ROH-Wrestler of the Week

[Soulpower]

Basically, I'll post one wrestler from the ROH roster (past or present). I'll put in a bit of a bio, some of the wrestlers matches, and my personal opinion on said wrestler.

We'll start off with one of my favorites... Chris Hero!

Height and Weight- 6'4 and 240 LBS
Trained by: Dory Funk JR, Les Thatcher, William Regal, Final and Dave Taylor
Previous gimmicks: Wife Beater
Finishing Move: Hangman's Clutch, Hero's Welcome
Entrance Theme: "Rock and Roll Part 2" by Gary Glitter
Notable Feuds: CM Punk, Samoa "Sloppy" Joe, Bryan Danielson, Eddie Kingston, Nigel McGuiness
ROH in-ring debut:January 16, 2006 (Hell Freezes Over) vs Bryan Danielson. In reality, Hero wrestled then ROH champ Samoa Joe in 04, but that match was not in an ROH show.

Chris Hero made a name for himself while wrestling in IWA-MS, CHIKARA (where he formed the Gold Bond Mafia with Punk and Cabana) and CZW. In Mid-South he had a memorable rivalry against CM Punk which included a Two out of three falls match that went 93 minutes, and a singles match that went to a 60-minute draw. Hero would continue to improve and rack up the victories when he went to CZW, scoring wins against Super Dragon, Alex Shelley, and BJ Whitmer.

In CZW he would first team up with the most moneymaking man in the business, Claudio Castagnoli, though they were not called the Kings of Wrestling at the moment. In CHIKARA, Hero had another partner in a group called The Superfriends, his partner was "Lighting" Mike Quackenbush. Hero and Quack made it to the finals of the 32 team tournament, Tag World Grand Prix in 2005. It would be in the finals where Hero would turn on Mike and align himself with CC and Arik Cannon, dubbing themselves The Kings of Wrestling. Eventually, Cannon would leave CHIKARA leaving only Hero and CC, these two men became CHIKARA's first ever Campeones De Parejas.

His journey in ROH would start at CZW's Cage of Death Match in December 05where Hero challenged the ROH roster. Hero made his official ROH debut at Hell Freezes Over in January of 06, in a losing effort against Bryan Danielson.

At the ROH "Best In the World" event, Hero alongside Necro Butcher answered a challenge made by Adam Pearce. Necro and Hero beat down Pearce until Claudio Castagnoli of all people, made the save. Claudio chased them down while yelling "Fuck CZW!'

At ROH's 100th show, the CZW team of Hero, Necro and Super Dragon defeated the ROH team of Samoa Joe. BJ Whitmer and Adam Pearce. Pearce was pinned after Claudio showed his true colors and helped Hero's team win, ending the show with a hug between the Kings Of Wrestling. However, Hero and CZW would eventually lose the war, as ROH defeated the CZW team in their very own Cage of Death match at Death Before Dishonor IV.

Hero would return to ROH in September 16 of 2006, where he and Castagnoli defeated the team of Austin Aries and Roderick Strong to become the new ROH Tag Champions. By virtue of the title win, Hero became a full-time member of the ROH roster. KoW would lose their titles to Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal on Novemeber 25. On December 23, after losing a match against The Briscoes. Hero left Castagnoli and aligned himself with "Super Agent" Larry Sweeney.

Hero and Sweeney supposedly have big plans for 07, but other than a tour in Pro Wrestling NOAH, 07 has NOT been a good year for Hero. He started off by losing against Homicide in a match for the ROH title at the "Dedicated" show. Hero would bounce back the next night, defeating Christopher Daniels and Castagnoli in a three-way match. His only other win this year came against Delirious on June the 22nd. Not even a one-night reunion with Claudio Castagnoli was enough, as they would lose the Briscoes once again.

Hero has now signed an ROH contract, making him an ROH wrestler for the next two years. Its tough to tell where his career will go, but with Hero being so talented in the ring and on the mic, and with Sweeney (among others) at his side, the future looks bright for Chris Hero in Ring Of Honor.

Hero left CZW for good in April after losing a "loser leaves CZW" match against long-time rival Eddie Kingston. Hero still competes for CHIKARA and IWA-Mid South, usually in tag-team competition. His partner... Claudio Castagnoli.

Here are some of Chris Hero's matches...

