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ROH – Glory By Honor V Night 1 DVD Review
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ROH – GLORY BY HONOR V NIGHT 1 – EAST WINDSOR, CT – 9.15.06
Introduction
BG says: ROH gives you TWO video recaps for the price of one on this DVD, and you need to watch them both before you watch the main program! The first sees Bryan Danielson dehydrated after his 2/3 falls match against Nigel McGuinness and injured the following night after his match against Cabana. It shows Danielson retiring the Pure title and giving the belt to McGuinness. Homicide’s feud with the Briscoes is highlighted. They advertise for Glory by Honor weekend, including the match that never happens in Danielson vs. Austin Aries. Jim Cornette doesn’t usually go out east but he’s going to be in New York City for night two of Glory by Honor. He gets fired up talking about Homicide but Delirious interrupts him to ask for higher profile matches. Cornette chases him off and spews venom in Homicide’s direction. Finally they show the Briscoes get into it with Homicide and Joe at the end of Fight of the Century.
The second video recap starts off where the first left off. Homicide and Joe fight off the Briscoes and then challenge them to a tag match in New York City. You can read about it in more detail in our Fight of the Century review. Jim Cornette announces that Bruno Sammartino will be in New York City. The show will be huge as Strong and Aries will defend the tag titles against the Kings of Wrestling, Naomichi Marufuji will defend the GHC Heavyweight title against Nigel McGuinness and finally KENTA will challenge Bryan Danielson for the ROH World Championship. Delirious interrupts again to ask for bigger matches. Cornette gets frustrated and puts him in a match against Adam Pearce in New York City. Danielson, with his arm in a sling talks about pain being temporary and pride being forever. He’s injured but he’s been thinking about the pain people go through to do important things so he’s not going to take any serious time off to heal. The belt is too important so he’ll still defend against KENTA in New York, and he’s going to be successful. Austin Aries’ new match against Davey Richards is hyped up as part of a big video package running down the cards for both nights. The ROH Video Wire is coming soon to replace the Video Recap! Let’s finally get on to the show! Exclamation Marks!!!
The Briscoes kick off the DVD by threatening KENTA, Naomichi Marufuji, Samoa Joe & Homicide; the four men they will face over the course of the weekend. It’s time for the stars of NOAH and ROH to man up!
JZ says: The Briscoe Brothers open the show by talking trash to KENTA, Homicide, and Samoa Joe. They say they’re not afraid of Naomichi Marufuji, and that it’s time to man up.
MATCH #1: Dunn & Marcos vs. Rhett Titus & Pelle Primeau
BG says: The show is in a tent a la Generation Next back in May of 2004. The positioning of the hard camera makes the show look more bush league unfortunately. Marcos and Primeau start. Apparently it’s raining on the tent. Primeau hits a hurricanrana and tags to Titus. Dunn tags in and hits a backdrop on Primeau. Primeau comes back with a hurricanrana and Titus hits a dropkick for 2. He hits a clothesline for 2. Marcos tags in and hits a falcon arrow on Primeau as Dunn hits a Gory Special on Titus. They hit the Stacker Senton on Titus for the win. Nothing squash here.
Rating: ¼*
JZ says: The ROH students are using Rob Zombie’s version of the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop.” That’s a good song. This is the first appearance by Dunn & Marcos since March I believe. Dave Prazak and Jared David are the hosts, and the crowd is pretty hot even if it is being held under a tent. Primeau hits a nice headscissors on Marcos but Dunn gets tagged in and starts cleaning house. Primeau hits a nice rana on him and Titus follows with a dropkick. Marcos tags in and the Ring Crew Express hits their dual finishers and follows up with the assisted senton on Titus to get the win at 2:03. Primeau and Titus looked pretty good for that short amount of time.
Rating: *¼
Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli
BG says: After the match the Kings of Wrestling come to ringside. Chris Hero gets on the microphone and issues a challenge to Dunn & Marcos. They want to show everyone why they are the hottest tag team in the world today.
JZ says: The Kings of Wrestling come out to enormous heel heat from the crowd, most of which is directed at Hero. Hero issues a challenge to the ROH stalwarts, because the Kings want to prove that they are the best tag team in all of wrestling. The challenge is accepted.
