ROH – Weekend Of Thunder Night 1: November 5, 2004, Revere, Massachusetts

ROH – Weekend of Thunder Night 1 … November 5, 2004 … Revere, Massachusetts

Review by Brad Garoon and Jacob Ziegler

Intro

BG says: Things kick off with Bryan Danielson backstage recapping his great matches in Ring of Honor. He says tonight he has the biggest match of his career as he squares off with Jushin Liger. Nice promo from Danielson there.

JZ says: Danielson recaps all of the guys in New Japan that he has beaten, but notes that he has never beaten Liger. I don’t know my NJPW history all that well, so I’ll have to take his word for it.

MATCH #1: Jimmy Rave vs. Ace Steel

BG says: With Nana’s intro and the entourage of the Outkast Killaz and Angel Williams, Jimmy Rave is really starting to look like a big deal. Steel on the other hand, in crazy Ace mode, just seems weird. Steel hits a springboard axe handle on Rave, so he bails. Steel grabs a headlock and keeps Rave on the mat. Rave gets out but Steel hits a bodyslam and goes back to the headlock. Rave gets a break but Steel hits a knee in the corner. They reverse one another’s suplexes and wind up on the apron. Rave crotches Steel on the top rope and gets a takedown for 1. He hits the STO backbreaker for 2. He hits a Russian legsweep and stretches him. He gets a crucifix pin for 2 and a big clothesline for 2. He hits a northern lights suplex but Steel reverses a second with a side suplex. He hits a tiger driver for 2 and goes back to the headlock. Rave hits Ghanaria for 2. Steel comes back with a sunset flip but Rave reverses to a shining wizard for 2. He tries the Rave Clash but Steel kicks out and drops him on his face. He puts on the Trailer Hitch but Nana helps Rave makes the ropes. Steel hits the Spinal Shock for 2 as Nana gets on the microphone. Steel gets crotched on the top rope and Rave hits the Rave Clash for the win. Jimmy Bower says that Steel only lost because Nana being on the microphone distracted him, but if that’s the case then Ace really needs some Ritalin. The match got pretty sloppy and looked like it was in slow motion at times.
Rating: *3/4

JZ says: Angel Williams makes her ROH debut here as Rave’s newest footstool, just days before she would sign a WWE developmental deal and change her look. This whole entrance for Rave really is tremendous, one of the best things ROH has going right now. This match, however, is not one of the best things ROH has going. It’s pretty plodding and slow, with not much really happening. Rave does have a new move though, called the “Ghana-rea.” Ha ha, I get it, and I dig it. Nana gets on the microphone a bit, which Bower notes is the reason Ace lost. I agree with that, but I would say it was more the reason Rave won than the reason Ace lost. Does that make sense? Anyway, the match ran 11:17.
Rating: *1/4

Backstage

BG says: Lacey bitches backstage that her boyfriend Izzy is suspended from ROH until he cleans up his act and she’s upset that she’s stuck with the rest of the Special K losers. The other day I realized how much she looks like by girlfriend’s roommate. It messed my world up, man.

JZ says: Lacey sure is pretty. She can really work too, so that’s two in the plus column by my count.

