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The Cynical DVD View
ROH: Rising Above
By Michael CampbellOn with the show!
-The disc opens with Hangman Three members Brent Albright and Adam Pearce in the ring. Dave Prazak and Lenny Leonard introduce the show.
Brent Albright vs. Delirious
Good opening match. Typical Delirious stuff, as he runs in, and attacks the Hangman 3, furiously gaining the advantage until he is caught in a wicked power slam. From here, it’s largely a display of Albright’s power-game, as he slams his smaller opponent around the squared circle. Albright misses a typically flimsy big-man splash off the top, that earns Delirious some hope, which he capitalizes on with a Shadows Over Hell splash. Both men apply there submission finishers, in a neat series, before Delirious takes the roll-up win.
After the match, The Hangman Three run in, but are closely followed by Kevin Steen and El Generico.
Jack Evans & Ruckus vs. BJ Whitmer & Adam Pearce vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico
Absolutely furious impromptu match up that kicks off with a couple of zany dives to the outside, and barely lets up at any point. The Age of the Fall and Vulture Squad members both look extremely impressive during this bout, especially Evans and Ruckus, whose strengths stand out ridiculously, but it’s the sort of bout that completely hides their falls. Arguably Steen is the most over guy here, and he enjoys a fine spot that see’s him perform a double-Samoan Drop. I can’t get used to Prazak and Lenny Leonard’s commentary on these PPV’s however, as they just aren’t as natural as their great work on the regular ROH releases. At points, there’s blatant JR styled yells of “That’s it!â€, that give away a false finish. It’s just oversimplified when it comes to ROH’s unpredictable brand of action. Towards the end, there’s a fantastic, flowing sequence that see’s Evans hit the 630 on Whitmer, but immediately be caught in a Steen package piledriver attempt, that is spoiled by an awesome Spear by Jimmy Jacobs. Steen and Generico pick up the victory following their Package Piledriver/Brainbuster combo, to a positive reception from the hot crowd.
-The Briscoes cut a reasonable promo where they rebut their challengers with the notion that they aren’t afraid of anyone, because they spend their spare time going to the “sleaziest of barsâ€, “drinking everyone under the tableâ€, and then starting fights “for the hell of itâ€. Hmm, interesting…
Lacey vs. Daizee Haze vs. Sara Del Rey
This is another speedy encounter. Cleverly worked too, and impressively putting over the athleticism of Haze. She hits a few impressive maneuvers, while Lacey obviously commands the majority of the heat. The camera cuts to Tammy Sytch watching from ringside. Del Rey and Lacey decide to work together, but it lasts only seconds before Sara decimates Lacey with a sick Big Boot. Death Rey’s much better as this sort of Pseudo-heel. In an absolutely crazy spot, Haze locks an Octopus-type stretch on Sara, while applying an arm-lock on Lacey, who is also trapped in a… never mind. It’s a twister scenario that really needs to be seen. Lacey endures a fair deal of punishment actually, which is sometimes comical, though borders on garnering her sympathy. Watch out for an accidental Haze head-butt to her lady-parts in particular. Haze picks up the win with a swell Mind trip on Lacey.
Hugely impressive three-way ladies match this one. They worked incredibly hard, and despite Tammy’s false facials at ringside, I’m sure she was seriously impressed. All three played their roles well, and the booking really enabled them to all retain their momentum. Haze continues to be the one picking up wins, whilst Sara remains ambiguous but comes across as dominant, as she wasn’t actually beat here. Great match.
-Highlights are shown of Erick Stevens being taking out by the No Remorse Corps, who injured the big lad’s arm.
Erick Stevens vs. Davey Richards
This is a hard-hitting affair. They stiff each other with some vicious strikes from the outset, and Richards sells Stevens’ chops magnificently. Stevens has come a long way indeed within a year in the company. Steven’s revenge fuelled power dominates early, until Richards, with his Dynamite Kid haircut, throws him with a Dragon Screw, then pulls together a few hard strikes. Good action, as these two have more chemistry than one may expect. Richards has a nice moment where he charges at Stevens, then slows down, to gently slap him across the ‘nards. Nice! At this time, we’re alerted to a commotion in the crowd, which turns out to be Daniel Puder making his way to a seat! The former Resilience member makes a subdued comeback, but in the midst of this, is distracted by Puder.
