Column of Honor: 02.09.08: Issue O’ Fun!

You know, I’m tired of the seriousness. I’m tired of the analysis, sometimes overanalysis that can be found in these kinds of columns found on the internet. All the whining and all the complaining and all the hate and all the blah blah blah, blahblahblah that comes with it. So this week I’m through with all of that. Its time for some fun in the column and time to have fun as a wrestling fan. Even if its just for one week, for me this is a NO SERIOUSNESS ZONE!

Well, okay, maybe a bit of seriousness for the news and such, and Chris seems to be in a serious mood this week, but after that I just wanna have fun. So I can think of no better features to run this week than the ones I have the most fun with, the ROH stock market report and a new edition of the Black T-Shirt Squad.

Does anyone remember laughter? I do.

Welcome to the Column.

Ring Toss
-The Money Player of the Month
-The ROH Stock Market Report
-ROH Call
-ROH news
-Honorarium
-Black T-Shirt Squad
-My Two Cents with Chris Miccio
-Name That Tune
-Word Scramble!
-Ringtones
-The Independent Buy In
-ROH @ 411
-Honor Bound Links
-OUT

The Money Players: January 2008

Who are the money players? In the sports industry, money players are the athletes who are making the right plays at the right moments.

In wrestling, the concept of the money player is not all that different. The wrestler who has a great match or gives an impressive impression upon the audience ups their worth to the wrestling promoter. While you may be helping your team, you are also helping yourself and your career.

So once a month here at Column of Honor, I’ll be looking at some of the money players in Ring of Honor. We’ll also see who’s hot, who’s not, who’s making those key plays and who is dropping the ball, so to speak.

So who is in the lead as we continue through the first few months of the New Year?

Money Players of the Month— January 2008

–Erick Stevens (CHOO): Undeniably, Erick Stevens became a money player this past month, with a huge run of appearances at Ring of Honor shows that included a title win and two other major wins against some of the best in the company in singles competition. Stevens is learning how to use his babyface character to come across as cool and confident, yet likable and approachable. He is a very sympathetic character during beat downs, even for a big man, and when he tears through opponents in his comeback he does a great job using his power to deal damage and get the crowd hot. Wins over Roderick Strong, Austin Aries and Bryan Danielson as well as continuing to do well in appearances in Dayton and Chicago have brought Stevens to the foreground of this wrestling company. He has become a man to watch in 2008.

The Money Players of 2007:
December 2007: The Hangm3n Three (THM3)
November 2007: Austin Aries (ARES)
October 2007: Nigel McGuinness (NIGE), Chris Hero (HERO)
September 2007: The Briscoes (BRSC)
August 2007: Kevin Steen (KSTN) & El Generico (GNRC)
July 2007: Claudio Castagnoli (CAST)
June 2007: Bryan Danielson (AMER)
May 2007: Jay & Mark Briscoe (BRSC)
April 2007: Colt Cabana (COLT)
March 2007: BJ Whitmer (WHIT), Jimmy Jacobs (HUSS), Jay and Mark Briscoe (BRSC)
February 2007: Samoa Joe (SAMO)
January 2007: Homicide (HOMI)

ROH STOCK INDEX

Breadwinners STOCK UP!

–The No Remorse Corps (NRCP): There are several things you can count on with the No Remorse Corps, with the prominent feature being that they can create a market rally at any point. Their remorseless business tactics mean they remain dangerous competitors for the opposition brands on the market. NRC can come back from losses with wins that put them back in command and this month we saw evidence of this tendency. Their win of the ROH World Tag Team Titles two weeks ago in Chicago puts them back up top the market board. How long they hold those belts remain a mystery, but they will be sure to make as much profit as they can while they have the belts.

–Nigel McGuinness (NIGE): The fans had doubts and the market itself had doubts, but Nigel has begun to prove the doubters wrong. McGuinness brand was looking took a hit during the Fourth Quarter ’07, but Q1 2008 has been all about being “In It to Win It.” McGuinness proves his brand’s slogan to be the truth with huge wins against Chris Hero and Roderick Strong. McGuinness continues his international market reach with his tour of Japan and a defeat of Go Shiozaki. Bottom line, these wins have brought back investor confidence, and now those who bought in on the stock when it was low are earning huge dividends on their investment.

–Chris Hero & Sara Del Rey / Sweet & Sour Incorporated (SNSI): Well, if you can’t takeover a brand, you invent a new one. Larry Sweeney has learned to diversify and it shows in the creation of the Intergender Tag Titles. He can now offer brand features no one else can at this point and time, making his firm’s stock even more valuable and lucrative. Chris Hero & Sara Del Rey have reaped the whirlwind of profit and additional prestige in becoming the first ever champions of this new division. They are the faces of the future as far as mixed pairs professional wrestling.

–Erick Stevens (CHOO):: We talked a lot about Stevens’ big month in the Money Players section. Investors have become excited about the fast rise of this company and the possibility of even more profits in the future now that Stevens has increased exposure. While there are some concerns about whether or not this young company is in it for the long haul and can deal with the larger pressures of the market economy, the Stevens express seems no sign of let up at this point. .

–Delirious (DELI): After a months-long slump, the unpredictable brand of Delirious has finally gotten back on the right track. Wins against The Hangmen 3 and consistent wins at that helped to stabilize a brand that last we saw was free falling downward. The market crash was a avoided and now Delirious can begin the process of re-establishing himself as a contending brand on the stock market.

Loss Leaders STOCK DOWN!