MATCH #2: Four Corner Survival – Fast Eddie vs. Angel Dust vs. Dunn vs. Homicide

BG says: Homicide is slummin’ it with the junior jobbers tonight. Dunn and Eddie start. Dunn gets a backslide for 2. He hits a powerbomb and Eddie tags out to Angel Dust. Dunn tries to tag to Homicide but he won’t tag in. Dust hits a cobra clutch backbreaker for 2. Dunn gets a headlock and tags Homicide in when he’s not looking. The Boston crowd says bad things about the Yankees toward Homicide. Homicide takes Dust to the mat and unloads with kicks. He tags Eddie and they botch a crossbody. Eddie hits a back suplex. Wow, that was ugly. Dunn comes in for Eddie but Homicide tags Dunn out with a slap to the face. Dust hits a really bad enziguiri, sending Homicide out, and hits a somersault dive onto him. Dunn hits the Stage Dive onto both of them. Eddie goes for a dive and grazes homicide, nailing the guardrail. Homicide beats everyone down outside with a chair and throws Dust back in the ring. He hits the chinlock as Jimmy Bower says that using a chair on the floor is legal. I don’t get that logic. Dust gets a cross arm breaker but Dunn saves with a flying elbow drop. Eddie comes in with a spinning leg lariat to Homicide. Dunn hits the Gory bomb on Eddie but Homicide catches him with a T-bone suplex. He hits another as Eddie comes in. He hits a hanging DDT on Eddie and crotches Dust on the top rope, hitting a super double underhook suplex for 2. Eddie and Dunn do a bunch of really sloppy stuff until Eddie hits his fall away slam. Homicide tosses Eddie and puts a submission on Dunn. He hits a super Ace Crusher and Clothesline from Hell on Eddie, but he’s not legal. Dust comes in only to get hit with the Cop Killer to end my pain. Nobody in this seemed to care (can’t blame them, these four ways have gotten really lame), and aside from the final sequence between Angel Dust and Homicide the whole thing was really sloppy, Homicide has a temper tantrum on the microphone after the match. A “Fan” tries to get in the ring and all four Rottweilers kick the crap out of him. Meh, that was pointless.
Rating: *1/4

JZ says: The contender’s ring has CM Punk, Homicide, Alex Shelley, and Nigel McGuiness, by the way. I got to thinking about how Bower said that using a chair on the outside of the ring was legal, and it reminded me of Summerslam ’89. During the Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude match, Warrior ran Rude into the post on the outside of the ring, and Jesse Ventura said that should be a disqualification. Tony Schiavone disagreed because it was outside the ring. Ventura becomes furious, screaming at Schiavone, “So it’s okay to bring a gun and shoot somebody as long as it’s outside the ring?!” Schiavone disregards the comment and they move on. That’s one of my all-time favorite commentary exchanges. Anyway, this four corner survival is happening, and I don’t care about it much. It’s three jobbers with Homicide, what’s it supposed to accomplish? Julius Smokes is not present tonight because he got caught pissing on Fenway Park after the Red Sox beat the Yankees. Anyway, these guys do a bunch of sloppy moves until Homicide gets the pin with a Cop Killa on Angel Dust at 11:49.
Rating: 1/2*

Backstage

BG says: Alison Danger tells Maff and Whitmer that they won’t make it through this weekend alive. From this promo we can gather that Alison Danger really likes hockey.

JZ says: I saw Allison Danger at the 4/2 show in Asbury Park, and while she looks good on tape, she is BEAUTIFUL in person. Nice hockey stick.

MATCH #3: Non Sanctioned Boston Street Fight – Carnage Crew vs. Dan Maff & BJ Whitmer

BG says: The Crew go for the Carnage-plex right away but Maff breaks it up and Whitmer hits a northern lights suplex on DeVito for 2. DeVito dropkicks Maff out of the ring and Whitmer drop toeholds Loc into a chair outside. DeVito bleeds as Maff rams his head into the guardrail a bunch. Loc crossbodys Whitmer over the rail into the crowd. DeVito DDT’s Maff on the rail as Loc rips at Whitmer’s forehead with some kind of stick. DeVito stomps a chair on Maff. Loc is busted open. Back in the ring Loc hits a side suplex on Whitmer. He punches a bloody BJ in the face. Hehe. They do more brawling that the crowd doesn’t care about until Maff gets a German suplex for 2. Whitmer throws a chair at Loc who no-sells it and spears him. Maff smacks the Crew with chair shots for a couple of 2 counts. Maff and Whitmer fire each other up and stare at Allison Danger on the floor. The crowd finally wakes up when Danger can’t get her cans into the ring. Hehehe. Maff throws a chair at Danger, because this match wasn’t weird and bad enough as it is. Whitmer goes after Danger on the ramp as the Crew hit a Con-chair-toe with trash cans on Maff for 3. That was just absolutely terrible. To put it in perspective, from January 2004 through November 2004 there was only one other match aside from this one in ROH that I felt had no redeeming qualities. Danger asks the Crew to mess them up more but they ignore her.
Rating: DUD

Just thought I should mention that I took a two hour break to clean up my house at this point because it was more exciting than watching those last three matches.