Eventually, he’s able to start really delivering the goods with the big moves, but his attention still isn’t entirely focused. Richards hit’s a huge Sunset Bomb off the top, followed by a nasty kick, before locking in the Kimura. Great sequence. Richards always delivers these moments with sheer believability, following this shortly after with a disgusting kick to the face. I’m stunned Stevens doesn’t have the visage of a soggy, lumpy Big Mac following that one. Richards capitalizes on Stevens again being distracted, and applies the arm submission again for the tap out win.
Good, storyline fuelled match, with some really hard-hitting action. Richards has become completely invaluable over the past few months, with a really grand run of superior heel performances. Stevens meanwhile, looked brave and competitive in defeat, but also a dumbass for stopping so often look at Puder's bleached bap.
-Puder receives “you can’t wrestle chantsâ€. Stevens grabs a microphone and runs down Puder for being disrespectful. Good way to introduce him without the wrestlers looking stupid and having to pretend they didn’t know he would be there (fans knew in advance). Instead, Steven’s is aghast at the timing of his entrance. He offers Puder a fight there and then, but Larry Sweeney slides in, delivers a promo that is a million times better than Puder and Stevens on the stick combined, and leads Puder backstage, where he seems likely to join Sweet ‘N’ Sour Inc. Pretty good segment.
Claudio runs in through the crowd, and while Puder is led backstage, chases Sweeney to the ring. Bobby Dempsey and Tank Toland enter the ring to beat down Castagnoli, but it fails, and he slaps both of them around. Chris Hero makes the save, and we have a match.
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chris Hero
Hero jumps him to start, which sets the stage for Hero’s usual showboating. There’s a lot of it, and despite Prazak’s utterance that “Everything about him is ridiculous†(which is true), that’s obviously what’s great about him. Additionally he takes one of the best bumps off a Back Body Drop that I’ve ever seen. Claudio can’t maintain any sort of control, but every so often Hero showboats a little too much. In a fine moment, Hero is bumped off the apron, and lands on Dempsey’s shoulders, which enables Claudio to hit a big Tope on his opponent. The “Survivor of the Fattestâ€, Bobby, ends up being slapped around by Tolanf for being so dumb. I’m not sure this is the best use of Claudio on PPV. He has plenty of opportunities to show what he can do in the ring, but otherwise, he runs the risk of coming across as just the guy that has feuded with Hero forever. These two run through all the moves you would expect, in a snappy, condensed version of their longer matches, before Claudio impressively lifts Hero out of a Cravat, and into the Riccolo Bomb for the three count.
Enjoyable, witty outing from both guys. I’m starting to worry that Claudio’s potentially marketable personality will never come across to casual fans the way he’s used on PPV, but at the very least, it’s led to some hugely entertaining bouts like this. Hero was stunning, and translates superbly to PPV.
-Backstage, the Briscoes are shown warming up, but the screen splits and The Age of the Fall appear from the basement, and cut a muddled promo that attacks the establishment. Hilariously, Necro Butcher calls the Briscoes “Damned dirty chicken farmersâ€. What does that make him? Oscar the Grouch’s Neanderthal hillbilly homeless uncle?
Takeshi Morishima vs. Bryan Danielson
This is hyped under the illusion that now Morishima has been pushed too far, and his intention is purely to destroy Dragon. He jumps Dragon as the ROH favorite enters the ring and brutalises him around the ringside area. After only a couple of minutes of non-legal ( the bell hasn’t rung because both men have not been in the ring) brawling, Dragon is bust open, badly. This is hot, incredible action, and real edge-of-your-frickin’-seat stuff.
Finally, they both enter the ring, and the match is able to commence properly. Morishima is devastating, despite his frankly, silly hairdo, and beats the crap out of Dragon. Danielson though, repeatedly attempts comebacks, throwing together thrilling combination, and furious strikes. Electrifying stuff, and really believable too. Dragon gains a little momentum, but is beheaded by a terrifying clothesline. He gets up out of a Backdrop Driver (which the crowd don’t really go crazy for, surprisingly), then kicks out of the ensuing Lariat. The two end up in a mounted position on the mat, and deliver a crazy series of shots to each others heads. Eventually Morishima gets frustrated, and like Danielson in their Man Up! Match, earns an intentional DQ when he uses repeated low-blows, and takes out the referee.
