I honestly did not see that coming (ROH Survival of the Fittest Spoilers)

[Mr. Nerfect]

- Attendance 225-250

- Survival of the Fittest Qualifier: Roderick Strong defeated Brent Albright via double knee gut buster **

- Survival of the Fittest Qualifier: Chris Hero defeated Karl "Machine Gun" Anderson via hangman's clutch in a long squash *½

- Survival of the Fittest Qualifier: Rocky Romero defeated TJ Perkins via kick to the head **¾

- Survival of the Fittest Qualifier: Austin Aries defeated Delirious via submission ***¼

- Survival of the Fittest Qualifier: Claudio Castagnoli defeated Davey Richards via Riccolla Bomb ***

- Survival of the Fittest Qualifier: Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson went to a time limit draw, no one advances ***¾

- Survival of the Fittest Qualifier: The Human Tornado defeated Tony Kazina and Shane Hagadorn with the "DAT N*GGA DEAD" on Kozina to earn the final spot in the Survival of the Fittest Finals

- The Age of the Fall (Necro Butcher and Jimmy Jacobs) defeated Mark and Jay Briscoe via choke out by Jacobs on Mark in a wild street fight ***¾

- SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST FINALS: Chris Hero won Survival of the fittest last defeating Claudio Castagnoli with the hangman's clutch when Claudio passed out and the match was stopped ***¾

- Order of elimination was:
Hero Eliminated Tornado via Hero's Welcome
Hero Eliminated Rocky Romero via pin after an Aries 450 Splash
Hero Eliminated Aries via Roll Up
Hero Eliminated Strong via Hero's Welcome after Sweeney bought off Strong, only to be double crossed by Hero, who then took the money back.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I was not expecting Chris Hero to win the 2007 Survival of the Fittest. My first pick was actually Bryan Danielson (to become the first-ever two-time winner, to balance out Aries when he becomes the first two-time ROH World Champion). I could also have seen Austin Aries or Claudio Castagnoli taking it. Even then, I'd have put Roderick Strong before Chris Hero.

Hero has not been used too greatly in ROH. Gabe apparently isn't as high on him as some people are, and while he has kept him around because he is a great performer, he has never been really used as much as many would expect. If ROH had someone who was held back and kept down, it was Chris Hero. This win is a massive one for Hero, as it completely shatters that. Not only did Chris Hero win the tournament, but he eliminated each of the five other competitors. This is going to play into his character really well. Hero is suddenly credible again, which is testament to the tournament, and Gabe's writing. It is big of Gabe to finally push Hero, too. ROH has always been more about the quality than the politics. It's the closest we have to an alternative, even if it's still relatively small.

You never really get surprised in the WWE or TNA these days, and even more rarely in a good way. That ROH went with this result is both surprising, and refreshing. Thanks, ROH.

[St. Jimmy]

Here's something more suprizing:

http://www.stereogum.com/img/claygrab.jpg

WHO SAW THAT COMING?!

[Mr. Nerfect]

The more I look at her, and the more I look at Clay, the more I can imagine her being a dude.

However, Clay Aitken was on Scrubs, so his hetero points go up quite a lot.

[IC Champion]

Wait, a whole 250 people jam packed the "arena" for this event, must have been standing room only.

[Mr. Pierre]

Hero really needed a huge win for him, and his stable, because before last night, they were just a joke stable pretty much. But, the fact that he eliminated everyone was VERY surprising. I am definitely in favor for a Chris Hero push though :y:

[Mr. Pierre]

And I'm pretty sure the attendance was shit for the fact that it's their first time visiting Vegas, and also because they wouldn't admit anyone under 21. So, ROH caught a real rough break there.

[Kane Knight]

TROJAN MAN

[IC Champion]

TROJAN MAN
Would have drawn more than 250 people, especially in Vegas.

[Kane Knight]

And you probably would have seen him coming.

[IC Champion]

lol

[Mr. Pierre]

Would have drawn more than 250 people, especially in Vegas.

Coming from a fan of TNA, who had trouble selling out half the arena for arguably their biggest PPV of the year in the company's birthplace...

[IC Champion]

Coming from a fan of TNA, who had trouble selling out half the arena for arguably their biggest PPV of the year in the company's birthplace...
I know they sold alot more than 250 tickets. Plus they air LIVE PPV, unlike RoH.

Also, RoH is lucky if they've ever drawn a crowd of more than 1,200. Plus RoH isn't on national TV, unlike TNA, who don't rely as heavily on ticket sales. Plus an RoH ticket is hella cheap.

[Mr. Pierre]

Aren't Impact tickets free? And an ROH ticket can cost up to about $50-$60

I'm not disputing the fact that ROH's draw last night was terrible, I was pointing out that ROH isn't the only company that has ticket troubles when it visits new places, or goes out of it's element.

[Kane Knight]

So this was what? A regular show then, if we're comparing it to Impact?

[Mr. Pierre]

No matter what you categorize it as, my point is that both TNA and ROH have their own troubles in ticket sales at times.

But last night was the first time in a long time that ROH has had a terrible draw for their venue. ROH knows that they can sell out the Manhattan Center time and time again, so they keep going back. Meanwhile TNA rolls the dice on a venue way out of their league in sometimes new areas, and they end up getting screwed on the ticket sales.

[The Naitch]

Attendance 225-250

PACKED BACKYARD!!!!

[BigDaddyCool]

You know, for it to be a spoiler, wouldn't someone need to care?

[The Naitch]

Somehow Cena wins at the end

[Mr. Nerfect]

Wait, a whole 250 people jam packed the "arena" for this event, must have been standing room only.

It was their first time ever running in Vegas. They never get a shitload of people in their debut in a new region. Also, there was a 21 and over limit on the show. That means a lot of teenagers and some families couldn't have gotten in (not sure how many kids go to ROH shows, though).

Also, ROH wants to run taped PPVs. It costs less, and it allows them to edit the shows to the best of their ability, and put the best product forward. Did you see Driven? Of course you didn't, but people within the IWC are calling it the PPV of the year. ROH is also not the type of company that wants to pay for a TV show. They are looking into a deal, but they're not going to rush things like TNA did (they still haven't turned a profit, have they?).

Say what you want, but ROH is making a profit, which signifies growth. They've done very successful tours overseas, and they make a good bundle for themselves when they are in an area they have already established themselves in.

And yes, TNA are too pussy to charge people for tickets. ROH also relies most heavily of DVD sales, I believe, and they are apparently about to get their DVDs in regular stores. They're working with the guy who got them their PPV deal (which live or not, works for them), and got WWE DVD distribution deals in Canada.

Face it, whether or not you like it, ROH is growing. They're not going to get thousands of fans in to each show overnight. At the moment they are taking things slow, making a profit, and putting on good shows. You might not like their style, but putting that aside, ROH's fanbase is the least negative of the top three American promotions. WWE viewers are often disgusted with what they see, TNA viewers want to slap their "creative" team across the face, but ROH viewers are generally happy with what they get. ROH is at least meeting its target demographic's demands.

[IC Champion]

I will respond to your post when I feel like it...