MATCH #2: Dunn & Marcos vs. Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli
BG says: Dunn and Marcos hit dropkicks at the bell. The Kings bail so Dunn and Marcos dive out onto them. Back in the ring Dunn and Claudio get things going. Hero comes in with a back suplex assisted by Claudio. Claudio tags back in and they hit a double big boot for 2. Hero tags in and hits a bodyslam. Claudio tags in and holds Dunn over his shoulder for a big boot from Hero for 2. Hero tags in and they hit a double back elbow. Hero puts on a cravat but Dunn fights back. Marcos tags in and hits a DDT on Hero. He hits an inverted DDT on Claudio but he’s not legal. Claudio hangs both opponents over his shoulders and swings them around until Hero dropkicks them down. Hero boots Dunn out of the ring and the Kings hit the KRS I for the win. This was only here to show off Hero and Claudio’s double-team moves, but it was kind of fun along the way.
Rating: *½
Christopher Daniels hasn’t forgotten how Nigel McGuinness cheated him out of the Pure title in Dayton. He has noticed the change in his behavior recently, however. He noticed the integrity with which he wrestled Bryan Danielson. He’s wondering which Nigel McGuinness he’ll be wrestling tonight, but in the end he doesn’t care. With all the hype surrounding McGuinness lately he thinks people have forgotten about Christopher Daniels, and tonight he’ll remind everyone just how good he can be.
Nigel McGuinness says that there aren’t two versions of himself, they’re one in the same. He’s going to ride the wave of momentum he’s on to beat Daniels and then beat Naomichi Marufuji for the GHC Heavyweight Championship.
JZ says: The Ring Crew Express starts off hot with some dropkicks and dives to the floor. Hero and Claudio soon take over, as Prazak reminds us that Hero and Claudio were the ones who stole the Tag Team titles from Austin Aries and Roderick Strong this summer. Hero and Claudio aren’t even supposed to be on this show, but they are going for the titles tomorrow night. Jimmy Bower comes into the booth to make fun of Chris Hero. They dominate for a few moments until Marcos gets the hot tag and goes to work on both guys. Paul Turner is on top of the action, not allowing pins on the not legal man. Claudio executes a cool looking double whirly-bird type move on the Ring Crew Express. The KRS-One (which stands for Kings Reign Supreme) finishes off Marcos at 5:20. That’s a pretty dangerous looking move.
Rating: *¾
Christopher Daniels is here to cut a promo about his match with Nigel McGuinness coming up tonight. He talks about how Nigel has become a better person since last time they wrestled, or something. Nigel has a retort, and says that the two Nigel’s that Daniels was talking about are one in the same.
MATCH #3: Four Corner Survival – Colt Cabana vs. Jack Evans vs. Jimmy Jacobs vs. Ricky Reyes
BG says: Cabana has Bobby Cruise sarcastically announce that he and Lacey did not reach third base in the bushes forty minutes ago. Jacobs is quite sullen over Cabana’s antics. The crowd’s response is vulgar and graphic. Evans & Reyes start. Evans gets a “Colt’s a pimp,” chant started. Jacobs cries as Reyes dominates Evans on the mat. Evans comes back by showing off some cool new offense and Reyes tags Jacobs in. Cabana tags in as well and tells Jacobs that he and CM Punk used to share girls all the time. He overpowers Jacobs and Jacobs takes it very poorly. He simulates the sex he has with Lacey so Jacobs spits in his face. Cabana suggests to Lacey that they have a threesome, which causes Jacobs to lose his cool. Cabana tags to Reyes who beats Jacobs up with strikes and suplexes. Jacobs gets the advantage but Lacey demands he tag out to Cabana. Jacobs will do anything for Lacey, even though Cabana embarrasses him after tagging in. He suggests that he and Jacobs work as a team and Jacobs reluctantly agrees. Cabana leaves Jacobs high and dry on an attempted Hart Attack and big boot. Evans tags in and knocks everyone down with highflying moves. This kid is becoming so good within his style it’s scary. Cabana clotheslines Jacobs down by mistake and Evans hits Jacobs with a 450 double stomp for the win. That tent really got in the way of the finish. It occurs to me that if they’d put the ring up diagonally in the tent there’d be more room on the top turnbuckle. This was far more focused on angle progression than actual wrestling except for where Evans was concerned, but it was still fun. Reyes was devalued some at the expense of the Cabana/Jacobs angle.