–Austin Aries (ARES): Wow, talk about a 180. Last month on the stock market everyone was completely bull-ish on buying into Aries and his bid for the ROH World Title. Aries has become an extremely cold stock in just about a month’s time, thanks to falling short of earnings predictions (he did NOT become ROH World champion as he loudly claimed he would). He has also lost some unexpected brand battles and his positioning on the market has slipped dramatically. Aries is currently in the position Delirious was formerly in—he is heading towards a tragic free fall and he needs to correct it before his brand is irrevocably damaged. There are also some rumblings of a hostile takeover of the brand by some secret investor, but we all know how Wall Street loves to gossip and speculate about such things.

–The Hangmen 3 (THM3): Here we have another reversal of fortune since last month, as The Hangmen 3 have taken some drastic hits. Brent Albright lost a showcase singles match against Bryan Danielson and Adam Pearce failed to put the kibosh on corporate rival Delirious. Their attempt to corner the tag team market has failed several times in Ultimate Endurance matches. The Hangmen 3 are at a crossroads in their business practices and their market focus—they need to decided what they want to concentrate on and fast.

–The Briscoes (BRSC): Unfortunately it has not been the best of months for the market favorite Delawarian boys. While Wall Street loves the southern hospitality these two bring every time, there is no doubt that with the loss of the ROH World Tag Team Titles that Jay & Mark have lost positioning on the market. It’s a bit of a downer for them and for the market, especially after spending a full calendar year on top of the industry. The Briscoes must follow their own slogan and “Man Up” to make it back to the top of the market.

Trendsetters

–Recruitment: The big trend of the last few months has been to upgrade companies and stables through the use of recruitment strategies. Larry Sweeney recruited and signed Daniel Puder to his agency and then used the added leverage of a “Name” value wrestler to his advantage in negotiations with Ring of Honor. The Age of the Fall, still residing somewhere in the dark reaches of the black market have taken in Alison Wonderland and former WWE wrestler Joey Matthews. They also continue to make a membership sales pitch to anyone who will listen, including Austin Aries. They must offer some sweet time share deals if they are adding members this quickly. Finally, The Vulture Squad added a Booty Vulture to their ranks in Mercedes Martinez. It.pays to add onto an established stable and this month’s trendsetter proves it.

Future Outlooks

(+) POSITIVE: Naomichi Marufuji, Nigel McGuiness, Erick Stevens, Bryan Danielson, , Chris Hero, , Roderick Strong, Davey Richards, Rocky Romero, Claudio Castagnoli, Human Tornado, Joey Matthews

(/) NEUTRAL: Delirious (up), Ruckus (down), Austin Aries (down), Adam Pearce (down) , BJ Whitmer (down), Brent Albright (down), Matt Cross, Eddie Edwards, Shane Hagadorn, Julius Smokes, Tank Toland, El Generico, Kevin Steen, Takeshi Morishima, The Briscoes, Jigsaw, Hallowicked, Bobby Fish

(-) NEGATIVE: Jack Evans (way down), Mike Quackenbush, Pelle Primeau, Irish Airborne

Added: Joey Matthews, Bobby Fish

Penny Stocks
Looking for a cheap bargain? This is the place to speculate on the next possible big things…but look out; there could also be a few duds here.

–More than a penny for your thoughts
Pelle Primeau (PPRM)–Pelle is back from injury and looking to reincorporate himself onto the main roster.
Shane Hagadorn (HAGA)–Bald is beautiful and like mentor like man-servant.
Irish Airborne (IAIR)
M Dogg 20 “Matt Cross” (MD20)–I like the idea of Team DogFish with Cross and Bobby Fish hooking it up, but its only been a one time deal so far.
Julius Smokes (SMOK)

–Still just one cent
Jason Blade (BLAD)
Eddie Edwards (EDED)
Eddie Osirus (EOSI)
Mitch Franklin (MFRN)
Bobby Dempsey (BDEM)
Rhett Titus (TTUS)
Alex Payne (PAYN)
Dingo (DNGO)–An unlikely win in the Six Man Mayhem match for the Aussie brings D-I-N-G-O (and Dingo was his name-o) onto the penny stocks.

Closing Thoughts / Ring the Bell: Well it has been a very busy and frenetic month in the ROH stockmarket. There are worries of recession and a market downturn in this current U.S. economy, but some of the best and brightest wrestlers continue to make their mark even in such dangerous times. Ringing the bell to close the stock market this month is someone exemplifies making a mark with risk and danger, none other than Jack Evans! Evans hits a fantastic “You Got Served” dance routine before ringing the bell and ending the month here on the market.

ROH Call

ROH Champions—As of 02/09/2008

ROH World Champion—Nigel McGuinness (champion since 10/06/07, 6 successful defenses)
–defeated Takeshi Morishima in Edison, New Jersey to win the championship.

Next Defense:: vs. Bryan Danielson, New York, NY, 02/23/08

V.1 defeated Jay Briscoe, wristlock submission (10/21/07 San Francisco, CA)
V.2 defeated Chris Hero, wristlock submission (11/02/07 Philadelphia, PA)
V.3 defeated Austin Aries, Jawbreaker Lariat (12/29/07 Manhattan, NY)
V.4 defeated Go Shiozaki, London Dungeon (wristlock submission) (01/20/08 Tokyo, Japan,)
V.5 Steel Cage Match: defeated Chris Hero (01/25/08, Dayton, OH)
V.6 defeated Roderick Strong, Jawbreaker Lariat (01/26/08, Chicago Ridge, IL)

ROH World Tag Team Champions—The No Remorse Corps (Davey Richards & Rocky Romero) (champions since 01/26/08, NEW champions)
–defeated Age of the Fall (Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black) in Chicago Ridge, IL to win the championship.