Bryan Danielson vs Chris Hero (ROH)
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/Chris+Hero/video/xy47d_bryan-danielson-vs-chris-hero-roh

Chris Hero vs CM Punk (Ladder Match)
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevanc...ideo/xqrc9_chris-hero-vs-cm-punk-ladder-match

Chris Hero and Doug Williams vs Mohammed Yone and Ippei Ota (Hero's NOAH debut).
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/Chris+Hero/video/x1cis6_hero-debut-williams-vs-yone-ota

Chris Hero vs Homicide (ROH title)
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/Chris+Hero/video/x2am84_rohs-dedicated-31

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/Chris+Hero/video/x2am8b_rohs-dedicated-32

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v454715kqxc7TkK?searchId=5360230806403836468&rank=0 (Chris Hero challenges ROH)

Thoughts on Chris Hero: Hero is easily one of my favorite wrestlers in general. He's money on the mic and can hold his own in the ring, and he's a natural heel, you really want to see him get his ass kicked. He's had some tough luck as of late, but that will hopefully change in the upcoming months. Look for Chris to be a Major Player in the ROH title picture sooner rather than later, but for now... Just enjoy his work.

Credit:Online World of Wrestling, Wikipedia and... ME!

Feel free to comment on anything, or give me a suggestion for next week's wrestler. Until then, I am out!

 

[Viva La Luke]

Good on the mic, plays a heel great and dont be surprised to see him win a couple of matches now he has signed with ROH.

Might as well chuck this in for novelty value when Hero attacks a fan.

[YT]u2_-qhIM5U8[/YT]

 

[Great One]

^^^Wow, that is fucking awesome, rofl.

 

[Montana]

I like this, very informative. Chris Hero reminds me a lot of a young Edge.

 

[MJ807]

Chris Hero is one of my favorite ROH wrestlers and as Montana says he does remind me of a young Edge

 

[Rell]

Soulpower...I'm totally going to rip off this thread for the indy section

 

[Soulpower]

Time for the ROH Wrestler of the week, and the lucky grappler is... Delirious!

Height and Weight:5'10/185 LBS
Trained by:Tracy Smothers and Kid Kash
Finishing Moves:Shadows Over Hell, Cobra Stretch and Chemical Imbalance II
Entrance Theme:Hybrid Stigmata by Dimmu Borgir
ROH Debut:April 23,2004
Notable Feuds: Matt Sydal, Ricky Reyes, No Remorse Corps

Delirious started wrestling in St Louis, and eventually in TNA from 2003 to 2005. His last match with TNA would be a loss against Samoa Joe on Impact. Delirious started working for Ian Rotten and IWA Mid–South during the latter part of 2003. He quickly won over fans with his antics. In November, he wrestled Matt Sydal, a fellow St. Louis wrestler in Sydal's first IWA match. The two quickly developed a rivalry, wrestling several times over the next few months. Eventually, Delirious was able to beat Sydal at the second night of the 2004 King of the Death Match Tournament and won the IWA-MS Light-Heavyweight title.

On the first night of the 2004 Ted Petty Invitational weekend, Jacobs won a vicious Ladder Match to win the vacant title. After that, Delirious went to Japan for a tour. When he returned, he won the belt on December 12, 2004 in Highland. Delirious then finished the feud with a win in a Steel Cage match in Valparaiso, Indiana on February 4, 2005. Delirious held the Light-Heavyweight title until June 11, 2005, when he lost it to Josh Abercrombie in Philadelphia.

Delirious debuted in the Philidelphia based promotion Ring of Honor, at Reborn: Stage One on April 23, 2004 in a losing effort against rival Matt Sydal. Delirious would continue to work for Ring of Honor sporadically throughout the next few years, gaining a cult following despite never winning a match. At Better Than Our Best on April 1, 2006, ROH's commisioner Jim Cornette said that he would face a wrestler of his chosing, and if he did not win he would be dropped from the roster. Delirious chose and defeated Ricky Reyes with the Cobra Stretch, retaining his spot on the roster.

The following show Delirious would defeat Jimmy Rave, Jimmy Yang and Jimmy Jacobs in Four Corner Survival. Later in the show Bryan Danielson granted Delirious shot at the ROH World Championship after Danielson had retained it in five minutes against Colt Cabana. Danielson would retain the belt when the referee stopped the match, Delirious' hand would also be sliced on the ring post and his mask was torn by Danielson during the match.

Delirious would go on to earn a shot at the ROH Pure Championship against Nigel McGuinness, but subsequently lost. Throughout the rest of the year Delirious would continue to impress with matches against Matt Sydal and McGuinness. On October 6th Delirious defeated Jimmy Rave qualifying for the Survival of the Fittest final later on in the evening. Austin Aries would be the first eliminated in the finals leaving The Briscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark), Delirious and Matt Sydal. Sydal and Delirious would work together to eliminate the Briscoes. They would put on a tough performance with Delirious eventually coming out on top.

