He stopped the referee while he was giving instructions, demanding that the fans give him the chance to explain because Lethal wasn’t a bright person. He then went on to say that New York City loved him because they love their sports stars like the New York Giants and the New York “Dandees”, then corrected himself and said Yankees. McGuiness also did a deal where he either backed off or blocked Lethal’s chops since they are so stiff. McGuiness used one rope break although the ref and ring announcer Bobby Cruise both said it was Lethal’s before making a correction. McGuiness grabbed an iron (no kidding, he brings an iron emblazoned with the union jack to the ring) and slammed Lethal’s face into it to get the pin. Afterwards he took the mic and said, “God bless the Queen and God Bless America.” He showed a ton more charisma here then he ever has at any ROH event previously and his stock rose. Lethal got a big round of applause leaving.
*Roderick Strong defeated Jimmy Rave in a grudge match. Prince Nana accompanied Rave and was dragging Jade Chung around on a leash. Both he and Chung were awesome at their roles. When Rave got in the ring, he was showered with toilet paper and pink streamers. He freaked out. Funny stuff. Rave’s heel work is always improving. Crowd was really into Strong. He’s really made one hell of an improvement over the last year. Strong forced Rave to submit and was attacked by Nana, who hit all his big spots from when he was working here regularly. He took Chung’s leash and wrapped it around Strong’s throat and demanded Rave and Chung both pull. He was screaming at Strong to die. Where was Matt Sydal when this was going on? Chung finally “fell” and Nana began admonishing her. He and Rave put the boots to Strong. Chung ripped off the sack they forced her to wear, then kicked both Rave and Nana low. The crowd popped. She revealed a sexy outfit underneath. Strong made the comeback and ran them both off. He challenged the Embassy to face Generation Next in a Steel Cage warfare (one ring Wargames) on 12/3 when the promotion returns to New York.
*After intermission, Ricky Reyes forced an ROH student to tap out in 2-3 minutes after a stiff beating. It was exactly what it should have been. Reyes came off like a monster.
*In one of his final ROH bouts, James Gibson forced former Jung Dragons partner Jimmy Yang to tap out with the guillotine choke. This was Yang’s first ROH match and he got a big reaction coming out. Gibson got a standing ovation and the crowd chanted, “Please don’t go.” Yang hit all his high spots for near falls. He ended up on the floor and Gibson dove out of the ring with both crashing over the railing and landing in the first row. The finish was actually screwed up as they went to end it with Gibson hitting a Tiger Driver but no one told the referee, so he counted it as a two count. They jumped right into the guillotine and Yang tapped. The crowd didn’t seem to catch the error. Gibson gave a speech after saying that he would love to come back and compete anytime ROH and the fans would have him and the last year of his life has been the most fun of his career. He thanked everyone in the back for allowing him to have the level of matches he did during his run here. He then cut a promo saying he was looking forward to his final match tomorrow against Roderick Strong in Philly. As he left the building, Gibson led an ROH chant.
*Jack Evans (making his first ROH appearance in a few months while resting a wrist injury) defeated Homicide clean after Colt Cabana distracted Homicide. A fan wearing a Boston Red Sox hat put another hat on Homicide’s head after he challenged the fan. Homicide took the hat into the ring, spit into it, then got the ring mic and told everyone to spit in it. The hat got passed around before it ended up back in the ring. Jack Evans handed it back to the Boston fan. Ewww. Homicide was jumping around leading “Let’s Go Yankees” chants, which was weird because he’s one of the top heels in the company, but he’s also a big face in NYC so it’s all relative. This was a really fun match. Evans did an insane dive to the floor on Homicide who was in the first row. Homicide had Evans beaten after a sick looking Ace Crusher when Colt Cabana showed up in the balcony dressed like a thug rapper and began taking shots at Homicide. Cabana was being his normal goofy self rapping at first, but then got more serious, calling Homicide “Konnan’s B*tch” and finally saying, “Nelson, your gimmick is a work and so are you.” Of course, saying a thug is a fake thug is the ultimate insult, so Homicide hit the roof. Homicide’s crew charged up to the balcony but Cabana was gone. In the confusion, Evans hit a reverse frankensteiner for the pin. The match and the angle were great. Homicide grabbed the ring mic and challenged Cabana pulling out an old Terry Funk favorite saying, “Your mother is a whore.” Cabana didn’t show, so Homicide cut an awesome promo on him saying that just like Steve Corino and Teddy Hart, they now had legitimate beef and he was going to beat it out of him. The crowd teased Homicide by chanting his real name but he blew them off and said that he didn’t care. Homicide began screaming at the ringside camera “This isn’t a work. I’m not a gimmick” as he left. The whole scenario was awesome.