Afterwards, officials run in, to stop the madness, as Dragon acquires the hammer from the ring bell, and tries to scoop out the former champion’s eye ball. Lovely. Outstanding for what it was- an under ten-minute brawl/angle that achieved the rare goal of providing just enough alternative to a satisfying match. It was obvious at this point that they build-up was to a truly epic Fight Without Honor, and in that regard, the outcome of this makes perfect sense but this in itself was quite the spectacle. Short, and thrilling, this is another excellent chapter in the Morishima/Danielson feud.
-Complete with Psycho-thriller from the 80’s soundtrack, we see the Hangman 3 backstage, getting ready for a fight, whilst a split screen reveals the vulture squad look relaxed to the point of being bored. Random, useless segment.
Tag Team Title (2/3 Falls Match)
The Briscoe Brothers vs. Roderick Strong & Rocky Romero
Good back and forth action to start, with Mark Briscoe gaining the advantage over Romero in the early going, but all four trudging through a complete quagmire of compelling action. Jay looks especially on form throughout this, but as usual both Briscoes come across as aggressively minded pit-bulls. The NRC end up shooting for underhand techniques to gain control, which is only right, and well-timed, as the match was beginning to lack flow and lose direction. This heat period doesn’t last anywhere near long enough, as Jay Briscoe ends up on top, as both brothers dazzle with a couple of big dives to the outside. At this point, I’m starting to lose interest, as the Briscoes seem to be just ambling through cool spots, something they’re oft-criticised for. Prazak reminds me that it’s a 2/3 falls bout, which is just as well, as I’m starting to drift off. The NRC hit a few big moves though, and Strong finishes with a Gibson Driver, for the first fall. Really good sequence.
This isn’t how I would have booked the bout at all. However, with the NRC dominating, it’s definitely far more intriguing. Jay receives the beat down he should have endured ten minutes ago, which has the crowd rallying behind the Champions, before hitting a Falcon Arrow and tagging in Mark. Obviously, this is what the younger Briscoe excels at, as he flies around crazily. Mark gets the pin eventually with a Jack-knife reversal to another Gibson Driver (I hate it when they call it that).The match finally has a little heat as they stand off for the third fall, but again, I question the logic with which this one is booked.
After some pretty flat action, Mark hits an Ace-crusher while not the legal man, which leads to a cool near fall. The end is shortly thereafter, and completely bizarre, as The Briscoes combine to hit a Spike Jay Driller on Roderick, while Romero simply wanders about ringside. Huh? The camera even shows him ready to re-enter the ring prior to the finish being hit. Poorly executed finale.
This was hugely disappointing, and in my humble opinion, the worst Briscoe’s title defence in a long time. It just didn’t deliver what we’ve come to expect from these guys. That’s not a snotty “work-rate†criticism either. My problem isn’t that the high-spots weren’t more dangerous or thrilling, it’s that instead of replacing the dangerous stuff with a compelling story, they simply left both out. All four worked hard, but I got the impression that something wasn’t clicking, and they just gave up. Also a terrible way in which to drop a fall in a 2/3 falls match (the Briscoes had went unblemished in title defence 2/3 falls matches). I would personally have had the Briscoes take the first fall, having endured a sustained beat down, but using their superior tag experience to hit a home-run series of spots. Then in the second, the NRC would have attempted to even the score, as the match became more frenetic, but eventually having to resort to something underhand to do so, giving them the clear advantage in the brief third fall. I understand that how it was done, was probably intended to give the impression that the Champs may shockingly go down in two-straight falls, but if it was, the crowd weren’t buying it for a second, leaving the majority of the bout heatless.
-We see a random bunch of shots backstage of the different factions, followed by a shot of Aries and Nigel, all accompanied by a hard rock soundtrack. What a complete waste of time. The company should really think about how they project these backstage moments. It’s great that here they’re trying something different, but it doesn’t work. Your average fan would probably look at these clips as poorly edited, and cheap.
ROH World Title Match
Nigel McGuiness vs. Austin Aries
Aries enters first to a hugely positive reaction, whilst the champ comes out second (of course), to a more muted response. Dueling chants at the outset, which the two kick off with some slow, feeling out spots. Nice start, and a really hot crowd. Even from this point, Nigel isn’t playing to the crowd as a face, getting distracted, and jawing with his detractors. Sets up a really nice atmosphere, where he’s still a fan favorite, but falling out grace, a’la Bret Hart January-March 1997. Aries briefly gains control, and Nigel takes to the outside, but with his back to the ring, Aries dives out and squishes his face against the guardrail. Ouch that looked disgusting. Of course this is the incident that changes the complexion of the entire contest as Nigel is legitimately hurt. Seriously unlucky looking accident that one. Nicely, we’re treated to a rather savory close up of the ensuing facial injury, that resembles a somewhat unsettled looking ham sandwich. Yuck.
