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A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO RING OF HONOR
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.
THE ROSTER*
* Excludes regular outside talent from Dragon Gate and Pro-Wrestling NOAH, and omits some lower-tier, undercard regulars.
‘American Dragon’ Bryan Danielson is the self-proclaimed 'Best wrestler in the world' and logical successor to The Dynamite Kid and Chris Benoit. He headlined the first Ring of Honor show in 2002– a classic three-way with Low Ki and Christopher Daniels. Five years later, he’s the only ‘Founding Father’ left on the ROH roster and one of the top five wrestlers in the business today. His unique approach is an amalgam of old school pacing and modern offense; a progressive arsenal of grappling, suplexes, high flying and strikes. His stand-out year came in 2006, as he spent virtually the entire year as ROH World Champion (a 15 month reign overall) and put together a string of classic defences. A top drawer heel, Danielson possesses a legitimacy and charisma born from ability alone. One of the first to sign a ROH Contract, he returned from injury in early May and inserted himself straight into the world title picture. He remains a safe bet to headline one of the big Japanese shows this summer. Recommended matches vs. Roderick Strong (Supercard of Honor), vs. Nigel McGuinness (Unified), vs. KENTA (Glory by Honor V: Night 2).
British wrestler Nigel McGuinness has been with Ring of Honor for almost four years; and had a lengthy reign with the (now defunct) Pure title from August 2005 to August 2006. His style has evolved considerably over the years; shifting from smooth, European chain-wrestling to include more strikes and heavy artillery. He has one of the most vicious lariats in wrestling today. Always considered a solid mid-card performer, it took losing the Pure title to Bryan Danielson to propel him to the top. With that one classic match, he reinvented himself as a half-psychotic, never-say-die main eventer. He has gone on to lose high-profile matches to Naomichi Marafuji, Samoa Joe and ROH World champion Takeshi Morishima. His performances each time around have been totally absorbing. A natural underdog, he gives it his all every match. Like Mick Foley in 1998, you get the feeling that not only does he deserve the world title, but sooner or later he might just get it. Recommended matches vs. Bryan Danielson (Unified), vs. Naomichi Marafuji (Glory By Honor V: Night 2), vs. Jimmy Rave (Fifth Year Festival: Finale).
The No Remorse Corps are a new heel faction comprised of Roderick Strong, Davey Richards and Rocky Romero. Perhaps their greatest weakness as a unit is their lack of back story; no real reason has ever been given for their alliance beyond a desire to take the top spots in Ring of Honor. This, coupled with their seemingly divergent styles and personalities, makes for a somewhat motley association. Or perhaps the contrast is the point? Strong is the unofficial leader of the group and wrestles the most traditional style. Once known for being ‘The Messiah of the Backbreaker’, he has fleshed out his game considerably over the last two years; including a myriad of excellent tag battles alongside Austin Aries (who he’s since turned against) and a great series with Bryan Danielson over the ROH World title. Davey Richards, meanwhile, is a talent who is markedly hit and miss. He relies on strikes, kicks and aerial assaults; and while some of his performances are first-rate, others are patchy at best. He is almost there, but not quite yet. That he seems more comfortable as a heel can only help with the fine-tuning. Rounding out this stylistic smorgasbord is Rocky Romero, a Cuban-born veteran of Ring of Honor and Japan. Romero employs a MMA style in the ring based around armlocks and stiff kicks; and is only now beginning to forge a personality for himself. He has always been a background player in the company, but his contest with Naomichi Marafuji at the Respect Is Earned pay-per-view should change all this. In his live report, Mike Johnson described it as a “real good match†and “the best Romero ever looked for ROHâ€ÂÂÂ. This could conceivably be his breakout year. As a unit, The No Remorse Corps have unresolved issues with The Resilience, Delirious and Jack Evans. Once they’ve been settled, look for the trio to take a further step towards the top of the card. Recommended matches: Strong vs. Bryan Danielson (Vendetta), Strong & Richards vs. Shingo & Naruki Doi (Fifth Year Festival: Finale), Romero vs. Naomichi Marafuji (Respect Is Earned this July on PPV).
The long standing riddle of Jimmy Rave’s push is on the verge of finally being solved. Although he’s always worked hard in the ring, his position in the upper mid-card has been a point of contention among fans for years now. He definitely receives heel heat– but is it of the Edge or the X-Pac variety? Until recently, opinion would have been split 50/50. But with one career-performance against Nigel McGuinness in March, he seems to have swayed it in his favour. That night he found his true niche in the ring, playing the role of bump machine in the vein of Curt Hennig (1990), Shawn Michaels (1993) and Steve Austin (1994). He also found himself with a broken jaw courtesy of a McGuinness lariat; and had to spend weeks on the sidelines. When he returned, he received a much more positive reaction from the crowd; proof that his sacrifices had not gone unnoticed. Look for Rave to remain in the upper mid-card for the foreseeable future, pending an unlikely title shot with Takeshi Morishima that could potentially turn him face. Recommended matches vs. C.M. Punk (Manhattan Mayhem), vs. Bryan Danielson (Fourth Anniversary Show), vs. Nigel McGuinness (Fifth Year Festival: Finale).