Rating: **
JZ says: Colt Cabana wants to announce that he and Lacey “did not reach third base in the bushes 40 minutes ago.” Jimmy Jacobs is upset by this news, and the crowd chants “yes you did!” Evans actually gets a chant of “Colt’s a pimp” going, as Jacobs puts his head into the turnbuckle in the corner. Not too many wrestlers start chants for other wrestlers. Maybe he learned that over in Dragon Gate. Evans does some cool stuff to Reyes, so Reyes tags out to Jacobs. Evans tags in Cabana, and Jacobs is still moping around the ring. Cabana antagonizes Jacobs and then tosses him to the mat. Cabana embarrasses Jacobs for a few minutes and then tags out to Reyes, who goes to work. Jacobs fights back and starts working on the arm. Lacey jumps up on the apron and tells him to tag in Cabana, trying to get them to work together. They try that and Cabana tries to get Jacobs to execute the Hart Attack, but Cabana moves and Jacobs hits nothing but air. Cabana does the same thing with the big boot. Cabana and Jacobs continue kinda working together, but Reyes comes back and hits Jacobs with a neckbreaker and tags in Evans. He hits some ridiculous acrobatic moves, culminating with the Sasuke Special on Jacobs and Cabana. Reyes and Evans battle in the ring and Reyes locks on the Dragon Sleeper. Cabana breaks that up with an awesome quebrada. He and Jacobs try to work together, but Cabana accidentally levels Jacobs with a clothesline. Reyes hits a German Suplex on Jacobs but Cabana pulls him to the outside. This gives Evans the opportunity to hit a somersault legdrop from the top on Jacobs and get the pin at 13:05. The match wasn’t technically great or anything, but they did some fun stuff and it really helped advance the Jacobs-Lacey-Cabana love triangle, so it’s all good with me. Lacey berates Jacobs, while Cabana tells a young fan that he’ll tell him about the birds and the bees when he’s older. Jacobs holds the ropes open for Lacey and the crowd chants “pussy whipped.” I’ll take this opportunity to say how much I LOVE this storyline.
Rating: **½
MATCH #4: Christopher Daniels vs. Nigel McGuinness
BG says: They lock up and Nigel powers Daniels into the corner. Daniels gets an armbar but Nigel counters to a leglock. They knuckle up and Nigel gets a single leg takedown for 2. He gets a backslide for 2. He gets another roll up for 2. He puts on a wristlock but Daniels comes back with a pair of armdrags. Nigel puts on the arm scissors and then puts on a modified Rings of Saturn. He grabs a cobra clutch and then suplexes Daniels across the ring by his arm for 2. He goes for the handstand fake but the tent distracts him and Daniels slaps him down. Daniels hits a neckbreaker and a kneedrop for 2. He hits a back suplex for 2. He hits a neckbreaker for 2. Nigel slams Daniels’ arm against the mat but runs into a boot in the corner. Daniels hits a kneedrop and the Arabian press. He puts on a crossface but Nigel gets to the ropes. Nigel hits a hammerlock DDT and a running European uppercut. He hits the rebound lariat for 2. He drives Daniels down with a forearm and hits the handstand kick for 2. Daniels sets Nigel up top and hits a palm strike and the Iconoclasm for 2. He hits a flatliner and puts on the Koji clutch. Nigel rolls over for 2. Daniels hits an uranage but the tent prevents him from hitting the triple jump moonsault. Nigel gets a pair of roll ups for 2. He hits a lariat for 2. Daniels hits a springboard back elbow but Nigel blocks the Arabian press. He drops him on the top rope and hits the Tower of London for the win. This was pretty much on par with their first match. It started and ended really well but was quite dull in between.
Rating: **¾
Samoa Joe is fond of Glory by Honor because he debuted at the first one and won all his matches at each one following. Joe doesn’t think Roderick Strong is going to do what so few others have done and pin Joe twice in a row. The camera “cuts” and a NOAH official introduces Joe to Takeshi Morishima. Joe shakes Marufuji’s hand but acts quite condescending.
JZ says: They start out slowly with some mat and chain wrestling, as a spontaneous “fuck green lantern” chant starts. They trade some pinning combinations for near-falls. Nigel goes to work on the arm and uses some painful looking holds. Daniels comes back and starts working on the neck. Nigel comes back with a flurry of offense. He hits a big lariat for two. A mule kick gets two. Daniels fights back and hits the Iconoclasm for two. Nigel tries the rebound clothesline but Daniels grabs an STO and puts on the Koji clutch. Nigel rolls it over for a near fall. They trade moves and near-falls again and the crowd is pretty into both guys. Daniels tries the Arabian press but he hits knees. Nigel then hits a modified Tower of London to get the pin at 16:44. The match was a bit on the dry side, but it was technically sound and never felt long. Also, it’s a good win for Nigel because he is challenging Naomichi Marufuji for the GHC Heavyweight Title tomorrow night in New York.