Credit: PWInsider.com
The crowd loved every second of this and was on its feet for all the exchanges and near falls. Most of the locker room was watching from the balcony of the building and was loving it as much, if not more, then the fans in attendance. It was one of those rare bouts where it didn't matter who went over, because both got over and in the process, Joe became a stronger name for going toe-to-toe with Kobashi. After the bout, Kobashi helped a spent Joe to his feet and shook his hand, then raised it. He thanked Joe, then left the ring.
When it was all said and done, this was probably one of the best matches I've ever witnessed live. I will very rarely say this but this is a DVD worth rushing out to buy when it's released just on the level the main event hit tonight. Samurai TV and the Japanese media were all over the show including filming ringside for the main event and interviewing fans and filming footage of the post-show autograph session. The entire atmosphere and environment of the match was nothing short of amazing. Easily one of the top moments of 2005.
Other results from the show saw:
*Claudio Castagnoli defeated Colt Cabana in the opening match after Cabana was distracted by members of Homicide’s crew showing up at different locations in the venue. The storyline going into the show was that ROH wouldn’t put Cabana vs. Homicide on as there had been “threats towards Cabana” since New York City is Homicide’s turf. The match was an OK opener, although the crowd was very much into both guys, to the point that it made the match better live.
*Christopher Daniels defeated Azrieal and Matt Sydal in a Three-Way Dance. The highlight of the match saw Sydal leap off the top, then use Azrieal’s back as a launch to catch Daniels with a tornado DDT. The crowd went insane for that. Daniels was down and out outside after a dive when Sydal eliminated Azrieal. Daniels and Sydal had some near falls before Daniels caught the pin with Angel’s Wings. The result of the match was never in doubt but everyone was working hard and the idea seemed to be that Sydal and Azrieal could compete with someone of Daniels’ stature.
*Tony Mamaluke and Sal Rinauro defeated BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs to win the ROH Tag Team championships. Mamaluke vs. Rinauro was advertised but they came out together to the “Rocky” theme and Mamaluke noted that he won the ECW World Tag Team championships in NYC before and wanted to win Tag Team gold again. He said that he and Rinauro had signed the open contract that the champions had for the belts and challenged for a shot right now. The match was OK and really picked up towards the end. Mamaluke kicked out of the champions’ finisher, a hurrancanrana off the top by Jacobs while on Whitmer’s shoulders. Jacobs was pinned with a double tiger driver-style finisher. Whitmer and Jacobs presented the new champions with the belts. Whitmer’s demeanor certainly would make one think a heel turn is coming.
*ROH Pure champion Nigel McGuiness pinned Jay Lethal. The backdrop of the story here was to give McGuiness the ball to run with as he got to do a lot of heelish smart ass mic work before the bout. He stopped the referee while he was giving instructions, demanding that the fans give him the chance to explain because Lethal wasn’t a bright person. He then went on to say that New York City loved him because they love their sports stars like the New York Giants and the New York “Dandees”, then corrected himself and said Yankees. McGuiness also did a deal where he either backed off or blocked Lethal’s chops since they are so stiff. McGuiness used one rope break although the ref and ring announcer Bobby Cruise both said it was Lethal’s before making a correction. McGuiness grabbed an iron (no kidding, he brings an iron emblazoned with the union jack to the ring) and slammed Lethal’s face into it to get the pin. Afterwards he took the mic and said, “God bless the Queen and God Bless America.” He showed a ton more charisma here then he ever has at any ROH event previously and his stock rose. Lethal got a big round of applause leaving.
