Roh House Show
by Adam Barnowski
Ring of Honor presents its first ever disappointing show in Detroit : Motor City Showdown : 9/14/07 at the Michigan Mart .
Hey yo gang.
I’m back in the front row once again for Ring of Honor in Detroit.
To be honest, I am worried coming in that tonight’s card is mostly just a precursor for the big PPV tomorrow night in Chicago. Often when RoH comes to Detroit, they are on their way to a bigger show in Chicago, but they usually go out of their way to make the Detroit show feel special as well. Tonight just did not have that special feeling to it.
I hate to say it, but I do believe that tonight Ring of Honor was in coast mode, as they prepare for a huge card tomorrow night in the Windy City.
Pre-show :
Match 1 : Davey Richards (boo!) vs. Some dude that none of us knew.
This was sad because the Detroit crowd wanted to boo the hell out of Davey Richards, but it was hard to cheer for the other guy, since none of us knew who the hell he was. We cheered for the mystery guy anyway (even tho it seemed somewhat pointless). Crown chanted : “Fuck You Davey†and a bunch of people in my section complained that “We already saw the pre-showâ€.
This was a BAD match to start out the night with. A totally dead curtain jerker that no one cared about at all. Unusually bad booking from Gabe (who was nowhere to be found tonight). This match killed the crowd dead, and set a bad tone for the rest of the evening. I’m sure that Davey won, but I don’t remember how.
Match 2 : Alex ‘SugarFoot’ Payne & Mitch Franklin vs. The YRR Chasyn Rance Kenny King.
I worked with the guys on my right to figure out Kenny Kings’ name. It took a while, but we figured it out. We never did figure out the name of his “Not Cocky†partner (Chase something,) or their smoking hot manager - who was the only one that we gave a damn about anyway.
Kenny was BY FAR the most entertaining guy in this match. ‘SugarFoot’ is still the worst wrestling nickname that I have ever heard. YRR (no idea what it stands for) won very quickly with a double team falling neck breaker thingy. At least it was short.
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Danielson is out with the eye patch to a HUGE pop. Crowd is chanting “Best in the Worldâ€. Brian is not scheduled to fight tonight, but needs to test his vision with the eye patch for tomorrow nights title match with Morishima. He demands that one of the YRR accept his challenge, and Kenny King is up for the task.
Match 3 : The Best in the World vs. Kenny King.
Kenny King wants to know “Where’s my chant?†to which the crowd responds : “You’re an asshole†- Classic!
King is entertaining (and has a bright future) but is totally dominated by Danielson here. Even with outside interference, King can’t overcome the best in the world, and ends up tapping out in under five minutes to a Kimura.
Danielson is not satisfied with that. He wants to bury the “Chase†kid as well. Chase foolishly gets into the ring and he gets DOMINATED by The American Dragon.
Match 3.5 : Dragon vs. Chase Something
This match is over in less than a minute as Danielson opens up with unanswered elbows to the head of poor Chase. He does nothing to defend himself and the ref steps in and calls the match off. Danielson wins in seconds via strikes in an effective UFC style stoppage.
The American Pirate is over HUGE in Detroit, and appears unstoppable heading into his title match tomorrow night in Chicago. I am predicting a title change – you heard it here first.
Match # 4 : The four corner survival match, with the winner going on to face Takeshi Morishim for the RoH title later in the evening.
My least favorite RoH wrestler (more on why later) Roderick Strong is out to a mixed reaction . Kevin Steen is out to some “Mr. Wrestling†chants. Next is Eric Stevens and his mohawk, followed by the most over guy in the match – Delirious – who is now sporting a Jim Neidhart style goatee.
This match is a fast paced back and forth encounter with tons of near falls and saves. A series of close falls earns the first official “R-O-H†chant of the evening. There is a seemingly endless string of 2 counts, with a third wrestler making the save. Delirious hits a Head & Shoulders Tazzplex on Rod Strong that takes him out of the match. Stevens then hits a TKO on Kevin Steen, but Delirious makes the save. We get a Panic Attack, but are denied a Chemical Imbalance, or a Shadows Over Hell.
Eric Stevens dumps Steen to the outside, and then hits a falling under hook power bomb on Delirious and gets 1 – 2 - and…. 3 - much to the shock and dismay of the Detroit crowd.
Steen and Rod “Storm†off, while Delirious and Stevens shake hands. The Detroit crowd is stunned, and does NOT buy Eric Steven as a legitimate contender for Takeshi Morishima. Stevens takes the mic, and the crowd lets him know that they are unhappy by turning on him immediately. He acknowledges the boos, but doesn’t let them shake him, as he promises that he “will NOT let you down tonightâ€.
The guys to my left tell him that they he will be leaving early tonight.