Rating: ***
Samoa Joe is here to talk about his past history with the Glory by Honor event, since he debuted at the first one and has appeared on all of them (against Low Ki in 2002, Christopher Daniels in 2003, Doug Williams in 2004, and a four-way with Adam Pearce, BJ Whitmer, and Ricky Reyes in 2005). He keeps it short and sweet for his opponent tonight, Roderick Strong. The camera happens to hang around to catch Joe meeting Morishima from Japan.
MATCH #5: Austin Aries vs. Davey Richards
BG says: Aries was supposed to wrestle Danielson for the title here but the champ’s injury caused him to pull off this show so that the heavily advertised match against KENTA could occur the following night. Aries’s title shot was postponed for 3 shows so ROH threw together this match, one that fans had been asking for since Richards’s debut. They trade holds on the mat to start. Aries kicks the arm as Jimmy Bower acts classy and apologizes for the conditions of the show and the weather, two things he would probably have a hard time controlling. Richards puts on the head scissors and avoids the subsequent dropkick so Aries kicks his chest. Richards kicks Aries back but Aries hits a springboard back elbow. He misses the slingshot senton and Richards hits a back elbow. He kicks the chest for 2 and puts Aries in a chinlock. He hits a knee to the gut for 2. He hits a backbreaker and puts on the body scissors. Aries blocks the handspring kick with a dropkick to the back of the head for 2. He kicks the back for 2. He hits a side slam for 2. He hits a stunner over the top rope and nails the slingshot senton. He hits an elbowdrop for 2. He puts on a Mutalock but Richards gets to the ropes. They clothesline each other down after a sequence that might have looked great if either guy had any steam at all behind them. Aries hits a forearm shot for 2. Richards hits a boot to the face so Aries dropkicks his knee. Richards hits the handspring kick which seems silly considering Aries proved he already knew the setup for the move and he had plenty of time to get out of the way. Richards hangs Aries on the top rope and then dropkicks him to the floor. He follows him out with a suicide dive. Back in the ring Richards unloads with kicks. Aries grabs his leg and hits a shinbreaker. He hits a back suplex and the corner dropkick for 2. He gets a roll up for 2. Richards hits a gutbuster and a sit out powerbomb for 2. He puts on the Stretch Muffler but Aries gets to the ropes. Aries avoids the German suplex and kicks Richards in the face before hitting a brainbuster for 2. He hits another kick to the face and another brainbuster for the win. The weather distracted the crowd and since both of these wrestlers work better when the crowd is behind them the match’s flow suffered some. I did like how they reversed each other’s moves when they heard the move called out and that Richards tried to go after Aries’s ribs (why bother with the Stretch Muffler?), but those things didn’t help the rest of the match keep my mind from wandering.
Rating: **½
JZ says: Aries was originally going to challenge Bryan Danielson for the ROH World Title here, but Danielson’s injury pushed the match back a few weeks. Aries is one half of the tag team champions still, and also has his ribs taped up. They wrestle on the mat to start and try to establish dominance. Jimmy Bower appears once again to talk about how it’s raining outside now. They get into a dick measuring contest (kicking each other actually, but you know what I mean), and Aries cuts that off with a nice headlock. Richards comes back with kicks and puts on a chinlock. Aries comes back and goes on offense for a few minutes, including a sort of Muta Lock variation. I’m kind of losing interest here, and the crowd is kinda in and out of it. Richards goes for the DR Driver (gee where did he get that name?) but it’s blocked. He throws Aries to the outside and hits a dive onto the grass. They get back in the ring and do stuff to each other. Aries eventually comes back and hits 2/3 of the Samoa Joe Killer Combo for a near fall. A few minutes later another brainbuster gets the fall at 17:07. That was just a big bowl of nothing special.
Rating: **½
INTERMISSION
BG says: The Scoopster catches up with Lacey, Cabana & Jacobs to ask them what the relationship will be amongst the three of them. Lacey berates Jacobs for his performance and Cabana humorously reinforces her. After the camera “cuts” Lacey asks Cabana what he wants to do with her later. Cabana describes an economic date and leads a happy Lacey and a depressed Jacobs away.