JZ says: It’s no secret that I don’t like these garbage brawls, but I do understand that they have their place on the card and that other people may like them. This one, however, had no redeeming qualities and was just bizarre and boring from start to finish. I have nothing else to say about this 7:50 of crap.
Rating: DUD

MATCH #4: Chad Collyer vs. Low Ki

BG says: They take it to the mat to start. Collyer grabs a headlock but Ki escapes with the headstand kick. Ki gets an armbar but Collyer reverses to one of his own. Ki takes a few cheap shots so Collyer unloads with chops and a dropkick sending him to the floor. Ki comes back and gets dropkicked down. Every time Ki gets to his feet Collyer strikes him back down and out of the ring. Ki eventually tries to get his boot off, drawing the referee’s attention who tells Collyer to back off. The referee gives the old X, which is caught on camera and means that Ki must be fine. They cut to a promo in the back.

Good thing Generation Next was ready for this situation. Strong cuts his line and then mouths along with Evans’ line, even though he didn’t have another one to remember after Evans was done. Keep Strong off camera when he’s not wrestling, please.

Back to the ring, Collyer and Ki start to help Ki out of the ring but he tags him with a pair of kicks. Cool moment tainted by Jimmy Bauer dropping an F-bomb. The crowd is finally alive as Ki destroys Collyer with a gutbuster. He tosses him to the floor and rams him into the guardrail. He teases putting Collyer through a table but then chooses to put him back in the ring. Hearing the commentators say that not using the table is a mean thing to do is ridiculous. Back inside Ki hits a Canadian backbreaker for 2. They trade chops and Ki goes to the eyes. Collyer hits a pair of leg lariats and dropkicks the knee. He goes for a leglock but Ki makes the ropes. He goes for the cloverleaf but Ki makes the ropes again. He goes for a German suplex but Ki is in the ropes. Ki puts on a dragon clutch but Collyer makes the ropes. Collyer hits a great dragon screw and puts on the cloverleaf but lets go when Reyes jumps on the apron. Ki blocks a second cloverleaf and Reyes clocks Collyer. Ki hits a lariat for 2. He puts on the dragon clutch but Collyer goes to the ankle to get out and rolls him up for 2. Collyer goes for the cloverleaf as Romero makes an appearance on the apron. He puts Ki on top but Reyes knocks Collyer down. Ki hits the douche bag double stomp for 3. The angle did more to help cement Ki as a heel, but the action in the match suffered greatly and the whole thing fell pretty flat.
Rating: **

JZ says: CM Punk admits that Collyer is one of his favorite wrestlers. I admit that I also really like Collyer. I think he should get a shot at color commentating. They do some fine wrestling stuff until Ki feigns his ankle injury around 7:30 into the match. Strong and Evans are ready with their promo, and Strong looks SO WEIRD as he mouths Evans’s words. Who does that? We come back to the match as Ki reveals that it was all a ruse, and Jimmy Bower calls Low Ki a “motherfucker.” Seven-second delay must not have caught that one. Ki pokes the eyes a lot. Reyes hits Collyer right in front of the referee. Collyer is going for a German suplex, and Punk says Ki resembles a “monkey climbing a tree, he won’t let go of those ropes.” I thought some people on the ROH message board would have started a whole thread about how that’s insulting or something. Ki ends up getting the win at 17:13 (including the mid-match promo). Collyer ended up looking pretty strong here, as it took a fake injury and three guys to beat him. What the hell is up with Low Ki’s pants anyway? Call it
Rating: **

