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Views from the Hawke’s Nest: CM Punk – Icon – Disc 1

May 12, 2015 | Posted by TJ Hawke
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Views from the Hawke’s Nest: CM Punk – Icon – Disc 1  

 

Reborn: Completion
Elizabeth, New Jersey
July 17, 2004

CM Punk and Ricky Steamboat were slugging it out. Steamboat managed to get the better of him and then cut a promo. Generation Next ran in. Steamboat, ever-so briefly, got the best of them, but they thankfully beat him down. Punk teased joining them, but he turned face. Punk and Steamboat sent them packing. This was an effective means of turning Punk babyface. It’s a shame Punk and Ricky never ended up having a match though.

 

Death Before Dishonor
Chicago Ridge, Illinois
July 23, 2004

The Second City Saints (CM Punk & Colt Cabana)(c) vs. The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe) [ROH World Tag Team Championships]

I remember the infamous storyline of the Briscoes being great at 2/3 falls matches. I don’t think they lost a fall in a 2/3 falls match until late 2007. (Note: Lol, did it start after this match?)

The teams took their time. Mark eventually got cut off and worked over for a while. The Briscoes came back and isolated Punk. They proceeded to work him over. Colt made a hot tag, but Jay somehow hit Punk with a Jay Driller: 1…2…3

The Briscoes: 1
The Second City Saints: 0

Colt was basically on his own to start the second fall. He actually had a fair amount of success early on until finally getting cut off. Hey, Colt managed to catch Jay with a pinning combo to win the second fall!

The Briscoes: 1
The Second City Saints: 1

The Briscoes went right back to working over Colt. Punk *finally* recovered to help out. Colt escaped the beatdown shortly after that, and Punk made a hot tag. The teams went back and forth. Mark hit a SSP to the floor. Colt followed it up with an Asai Moonsault. They went back to battling in the ring. Colt survived the Cutthroat Driver. Pepsi Plunge to Mark: 1…2…3!!!

The Briscoes: 1
The Second City Saints: 2

Pretty blown away by this one. The Briscoes looked like tag team masters as they systematically destroyed Punk during the first fall and Cabana during the second fall. The Saints looked very valiant for surviving that onslaught and managing to fight back in a valiant way. Despite the Saints winning, the Briscoes managed to look like an even better team in defeat (but without taking away from the Saints). On top of all that, Colt picking up the second fall with a pinning combo to continue  his “master of the pinning combo” story to set up his title match with Joe the next night was brilliant. One of the best booked AND worked ROH matches of all time.

Match Rating: ****3/4

 

Death Before Dishonor
Chicago Ridge, Illinois
July 24, 2004

The Second City Saints (CM Punk & Ace Steel) vs. Dan Maff & BJ Whitmer [Unsanctioned Chicago Street Fight]

It was a brawl, obviously. Whitmer and Maff got control first. Punk and Steel quickly got busted open. The Saints fought back. There was plenty of plunder involved by this point. BJ was bleeding a gusher. Maff and Whitmer got the advantage again. Punk metaphorically ate some barbed wire twice. Maff got sent into the barbed wire next. They traded unprotected chairshots like NJPW guys trade forearms. You know, in that “I’m tough, and I’m going to let you do it” way. Stupidity. There was a chair riot shortly after that. It looks cool, but I genuinely feel bad for the referee in that situation. Maff and Punk were dropping each other on their heads in the sea of chairs. They then bridged a ladder between the guardrails. Punk did a dive onto Maff. Steel eventually finished BJ with a diving tombstone through a table (and onto the sea of chairs) in the ring.

I’m underrating this one a bit, but that is just my bias against some of the performers and the nature of the match. It’s hard for me to get invested in a blood/plunder feud-blowoff brawl when I don’t have any investment in the feud and little investment in most of the performers. Everything was laid out really well though and got the appropriate reactions you would want. Great effort from all four men for sure.