JZ says: GMC is with Lacey, Colt Cabana, and Jimmy Jacobs. He wants to know exactly what’s going on. Lacey wants Cabana to get wins for Lacey’s Angels. Colt just wants ass. Lacey lectures Jacobs, who looks sad when Lacey yells at him, and gets mad when Cabana chimes in. After the “cameras stop rolling,” Cabana says he’s going to take Lacey to Steak & Shake and back to his motel room. Jacobs is not happy with that.
MATCH #6: Delirious vs. Shane Hagadorn
BG says: Delirious wins a test of strength to start and then puts on an armbar. He trips Hagadorn up repeatedly and puts on a wristlock. He hits a leaping clothesline but Hagadorn blocks a blind charge and then comes off the bottom rope with a double axe handle for 2. He goes to the eyes but Delirious comes back with the Panic Attack. Hagadorn runs his eyes over the top rope and hits a side Russian legsweep for 2. He puts on a crossface but Delirious gets to the ropes. Delirious comes back with a backbreaker into the cobra stretch for the win. Hagadorn looked solid during his one minute of offense. Oddly enough the crowd was more into this squash than they were the last match.
Rating: *¼
JZ says: Delirious does his usual to tart the match. When they get in the ring the masked man continues to dominate. Every time Hagadorn tries something Delirious has an answer. The top of the class trophy holder is finally able to cheat his way to an advantage. He hits the Panic Attack and goes for a cobra clutch. Hagadorn blocks it and cheats some more. He puts on a crossface but Delirious reaches the ropes. A minute later he hits the cobra clutch backbreaker and locks on the cobra stretch to get the win at 6:22. It was pretty pedestrian, but it really wasn’t designed to be much more than that.
Rating: *½
FIP DVDs are available at ROHWrestling.com.
MATCH #7: Samoa Joe vs. Roderick Strong
BG says: Strong pinned Joe on Epic Encounter II in a tag title match and Joe wanted a chance to avenge the loss. They trade wristlocks until Strong puts Joe down with a hammerlock. He rolls Joe over for 1. Joe hits the STJoe out of nowhere. He puts on a headlock and gets a single leg takedown before showering the elbows down. Strong hits a few big chops and a side slam. He hits a butterfly suplex for 1. Joe dodges a dropkick and then grabs Strong out of midair to toss him to the mat. He kicks Strong around the ring and hits the Big Joe Combo for 2. He puts on a chinlock but Strong fights out and hits a side suplex. He hits a back heel kick and a crossbody. He hits a clothesline and an enziguiri. He hits a falcon arrow for 2. They don’t call him Strong for nothing. Joe hits the STJoe again and an enziguiri in the corner. He washes Strong’s face for 2. He goes after Strong’s neck and shrugs off the half nelson backbreaker. He blocks the uranage backbreaker and slaps Strong down for 2. They trade forearms and Strong hits a capture backbreaker for 2. He hits a clothesline in the corner and a leg lariat for 2. He hits a dropkick and Joe falls to the floor. Strong follows it out with a dive that I’ve seen Joe do in Zero-One. Back in the ring he gets 2. Joe tosses him into the air and then hits a powerbomb for 2. He puts on the STF and then switches to the crossface. Strong gets to the ropes. He blocks a blind charge but runs into a powerslam. It gets 2 for Joe. Strong hits the half nelson backbreaker for 2. He sets Joe up top and hits a superplex for 2. He ducks a dropkick and puts on an ugly version of the Strong Hold. He hits the gutbuster but Joe comes back with a legsweep. Joe sets Strong up top but Strong fights him off and comes down with the Sick Kick. He hits a butterfly suplex for 2 when he can’t get Joe up for the tiger driver. He sets Joe up top but Joe fights back and brings Strong down with a DVD for the win. This was just barely edging out their first FIP match in terms of the quality of brutality until that finish put it over the top. Prazak wants to see a rematch and I can’t agree more. Maybe next time in an actual building.