MATCH #5: John Walters & Nigel McGuiness vs. Samoa Joe & Jay Lethal

BG says: It’s the battle of the Pure champion v. World champion… and their partners. It’s interesting that every Pure champion has had a problem with Samoa Joe, but none of them ever REALLY did anything about it. This is the closest we’ve gotten yet to a champion v. champion match. Lethal and Nigel start. They do some neato chain wrestling as Punk lobbies for another rematch on commentary. Nigel baits Lethal in with the headstand and gets a roll up for 2. They trade 2 counts and Nigel tags out. Walters grabs a headlock but gets hung up on the top rope and dropkicked for 2. Lethal grabs a headlock but gets rolled up for 2. Walters hits an armdrag and begs off. Joe tags in, grabs a chinlock and slaps Walters. Walters hits some crossfaces and Joe stands up, pissed. Walters hits a dropkick but Joe comes back with a big forearm. Lethal tags in and hits a backbreaker for 2. Joe tags in but Walters fights off both men and tags out. Joe and Nigel have a great exchange ending with a front facelock by Nigel. Joe hits a big forearm knocking Nigel down in the corner, followed by the face wash but Walters pulls Nigel away. Nigel tries to bait Joe in with the headstand but he just dropkicks the crap out of him. Lethal tags in and gets 2. He hits a back suplex for 2 and a snap suplex for 2. Joe tags in and hits the Big Joe Combo for 2. Lethal tags in and hits an elbow drop for 2. He hits bodyslam and legdrop for 2. He hits the chinlock but Nigel escapes, only to eat a leg lariat for 2. Joe tags in and he and Lethal hit a double elbow for 2. Joe puts on a surfboard stretch but Nigel powers out and reverses to a superkick. Walters tags in but the ref didn’t see it and sends him out. Lethal tags in and gets hit with Separation Anxiety. Walters tags in and hits a neckbreaker for 2. He nails the electric chair drop and knocks Joe off the apron. Walters and Nigel double team Lethal, ending with a huge lariat for 2. Nigel takes Joe out of the ring and Lethal works Walters over inside. Walters hits a piggyback stunner from the top rope on Lethal for 2. Lethal comes back with a leg lariat and tags in Joe. Joe catches Walters with a powerbomb for 2 and puts on a cross arm breaker. He catches Walters coming out of the corner with the STO. Lethal tags in and hits a big powerbomb for 2. He goes for another but Walters reverses to a Lung blower. Nigel tags in and goes for Separation Anxiety but Lethal reverses and chops him down. He comes off the second rope with a DDT for 2. Walters comes in for the save so Joe sends him to the floor and hits a suicide dive. Back in the ring Nigel hits Separation Anxiety and puts on That Arm Submission, which will from now on be called the TAS, but Joe saves. Joe goes back to the floor and hits the Ole Kick on Walters. In the ring Nigel hits his hanging neckbreaker for 2 and puts on TAS for the win. Really fun tag match there, that I’ve got to say did a lot more in making Nigel look good than it did for Walters.
Rating: ***1/2

JZ says: I didn’t realize until just now that Jay Lethal wears the same kind of tights as his mentor Samoa Joe. That’s cute. The whole “World Title vs. Pure Title” thing is just kind of this long-running issue that doesn’t seem will ever have a resolution, but it’s nice to see the effort made here, and we get a kick-ass match to boot. Nigel and Walters have wrestled each other several times in ROH, and I always guessed they’d make a good team. Samoa Joe is Samoa Joe, and thus would make a great tag team with anybody. Walters and Joe have some really nice exchanges, and they struck the right balance between Joe being dominant and Walters not wanting to back down. Joe and Nigel have some nice exchanges as well. Let’s not forget about Jay Lethal, who also looked really good in this match. Basically everyone worked hard, hit their spots, the heat was good, and the energy was high. Nigel makes Lethal tap out with That Arm Submission at 18:07.
Rating: ***1/2

INTERMISSION

BG says: S to the S to the P is backstage with Maff and Whitmer. He wants to know how they feel heading into their tag title match having lost in the street fight. Maff feels like they got ripped off, but the loss in momentum isn’t going to stop them. Maff keeps swearing to G-d and saying “no offense” to Whitmer. I guess he really is Jesus. Oh, and Sugar Sean rules.

JZ says: I’d rather hear Sugar Sean just preview the rest of the show than listen to Maff cut promos. SSP is cool, Maff not so much (and it has nothing to do with his latest situation with Homicide, I never much cared for Maff).