Nigel looks completely gone at this point, as the two return to the ring, and batter each other with violent shots, while Nigel struggles to stand. Aries works the arm a little, as they go through several minutes of really nice grappling, with Nigel dodging a couple of Aries’ trademark moves. Fast paced, but impeccably well-told stuff this, with endless excellent examples of counter wrestling. They include lots of the stuff I personally LOVE to see in wrestling, with subtle and intriguing variations on familiar spots. Nigel too, focuses on the arm, taking control of the bout, and really heeling it up substantially. They go back and forward brilliantly, with neither dominating for long, but each doing so in unique ways that completely underscore the fantastic mat wrestling on display.
Throughout the match, they do the best job I’ve yet seen of playing up to Nigel’s overuse of Lariats. Aries works the arm, which limits what the champ can do with it. But he is also aware of many of the spots from which Nigel can hit the move, and repeatedly, inventively avoids them. Not so when Nigel manages to pull one off from the top rope, that see’s the challenger spun into a 360 off the apron, and to the floor! Absolutely insane. The crowd explode at this point, as the superior grappling is mixed up with some brutal brawling. These two have the crowd whipped into a sort of frenzy as they realise that literally anything can happen here.
Back in the ring, Aries almost nails a 450, but tastes some knee-to-face action, which I’m sure was groovy, then falls victim to a submission hold, before locking on his own Horns of Aries! Nigel escapes, as the action somehow strikes a new high, becoming truly breathtaking. The fans in attendance are completely eating this one up as they go to a finish that makes the best use of Nigel’s ridiculous jawbreaker Lariat yet.
Stunning match. An absolute nail biter of a collision, chock full of goodness. The flow was upset a little with Nigel’s tribute to the exploding face of Joey Mercury, but what these two followed with was devastatingly good. There was a wealth of variety and intelligence in operation here, and a dramatic, clever finishing sequence. A Must-see effort.
-The backstage cameras capture a random, but huge brawl between the ROH factions. Really silly, ineffectual sequence. Are we to believe that these guys have spent the remainder of their day trudging around the backstage area failing to bump into another? Almost a “How Toâ€, on how NOT to do a backstage brawl. One good aspect of this however, is Necro’s completely ridiculous use of a potted plant. Well, it’s humorous for long-term fans like me, but God only knows what a first time viewer would think.
-Nigel is seen sitting backstage, his face awash with blood, and a somewhat faraway look in his eyes. The cut above his eye is absolutely revolting. Nice image to close the show with!
ONUS FEATURES
-We’re treated to a Tammy Sytch promo, cut from the beginning of the Women’s three way. She interrupts, just as they’re about to kick the action off, and looks really good, much healthier than a couple years back good for her, and it’s really pleasant to see her in ROH. The interesting material comes after the match however.
Tammy praises the match, and puts over all three, but is cut off by Lacey, who’s irate. She cuts an absolutely tremendous promo where she runs down Tammy, for not being a positive influence, or a wrestler, but being a bimbo, and the sort of woman who helped set the perception of female athletes back to the stone age.
I just cannot say enough good things about Lacey’s fabulous promo. It really is quintessential Lacey, and translates as something that probably meant a great deal for her to say. The only problem with it, is that I completely and utterly agree with her (as do a huge percentage of the crowd), despite her being a heel. Tammy’s comebacks are awesomely weak, not because she’s a poor promo, but because her character is impossible to empathize with. She actually says, that she never wanted to be a “wrestlerâ€, and positions being a DIVA, as being more important on the totem pole of the wrestling business. Excuse me? A babyface just should not be saying that. Awesome Lacey promo, but Sytch loses points for being the complete opposite of what ROH is all about.
-Bushwhacker Luke comes out to be guest time-keeper, to a big pop, and his old WWF music. The Hangman Three jump him. Pointless appearance, but the crowd liked it.