Match Rating: ***3/4

 

Testing The Limit
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
August 7, 2004

The Second City Saints(c) (CM Punk & Colt Cabana) vs. The Havana Pitbulls (Rocky Romero & Ricky Reyes) (w/ Julius Smokes) [ROH World Tag Team Championships]

Reyes and Romero are two guys I never need to see work. I don’t want them to lose work mind you. I just don’t want them to see them do it.

It looked like the Pitbulls would cut Punk off early, but the Saints cut off Romero. Punk ended up being cut off and then got worked over for a while. Colt made a flat-ish hot tag. The match broke down. There was a ref bump. Rocky eventually caught Colt in a small package to pick up the win.

Flat. Disjointed. No flow. These are just some of the words and phrases that sprung to mind while watching this one. It was not bad, but it was not good. It certainly was a weak way to do a title switch.

Match Rating: **1/2

 

Weekend of Thunder
Revere, Massachusetts
November 5, 2004

CM Punk vs. Austin Aries

Six months later, these two would have one of the best ROH matches ever. I’ve never heard anyone accuse this match of being of a similar quality!

They went back and forth for a while. Punk got control for a somewhat lengthy period. He hit a tope suicida. Like a fool, Punk went for a Wizard on the floor but crashed into a ringpost. Aries then targeted the injured right knee. Punk was busted open by the time he started to fight back. Aries came back and applied the single-leg crab on the injured leg. Punk survived the renewed onslaught on the injured knee. He hit the Pepsi Plunge, but it did serious damage to the knee. Aries came back back with the shinbreaker. 450 ON THE INJURED KNEE! Single-leg! Punk tapped out!

I really dug the in-ring story of this one even if it didn’t get the reaction they deserved. Punk injuring the knee once and then again through his own arrogance/recklessness was cool, and Aries consistently going after it was well-done. This was good.

Match Rating: ***1/2

 

Weekend of Thunder
Elizabeth, New Jersey
November 6, 2004

The Second City Saints (CM Punk & Ace Steel) vs. Generation Next (Austin Aries & Roderick Strong) [No Disqualification]

It was a wild brawl. Jack Evans showed up with a ladder to help Gen Next, but Punk took him (and the ladder) out with a pescado. Jack Evans recovered though, and Gen Next eventually got control of the match anyway after playing the numbers game. They went after Punk’s right leg, which Aries injured the night before in their singles match. This match just did not have the energy needed for the type of match it was. Punk and Steel were starting to build some momentum. Just as I typed that, Punk was placed on a table on the floor. Evans climbed a ladder in the ring and did a 450 from the ladder onto Punk. The table did not break. Aries went to elbow drop Punk through the table, but Punk avoided it. Jack and Roddy went to give Punk a Doomsday, but Punk reversed it into a powerslam on Evans on the ladder. Aries recovered and missed a 450. Ace put Evans through a table. Roddy was given an implant DDT on a chair and then a sloppy Pepsi Plunge onto a bridged ladder: 1…2…3.

The effort was there, but this was a very clunky match with little in the way of a natural rhythm that *most* wrestling matches benefit from.

Match Rating: **1/4

 

Anniversary Celebration
Elizabeth, New Jersey
February 19, 2005

CM Punk vs. Spanky

Note: I incorrectly wrote several times that this match took place in Chicago. It in fact took place in New Jersey. This explains why the crowd sucks. I leave mistakes in the writeup so that you can all laugh at me.

I’ve seen this match a number of times, but I’ve never reviewed it. As I recall, I’ve never been all that enamored with it. I’m not the biggest Spanky fan in the world to be perfectly honest except for the Londrick tag team run in the WWE.