Next Defense: vs. Ruckus & Jigsaw, New York, NY, 02/23/08

Sweet & Sour Incorporated Presents The Intergender Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Of The World —Chris Hero & Sara Del Rey (champions since 01/12/08, 2 successful defenses)

Next Defense: TBA

V.1 defeated Ernie Osiris & Alexa Thatcher (01/12/08, Edison, NJ)
V.2 defeated Kyle Durden & Alex “Sugarfoot” Payne (01/26/08, Chicago Ridge, IL)

FIP Heavyweight Champion: Erick Stevens (since 12/30/2007)
SHIMMER Champion: Sara Del Rey (since 6/2/2007)
Top of the Class Trophy (For ROH Students): Ernie Osiris (since 11/02/2007)

Top Feuds & Pairings:
-Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness
-The Age of the Fall vs. The Briscoes
-The Vulture Squad vs. The Age of the Fall
-Delirious / Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Albright, Whitmer and Adam Pearce (The Hangman’s Three)
-Claudio Castagnoli vs. Larry Sweeney

ROH News
(via the ROHnewswire… and other sources when attributed

ROH to move back sixth PPV one day, Adds two shows in Dover, NJ as part of deal with “The Wrestler” Movie

This announcement came as a kind of shocker to the system, especially considering the news of “cutbacks” and such from all of the internet sources. ROH has moved back their sixth PPV in Philadelphia and added two more shows, both in Dover, NJ of all places. The full article from ROHwrestling.com:

The Ring of Honor event scheduled for Saturday, March 15th at the National Guard Armory in Philadelphia has been moved to the following afternoon. The PPV taping will now take place on Sunday, March 16th with a special 5pm start time. All tickets that have been purchased for Saturday night will be honored on Sunday.

Ring of Honor has just added two additional live events to the schedule on Friday, March 14th and Saturday, March 15th in conjunction with the filming of the movie The Wrestler starring Mickey Rourke. Both events will take place at The Baker Theatre, 41 West Blackwell Street, Dover, NJ 07801. Tickets for both shows will go on sale at Friday, February 8th at 10am EST at www.rohwrestling.com. Ticket prices for each night will be $50 for 1st row, $30 for 2nd row, $30 for 3rd row. General admission tickets are only $10 for each event. There will also be a limited number of balcony/mezzanine seats available for $40 each.

Check ROHwrestling.com next week for much more information on both events. A preliminary list of talent signed for the weekend include:
-ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness
-FIP World Heavyweight Champion Erick Stevens
-Bryan Danielson
-Jay & Mark Briscoe
-Tyler Black, Lacey, The Necro Butcher & Joey Matthews of The Age Of The Fall
-Kevin Steen
-Go Shiozaki
-Claudio Castagnoli
-Roderick Strong & Davey Richards of No Remorse Corps
-The Hangmen Three of Adam Pearce, BJ Whitmer & Brent Albright with Shane Hagadorn
-Delirious
-Larry Sweeney
-Daizee Haze
-Ruckus, Jigsaw & Julius Smokes of The Vulture Squad
-Plus more will be added!!!

Be a part of a movie taping and see ROH tape its PPV all in one weekend. Much more news will be coming soon at ROHwrestling.com!!!

Okay, so it looks like ROH has cut some sort of deal with the producers of “The Wrestler” to help with the filming of scenes in the movie. I read in other forums that this has been down for some other promotions such as CZW (which were canceled two days prior to the event taking place) and then an initial set of tapings didn’t do so hot. Let’s hope that these shows and the tapings pan out and that it is worth it to move back an important show like the sixth Pay Per View to get this project done.

Dover, New Jersey? It’s not what I was thinking when I wrote the other week about ROH expanding into new cities and such. It isn’t horrible to get to and from reading other comments the venue itself is very nice, but let’s hope when ROH expands more it goes to new cities such as St. Louis or Washington, DC.

There is also the matter of inconveniencing fans who had planned to go to the Philly show on the 15th. ROH is willing to offer refunds to those who can’t attend and all you have to do is contact [email protected] for information on that. Still, it isn’t the first time that ROH has changed the date on the fans, more notably moving back a CT show from December 2007 to June 2008 to accommodate the New York City double shot that resulted in the Rising Above PPV taping and Final Battle 2007.

The strategy for these two shows is to give the fans an ROH style show and get them pumped enough so that they can react well for the taping of the movie scenes. There are no better extras than real fans who don’t necessarily have to be “directed” to act like real wrestling fans. However, ROH fans have been known to get touchy and I have no idea how they will respond to having an ROH show all of a sudden be halted for the taping of a scene. The timing of everything is going to need to be good in order to maintain crowd control.

It looks like ROH is bringing a full roster to these shows, but with three shows back to back to back I’m hoping injuries don’t become a factor and cause matches for the sixth PPV to be changed around.

ROH PPVs and Canada Don’t Mix

And then there is this bit of bad news, unconfirmed right now because I haven’t seen it reported anywhere else besides the F4W forums, but I have never shied away from reporting both the good and the bad about ROH, so I’m putting this out there. Supposedly in this upcoming week’s Wrestling Observer newsletter, Dave Meltzer reveals that the reason that ROH is no longer running their PPVs in Canada is because they only had a total of 36 buys for the Man Up PPV.