His victory meant he'd receive his second shot at the ROH World Championship against Bryan Danielson. On November 3 the match took place, and once again Danielson retained despite Delirious' best efforts.

Delirious would go onto lose to Adam Pearce on December 22[8], as well as losing the following night in a Dragon Gate rules match against CIMA, Shingo and Matt Sydal[9].

Delirious would continue his feud with Pearce into 2007 defeating him in the first of six Fifth Year Fesitval events. He via won pin fall after placing brass knuckles in his mask and head butting Pearce.

The following night the newly turned heel Roderick Strong would destroy Delirious after shoving him off the ropes. Delirious' head would smack against the mat and he appeared to be unconscious. Strong would take advantage of Delirious hitting a Gibson Driver both in the ring and on a barricade at ringside. Strong looked to do more damage but Roderick's former tag team partner Austin Aries ran him off. Since then, Delirious has found himself in a heated feud against the No Remorse Corps (Roderick Strong, Davey Richards and Rocky Romero).

Delirious has also become a regular for CHIKARA. Delirious teamed with Hallowicked throughout 2006 under the team moniker Incoherence (also nicknamed Halirious by the fans). The team came about at CHIKARA's Tag World Grand Prix 2006, when Hallowicked's original partner, Ultramantis Black, was unable to compete due to injury. A random draw to determine Hallowicked's partner took place, and Delirious was the first chosen wrestler to be present, after The Rockin' Rebel and Roderick Strong. After defeating the team of Rorschach and Crossbones, the Team of Up In Smoke (Cheech and Cloudy), and Team DDT (KUDO and MIKAMI), the team went onto the semifinals in the tournament, where they lost to the Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli)[10]. The team has been moderately successful, although they have so far been unable to win CHIKARA's Campeones De Parejas.

Here are some of Delirious matches...

vs CM Punk:
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/Delirious/video/xyv0c_iwams-delirious-vs-cm-punk-stb-6

vs Colt Cabana:
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevanc...eo/x2fnqa_rohcolt-cabana-vs-delirious-fyffina

vs Nigel McGuiness:
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/Delirious/video/x1kg3m_rohdelirious-vs-nigel-mcguiness

vs Adam Pearce:
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/Delirious/video/x1zneo_delirious-vs-adam-pearce

Delirious and Jay Briscoe vs Matt Sydal and Christopher Daniels
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevanc...eo/x2gmx6_deliriousjay-briscoe-vs-daniels-and

Thoughts on Delirious: Delirious is one of the most unique wrestlers in the ROH roster, but he's also one of the most charismatic guys on the roster despite his irreverent promos. I've slowly become more of a fan of his in-ring work, but there's still room to improve. He's shed the label of being a comedy wrestler and although he'll probably never win the ROH title, I can see him finding a partner and eventually winning the ROH tag titles.

 

[ateam]

his feud with danielson was tight

 

[Montana]

At first i wasn't too into delirous, but after watching a few of his matches, hes pretty fun to watch. His character is growing on me, thats for sure. I also agree with the tag team championship.

 

[Viva La Luke]

I've liked to guy from the get go basically he was different, fun to watch i still laugh when he goes crazy when the bell rings. I think he should cut the Shadows Over Hell as a finisher. His alot like Colt Cabana in the sense that his gimmick will always restrict him from winning the title although as you said the Tag Titles would be great but the question is...

Who do you think would be a good tag team partner for Delirious?

 

[Soulpower]

If he hadn't left, Delirious and Cabana would have made for a natural tag-team. With him gone, I don't see anyone who could team up with Delirious... Maybe El Generico if he and Steen break up.

On to the Wrestler of the Week. This week I shall profile.... Jimmy Rave.

Height & Weight: 6'0" - 200 lbs
Trained by: Murder One
Finishing Moves: Heel Hook, From Dusk Till Dawn, Rave Clash (Though he rarely, if ever uses it anymore) Greetings from Ghana.
Entrance Theme: House Of The Rising Sun by The Animals
ROH Debut:May 31, 2003
Notable Feuds: AJ Styles, CM Punk, Austin Aries, Nigel McGuiness, Davey Richards and Roderick Strong.

Though he made his debut in 03, Rave spent his first couple of months treading water in Ring Of Honor, though it would not be until July of 04 that Rave made an impact with the company. He was revealed to be the newest member of The Embassy, led by Prince Nana. After losing to Jay Lethal in 05, Rave bounced back with victories over Styles and Punk. In between this he also had a match against Chris Masters on an episode of Heat. In a match against Cabana and Punk, Rave and his partner (Eddie Vegas) won but it was what happened afterwards that helped feul the feud between Punk and Rave. After the match, The Embassy attacked Colt then held CM Punk down as Jimmy Rave used a cheese grater on his "Straight Edge" stomach tatoo.