Punk was in control early on. The match was rather boring. At one point, Punk went for a springboard, but Spanky kicked out the ropes and Punk crashed. Spanky then went after Punk’s newly injured leg. Punk came back with a reverse superplex. Despite taking place in CHICAGO, the crowd gives zero fucks about this match. Spanky came back. He went for a frog splash, but Punk blocked it with knees. That reinjured Punk’s injured knee. Spanky got a nearfall with a superkick. Punk hit a modified Angel’s Wings. Spanky got the Sliced Bread #2 out of nowhere off the ropes: 1…2…3

This match is underwhelming. They worked a super serial match, and the crowd gave zero shits. Technically, it was a very proficient professional wrestling bout. Emotionally, there was nothing to invest in here. The Chicago crowd was not ready to cheer for Punk again.

Match Rating: **1/2

Watch this match here.

 

Anniversary Celebration
Dayton, Ohio
February 25, 2005

CM Punk vs. Alex Shelley

They took their time to get going. Punk went after Shelley’s left arm. Shelley finally cut him off by reversing a crossbody into a gutbuster. Shelley worked him over for a while. He targeted the midsection. Punk came back after catching him with a superkick. Shelley managed to cut him off again. He hit a pair of frog splashes and then applied the Border City Stretch. Punk survived that and then made his comeback. Shelley came back with a double stomp and then the Border City Stretch again, but Punk reversed it into the Anaconda Vice! Shelley tapped out!

This was a good match. Shelley had a clear strategy that he executed well, and Punk sold for him on a level that made Shelley look strong in defeat.

Match Rating: ***1/4

 

Anniversary Celebration
Chicago Ridge, Illinois
February 26, 2005

CM Punk (w/ Traci Brooks) vs. Jimmy Rave (w/ Prince Nana & Eddie Vegas)

Punk ran through him for a while. Rave needed to kick him in the balls to get the advantage. Rave then worked Punk over for a while. He used a shoelace to choke Punk. Punk managed to hit the Shining Wizard, and he then made the comeback. He applied a sleeper. Traci Brooks jumped up on the apron when she saw Rave pull out the shoelace. That distracted the ref, and Rave was able to choke Punk again. Punk passed out, and Rave picked up the win.

Rave did the old trick of hiding the shoelace in his armpit. When his hand was raised, the ref saw the shoelace. He kicked Nana and Eddie back to the floor and restarted the match!

Punk made a huge comeback right away. He hit a dive on Eddie and Rave. Rave came back with a Ghanarhea. Rave went for the Pepsi Plunge, but Punk avoided it and applied the Vice. Nana gave Rave the air freshener spray to use on Punk: 1…2…3!

Rave vs. Punk had such a great dynamic in ROH, as the crowd was pretty much into everything they did in every match. They were a bit colder here than I remembered, but the match laid the groundwork for what would become an excellent/blood feud.

Match Rating: ***

Watch this match here.

 

Watch CM Punk matches for free!

CM Punk vs. Eddy Guerrero vs. Rey Misterio, Jr.

CM Punk vs. Masato Tanaka

CM Punk vs. Chris Hero (TLC match – 50+ minutes long!)

CM Punk vs. Chris Hero (Over NINETY minutes long)

CM Punk vs. John Cena

CM Punk vs. AJ Styles

CM Punk vs. The Undertaker

CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho

CM Punk vs. Colt Cabana

CM Punk vs. Chris Hero

CM Punk vs. Sheamus

CM Punk vs. Batista

CM Punk vs. Spanky

CM Punk vs. Chris Candido vs. Tracy Smothers

CM Punk, Matt Sydal, Ace Steel, & Danny Daniels vs. Chris Candido, Nigel McGuinness, Claudio Castagnoli, & Steve Stone

CM Punk vs. Homicide

CM Punk vs. Jimmy Rave

CM Punk vs. Justin Credible

CM Punk vs. Elijah Burke

CM Punk vs. Ace Steel

CM Punk in a Wargames Match

CM Punk & Legacy vs. The Undertaker, John Cena, & DX

CM Punk vs. Sheamus vs. Randy Orton vs. The Big Show

CM Punk & Dolph Ziggler vs. John Cena & Ryback

CM Punk, Luke Gallows, & Joseph Mercury vs. The Big Show

7.5
The final score: review Good
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TJ Hawke