Oh, Canada.

There’s no way getting around it, 36 buys, TOTAL. That’s not a good number.

Even if we take the mitigating circumstances around the number, that Canada does not have an expansive PPV Cable system and that the price of the show was more expensive for Canada than it was in the U.S.

Thirty six buys, if that’s the number, is a signifier of a larger problem with the PPV system that is in effect right now and that is—the reach of the brand and the advertising around the show. ROH needs to have a larger advertising push for its shows in order to gain extra viewers. Canada has The Fight Network, where ROH has run its shows from earlier years. There is market awareness, but was there advertising for the shows where it could be best received? Could anything have been done differently to have increased the number of buyers in Canada?

Most importantly, if ROH wants to focus on PPV buys in the U.S. it needs to increase its advertising of the show where it counts. They need to run ads for the PPVs during episodes Monday Night Raw, ECW, Smackdown and TNA. I’m talking about several times per show in the week or two leading up to a PPV. Appealing to the wrestling fan where the wrestling fans are needs to be done in order to increase the buys and then eventually the DVD sales of the product.

Vulture Surgery Squad

Jack Evans is expected to make a full recovery after surgery to repair facial injuries. Doctors are still unsure when Evans can return to the ring with the earliest estimate being April. We will keep you updated.

Evans had to have four face plates screwed into his face…yeah, not pretty. I’m hoping Evans can make that full comeback, but he may need to reconsider seriously his style of wrestling so that he can minimize future damage to that area.

Make Sure You Buy Some Earplugs

Larry Sweeney told ROH officials that he will hold out Sara Del Rey forcing the 2/23 SHIMMER Title Match vs. Daizee Haze in Manhattan to be canceled unless he gets his own talk show segment on the live events. ROH officials have agreed. Sweeney’s first talk shows will be on 2/22 in Long Island and 2/23 in Manhattan.

This could be grand. This could be grander than grand. This could be…SWEENEYVISION! I’m digging a talk show segment for ROH and there’s no one who can stir the pot of controversy more at this point than Sweet & Sour. Bring it on.

Sweeney is going to need some sort of cool set or props to go along with the talk show. Maybe a tanning bed or some sort of portrait would be nice.

Black on Bl…oh damn, Bayani already took that joke

Tyler Black vs. Human Tornado has been added to 2/22 in Long Island.

I think Tornado is going to be well received by fans on the East Coast, especially if he brings the fun with him. He is a great character and there’s a lot that can be done with him. Black has been showing more and more in the ring as of late, but his Age of the Fall ties make him a stick in the mud…a perfect target for shenanigans from H-Tizzle.

Supercard of Honor 3 / Dragon Gate Challenge News: Dragon Gate Wrestlers and Matches Announced

The final negotiations are taking place for 3/28 & 3/29 in Orlando. It looks as if 3/28 “Dragon Gate Challenge II” will feature a series of unique ROH vs. Dragon Gate bouts. 3/29 “Supercard Of Honor III” will showcase ROH’s hottest feuds and rivalries.

An article on the main page of ROHwrestling.com announced that eight Dragon Gate wrestlers will be in action on 3/28 & 29 in Orlando. CIMA, Dragon Kid, Ryo Saito, Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino, Genki Horiguchi, Shingo and BxB Hulk are all coming to Orlando!!!

“Dragon Gate Challenge II” on 3/28 in Orlando will feature four ROH vs. Dragon Gate bouts. The first one has been signed and will pit Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Dragon Kid & Ryo Saito. You are sure to see four unique dream bouts on 3/28. Roderick Strong has made a challenge for this show. (Taken from the ROH article: Strong has challenged ROH, Dragon Gate & NOAH to get a team together on 3/28 in Orlando for a six man vs. himself & ROH World Tag Team Champions Rocky Romero & Davey Richards.)

“Supercard Of Honor III” on March 29th in Orlando will feature the traditional Dragon Gate six man bout that always ends up at the top of every match of the year poll. This year’s edition will have CIMA, Dragon Kid & Ryo Saito vs. Naruki Doi, Masato Yoshino & Genki Horiguchi.

Last year’s “All Star Extravaganza III and “Supercard of Honor II” featured a mix of wrestling between Dragon Gate and ROH wrestlers, but without a focus on a “series” of matches between the companies. Instead the focus was on one All Star match, with the Dragon Gate team coming out the winners. Then at SOH 2, Jack Evans teamed up with Naruki Doi to defeat the No Remorse Corps of Romero and Richards. Claudio defeated Yamato and then ROH held the second six man tag match with the Dragon Gate wrestlers, which was insane with action but couldn’t compare to the original incarnation back in ’06 which had many fans and wrestling websites hailing the match as one of the best of the year.

This year’s interaction puts the focus back on DG vs. ROH as a “series” although there is likely the possibility of a 2-2 tie considering it is a four match series (also see the ROH vs. AJPW series back in ’03).

Genki Horiguchi makes his return to mainland U.S. ROH action for the first time since he turned heel and joined the Muscle Outlawz faction. BxB Hulk will make a much anticipated debut and SHINGO’s return has some good possibilities considering he is being positioned close to the top in his home promotion.

Poor Dragon Kid. Dude is gonna get run over by Jay & Mark. Meanwhile, Strong may eat his words if NOAH and Dragon Gate combine forces and create a dream tag combination. I’m thinking perhaps Go Shiozaki getting involved here, unless Marufuji is going to appear as well, in which case he could slide in quite nicely.