Rating: ***¾
JZ says: They start off slowly with some mat work. This match came about when Strong and Aries successfully defended the World Tag Team Titles against Joe & BJ Whitmer when Strong was able to pin Joe cleanly. Strong is able to convincingly go on offense and is able to deliver backbreakers and suplexes. Joe comes back by avoiding a dropkick and hitting a flapjack. Joe dominates for a few minutes and Strong tries to come back but Joe cuts him off. Joe delivers a couple of face washes in the corner. Strong keeps trying to come back and Joe keeps cutting him off. Strong is finally able to make a comeback with some kicks and a backbreaker. He then knocks Joe to the outside of the ring and hits a dive onto the grass. Back in the ring and Joe goes back on offense, hitting some of his signature stuff. Joe hits the Steiner Killer (snap powerslam) but it only gets two on Strong. He comes back and hits an impressive half nelson backbreaker. A superplex follows. Strong is then able to lock on the Strong Hold, but he can’t keep it on. He follows it up with the gutbuster and goes for something but Joe sweeps the legs out. Joe goes for the Muscle Buster but it gets blocked and Strong hits a big boot off the ropes and goes for the Gibson Driver and can’t quite hit it. That gets two. Strong then goes for a move off the top rope but Joe counters it to a Death Valley Driver from up there and that WILL finish the match at 19:14. That was a really fun and hard hitting match between two of the best going today. Give them a little feud or a title involved and they could put on something pretty awesome I think.
Rating: ***¾
MATCH #8: KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe
BG says: The Briscoes had been feuding with Strong & Aries over the tag titles for most of the year. After his match with KENTA at Throwdown the Briscoes attacked Strong. KENTA made the save and thus got himself on the Briscoes’ hit list. They attacked KENTA at Chi-Town Struggle and then beat him and Davey Richards at Time to Man Up. Marufuji wasn’t able to beat Bryan Danielson for the ROH World Championship last year, but I’d still say that the GHC Heavyweight Champion is a stronger partner than Richards. Marufuji shakes the Briscoes’ hands but KENTA is just too hurt to be a good sport. Marufuji and Mark start. They lock up and Mark powers Marufuji to the corner. He hits a suplex and puts on a wristlock. He grabs a leglock and tags to Jay. Marufuji flips around and puts on a wristlock. KENTA tags in and hits a back elbow for 2. He kicks the chest and puts on a front facelock. Mark tags in and hits a vertical suplex for 2. KENTA hits a forearm in the corner and tags to Marufuji. Marufuji stapes on Mark’s face in the corner but Mark comes back with chops. Jay tags in and hits a dropkick. Mark tags in and hits a second rope kneedrop for 2. He hits a bodyslam and an elbowdrop for 2. Jay tags in but Marufuji fights him off and tags to KENTA. KENTA slaps Jay hard across the face and puts on the MNS. Jay gets to the ropes. KENTA hits a butterfly suplex for 2. Mark tags in and hits a crossbody for 2. He puts on a chinlock and tags to Jay. The Briscoes hit a big double hiptoss. Mark tags in and hits a crossbody for 2. He blocks a blind charge but runs into a powerslam. Marufuji tags in and hits a jumping back elbow for 2. He puts on a Mutalock and then floats into the Bow and Arrow. Jay breaks it up. Mark hits a forearm and tags to Jay. Jay hits a hurricanrana and aback elbow for 2. He puts on the stretch plum but KENTA breaks it up. Mark tags in and gets 2 after Jay hits a knee to the back. Jay tags in and the Briscoes hit the double shoulder tackle for 2. Marufuji comes back with a dropkick and tags to KENTA. KENTA kicks the back for 2. He hits an elbowdrop and the afterthought kick. He hits a neckbreaker for 2. Marufuji tags in and hits a slingshot elbowdrop for 2. He puts on a cobra clutch and pins Jay for 2. Mark breaks up the hold. Jay and Marufuji trade forearms and clothesline each other down. Mark and KENTA tag in and KENTA ducks a crossbody. Mark hits a northern lights suplex for 2. He hits a leg lariat on Marufuji but KENTA catches him with a kick to the back. He comes back with a boot to the back of KENTA’s head and hits a slingshot double stomp. He hits a side suplex and powerbombs KENTA into a neckbreaker for 2. Jay tags in but KENTA fights them off with a double springboard dropkick. Marufuji tags in and dropkicks the knee. He hits a clothesline for 2. Mark tags in and hits a springboard Hart Attack leg lariat for 2. Marufuji clotheslines Mark down and tags out. KENTA hits a boot to the face and a fisherman suplex for 2. Jay rams Marufuji into the barricade and then runs in to hit KENTA with a DVD. Marufuji hits him with a superkick and Shiranui. Mark dropkicks Marufuji down but KENTA catches him with the Busaiku knee kick. KENTA hits a nasty tiger suplex on Jay. Mark gets sandwiched between kicks from the NOAH team, getting 2 for KENTA when Jay saves. Mark hits KENTA with a boot to the face but KENTA comes back with the Busaiku knee kick and a spot on Go 2 Sleep for the win. This didn’t really pick up until the last ¼ of the match but man oh man did it ever pick up then. Muhammad Yone, Takashi Suguira and Takeshi Morishima celebrate with their countrymen after the match.