Eric Stevens vs. Takashi Morishima? Not exactly Budokan Hall level main event material. The Detroit crowd is feeling ripped off, and I am with them.
Match #5 : Jimmy Jacobs vs. Chris Hero
Next out is Jimmy f’ing Jacobs who should be over HUGE in Detroit – this is where he made himself a star in that crazy match with BJ. I am shocked by the somewhat tepid reaction for Jimmy and Lacey.
Watching Lacey at ringside (which I do for the entire match,) I can’t help thinking that she is bland and boring (two words that I never thought I would use to describe her) as a face. Lacey desperately needs to go back to being a skanky heel, and she should take Jimmy with her. Their heel act was over huge. As faces, they are boring and pedestrian.
Fortunately, their opponent is the opposite of boring and pedestrian, and is maybe the best heel in the history of Ring of Honor – the one and only Chris Hero. Hero comes to the ring with like twenty five guys with him. It really is impressive, as Hero brings along Larry Sweeny, Tank Tolland, Bobby Dempsey, and Sarah Del Ray (looking like she’s gained a few pounds… perhaps on the Bobby Dempsey diet).
This is the most entertaining match of the night so far, although not much in the way of actual wrestling. Hero totally sucks in the ring, but his shtick is solid gold. He is hysterical, which makes you want to cheer for him, but god awful, which makes you want to boo him. The man is pro wrestling’s own oxymoron.
The highlight of this match is when Lacey and Sarah get in the ring and mix it up strong style, with Lacey scoring the advantage over Sarah. Chris Hero uses tons of outside interference to survive multiple attempts at the Contra Code, before finally getting caught and tapping out to Jacobs’ guillotine choke.
Post match, Sweet & Sour Inc. blindside Jacobs, and then hit the high ground, leaving Bobby Dempsey behind to take another guillotine choke from Jimmy Jacobs. Jimmy wont release the choke, and leaves Bobby for dead.
Match # 6 : Marufuji vs. El Generico.
Generico is getting over big with the RoH audience, and even the rowdy Detroit crowd knows enough to show respect for the legendary Marufuji. There is a handshake and a hug (?) to start the match.
Generico gets Marufuji in the corner and hits his Super Crazy 10 count as the crowd chants along in Spanish. Line of the night - the guy sitting on my right, leans over and says - “I don’t know Japanese, so help me out†- Classic!
Eventually Marufuji dumps Generico out at our feet. Generico extends his hand, and being a good Samaritan, I offer him my hand to help him up. This apparently angers Marufuji, who rolls out of the ring and gives me the hard stare down. I release El Generico, but Marufuji grabs my hat anyway – my lucky fedora! – and threatens to hurl it into the crowd. I implore him not to do it, and grab my hat back from him. The people in my section tell me that I should have let him have my hat… Hey, I don’t wear cheap baseball hats, and I don’t want my lucky hat thrown into this rabid Detroit crowd.
The match picks up from here, and the crowd picks up with it. Marifuji locks in a triangle choke but Genericho fights to get out it. There is a long series of near falls punctuated by dueling super kicks. Both men go down and the crowd is on it’s feet chanting “R-O-H†once again.
Genericho hits the brainbuster and the crowd counts 1 – 2 – 3.
The ref claims that it is only a two count! None of us saw Marufuji kick out. Maybe he got a foot under the ropes or something. Either way, the crowd continues to chant “R-O-H†as Marifuji hits the Shiranu and gets 1 – 2 – and 3.
This time the ref claims that Generico got his foot under the ropes. The crowd is rabid, and this has become the best match of the evening. Marufuji goes for the Coast to Coast Van Terminator but Generico moves! They climb to the top where they fight back and forth before Marufuji finally hits the top rope Shiranui.
Now we get a 1 – 2 – and a 3.
Marufuji wins the best match of the night so far.
Post match - Marufuji gets on the mic and does the “Ole Ole†chant as he raises El Generico’s hand in a show of respect. Excellent match. Easily the match of the night.
It’s intermission, and who should be out and about in the parking lot of the Michigan Mart, but the best tag team in the world – The Motor City Machine Guns. Alex and Chris look damn good as they try and keep a low profile in their hometown. Everyone wants to know why RoH does not book them anymore (exclusive contract with Orlando) and if TnA will ever push them (don’t hold your breath). I tell them that I am very impressed with what they can accomplish with 3 minutes of TV time every week. Alex is in a hurry to get somewhere, while Chris suggests that with Impact going to two hours, they might get featured more.
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Sweet. That means I can look forward to five minute squashes of the best tag team in the world, as they are constantly jobbed to every other team that TnA can think to put together.
Moving on….