Rematch Above

We aren’t done with the huge news about “Supercard Of Honor III” on 3/29 as it will be a true ROH supercard!!! The show will be headlined by a double main event. The first main event will be the Dragon Gate six man. The second main event will feature a rematch from ROH “Rising Above” (set to debut on PPV on March 7th) as Nigel McGuinness will take on Austin Aries!!! If McGuinness is still ROH World Champion he will put the belt on the line here.

I’m not too happy that Aries is automatically receiving a rematch after losing a bunch of opportunities to get back into contention. Now he just gets one? This is one of the rare lapses in ROH booking continuity. I actually don’t mind that a rematch has been booked, in fact I think it’s smart to capitalize on the momentum of the match being shown on PPV a few weeks earlier. Plus it will be in front of the Wrestlemania arriving crowd in Orlando and it’s a great match to put out for them. I just wish Aries could have won a few matches before it was announced.

Swoops In on The Title Shot

The ROH World Tag Team Title Match for the 6th Anniversary Show on 2/23 in Manhattan has been signed. Julius Smokes negotiated for The Vulture Squad to get a shot in his hometown of NYC. 2/23 will see Davey Richards & Rocky Romero defend the ROH World Tag Team Titles vs. Ruckus & Jigsaw with Julius Smokes. Ruckus & Jigsaw are coming off a big win at the Manhattan Center, now Smokes wants to guide them to the straps.

I like this tag match for this crowd. Smokes & Company has taken NYC as their hometown crowd and it makes sense for them to get their shot where they have the crowd support. The Vulture Squad also had their issues with the NRC, so this continues their issues in a logical manner.

Hero’s Sandwich

Well, apparently Chris Hero has been good on his word and there is no column this week due to his ongoing imbroglio with ROH and its officials. He did promise a look into his journal about his Japan tour for next week. A man of his word, that “Chris Hero”.

Honorarium

-Five moments of fun when watching an ROH show (either live or on DVD): 1. Watching Cage of Death between ROH and CZW from the top rung of the bleachers in Philadelphia. 2. Celebrating Homicide’s title win at The Manhattan Center during Final Battle 2006. 3. Watching Xavier vs. John Walters in a fight without honor match at my bro Chris’s house. 4. Watching the Driven PPV at home, including seeing Austin Aries return and Danielson vs. McGuinness. 5. Shaking Matt Hardy’s hand and getting to talk to him at “Fate of an Angel” in 2005.

-Five fun characters that have made ROH more fun to watch: 1. Colt Cabana 2. Delirious 3. Larry Sweeney 4. Bobby Dempsey 5. Kevin Steen

The Black T-Shirt Squad

Well the T-shirt presses have been rolling at a fast pace since we last did one of these features. So now its time to get back into the pages of Vogue with a look at the latest Spring fashion for Ring of Honor. Do a little turn on the catwalk in this month’s Black T-Shirt Squad!

Claudio Castagnoli Crest

Description: Double C gets his own “most money making” shirt through Ring of Honor. The Swiss flag is featured heavily, as it has remained a huge part of Claudio’s identity and fashion sense. A forwards and backwards C surrounded by a royal pattern help to add detail and depth to the piece. Nothing is printed on the back.

Hip: I’m a huge fan of the Swiss flag design as its simple and vibrant. I own many Swiss Army brand products and let me tell you, them’s a sharp object. Of course I mean that in both senses of the word. The front of the shirt is a fantastic looking design.

Zip: Well, I know we wouldn’t be able to tell it’s a “Claudio Castagnoli” shirt without his name on there somewhere, but does it have to be so obtrusive? Maybe putting that on the back of the shirt or angled somewhere else on the front would have been better. As it is, it gets in the way and cheapens the effect of the SWANK Double C crest.

Wear or Tear?: A definite buy for Claudio fans…and the Swiss. I do think ROH missed the boat on a “HEY!” T-shirt (the same way they missed out on the “I have until 5” shirt) but there’s always next time.
Grade: B+

Necro Butcher “Barbed Wire Fist”

Description: Necro Butcher may be about beers and fists, but he’s also about…MARKETING! Well, maybe not, but Ring of Honor (Or was it Age of the Fall?) have pressed a T-shirt for Necro. It’s a huge ham hocked fist grabbing a bale of barbed wire and raising it to the air. On the back you have Necro’s most viable and notable potable quotable from the Man Up PPV, “pile bodies to the sky.”

Hip: You’d have to think a shirt like this would be perfect for Halloween. Maybe it would scare those little kiddies who want some of your candy. They see you wearing that shirt as you hand out your choco-bars and they will be running away in a hurry screaming “Daddy Daddy! That bad man’s a Necrobutcher!”

Zip: Thank god that “pile bodies” quote is on the back of the shirt or else a wrestling fan may once again be subject to being pulled over by the authorities for questioning. That seems to be a bad habit for wrestling shirts having some quality that infers the person wearing it is a serial killer or some sort of perverted criminal.

Wear or Tear?: ECW traditionalists and the four o clock in the afternoon bar crowd, here’s the shirt for you.
Grade: B-

Delirious Red or Green Mask

Description: Well its only fitting that a man who wears a mask and probably has some kind of identity crisis or split personality mania would have not just one, but TWO shirts at the same time. Of course this is the same concept shirt but in two color highlights, green or red, to go along with the two different flavors Delirious is currently available in.