I have grouped BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs together, as their stories within ROH are forever entwined. Before joining forces in 2005, both men were reliable and mildly popular undercard acts. As a unit, they captured the ROH World Tag Team Championship twice. Following their second title loss, they acquired the managerial services of Lacey– a decision which lead to the quick disintegration of their partnership. To the detriment of his team’s success, Jacobs developed an over-the-top infatuation with the manipulative manager; and Whitmer quickly tired of the pair. In early 2006, the situation exploded into one of the most violent rivalries in company history. With a natural chemistry and shared readiness to go to any extreme, they began their move up the card. The first peak of insanity came last March in Detroit, when they almost killed one another in a top-rope Powerbomb to the floor spot. They somehow managed to top this later in the year in New York; going to a no-contest after an astonishing top-rope Powerbomb into the crowd. Reminiscent of the legendary Raven-Dreamer feud in ECW, they’ve kept their rivalry fresh by using slices of comedy, a rotating cast of bit-part players and by delivering the action each and every time. Their feud continued to rage until March of this year and a fantastic steel cage match in Detroit. Jacobs emerged victorious from that bloodbath, but suffered a torn ACL that will keep him out for 6-9 months. When he returns, look for them to pick up where they left off, in a feud that has made both men into stars in Ring of Honor. Recommended matches vs. One Another (Dragon Gate Challenge, In Your Face, Fifth Year Festival: Finale, Supercard of Honor II).
One of the most popular stars on the ROH roster, Delirious has the kind of well-rounded gimmick WWE Creative could only dream of (and perhaps the lesson is that wrestlers should be allowed to formulate their own). With his long tassels, crazy behaviour and incomprehensible rants, he is something like a masked Ultimate Warrior... if the Ultimate Warrior was on acid maybe. Thankfully the comparison doesn’t stretch to his in-ring ability. Delirious is very well versed technically and possesses an arsenal that is uniquely his. Moves such as Shadows Over Hell, the Never-ending Story and Panic Attack all add to a strange and authentic character in the same vein as George ‘The Animal’ Steele and The Moondogs. He is currently feuding with The No Remorse Corps, stemming from a legitimate concussion given to him by Roderick Strong earlier this year. Something of an unofficial mascot for the company, win or lose, Delirious’s in-ring success has always been superfluous to his popularity. Recommended matches vs. Nigel McGuinness (Time To Man Up), Eight Man Elimination (The Chicago Spectacular Night 2), vs. Colt Cabana (Fifth Year Festival: Finale).
Swiss star Claudio Castagnoli is something of an exile within Ring of Honor. He betrayed the company in their excellent storyline feud with CZW last year, yet remained with them when it came to an end. Later in the year he signed a developmental deal with WWE; and in his last scheduled appearance was deserted by long-term partner Chris Hero. Then, following some strange machinations, Castagnoli was released by WWE before he’d even started. Their loss became ROH’s gain... again. Castagnoli is another unique personality with a ton of ability. He combines technical wrestling with unique throws and suplex variations; and is able to hit a European Uppercut from any angle you can think of. He’s played a part in several show-stealing efforts recently, which have gone a long way to re-establishing his identity within the company. And while his best work has been in tag team and multi-man action, it would be nice to see him get a sustained push in singles. Recommended matches: Kings of Wrestling vs. The Briscoes (Final Battle 2006), Six-Man Mayhem (Fifth Year Festival: Dayton), with Matt Sydal vs. The Briscoes (Respect is Earned this July on PPV).
Matt Sydal has been with Ring of Honor for three years now, and was recently described as a ‘tag whore’ on a ROHwrestling.com forum. This might be putting it strongly, but the high-flying Sydal has been involved in a tag team action for much of his tenure with the company. As talented as he is, his nondescript personality always meant back-up was a necessity. However, in his most recent combination with Christopher Daniels, he began to fix that problem. When they captured tag team gold, Sydal developed a cocky, ½ heelish slant both in and out of the ring. The implication was that success had gone to his head. After they dropped the belts (and Daniels left the company), Sydal kept the attitude. He captured Dragon Gate’s secondary title - the Open the Brave Gate Championship - in February and, for the month he held it, wore it like it was the IWGP World Heavyweight title. At the UK double-shot, he beat Delirious and PAC in two strong, smug performances. He’s since had a high profile match with Pro-Wrestling NOAH headliner, Naomichi Marafuji; and stole the show at the Respect is Earned PPV taping, ironically back in tag team action. Recommended matches with Christopher Daniels vs. Kings of Wrestling (Dethroned), vs. Delirious (Fifth Year Festival: Liverpool), with Claudio Castagnoli vs. The Briscoes (Respect is Earned this July on PPV).