MATCH #6: Davey Andrews & Shane Hagadorn vs. The Outcast Killaz

BG says: Andrews and Hagadorn are Punk’s students. Tortuga and Andrews start. Davey gets his Crash Holly offense in and tags out to Hagadorn. Diablo tags in and the Killaz double team Hagadorn. Diablo hits a kick and a chop for 2. Diablo tags in and hits an Alabama slam for 2. Tortuga tags in and hits an inverted sidewalk slam for 2. Hagadorn comes in for the save and gets tossed out. The Killaz hit a double team dropkick on Andrews for the win. Well, at least they found someone to job to the OCK.
Rating: 3/4*

JZ says: If Punk is teaching these guys, let’s hope they were all sick on the day he wanted to teach moonsaults and dives. The Outcast Killaz, they just seem happy to be there. I also stood by Oman Tortuga at the 4/2 show, and he is deceptively huge. The Killaz get the win at 3:30.
Rating: 1/2*

MATCH #7: Austin Aries vs. CM Punk

BG says: I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it yet, but Born of a Broken Man is the best entrance music ever. Well, that or Alone by Zebrahead. On that note, ROH still films the curtain and not the fans during Punk’s entrance. So stupid. Punk jaws with some fan before telling Aries that Colt Cabana is coming for him the next time ROH swings through Boston to get revenge for putting him out. Punk lobbies for his third title shot as well. They brawl to start and Aries takes it to the mat with a hammerlock. He does some cool stuff on the mat, staying a step ahead of Punk. Punk trips him and gets a headlock, but Aries reverses to his own. He hits Explosive Elbow #3 but Punk comes back with a roll up for 2. Punk fakes a dive and nails Aries with an elbow. Aries hits a Manhattan drop but Punk catches him coming off the top with one of his own. He hits a delayed vertical suplex and stands on Aries in the corner. Very Togo-esque. Punk gets a sunset flip but Aries quickly hits a seated dropkick. Punk hits a hanging neckbreaker and a seated dropkick for 2. Aries gets clotheslined out of the ring and Punk hits a suicide dive onto him. Punk actually has to TELL the crowd that it is a grudge match and they should be hotter for it, in his own words. Aries comes back with a spear to Punk on the outside. He goes for a brainbuster on the floor but Punk blocks. Punk goes for the shining wizard but Aries ducks and his knee hits the post. Aries hits a shinbreaker onto a table and works over the knee quite proficiently. He throws Punk into the ring and misses the springboard senton. He puts a submission on as the lights go out. To their credit, Punk and Aries keep going at it with the lights off, because you know, it’s a grudge match. They shine a spotlight onto the action so we can see. Aries hits a dropkick in the corner for 2 and Punk is bleeding. Aries stays on the leg and the lights come back on. Aries stuns the knee and then wrenches on it. He gets an STF but Punk makes the ropes. Punk blocks explosive elbow #3 and hits a back suplex. Punk hits a clothesline to the back of the head for 2. He gets a roll up for 2 and they trade 2 counts. Aries blocks the mule kick and jams his knee down. Punk blocks the figure 4 but Aries sentons the knee and boots the face for 2. He goes for the figure four again but Punk rolls him up for 2. Aries blocks the Pepsi Twist with a clothesline and hits explosive elbow #2. He puts on a half crab but Punk makes the ropes. Punk blocks a shinbreaker with a German suplex for 2. Aries blocks the shining wizard and puts on the half crab but Punk makes the ropes again. They fight on the top rope and Punk hits the Pepsi Plunge but it only gets 2 when Aries gets his foot on the ropes. Punk goes for another but Aries goes after the knee to block. He hits a shinbreaker and a back suplex into the corner. He hits the 450 onto the knee and puts on the half crab and Punk taps when there is nowhere to go. Technically the match was really good, as Punk’s selling and Aries’ attacking of the knee worked well, but the lack of any heat whatsoever brought down what could have been a great, great match. The lights going out didn’t help matters either. Aries makes his bid for a title shot after the match and accepts Colt Cabana’s challenge.
Rating: ***1/4

JZ says: The crowd begins with a loud “Fuck TNA” chant. Some guy in the crowd is wearing a TNA shirt, so Punk berates him. You know, I hate stuff like that. TNA is a separate company and have nothing to do with this show. And you know what else? Had TNA not pulled their talent back in April, Aries might not have gotten the shot to be a top guy so soon (along with a lot of other guys), so there. They do some wrestling stuff until Punk goes for a shining wizard with Aries up against the ring post. Aries moves of course, and Punk kicks the post. The rest of the match sees Aries working on the knee like the wrestling machine that he is, but the problem is that the crowd just does not care. This is supposed to be a grudge match, but the heat is just non-existent. The result is a match that was technically proficient but not very exciting. Aries gets the win via submission at 22:47. You get the feeling these two guys have a classic in there somewhere waiting to bust out.
Rating: ***1/4