Hip: Dig that crazy smile on Delirious there—truly a poster boy for the clinically insane. I like the cartoony style of the face. I also think the font was a good choice—for once. It’s clean but well defined by the color creeping into the text. I like the idea of the strands of Delirious’s mask entwining the words on the back of the shirt. It looks like Kurt Angle isn’t the only one with “Three I’s”, Delirious now has his trio of “Insane, Intense and Incoherent”.

Zip: What did I just say about wearing a shirt that makes you look like a deranged, dare I say delirious, person, and a possible ex-convict? Wear this shirt and kiss dates goodbye for at least a month. On the other hand, maybe that cute Manga loving chick at the comics shop will take an interest…

Wear or Tear?: Well, I wouldn’t recommend buying two of the same thing, but surprisingly enough, the color choice does make a difference as far as the impact of the shirt. If you want to go with a lighter “wacky” crazy feel, then the green shirt is for you. If you want to go with the “psychopath Bates Motel shower” look, then the red one is your taste in clothing options. Of course, you could always fill the ROH coffers by buying both!
Grade: B

Description: The Age of the Fall continue their unabashedly shameful exploitation of their cult by offering up a T-Shirt. Hmmm, can’t have a revolution of individuality without a T-shirt of conformity can you? Well anyway, it’s a black T-shirt with a red imprint of some kind of machine works or gears. The phrase “The Time to Move is Now”, which suggests AotF members have side jobs with moving truck companies.

Hip: It’s a black shirt…so that’s appropriate for Age of the Fall, but then again, its appropriate for any wrestling fan. Um…there’s supposedly an Age of the Fall logo on the back, which makes it different from an ROH shirt which has an ROH logo on the back. Hmm…plastering your logo everywhere…how conformist of them…

Zip: Wacky GOTH / EMO / STUPID JERK ALERT! Get ready to be annoyed very easily when in mixed company with someone wearing a shirt of this ilk. I’ll never get these crazy kids and their craaaazy T-shirt designs…embossed this, bloody red that. What happened to simple shirts goshdarnit! Sorry, sorry, I’m getting too worked up…time to get back to my herbal tea and crackers.

Wear or Tear?: Well, AotF supporters need to show their support in some way, but does it have to be with this?
Grade: C+

There you have it…this month’s pick is the Claudio Castagnoli crest T-shirt. Its simple, clean and most importantly, it looks like fun to wear.

My Two Cents with Chris Miccio

Even though it was another rather slow week in the world of Ring Of Honor, after much deliberation, I came up with a few new things to say my piece on which are all non-ROH related (don’t hold it against me or Ari, please) so, without further ado, lets get it.

1. WWE News: Bobby Lashley’s Release, OVW’s demise, the cancellation of Smackdown! —

Bobby Lashley—Oh, how the mighty have fallen, isn’t that the truth, Bobby Lashley? A year ago, you were on the fast track to the WWE Championship and now you’re on the fast track to the unemployment line. Sure, you might be upset by the fact that the WWE didn’t fawn over you when you were hurt like they’ve done for stars like Cena, Mysterio, Batista, and Edge, but then again, you have to realize that they have something that you will never have, which is the ability to cut a promo and be more than just another overly muscled, moderately skilled wrestler. The other performers actually bring something to a program, and that’s why they were treated in a different way than you were. Sure, you were also mad at the way that they treated your girlfriend, but wake up buddy, this is ENTERTAINMENT after all, and you all have to play roles in the show, just as if you were on a TV show or in a movie. It’s too bad that you didn’t realize all of these things a long time ago, but once again, you overestimated your standing in the WWE and the world of wrestling on the whole. I hope you don’t actually think that you can cross over into the world of MMA, because if your wooden wrestling style says anything about you, you’d probably lose faster than Brock Lesnar, but more on that later.

OVW — this is an actual shame. Most of the current group of WWE superstars cut their teeth under the guidance of Danny Davis in the OVW, and in my opinion, all of the guys who spent time in this company have benefited from their stay in the Ohio Valley. In addition, letting Al Snow go as a trainer and more or less replacing him with Billy Kidman down in Florida? That might be one of the worst trades of all time. What has Kidman ever done to deserve this slot as a trainer? Its not as if the WWE lets their high flyers do any of the high flying moves that we all know that they are capable of doing. Imagine what Matt Sydal’s move set will be when (or if) he gets called up to the main roster. Haven’t they banned the shooting star press? Wasn’t that facilitated by Kidman fucking that spot up on more than one occasion? What a bonehead move. Just try and get your hands on some of the old OVW DVD’s, especially during Punk and Heyman’s run down there. Talk about a thing of beauty and a joy forever. Alas, OVW, we hardly knew you.

The Smackdown is laid down on Smackdown!— wow. I heard about this on the radio on my way home from work on Friday, and I didn’t know what to make of it at first, but on further analysis, I realized that it probably was the best thing for the CW Network. Consider this: the wrestling landscape has changed so much since this show debuted on the UPN Network in 1999 that this show has become almost like a “b-production” that’s more or less used as the proving ground for talents before they get sent to Raw. Sure, today’s roster has some good talents, but it’s a huge difference from the days of Stone Cold and The Rock. The guys on that show now are just fine wrestlers, but they don’t add up to the ratings pull that the old guys did. Now, what will the WWE do to get that extra two hours of TV per week? No major network would pick them up, what with the general sense of controversy that follows pro wrestling these days (steroids, deaths, the depiction of violent acts towards and the denigration of women), so where do they go? Spike already has TNA and the UFC, and USA and Sci-Fi already have wrestling shows, and I don’t know that they would be able or willing to dedicate another two hours to the broadcasting of pro wrestling. Another suggestion has been My Network TV, which has NO pull whatsoever with viewers (see the ratings of the IFL), so where does that leave the “E”? I have one word for you: Fox. I know you’re saying that I said “no major network” before, but hear me out. We all know that Fox is not on the level of ABC, CBS, or NBC, and they are always willing to air “cutting edge” (insert sarcasm here) programming, so it would be a natural fit. Just to wrap up on this, who would have thought, just 2 or 3 years ago that a WWE TV show would ever get cancelled, you know?

