Dark Pegasus Video Review: Ring of Honor – Frontiers of Honor

Well, I’m not a big fan of the title, but I like the fact that two great wrestling promotions decided to get together for a tea party across the pond. This is a co-promotional show between England’s Frontier Wrestling Alliance and Ring of Honor. As such, you don’t really need to consider it as canon, much like those “Global Warming” and “Rebellion” shows in the WWE.

Ring of Honor — Frontiers of Honor (5.17.03)

From London, England.

No hosts.

James Tighe (FWA) vs. Paul London (RoH).
Tighe looks like the 14 year-old son of Heidenreich and Brock Lesnar. He’s a decent Malenko-ish wrestler. London gets a surprise standing moonsault early and gets the crowd behind him. Tighe actually has the temerity to give him a dropsault, so London shows him how it’s really done moments later. The first “Holy Sh*t” spot comes as London goes to the top, and Tighe pushes him off onto the railing. Tighe focuses on London’s arm in between highspots. Of course, no one does highspots like London. At one point, he does a running Shooting Star Press off the apron! London continues the flying attacks with a slingshot into a rolling cradle and a slingshot splash. Tighe rolls through a crossbody and goes back to the arm with a Tornado Armbar DDT. He hits a quebrada and takes London up for a Super Armbar DDT! Thankfully for London’s arm, he’s able to shove Tighe back to the mat before it can happen. London goes for the Shooting Star Press, but there’s no water in the pool. Tighe gives London the Northern Lights Bomb and finishes with a Standing Shooting Star Press at 10:37. Solid work from both guys. It felt just like an opener should — exciting but without too much emotion involved. **3/4

Jack Xavier (FWA) vs. Mikey Whipwreck (RoH).
To my knowledge, Jack is not related to the Xavier that was RoH Champion. Much stalling from Mikey to start. Nothing of note happens until Xavier tries a pescado and SPLATS right on the hardwood floor when Mikey moves out of the way. Mikey gets all “Rock” on him by holding the ringbell against his crotch and hitting it with the bell hammer. Mikey tries a running dive over the railing, but this time Xavier moves. Back in, Xavier misses a senton, and Mikey hits a superkick. They slug it out as the match dies a slow death. Xavier hits a Flatliner for two. They tease a double countdown, but Xavier recovers and hits a Saving Grace (Inverted Elevated DDT). Please make it stop. Mikey kicks him in the head and hits a Whippersnapper, but it only gets two. Whipwreck catches Xavier trying to slip over him, but Xavier counters to a wheelbarrow rollup for the win at 11:58. This was like one of those old ECW undercard matches where Paul Heyman didn’t bother telling them to do anything other than come with their own stuff. Plus, Mikey really needed something to work with to have a good match, but Jack Xavier wrestles exactly like Mikey, which didn’t work well at all. 3/4*

Handicap Match: Paul Burchill vs. The Double Dragons.
Yep, that’s Pirate Paul looking like the baddest m’fer on the planet. Here, he plays Lesnar 2002 and dismantles the Dragons with power moves, including a Rolling Northern Lights and a Schwein. The Double Dragons come back with some Rocker action (and a little help from their valet). At one point, Burchill German Suplexes *both* guys across the ring at the same time. He misses a moonsault, though, and the Dragons argue with their manager. Burchill gets sick of waiting for them and FLIES out on them with a no-hands somersault plancha over the corner. He follows that up with a rolling front slam, a standing moonsault, and a standing shooting star press! He doesn’t even bother to pin them; he just walks away while the ref counts the Dragons down at 6:39. Now *this* was a squash. Burchill showed some incredible stuff for his size, reminding me of Mike Awesome. *

AJ Styles (RoH) vs. Jonny Storm (FWA)
Storm looks like Sean Waltman’s evil twin (and that’s saying something). He gets on the mic to berate the crowd, ensuring AJ will be the babyface. They go through the usual light heavyweight blowjob stuff until AJ nearly takes Storm’s head off with a Shotei. They head to the floor where AJ works in his leap over the barrier and enzuigiri. Back in, Storm counters the Quebrada DDT, but AJ gets it for real moments later. Storm goes low to take over, but it doesn’t last long as AJ gets a tilt-o-whirl gutbuster. Storm hits a nice springboard wheelbarrow into a DDT. They take it up to the entrance ramp where Storm tries to sling off the lighting supports into a rana. AJ blocks and goes for the Styles Clash, but Storm seems to block (you can’t really see because the ref gets in the way). They battle back to the ring where Storm gets a Reverse Rollup Drop for two. He sets Storm on top, but Storm comes off with a springboard rana. AJ blocks another attempt and counters to the Styles Clash for two. Storm blocks a second try into a modified Michinoku Driver. Storm gets a top-rope rana after a few false starts, but AJ finishes with a rolling Shotei and a springboard 450-splash at 16:03 (with the ref botching the count). AJ is capable of some fantastic spotfests, but this isn’t one of them. Storm shakes his hand after the match and then attacks him from behind. Jody Fleisch makes the save. *1/2