MATCH #8: ROH Tag Team Title Match – Jack Evans & Roderick Strong vs. Rocky Romero & Ricky Reyes

BG says: Generation Next is getting this title shot because they beat Homicide and tag champion Rocky Romero at the show before this. The Pitbulls jump Generation Next before the bell. Romero and Strong start it off in the ring where Strong hits a monkey flip. He dropkicks Romero out of the ring and brawls with him on the floor. Reyes and Evans get in the ring where Evans moonsaults off Reyes’ back and dropkicks him out of the ring. He whiffs on a tope con hilo and ends up in the crowd. Strong hits a dropkick on Romero back in the ring. Romero misses a dropkick but rebounds off a monkey flip and gets an ankle lock on Strong. Strong hits a uranage backbreaker and tags in Evans. Generation Next does some double teaming as only they can for 2. Strong tags back in and hits a double underhook suplex and works on the back. He tosses Evans into Romero and they hit a double dropkick for 2. The joke about J-Train not being at the show because he peed on Fenway Park is getting annoying at this point. Strong hits a delayed vertical suplex and tags in Evans. Romero and Evans trade kicks but Romero wins the exchange with a high knee. Reyes tags in and hits a neckbreaker for 2. He hits a big forearm and a back suplex for 2. The Pitbulls do some cool double teaming for 2. Reyes hits a nasty dropkick to a crotched Evans and hits the chinlock. Romero comes in and gets 2. He gets a neat submission but Strong breaks it up with authority. Evans gets dumped and Homicide and Reyes beat him up on the floor. Back in the ring Romero hits a DDT for 2. The Pitbulls go for a double team but Evans counters with a dropkick to both and tags in Strong. Evans sends Reyes to the floor and hits a big dive onto everyone out there. Romero goes for his arm submission but Strong turns it into a backbreaker for 2. Another backbreaker gets 2 for Strong. Romero springboard dropkicks the knee and knocks him down for 2 with some nice kicks. He ditches the mouth guard and hits the flying knee for 2. Reyes tags in and hits a suplex for 2. Strong hits a back suplex and tags in Evans. They hit a crossbody device on Reyes but miss the one on Romero. Romero gets an ankle lock on Strong as Reyes hits a fisherman’s buster on Evans for 2. Evans hits a spin kick on Reyes and a corkscrew thing for 2. Evans hits another kick to the back of the head and Strong takes Romero out of the ring. Evans goes for the 630, and pretty much misses, but gets 2. The bell rings but the ref is saying it was 2. The crowd gets all angry as Generation Next miss their awesome double team move allowing Reyes to hit a tombstone on Evans for the win. Well that match dragged like crazy in places, but the finish was cool and Generation Next tried hard. I’m just dying for them to get the belts off of the Pitbulls.
Rating: ***

JZ says: Strong & Evans have some of the best double-team moves in the business today, period. Evans just keeps improving with every match, I really think he’s going to be huge some day. I can’t believe they haven’t won the tag team titles yet. For some reason Reyes & Romero get to keep hanging on to the belts. This is a fine little tag team match, nothing too exciting going on, but the formula is being followed nicely. Punk says he has a vagina on his head. Well, never heard that one before. Some guy comes out from the back and talks to the guys at the timekeepers table. Who’s that guy? Punk mentions the “fan” from earlier tonight, and Bower hushes him, saying that it’s not going to make the tape. I don’t understand why they say stuff like that, when it clearly did make the tape. Somebody blows a three-count near the end of the match, and Reyes ends up getting a tombstone piledriver for the pin at 17:54. Probably went a little long, but this was a fine match. I really wish Evans & Strong would have gone over.
Rating: ***