Moral of the Story— my grandfather once said “you can never tell from where you’re sitting how your drawers are going to hang.” I guess the WWE realized that this is the God’s honest truth.

2. Brock Lesnar Gets Tapped Out —All I can say about this one is “wow”. Ari and I were hanging out, watching the UFC pay per view last weekend and we were totally psyched to see Brock make a huge splash in his UFC debut, even though it was going to be against one of my sentimental favorites, Frank Mir. I’ve come to appreciate Mir through his commentary on the WEC shows, and he’s shown that he is a thoughtful and wise broadcaster, so when I heard he was taking this fight, I feared for his life, even though he had already proved that he was one step above indestructible, what with the motorcycle accident of a few years earlier. Once the fight began, it didn’t look good for poor Frank, as Brock swarmed him and got him on the ground and began to hammer fist him into what looked like a one way trip to oblivion. After failing to secure a few different arm bars, Frank did something that was amazing. He suckered Brock into position, grabbed a hold of his leg, pulled him down to the floor, and made Brock tap out. Ari and I just sat in front of the TV with out mouths open. What should have been a one sided match turned out to be just that, but just in the opposite direction that we had assumed it would be. I felt somewhat bad for Brock after all of this, but at the same time, it was nice to see him humbled a little bit, what with all the crap that he had talked for all of the years about how he would be an unstoppable force if he was in the MMA world. Sure, he will be back in the Octagon sometime soon, but I think that Brock’s façade of “unstoppable monster” has been totally demolished, all by one fight.

Moral of the Story — Before you run your yap, you better be able to back it up. If you can’t pull your giant body out of a heel hook, you might want to go back to the gym and stay there until you have a competent submission defense game.

Well, that’s just my two cents for this week. If you liked what I had to say or not, feel free to let me know what you think. I thank the handful of people who reached out last week, so keep the thoughts coming. Email me at [email protected]. Have a great week, and I’ll catch you next time.

Going Home

Name That Tune Week 21

Since I’m back after a week off we’re going to get right back into the game. You didn’t have to fall very far to pick up on this clue from two weeks ago:

Clue: pimp
Lyric: “O who gonna invite the hoes that make the party valid / Cuz we don’t need a whole crib full of dudes again.”
What’s the name of the song and the artist?

Well it was “Pitch in on a Party” by DJ Quik, the theme of none other than the man with the bad ass pimp slow hand, Human Tornado. Although watching Reckless Abandon it seems The Tornado has already picked up some new tunes for his ROH entrance.

This week’s winners (by order of receipt):
soulpower
Premiumblandrew
you_think_you_know_me
Horse Steroids—from the ROH boards and making his NTT debut!

Thanks to those who wrote in to answer. Now its time for Name that Tune! for this week, February 9th, 2008!

Clue: barry
Lyric: “She’s from Birmingham / way down in Alabam'”
What’s the name of the song and the artist?

Send in your answers here and if you’re correct I’ll list your name in next week’s column!

WORD SCRAMBLLLLLLLE FUN!!!!!!!

In celebration of the Fun Edition of the column, here’s some word scramble puzzles to enjoy!

1. CIRKE SSNETVE

2. SAIUNT RIASE

3. RABNY OSNNDILEA

4. LVEUTRU DASQU

5. ERBTN GLITBRAH

6. SORNGRESUDRSAR!

Ringtones

Dave wants to talk about ROH coming or not coming to Canada:

I continue to enjoy the COH whether it’s one part or two
part. This was a particularly interesting column given the news of
the cutbacks. Damn that Meltzer anyway. He couches things in such a
language that they make maximum impact and minimum adherence to
reality — at least in terms of the business side of things. If the
ownership group – post that other fellow – has shown anything, it is
they are prudent business people. If anyone knows the mistakes and
excesses of Paul Heyman it should be his assistant of seven years:
Gabe. Why people insist on being “doom sayers” is beyond me.

On the specific subject line: I’ve been waiting for ROH to come to
Canada for some time now. I really thought they would last year. I
must admit when they chose Japan over “us” my nose went severely out
of joint. After all we have something that they don’t have in The
States (or Japan) — TV clearance on “The Fight Network” (and believe
me they are heavily promoted and shown at all hours during the week).
Plus, in terms of market — Gabe should know there are 3,000,000
people in the “Metro” area (Greater Toronto) That’s 10% of the
Canadian population. That’s one Hell of a Catchment area that’s only
2 hours from Buffalo or 4 hours from Detroit. Why do you think
they’re hesitant? As far as the dollar goes, they’re about par right
now. And believe me Canucks would look on this as a SPECIAL occasion
and buy merch in unheard of numbers. The guys working their tables
would make a lot of money.

Thanks for listening to a frustrated citizen of the Great White North.