Rating: ***¾
JZ says: Seriously, Jay and Mark Briscoe are two bad dudes. Marufuji won the GHC Heavyweight Title less than a week ago from Jun Akiyama. He will make his first defense of that title tomorrow night against Nigel McGuinness. Everyone gets some moves in at the beginning, but then the Briscoes take over on KENTA. Mark then falls into the wrong corner and Marufuji is tagged in and he steps all over Mark’s face and throat. It’s not long before the Briscoes take over on the GHC Champion. KENTA is able to get the hot tag and he goes to work and has the crowd behind him. The Japanese contingent then goes to work on Jay. It all breaks down and everyone is hitting moves on everyone. Order is briefly restored, then its back to everyone hitting moves on everyone, this time even faster. KENTA and Marufuji get Mark alone in the ring and double team him, hitting Poetry in Motion and simultaneous kicks to the head. Jay makes the save. KENTA then hits the Go 2 Sleep to get the win at 20:25. That was a really good tag team match and kept everybody strong going in to their respective matches tomorrow night in New York.
Rating: ****
EXTRAS
The Victory of Love
BG says: You also get to see the Victory of Love music video by Jimmy Jacobs on this DVD. Personally I’d have had this open the DVD, but I guess it works as an extra. It’s almost as funny as The Ballad of Lacey overall, but has the funniest moment of the two when Jacobs jumps into a lake to avoid a gaggle of giggling girls. Jacobs overreacts in his pre-music video speech, because unless Lacey and Cabana can get dressed faster than any other two people in the world or Jacobs considers making out the same thing as having sex.
JZ says: Jimmy Jacobs cuts an awesome promo here about wrestling injuries, and how wrestling with a broken heart was the hardest one of all. He then mentions the sex Lacey and Colt Cabana had, and his delivery on the word “sex” is pretty funny. He goes on to talk about the power of love, which leads to his new song, “The Victory of Love.” It’s a very different sounding song than “The Ballad of Lacey,” but the video is as funny, if not funnier. See if you can spot the Turkey in this video. If you can I’ll give you something cool.
VS.
Sara Del Ray VS. Rain
BG says: Del Ray is undefeated at this point in SHIMMER at 2-0-1. She grabs a headlock to start but Rain reverses to the head scissors. Del Ray comes back with a hammerlock and then switches to a wristlock. Rain tries to attack the arm but Del Ray keeps her on the mat. They knuckle up and Del Ray goes back to the arm. She reverses a wristlock to a stranglehold. Some of the crowd chants for the heel Rain and Del Ray gets distracted. She puts on the head scissors but Rain slugs out. Del Ray climbs the ropes but Rain pulls her down by her foot for 2. She dropkicks Del Ray in the ropes for 2. Del Ray dodges a blind charge and climbs the ropes. Rain again catches her and slams her down for 2. She hits a seated dropkick for 2. She hits a double knee strike in the corner for 2. She climbs the ropes and chokes Del Ray but Del Ray comes back with a northern lights suplex for 2. Rain puts on a sleeper hold and hits a backbreaker for 2. They clothesline each other down and then trade slaps. Del Ray boots Rain in the face and then in the gut. She hits a gutwrench suplex for 2. Rain blocks a blind charge and hits a spinning lung blower for 2. Del Ray counters the Rain Drop to a German suplex for 2. She puts on a standing butterfly lock and then suplexes Rain down for the win at 14:06. The work was tighter in this than it is in most SHIMMER matches and aside from Rain’s unconvincing strikes this was pretty enjoyable.
