I ordered my very first Pro-Wrestling PPV last week. I know I’ve stated many times that I just can’t bring myself to pay for wrestling after being a part of it for so long, but after the insistence of Bryan Alvarez that this was an absolute must see show, I sucked it up and ordered the ROH Man Up PPV.
I don’t think I enjoyed the show as much as Bryan did, but it was still, absolutely worth the money and an extremely great show. There were a lot of things I absolutely loved about the show and a few things that I did not. The difference for me between ROH and WWE or TNA is that the things I didn’t like about the ROH show were more a matter of taste than anything else.
I’m not a huge fan of the stronger more dangerous, reckless abandon style of wrestling that is quite prominent in ROH. I’m far more conscious of people’s long-term health now that we better understand the risks of concussion and drug use due to injuries, so watching guys working this hard, taking such big risks, did detract from my overall enjoyment. That being said I still loved the majority of the show, and recommend it very highly.
I think the most amazing thing about this show, aside from the incredible work rate of the boys, is that the show was so amazingly easy to follow and get into. ROH doesn’t have regular TV, and I do not follow their product on DVD. There were maybe 4 guys on the show whose work I was familiar with, and I had no knowledge of the feuds or angles building up to this show, yet I understood and could follow EVERYTHING.
I remember every match; I remember all the guys who were on the show, and for the most part understand who were heels and faces, I know who was feuding with whom, and everyone’s general character and place in the company. Several people got over on the show and stood out, yet no one came off looking bad either. There were no run ins or bull**** finishes, and yet ROH still managed to tell some stories and extend some programs that I would like to see followed up. This to me is how a show should be booked. I went in to this show without any knowledge of the product, yet I could follow it and understand it; I enjoyed it immensely, and at the end of the show was left with a desire to see more. If that isn’t a home run I don’t know what is, and on top of that it only cost me $20. (In some areas it was as cheap as $10 or $15)
If you are looking for a faster paced, more realistic alternative to WWE or even TNA, ROH is where you should be looking. ROH Man Up provided death defying stunts, great wrestling, amazing high spots, with great easy to follow booking and story telling, with none of the embarrassing mindless nonsense, of Leprechauns running through walls, pointless gimmick matches, endless run ins, and unhonored promises and stipulations. ROH isn’t Sports Entertainment, ROH is an Entertaining Sport; ROH is WRESTLING!
For the safety of the boys, I hope they tone down the “death defying” aspect of their work rate a bit, but other than that ROH is awesome, and if you haven’t seen Man Up yet, you have to order this show on replay or track it down on DVD. It’s the most entertainment per dollar you can find on PPV. Congratulations to everyone who worked on this show, and thank you for the entertainment you provided me.