Jigsaw vs. Mitch Franklin vs. Necro Butcher vs. Matt Cross
Elimination match. Just an excuse to get a couple of faction members on the card. Cross is making his return, and considering it’s in this spot, speaks volumes about how little his stock has been raised. He’s sporting a dandy beard however, that makes him look like a zany cross between 2005 Bryan Danielson, and 2006 Austin Aries. Nerco looks more like a bum than ever. Cross showboats a little, which is a good thing, as the majority of his moves are far too cocky as a good guy. In a comical moment, Franklin gets the better of Jigsaw, but Necro walks into the ring, and punches him in the face to eliminate the (Former?) student. Necro recklessly dumps Jigsaw to the outside shortly thereafter. I’d love to see a conversation at a show backstage between Raven and Cross, because Raven would surely be driven absolutely crazy by the guys spotty, inconsequential-looking style. It comes down to Necro versus Jigsaw, which is completely a wise move. I try to imagine Necro wearing some proper ring attire, but it’s almost impossible, and slightly terrifying. Necro wins with a Tiger Driver.
Okay match, but nothing remotely interesting about it, once it was over, that was that.
Naomichi Marafuji vs. Claudio Castagnoli
Highly anticipated match, this one, even if the crowd was somewhat drained from all the PPV action they’d already viewed. As you expect these two contribute some really, really good stuff, in this good natured, athletic contest. Back and forth action, with the two hitting some big moves fairly early, which is wise, given the restrained audience. Claudio hit’s a massive, risky German Suplex off the top, in an impressive moment, whilst Marafujin pulls off a bunch of his nasty super kicks, as usual. Claudio nails the Riccolo Bomb, but the former GHC Champion is able to reach the ropes. The finish see’s him roll Claudio up, for the expected victory that ties their series at one apiece. Decent match.
Afterwards, Sweet N Sour Inc (including Puder), beat down Claudio, until Erick Stevens makes the save. The No Remorse Corps then attack Stevens, and Strong cuts a rubbish promo during which he hypes up their FIP title Match. The Vulture Squad then hit the ring, in street clothes, and hit some big dives, that please the crowd. Smoke gets on the mic and utters some boring gibberish, but he eventually succeeds in getting the fans to chant “ROHâ€. Him and Jack then speak some more, which automatically makes them severely unlikeable because they come across like brainless twats. Odd climax.
So…?
Overall, an impressive show, but with odd moments that let it down in relation to the magnificence of Driven and Man Up! The main problem is probably that whereas Undeniable wasn’t a blow-away show, it was brilliantly put together. This show can’t say the same, with it’s gang warfare thread that runs through it, being a major weakness. I really think ROH could do with looking at their strategy when it comes to promotion of their PPV’s, especially in terms of their sometimes shoddy backstage segments, and highlight packages. In terms of bouts, the only poor one, was shockingly, the Briscoes title defence.
Obviously, the best match, was the Main Event (by a mile), a gargantuan struggle that reeled this viewer in from start to finish. While I wouldn’t agree with Gabe Sapolsky that it’s like ROH’s best title match ever, it was certainly a memorable, stirring effort. Danielson/Morishima was also a superb piece of work, when you consider the role it plays in their ongoing rivalry. Elsewhere, everything was very good indeed, and for different reasons. The Women’s match may have been my favourite of these, as all three competitors were able to effectively get their roles across, and within a context that really put over their athleticism and fighting spirit. Stevens/Richards was your solid dose of hard-hitting stiffness, spliced with (at the time), major storyline implications. Meanwhile the Hero encounter, and the first two matches, were all simply clean ol’ fun.
If you’ve already seen the PPV, and are on the fence about shelling out for the DVD, don’t look to the extra features to convince you, as they’re the weakest on a PPV release yet. There isn’t anything there worth going out of your way for, as even Claudio and Marufuji’s match isn’t of the standard of their previous effort.
That said , for me, the main show is easily good enough to immediately deserve your pennies. I may seem critical of it at times throughout this review, however, it’s only because I’m coming from the perspective that I’m seeing weaknesses, I’d like to see eliminated in order for the promotion to expand it’s fan base. This isn’t their best PPV at all, however it still stands head, shoulders, and err, torso above the majority of the competition.
Thanks for taking the time to read this wacky review/rant/gibberish. I would hope it had at least as much depth as a Repo Man match. If you have any comments, I welcome and encourage all feedback. please get in touch at bazilalfonso@hotmail.com or look for me at www.myspace.com/michaelwrestlingetc
Until bell-time, thanks again.