Rating: **½
JZ says: Since she’s a student of Bryan Danielson’s, she also gets to use “The Final Countdown” as her entrance music. I say they both stole it from GOB. They start out mat wrestling of course, as Dave Prazak and Allison Danger spend time talking about Rebecca Knox. I’m not familiar with Shimmer storylines at this point, but I assume she and Allison are feuding. Del Ray appears to be the more talented grappler of the two, but Rain is a good heel in the Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew, a great tag team name if there ever was one. Del Ray dominates for the first few minutes until Rain is able to take control and work on the back. Rain uses some dirty tactics to maintain control. Del Ray tries to fight back but gets cut off a few times. Del Ray unloads with some kicks and a gut wrench suplex that gets two. Rain hits a nice lung blower that only gets two. Rain goes for the Rain Drop but it gets reversed to a nasty looking German Suplex for two. Del Ray puts on the Butterfly Lock, and when Rain won’t tap she turns it into a powerslam to get the win at 14:06. That was a pretty solid match and a good showcase for Shimmer.
Rating: **¾
BG says: The Heartbreak Express had already wasted their title rematch at Chasing the Dragon by getting disqualified, but in doing so they pissed Black Market off enough to coax them into this match. Phil and Sean attack Murphy and Machete on their way into the ring. They try to throw powder in their eyes but only end up hitting each other. Machete hits a clothesline on Sean and Murphy punts Phil onto the top rope. They all fight to the floor where Murphy throws a chair at Sean. Sean tries to come back with chair shots but Machete stops him with a chair shot of his own. Machete rams Phil’s head against the wall as Shawn beats Sean in a chair duel. Sean hits a low blow and tosses a trashcan at Murphy. Phil tries to suffocate Machete with a plastic bag but he fights it off and goes after So Cal Val. Phil attacks him from behind and gets hiptossed onto a table. Machete hits Phil with a pizza box as Murphy throws a chair at Sean’s head back in the ring. Sean bleeds a little as Machete unloads on him and Phil with a tiki torch. Murphy puts a chair on Phil and hits it with a golf club. Sean attacks Black Market with the torch and rakes a cheese grater over Murphy’s forehead. I accidentally cut my finger open while grating a lemon, believe me it sucks. Phil accidentally hits Sean with an oven tray. Murphy hits Phil with a Manhattan drop and a facebuster on a chair for 2. Sean hits an avalanche and a splash on Murphy for 2. He climbs to the second rope but Murphy and Machete cut him off and bring him down with a double hiptoss for the win at 11:08. This was like one of those Carnage Crew brawls; mindless and void of drama.
Rating: **
JZ says: Black Market have been champions since 5.27.06, and this is their second defense. They won the belts from the HBX, and their first defense was also against them. It hasn’t been the most diverse reign thus far. Black Market attacks right away and it’s just brawling. It moves to the floor in little time, where chairs come in to play. There’s so much action now that we get a brief picture-in-picture! There it is again! They remain outside the ring, and Machete chases So Cal Val for a little while. They finally get back in the ring and Black Market introduces weapons to the fray. The HBX gains control by using a kendo stick, then they follow that up with a cheese grater. Sean Davis works over Shawn Murphy and heads up to the second rope but Joey Machete breaks it up. Black Market then double slams Sean off the ropes to get the win and retain the titles at 11:10. That was a whole lot of nothing much.
Rating: *½
MVP
BG says: Mark Briscoe. I really enjoyed everything he did in the main event. He impressed me more than anyone else on this DVD.
JZ says: I’ll go with Mark Briscoe as well.
You can pick up this show, as well as all other ROH shows at ROH Wrestling Dot Com.
Coming soon will be our review of GLORY BY HONOR V NIGHT 2!
The 411: BG says: I’m a bit disappointed with some of the matches on this show. Aries/Richards and Nigel/Daniels are both less than they probably could be. The final two matches are very good but I get the feeling everything on the show would have been better had the show occurred in a building with walls and a ceiling. The show is very short but ROH makes up for it by giving you a taste of SHIMMER and FIP. The SHIMMER match is more representative of the company than the FIP match is. I’d have put Shingo vs. Homicide from the same FIP show on here instead, as it’s a better match and is about the same length. Anyway, if rumors are to be believed then Night 2 of Glory by Honor V blows this out of the water, so aside from KENTA finally putting the Briscoes down there isn’t much to go out of your way for here.
JZ says: The last two matches make this one an easy recommendation, but overall the show felt like a placeholder leading into the next night’s bigger show. It felt a little weird being in a tent, but that’s really no one’s fault and I think it’s cool that they were able to keep it together and put on a show. The bonus matches are a nice inclusion, but they could have picked a better one from FIP. |
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| Final Score: 7.0 [ Good ] legend |