Brent Albright (formerly Gunner Scott in WWE) came to Ring of Honor in October 2006– impressing with a no-nonsense style of suplexes and submissions. His breakthrough role came as part of the Whitmer-Jacobs feud, playing the role of ‘Gun for Hire’– a moniker he’s since taken as his own. Hired by Lacey, he teamed with Jacobs at Final Battle 2006, securing victory after Awesome Bombing Whitmer through a ringside table. This lead to a match in NYC in February, a thrilling battle which saw Whitmer pick up the win after a top-rope Exploder through two tables. Albright’s lone wolf, hired gun gimmick is simple but effective. He can be placed in any pre-existing feud, in a way which makes automatic storyline sense. Somebody that ROH management is very high on, look for him to move into the top tier before the year’s end. Recommended matches with Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer & Colt Cabana (Final Battle 2006), vs. BJ Whitmer (Fifth Year Festival: NYC).
ROH veteran, Jack Evans, is arguably the best, and most fearless high flyer in the world. A hybrid of daredevil, contortionist and breaker [Warning! Strong Language], he is blessed with natural star quality and charisma. He divides his time between the US and Japan; and over the last year has become something of a specialty act within ROH. His time in the Orient is helping him considerably though, in terms of performance and presentation. He actually looks like a wrestler now, as opposed to a gymnast pretending to be a wrestler. His strikes have more weight behind them, too; and his transitional spots are far less ropey. In short, the overall package has improved. Earlier this year, he got caught in the crossfire between former stable mates, Roderick Strong and Austin Aries. He refused to take sides in the conflict between The No Remorse Corps and The Resilience, and was attacked by Strong for his perceived disloyalty. This lead to several losing efforts against The NRC in March and April, before he returned once again to Dragon Gate. A one of a kind talent, look for Evans to resume hostilities with them when he returns from a lengthy Japanese spell later in the year. Recommended matches: Scramble Cage (Main Event Spectacles), Generation Next vs. The Briscoes, Jimmy Rave and John Walters (Generation Next), Generation Next vs. The Briscoes (Best in the World).
Earlier this year, Austin Aries recruited ROH greenhorns Matt Cross and Erick Stevens to help in his battle with The No Remorse Corps. But with Aries now gone (until his contract issues with TNA are resolved, at least), it leaves The Resilience as something of a rudderless ship. Cross and Stevens are chalk and cheese, stylistically. Cross is an inventive high-flyer, while Stevens is a Road Warrior-style powerhouse. Both are rough around the edges, but improving steadily with each new appearance. They continue to wage war with The NRC, but numbers and ability are clearly against them. They barely seem a threat at the moment, but look for this to change when a reinvigorated Aries returns. Also look for Cross and Stevens to be name players by the year’s end; as if there’s one thing ROH is expert at, it’s building talent in an interesting and credible way. Recommended matches: Matt Cross in Six-Man Mayhem (Fifth Year Festival: Dayton).
During the 2006 war between Ring of Honor and Combat Zone Wrestling, Chris Hero was the mouthpiece and focal point of the CZW faction– a role he played brilliantly. He was so impressive that, once the feud was over, ROH began to figure him into their ‘domestic’ plans. He and Claudio Castagnoli (known collectively as the Kings of Wrestling) captured the ROH World Tag Team titles in September and held them for two months. At Final Battle 2006, Castagnoli was set to wrestle his last match for the company, teaming with Hero against The Briscoes. Before the match, Hero unveiled ‘super agent’ Larry Sweeney as his new advisor. After an excellent losing effort, the Kings of Wrestling disbanded; with Sweeney putting the bad mouth on Claudio and Hero leaving him on his own in the ring. Since then, Hero’s ‘team’ has expanded to include Tank Toland (Hero’s personal trainer) and one of his pet projects, obese ROH trainee Bobby Dempsey. Hero has featured in the mid to main event level this year, and should continue to float between the two. He’s already got the mic work down, and his new gig with Pro-Wrestling NOAH should give his in-ring work a crisper edge. Recommended matches: CZW vs. ROH (The 100th Show), CZW vs. ROH Cage of Death (Death Before Dishonor IV), Kings of Wrestling vs. The Briscoes (Final Battle 2006).
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 .