Rave would go on defeat CM Punk in an bloddy Dog Collar Match, although Punk would have the last laugh as he beat Rave in a Cage match after a suplex off the top of the cage. Rave would then feud with AJ Styles in a feud that would culminate on September 17 of 05, when Styles (with Mick Foley) beat Jimmy Rave for the rights to use the Styles/Rave Clash. Rave claimed to invent the move and accused AJ of stealing it from him.

On January 14, 2006 in Philadelphia, Rave and Alex Shelley of The Embassy attacked ROH World Heavyweight champion Bryan Danielson after a successful title defense. Shelley was set to face Danielson at the 4th Anniversary Show, but lost the title shot after Rave used his title shot earned at the Tag Wars 2006, coming up short in his match with Danielson.

In 2006, Rave had sporadically been tagging with Alex Shelley in search of the ROH Tag Team Titles, but after Shelley left the company in mid-year, Rave returned to singles action briefly. He found himself on the losing side of several encounters with Davey Richards. Soon Nana brought in a new tag partner, Sal Rinauro, and the two began working through the tag ranks.

In September 2006, Prince Nana announced his departure from Ring of Honor, ending The Embassy. Jimmy Rave would then go on a losing streak, until he scored a major upset by pinning Homicide. During the last the months of 06 (and beginning of 07) Rave would find himself feuding with Nigel McGuiness, against whom he wrestler in Submission, singles and I Quit matches. Their feud would end on March of 07 when Nigel beat him in a Fight Without Honor. During the match, Rave suffered a Fractured Jaw after recieving a Rebound Lariat from McGuiness, though it wouldn't be until April that Rave went to the hospital. He returned on May 11th and picked up a victory against Pelle Primeau.

On May 22, 2007 it was announced that Rave had signed an exclusive contract with Ring of Honor.

Thoughts on Jimmy Rave: Though he's only 24, it already feels like Rave has had two careers in Ring Of Honor. I was a fan of his during his days in The Embassy, and was easily the biggest heel in the company. Ever since Nana's departure, Rave has just been solid, but not great. That hasn't stopped him from having great matches agianst Nigel and Danielson. I'm not as much of a Rave fan now, he's good on the mic, but at times his promos sound corny, in the ring he seems to be as good as his opponent. With that said, it would not surprise me at all to see Rave get a run with the ROH title eventually. Like I said, he's a guy the fans love to hate and can draw boos by doing nothing. For now, he will probably continue to hang around the lower to upper mid-card of ROH.

Here are some of Rave's matches:

vs Nigel McGuiness (I Quit Match)
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevanc...qfh_jimmy-rave-vs-nigel-mcguiness-i-qui_sport

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevanc...qgt_jimmy-rave-vs-nigel-mcguiness-i-qui_sport

vs Homicide
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevanc...deo/x205lj_homicide-v-jimmy-rave-1-of-2_sport

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevanc...deo/x205r5_homicide-v-jimmy-rave-2-of-2_sport

with Adam Pearce vs CM Punk and Bryan Danielson
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/Jimmy+Rave/video/xrxio_punkdanielson-vs-ravepearce_sport

vs AJ Styles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP9JbvQO_cg

vs Kazarian, Daniels and Punk
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v770818K8jkCtrS?searchId=5212122219417120554&rank=2

 

[Rell]

^ I agree, another thing that has hurt Rave is the absence of Alex Shelley. @LX was the perfect guy to pair with Rave because he was just an all around comical character, but he was good enough to draw heat while being loved at the same time...did that make sense?

With the absence of the Embassy, Rave has fallen a bit, and like you said he's only as good as his opponent, but he is a heat drawing machine which will help him in his career.

 

[Montana]

Jimmy Rave is a great mid carder, i dont ever see him as ROH champ, mainly due to his size. I agree without the embassy, he has lost some steam.

Back to delirous, what about Hallowicked, these two would make a perfect tag team? Maybe its just me, but when the time is right these two could take over the tag division. But right now I'd like to see how far Delirous can go in singles.

 

[Viva La Luke]

Yeah a Incoherence (Delirious & Hallowicked in CHIKARA) in ROH would be great, The Briscoes Vs Incoherence would be sweeeeeeet.

As for Rave some people say he should get the ROH strap in years to come but i disagree he's a solid mid carder at best (gets my vote for most Over-rated in ROH personally ) as has already been stated he has lost a lot of steam lately.

 

[Headfirst For Hardcore]

Rave needs a manager, he got less interesting after Nana left and the Embassy split. He needs to be put in a heel stable if he could be moved to main event status.