The show starts up again with match #7 : Claudio Castagnoli and Nigel McGuiness taking on Brent Albright and the newly revamped BJ Whitmer.
There are lots of “Let’s go Europe†chants for the team of Nigel and Claudio (who were feuding over the Pure title a few shows back here in Detroit). BJ looks terrible. He has trimmed way down, gotten a haircut, bleached his remaining hair blonde, and started wearing tights that look like he may have gotten them from Billy Gunn (sorry… Kip James). I’m sure this new look is meant to make him look a rejuvenated heel, but really it just makes him look old and pathetic.
I am wondering where hometown favorite “The Scrap Daddy†Adam Pearce is, but his absence goes totally unexplained.
I am a big fan of Brent Albright, Nigel McGuiness, and Claudio Castagnoli (who is over HUGE in Detroit – as always) but this match is dragged down into sleep inducing territory by BJ Whitmer. who has the uncanny ability to put any wrestling fan to sleep, no matter what the color of his hair is.
The crowd is hot whenever Claudio is in, and DEAD whenever BJ is in. Claudio spends a long time in peril before finally making the hot tag to Nigel McGuiness. Nigel opens up on the heels as this “by the book†formula tag team match puts the fans to sleep in droves.
Eventually Brent sneaks in the ring (not legal) and hits McGuiness with a Head & Shoulders TazzPlex. Despite never being tagged in, Brent makes the cover and the ref counts three.
Awesome! Team Somnambulistic wins! Their fans would cheer, but they are busy sleeping.
Match # 8 : Jack Evans vs. Rocky Romero.
No one cares about Rocky, per usual (he is easily the most over rated guy on the entire roster) but Detroit is off the hook for The Aerial emperor - Jack Evans.
Jack demands that the match be a Detroit street fight and Rocky obliges him, bringing a chair into the ring for good measure.
Rocky takes advantage of the lack of rules, while conspicuous by their absence are Jack’s Vulture Squad buddies - Ruckus, and Julius Smokes. Rocky dominates Jack using a chair, a ladder, and finally a table. Soon both guys are brawling though the crowd prompting many fans to complain that they - “can’t see shitâ€.
Eventually they make their way back to the ring, and Jack mounts a late comeback, coming off the top rope with a double stomp through the table.
Jack wins. “Rocky sucksâ€.
Match # 9 : Semi main event time, as Morishima ties up with Erick Stevens.
Stevens works hard to win over the fans and eventually does so simply by surviving the unbelievably stiff offensive onslaught by the Ring of Honor Champion.
Question : Is that all this guy does - stiff his opponents? I have yet to see Morishima break out an impressive looking move set. His kicks, punches, and lariats are impressive because they are stiff as hell (ala Stan Hansen) but does that make him World Champion material?
Erick actually puts on one hell of a match here, and does succeed at wining the crowd over… for the most part. As the guy on my right said – “this would be a good match, if that guy had ANY chance at allâ€.
Everyone knows that Erick is going down eventually. Sure enough - stiff lariet, back drop driver, 3 count. I feel like I’m watching Vader matches again. I hope they put the title back on Brian Danielson tomorrow night… at least the pale American knows how to wrestle.
Match #10: Main Event – The Briscoe Boys vs. Austin Aries & Matt Cross.
Once again, we know that Cross and Aries have no chance, thanks to the ladder match tomorrow night, so this match has little intrigue to it. Having said that – it’s awesome to see Matt Dog in the main event, and Austin Aries looks phenominal now that he has shrugged off the Austin Starr persona.
Austin has trimmed back down to his original weight, and looks crisper in the ring than he has in a long while. The Aries they have in RoH right now, is as good (or better) than the Aries who pinned Samoa Joe to win the RoH Championship. Hopefully Gabe will move Aries out of the whole “Resilience†nonsense, and put him back where he belongs, in the title picture.
Everyone knows that the Briscoes are winning this match. Cross spends most of the match “in peril†eventually making the hot tag to Aries. The Brisoces break out the old Havana Pitbulls’ “Cuban Missile Crisis†for a near fall. Aries carries his team, barking orders to Cross who hits a double double stomp for a near fall. Aries hits a Brian Buster but misses the 450 splash. Cross hits a picture perfect Shooting Star Press, for a long two count.
The fans seem to briefly believe that there could actually be a title change.
Aries counter the Springboard Doomsday Device, and Cross pulls out a victory roll for another long two count. The fans are on their feet, but in the end, there are no surprises – The Briscoes hit a spike Jay driller on Matt Cross and pick up the three count.
All in all : A pretty disappointing card from Ring of Honor, who have traditionally only put on the best wrestling . The wrestling was strong as always, but tonight was the least interesting Ring of Honor show since they started coming to the Michigan Mart a number of years ago.