Re: your comments about how the news of the cutbacks got out, what also happens is that the internet reacts with the “worst case scenario” possibilities every time out…they’re conditioned to melodrama and overstatements I think as that’s just the nature of the beast. Its why I had my “apocalypse” feature a few years back–because it was so easy to refute the chicken littles saying the sky was falling. Now ROH does have to be fiscally responsible and hey, they may close down at some point in the future (nothing is forever and hey, even WCW only lasted for about ten years or so) but I don’t think that day is coming anytime soon.

Here is the major thing about the Paul Heyman – Silkin / Sapolsky comparisons. They were there to see what mistakes Paul did and are smart enough not to repeat them. However they have to be careful about making their own mistakes. That’s the dangerous part of it all, is that you can learn from others, but you can’t learn from your own mistakes until you make the mistake, and in a business that is something you really can’t afford to have happen all too often.

I think the only major reason ROH would be hesitant to run Canada is if there isn’t the right deal available for the building they would run in. They need a smaller venue and maybe they just don’t like what they see as far as being quoted rental fees and such. You’re right about the statistics about Canada and coupled with your Fight Network point, there are some very strong reasons that ROH should try to run at least Toronto or Montreal. On a personal note, I love traveling to Canada, and have had some of my best vacations there. Everyone is just so awesome; I’ve never met an unkind person there. So if ROH would choose to run there I do think the fan reception would be there for them.

Although…there is the matter of those 36 buys.

**The Independent Buy In**

2008
**CHIKARA “Cibernetico & Robin” (Torneo Cibernetico: Kings of Wrestling vs. Dorado’s Luchadores, The Olsen Twins / Cheech & Cloudy, Quackenbush / Donst, The Colony / BLK OUT ) High Recommendation
**CHIKARA “Brusied” (Kingston / Donst, Campeones de Parejas: F.I.S.T. vs. Incoherence / Castagnoli / Taylor, The Colony / Brodie Lee & Olsen Twins, Cheech & Cloudy / Osirian Portal ) High Recommendation
**Pro Wrestling NOAH “Special Budokan Double Shot”7/15 & 9/9/07 (Determination League Semi Finals & Finals, NTV Cup Finals)High Recommendation
**PWG Battle of Los Angeles Night 1 (Castagnoli / Williams, Evans / Pac, Black / Shelley, Aries / Strong, PWG Tag Titles: Generico & Steen / Dragon Kid & Susumu Yokosuka)Medium Recommendation
**PWG Battle of Los Angeles Night 2 (CIMA / Tornado, Steen / Butcher, McGuinness / Richards, Kid / Yokosuka) Low Recommendation
**PWG Battle of Los Angeles Night 3 (the entire show) High Recommendation
**Shimmer Volume 11 (Sarah Stock / MsChif, Sarah Stock / Cheerleader Melissa, Sara Del Rey / Cindy Rogers, Nikki Roxx / Lacey, Daizee Haze / Malia Hosaka, Allison Danger / Hosaka)High Recommendation
**SHIMMER Volume 12 (Del Rey / Lacey, Del Rey / Sarah Stock, Haze / Lacey, Portuguese Princess Ariel / Josie / Nikki Roxx / Portia Perez, Melissa & MsChif / Lexie Fyfe & Hosaka)High Recommendation

This section needs your help! If you want to recommend some good independent wrestling to your fellow internet readers out there, drop me a line for the column.

ROH @ 411

J.D. Dunn has a record FOUR reviews for ROH shows in one week (well okay I can’t verify that but go along with it) with his looks at Survival of the Fittest 2007 and Chaos at the Cow Palace.

Then J.D. hits the big double shot weekend of Misawa’s appearance with his reviews of Glory By Honor VI Night One and Night Two.

Robbie Brooksbank continues his run of reviews for ROH 2007 with Motor City Madness 2007.

Matt Short writes about Kota Ibushi making his ROH debut in April in his Navigation Log column.

Speaking of, Larry Csonka takes on Matt Short in this week’s ROH centered Buy or Sell feature.

Chris Landsell provides some thoughts about the current ROH product in this week’s The Way I C It.

Michael Weyer breaks down why ROH did and didn’t get awards amongst the Pro Wrestling Illustrated, Wrestling Observer and 411 Mania End of Year awards in this week’s Shining A Spotlight.

Honor Bound Links

Bayani Domingo has one of the more awesome columns of the year thus far with just an incredibly detailed look at anything and everything you could possibly want to know in order to get into Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. A PWG Primer in this week’s edition of Truth B Told.

Tim Livingston discusses whether or not TNA can make that big comeback in Tim’s Take.

T.G. Corke with the Seventh Dimension: Bald Guys.

High Road & Low Road takes on Team 3-D and the X Division.

Matt Adamson looks at The Best of Times for wrestling in November 1987.

Alex Mattis looks at The Best of the Rest including Lashley and TNA.

Steve Cook knows that this week Ask 411 is brought to you by the letter “D”—which also stands for (Sara) Del Rey. Hmm…coincidence? I think not!

Samuel Berman ‘s Independent Mid Card is about one of the matches I was raving about during last week’s column–Alex Shelley vs. Matt Sydal from PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2007.

Okay folks, time to turn in for this week. Next time out I have my thoughts on Reckless Abandon, Unscripted III, Final Battle 2007 on DVD and I preview the 2/22/08 show in Long Island, NY. Hope everyone had fun, later!

Brooklyn! DA EM BAH SEE!
–Ari—