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A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO RING OF HONOR
Part One: The Titleholders
Mike Johnson remarked in a recent article that “ROH storylines and characters are getting more and more over with their fans, as opposed to just strong wrestling, which is a surefire sign of the product getting hotterâ€ÂÂÂ. I couldn’t agree more with this assessment. In March, I attended both UK legs of Ring of Honor’s Fifth Year Festival and was completely blown away by the product; not just the great action, but the greater depth to those characters spaced throughout the card.
Every year, it seems, the promotion takes calculated steps forward. They set themselves a gameplan and stick to it. Already this year we’ve had greater integration of Japanese talent, an increase in production values, further expansion into the international market and - the biggest step of all - the announcement of their pay-per-view debut. They’ve maintained a healthy in-ring buzz with several big surprises, and turned the departures of several top stars into a positive. Their relationships with Pro-Wrestling NOAH and Dragon Gate continue to flourish; and with two big Japanese shows scheduled for the summer, if you plan on giving the company a chance, now more than ever would be the time to do so.
This series isn’t intended as a history of Ring of Honor, but a current overview of its storylines and stars. Anyone unacquainted with the company will hopefully find something here to prick their interest. Clicking the links will take you to relevant online videos, photographs and wrestler bios. Disillusioned with the national wrestling scene; the McMania of WWE or the Total Nonstop Absurdity of Orlando? What truly makes Ring of Honor unique is that they rate their fans’ intelligence rather than insulting it.
Ring of Honor World Champion, Takeshi Morishima
Pro-Wrestling NOAH star Takeshi Morishima made his first ROH appearance at last November’s Glory By Honor V in New York City, engaging in a brief pull-apart brawl with Samoa Joe. He returned to the Manhattan Centre in January, facing off with Joe in an epic battle of the big men. The huge twenty-eight year old put forth a great effort; a versatile display of brute force and agility. An eventual stoppage loss suggested he’d be used in the same vain as KENTA; a name attraction to spike ticket sales, but whose appearances would have no lasting effect on ROH’s overall landscape. However, just twenty-four hours later in Philadelphia, this notion was blown completely from the water.
At the time, Homicide was just three defenses into his reign as World Champion. Morishima was expected to be just another pelt. Instead, the Japanese star completely overwhelmed the Ring of Honor mainstay and became the first ‘outside entity’ to capture the company’s top title. Though the match itself was a minor disappointment, the result was a masterstroke, completely wrong-footing a fanbase conditioned to expect lengthy title reigns. It also set the stage for another history-making moment. On March 4th in Tokyo, the Ring of Honor World title was defended in the main event of a Pro-Wrestling NOAH show. Morishima beat KENTA in under ten minutes.
The World title has, and always will be the focal point of Ring of Honor; win-loss records go a long way to deciding who challenges for the belt. In its almost five year existence, only nine people have held the gold. The extraordinary reigns of Samoa Joe and Bryan Danielson established the title as one of the most important in wrestling; Takeshi Morishima as champion adds a different kind of prestige. Although his reign was a slow starter due to Japanese commitments, a recent string of Stateside defenses against Nigel McGuinness, Austin Aries and Shingo have earned him high praise. He brings an air of legitimacy to the title both in look and style; a throwback to the heavy-hitting days of Williams and Gordy in AJPW. What’s more, he seems a dead cert for the GHC Heavyweight title further down the line. As his stock increases in one promotion, so it does within the other.
Ring of Honor World Tag Team Champions, Jay and Mark Briscoe
Reminiscent of The Steiners in their prime, the Briscoe Brothers are the best tag team in America today. They run a gamut of styles, from scientific to power-based to high-flying, and are best described as wrestling machines. Although not yet in their mid-20’s, Jay and Mark have been with Ring of Honor since the outset. Furthermore, just over four months in, 2007 has already been their most eventful year by far.
Their year began with a bang, capturing the GHC Jr. Heavyweight straps in their Pro-Wrestling NOAH debut. Their reign may only have lasted three weeks, but it was a testament to their hard work and believability that they were given the belts so soon into their run. A further measure of how good they are came at the Philadelphia leg of the ROH Fifth Year Festival in February. That night, a great match against the (very motley) team of Kevin Steen and El Generico helped put their opponents on the map– both individually and as a unit. The following weekend in Chicago, Jay and Mark put an end to the choppy title reign of Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal, becoming ROH World Tag Team Champions for a third time. As hinted at the start of the year, Ring of Honor was starting to figure the Briscoes heavily into their plans.
A week later, I was on hand in Liverpool, England for their first title defense against Dragon Gate’s Shingo and Naruki Doi. A tag team classic featured a shocking conclusion as the Japanese duo took the titles in a big upset. After the bell, Jay bewailed his team’s inability to hold onto gold, and challenged his brother to a match in order to toughen up. It took place the following night and told a brilliant 25 minute story; older brother Jay acting as the aggressor and Mark responding in kind. The double KO was the perfect way to end the contest, and gave the brothers a renewed focus as they went about regaining the ROH championships.
The opportunity came later in the month of March in Detroit; a night of supreme mixed emotions for the brothers. Although they managed to recapture the gold from Shingo and Doi, Mark almost killed himself with a botched Shooting-Star Press to the floor. He was stretchered from ringside and later diagnosed with a concussion; a situation that could have been far, far worse. Jay went on to take the gold singlehanded but was left prone to a post-match beatdown by The Motor City Machine Guns, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin.
Mark was medically cleared to wrestle two weeks later, but ROH management announced they would keep him off that weekend’s shows as a precautionary measure. Jay instead teamed with Erick Stevens to take on El Generico and Kevin Steen in non-title action. However, when Stevens was incapacitated, it set the stage for a dramatic return by Mark. He ignored pleas from family and officials and made it to the apron where Jay instinctively tagged him in. Mark then took several big bumps before Steen put him down for three with his Package Piledriver.
Fully healed and back on the same page, Jay and Mark ended their month in style as they successfully defended their titles against The Motor City Machine Guns in Chicago. The match surpassed thirty minutes and was described as a classic by those in attendance. Days later, with the announcement of the company’s first PPV, it was revealed that Jay and Mark were amongst the first to sign Ring of Honor contracts.
Although distinctly 21st Century in technique, The Briscoe Brothers remain a tag team in the most traditional sense: Same attire, same bloodline, same dedication, and a plethora of unique, double-team offense. Like The Rockers in the 1980’s or The Steiner Brothers in the early-90’s, there is a tangible sense of excitement when they wrestle; a looming possibility of something special.
COMING SOON...
Part Two: The Ring of Honor Roster
Lee Morgan is a 26 year old novelist and musician stupid enough to have caught the wrestling bug at the age of seven. Samples of his work can be found at this link, while all feedback is welcomed at lee@xtremeinc.co.uk .