*Roderick Strong defeated Jimmy Rave in a grudge match. Prince Nana accompanied Rave and was dragging Jade Chung around on a leash. Both he and Chung were awesome at their roles. When Rave got in the ring, he was showered with toilet paper and pink streamers. He freaked out. Funny stuff. Rave’s heel work is always improving. Crowd was really into Strong. He’s really made one hell of an improvement over the last year. Strong forced Rave to submit and was attacked by Nana, who hit all his big spots from when he was working here regularly. He took Chung’s leash and wrapped it around Strong’s throat and demanded Rave and Chung both pull. He was screaming at Strong to die. Where was Matt Sydal when this was going on? Chung finally “fell” and Nana began admonishing her. He and Rave put the boots to Strong. Chung ripped off the sack they forced her to wear, then kicked both Rave and Nana low. The crowd popped. She revealed a sexy outfit underneath. Strong made the comeback and ran them both off. He challenged the Embassy to face Generation Next in a Steel Cage warfare (one ring Wargames) on 12/3 when the promotion returns to New York.
*After intermission, Ricky Reyes forced an ROH student to tap out in 2-3 minutes after a stiff beating. It was exactly what it should have been. Reyes came off like a monster.
*In one of his final ROH bouts, James Gibson forced former Jung Dragons partner Jimmy Yang to tap out with the guillotine choke. This was Yang’s first ROH match and he got a big reaction coming out. Gibson got a standing ovation and the crowd chanted, “Please don’t go.” Yang hit all his high spots for near falls. He ended up on the floor and Gibson dove out of the ring with both crashing over the railing and landing in the first row. The finish was actually screwed up as they went to end it with Gibson hitting a Tiger Driver but no one told the referee, so he counted it as a two count. They jumped right into the guillotine and Yang tapped. The crowd didn’t seem to catch the error. Gibson gave a speech after saying that he would love to come back and compete anytime ROH and the fans would have him and the last year of his life has been the most fun of his career. He thanked everyone in the back for allowing him to have the level of matches he did during his run here. He then cut a promo saying he was looking forward to his final match tomorrow against Roderick Strong in Philly. As he left the building, Gibson led an ROH chant.
*Jack Evans (making his first ROH appearance in a few months while resting a wrist injury) defeated Homicide clean after Colt Cabana distracted Homicide. A fan wearing a Boston Red Sox hat put another hat on Homicide’s head after he challenged the fan. Homicide took the hat into the ring, spit into it, then got the ring mic and told everyone to spit in it. The hat got passed around before it ended up back in the ring. Jack Evans handed it back to the Boston fan. Ewww. Homicide was jumping around leading “Let’s Go Yankees” chants, which was weird because he’s one of the top heels in the company, but he’s also a big face in NYC so it’s all relative. This was a really fun match. Evans did an insane dive to the floor on Homicide who was in the first row. Homicide had Evans beaten after a sick looking Ace Crusher when Colt Cabana showed up in the balcony dressed like a thug rapper and began taking shots at Homicide. Cabana was being his normal goofy self rapping at first, but then got more serious, calling Homicide “Konnan’s B*tch” and finally saying, “Nelson, your gimmick is a work and so are you.” Of course, saying a thug is a fake thug is the ultimate insult, so Homicide hit the roof. Homicide’s crew charged up to the balcony but Cabana was gone. In the confusion, Evans hit a reverse frankensteiner for the pin. The match and the angle were great. Homicide grabbed the ring mic and challenged Cabana pulling out an old Terry Funk favorite saying, “Your mother is a whore.” Cabana didn’t show, so Homicide cut an awesome promo on him saying that just like Steve Corino and Teddy Hart, they now had legitimate beef and he was going to beat it out of him. The crowd teased Homicide by chanting his real name but he blew them off and said that he didn’t care. Homicide began screaming at the ringside camera “This isn’t a work. I’m not a gimmick” as he left. The whole scenario was awesome.
Credit: PWInsider.com