RoH Championship: Samoa Joe (RoH) vs. The Zebra Kid (FWA).
Funny thing: I’ve been wondering for years where I’ve heard the opening of Samoa Joe’s music. Then, just the other night, I’m flipping through the channels and find “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.” There it is! Anyway, this was supposed to be a non-title match, but Joe lives with honor, so he’s putting the title on the line. Zebra gets an advantage early off some strikes and highspots, including a Cactus Elbow off the apron onto Joe, who was sitting on a chair. Back in, Joe catches him with an STO and screams, “Don’t you know who the fuck I am?!” FACEWASH! The Olay kick puts Zebra’s head through the wire mesh of the crowd barrier. Zebra comes back with more strikes. He comes off the top, but Joe rides him down in to a reverse armlock. Joe’s knees don’t get it done, so he hits a Burning Lariat. That only gets two. Joe decides to kill a bitch and hits a Rolling German into a Rolling Dragon into a Bridging German for the win at 9:27. This was just an extended version of what you see on Impact every week. *

The Family vs. Alex Shane, Ulf Herman & Nikita.
The Family brings burning crosses to the ring. The Family attacks early, but Shane and Herman are big, so they clean house. Someone tosses a sex doll in to Herman, so he gives it a piledriver and tosses it back. Well, that was stupid. He should have given a Tombstone piledriver. I won’t go into much detail because a lot of it is your basic big guy versus dead-guys-who-don’t-know-it stuff. Alex Shane knocks out one of the Family with a Doublearm Chokeslam. They work in a trainwreck spot with everyone flying out on everyone else. Things even spill out near the concession stand as the thing devolves into a total comedy match. Nikita winds up outballing everyone with a dive off the balcony onto the pile of wrestlers below. There’s too much for the camera to capture as Alex Shane brawls up to the ramp, and Ulf stays in to make Solid Gold kid his bitch. We get treated to the worst Van Terminator in the history of time as one of the Family slips off the top and nearly brains himself. The finish sees the ref get bumped and the Family pull the old switcharoo on Nikita. She falls victim to the Fireman’s Carry Facebuster at 23:41. How much you like this depends on how much you liked those old ECW, all-over-the-arena brawls. It did have some good comedy and big spots, but a lot of it was bungled. **1/2

Low Ki vs. Flash Barker.
You know Flash Barker from when he saved the Showcase Showdown from Ming the Merciless. Seriously, though, he’s a kind of a strong-style UFC guy if that helps you. Low Ki decides early to fight off his back. They exchange kicks until Low Ki hits a Dragon Screw to take over. Barker tosses the ref aside and takes down Ki with a short clothesline. Ki comes back with his usual array of kicks, including a buzzsaw kick that resonates through the hall. Barker misses a swing, and Ki hits him with the springboard front kick. Barker is just getting killed in there as Ki hits him with a Lightning Legline in the corner. Ki no-sells a strike and hits a Kappou Kick. He calms things down with a headscissors and then the Hanging Dragon in the corner. Barker ranas him, but Ki comes right back with a backkick to the head. This is asskickery of epic proportions. Finally, Barker manages to catch Ki with a spinebuster. Even that doesn’t help as Ki catches him with a Hanging Octopus Scissors and the Tidal Wave. Ki gets a Tiger Suplex and catches Barker in a cross armlock. The twenty-minute time limit expires at about 17:00, so there was some slick clipping in there around the headscissors. The crowd wants five more minutes, but the ref is having none of it. Ki and Barker both argue, but the evil referee won’t let it happen. Samoa Joe and AJ Styles come down to back up Ki, but the ref repeats that it is a draw and runs to the back. **1/4

Christopher Daniels (RoH) vs. Jody Fleisch (FWA).
So things are tied between RoH and FWA at 2 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw each. Daniels makes it known he is not representing RoH but the Prophecy. Fleisch has dropped his Special K persona tonight. Jody backhands Daniles in the face, prompting a chant of “You got bitchslapped.” Daniels threatens to walk. When Daniels finally gets back in, Jody does his usual gymnastics stuff to confound him. Daniels argues with the crowd again to stall. Back in, Jody grabs a headlock to stay on top. Daniels actually tries to pick up the pace, which you would think would be a mistake for him. Indeed, it proves to be a bad move initially, as Jody headscissors him and hits a quebrada. They fight up to the ramp where Jody gives Daniels a snap suplex on the entrance platform. Jody disappears and returns with a chair, which he springboards off into a rana on Daniels. Back in, Jody gets two off a corkscrew bodypress but runs into a lariat from Daniels. Well, you knew it was just a matter of time. Daniels methodically picks him apart while trying to start a mock “Jody” chant. The Best Moonsault Ever sets up a Crossface. Jody makes the ropes. The finish sees Fleisch get a springboard Shooting Star for two, but Jonny Storm runs down and “hits” Jody with a chair as he tries a second one. Daniels finishes with the Angel’s Wings at 23:55. Daniels and Storm try to piledrive Fleisch on the chair, but the FWA and RoH locker rooms clear to chase the heels off. Daniels and Storm make up for it by knocking out the FWA commissioner with a chairshot. Instead of letting it ruin the party, the locker rooms get in the ring for a celebration of the two promotions. The match was a little long for what they were offering. Daniels seemed content to get heat rather than put on a match. **1/4

The 411: Although some fans may find this interesting as a curio, I can't really recommend it for the wrestling. Because it's just a series of exhibitions, there are no angles to advance. That just leaves the quality of the matches to rate, and most of those only hit the average mark. Thumbs down.
Final Score:  4.0   [ Poor ]