MATCH #9: Bryan Danielson vs. Jushin Liger

BG says: Liger gets quite an amazing ovation upon his entrance, to the point that it pretty much drowns out his entrance music. They get the championship ring intro treatment, which is inconsistent but it gave the fans a chance to throw streamers. They lock up to start and Danielson gives the clean break. Liger takes Danielson to the mat but he bridges out and puts on an STF and a chinlock. Liger reverses to a camel clutch but Danielson comes back with a dragon screw and works on the leg. They go for the test of strength, which Liger wins, so Danielson kicks out. He goes for a pair of shoulder blocks but Liger stands strong. So he tries a surfboard, but Liger powers out. Liger puts on his own Mexican surfboard, then puts it down and puts on a dragon sleeper. Danielson goes to the mask for the break. Liger hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and Danielson bails. Liger dives onto him on the outside and runs back in to play to the crowd. Danielson comes back in the ring where he chokes Liger with his boot. They trade chops and Danielson hangs Liger up on the top rope, then dropkicks him out of the ring. He tosses Liger into the guardrail and heels on the fans. Back in the ring Danielson get 2. He hits the chinlock and then puts on a seated abdominal stretch. A crucifix pin gets 2. He hits a double underhook suplex for 2. He goes back to the chinlock and pulls at the mask as the crowd gets on his case. He gets the airplane spin and a fireman’s carry slam but misses the diving headbutt. Liger goes to the top and misses the headbutt as well. Liger hits the palm strike and a second in the corner. He hits a supercanrana for 2. Danielson dropkicks the arm to block a palm strike attempt and stays on it. Liger blocks a dragon suplex but can’t stop the German suplex and Danielson puts on the Cow Killer. He turns it over to a pin for 2. Liger tries to reverse a dragon suplex but gets caught for 2. Danielson hits the roaring elbow and dragon suplex for 2. He goes back to the Cow Killer but Liger makes the ropes. Liger comes back with a brain buster and a NASTY palm strike. Danielson blocks the Liger bomb but gets hit with a koppo kick and Liger nails the Ligerbomb for 2. How how how did he kick out?! Well it doesn’t matter how as Liger hits a super brainbuster moments later for the win. While not the epic that they may have been going for (again, the annoying Boston crowd sits on their hands for much of the match) this was a nice slice of Liger action.
Rating: ****

JZ says: Liger gets a huge pop and streamers. As much as I get annoyed with the ROHbots from time to time, it is nice that there’s an American company that Liger can come to and get a huge ovation like this. Danielson gets the ire of the crowd by throwing his cloak at Liger during the introductions. I admit I hadn’t seen any Jushin Liger outside of WCW until I went to college, and my roommate had a Best of Liger comp from that website that we shall not speak of, and I watched the whole thing several times. Look above, Brad did the play by play, the whole match is right there. 18:24.
Rating: ****

AFTERMATH

BG says: Backstage the Carnage Crew say that while they respect Mick Foley, they don’t want him to turn them into the bad guys in Ring of Hardcore. They beat Maff and Whitmer but they have a feeling that it isn’t over. They don’t want Danger around neither!

Liger is shown post-match thanking the fans and being very happy that they chanted Ryga Ryga Ryga!

The Embassy is celebrating backstage about their wins tonight. Nana doesn’t like the girl touching him and Rave wants her to clean his shoes. Hey, I have those shoes! Nana doesn’t care that the Killaz won their match, but it’s party time anyway! Yay Embassy!

JZ says: Carnage Crew say the feud with Maff & Whitmer isn’t over. Oh joy.

Jushin Liger was very pleased with the crowd tonight.

Everything the Embassy touches these days is GOLD, by the way.

MVP

BG says: Jushin Liger. His match with Danielson was fun, thanks mainly to the excitement of seeing Liger hit all of his signature moves.

JZ says: I’d be hard-pressed to give this to anyone but Liger.
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E-mail Brad at [email protected]
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The 411: BG says: Anyone interested in Liger should pick this one up for sure, but there isn't much to see on the undercard. The beginning of the show is really tough to get through, so my recommendation is to fast forward to the champion v. champion tag match and watch from there. JZ says: While the show ends on a high note, it’s pretty brutal to get through in the early going. The champion vs. champion tag match is hot, Aries/Punk and the tag title match are okay, and the main is required viewing, but the rest is not very good.

Final Score:  6.0   [ Average ]