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Ring of Honor show report
June 13, 2009
New York City at the Hammerstein Ballroom
Report by Eric Gall, PWTorch.com specialist

ROH is back at the Hammerstein, and I'm waiting in line to get in. I get there around 7:10 and the bell time is supposed to be 7:30. Usually, there's not this long of a line at this point, but I soon find out why. I'm waiting to meet my friend, and since we're picking up tickets at will-call, I let a number of people pass in front of me as I wait for him. When I do see him, he's about to join me in line, but the hulking security guard we're about to pass sees this as line-cutting, not bothering to check with the other guard who saw me pass up my spot the last ten minutes. So we wait some more and finally get in. In the entrance hall, we barely heard the 10-bell salute to Misawa as guys with official security company shirts frisk us. Now I know why it's been taking so long to get in.

Here's exactly what this guy did and said. "Put your arms out." He frisks me. "Put your arms down." "Is there anything in your coat?" I say no and he checks it. "Take your hat off." I do, and he sees I haven't smuggled anything on top of my head. "Put your hat back on." He then decides to check me some more. "Put your arms out." Checking my right pocket, he asks "What's in here?" I tell him my wallet. Checking my left pocket, he asks, "What's in here?" I tell him my phone. "Put you arms down." This is the same guy that wanted to confiscate my friend's asthma inhaler last time we went to the Hammerstein.

He's finally done with me and I go over to the ticket table. I tell the guy there that I'm picking up tickets and give him my friend's name. He doesn't even bother to check an ID or anything, but I'm picking it up because security is still giving my friend what seems to be a strip search. The ironic part to this is that all two or three dozen security guys there did nothing to stop all the paper balls and airplanes being thrown into the ring until the guy who sells t-shirts at the merch table comes back and starts identifying people throwing things. Security has always been a problem at the Hammerstein/New Yorker, and it's just been getting worse. A half-hour away in Edison, one of the ROH kids give you a quick pat-down and you're on your way; is the Homeland Security-style airport grilling really necessary?

We get to our seats just in time for Austin Aries to come to the ring. He launches into a good heel promo, talking about how New Yorkers think they're tough. He totally loses me when he says, "I remember a day in September when the city didn't look so tough." Not only is this cheap heat, it lacks any kind of class and simply is something you just don't do. He asks, "Too soon?" No, Aries, something like that is never too soon; it's simply never said, period. Aries finishes up his heeling and leaves more to "Did I just hear that?" murmuring than the heat he was probably looking for.

(1) Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) beat Kenny King & Rhett Titus. The Young Bucks seem to be kind of a cross between early Hardy Boys and the Rock & Roll Express. They have good energy, a true babyface vibe, and lots of crowd pleasing aerial maneuvers. I'm still not sold on Rhett Titus, but he teams well with King, particularly with the combination moves. King is a future main-eventer, and the team's association with Aries will only cement his place as one of the guys ROH will focus on in later days.

(2) Necro Butcher beat Jimmy Rave (w/Prince Nana). This was billed as a grudge match, but it was disappointingly short and the post-match beat down on Necro lasted what seemed like twice as long as the match itself. Not the best showing for either guy, as it seemed to mostly focus on Rave injuring Necro's leg with a chair. Nana remains a real gem with his abusive mic skills. WWE would shoot Kofi to main event status if Nana was brought in and managed a heel-turned Kofi. Colt Cabana eventually comes in to make the save and he wiggles his knees around. Colt just doesn't seem as entertaining since returning to ROH; I don't know what it is, but his comedy really doesn't feel fresh.

-- Ric Flair comes down to the ring amidst monster pops. He puts over ROH and NYC (though he mentions C.C. Sabathia unable to get the job done for the Yankees). He points out a couple women in the crowd and talks about riding Space Mountain or something. Flair still refers to ROH as "The Ring of Honor." This would be the last the fans see of Flair tonight, as the proposed "Special Trouble Shooting Referee/Enforcer" thing never materializes. Apparently Flair leaves the building with his bags immediately after this promo. It's become quite trendy to bash Flair by some message board folks, but I don't feel I have enough info from both points of view to really weigh in one way or the other.

(3) Roderick Strong beat Sonjay Dutt. This match was awesome, and I would call it the best match I've seen all year. I'm not much for giving ratings for each match, but this is an easy ****1/2 match. It was aerial, hard-hitting, and mat-based. Dutt's skullcap came off, and fans gave him a hard time about his bald spot, but he didn't lose a step with his immediate body language. Strong has been a little lost in the shuffle in ROH. He has main event talent, and perhaps it's just his mic skills that keep him from getting the heavyweight strap.

(4) Jimmy Jacobs beat Tyler Black in a First Blood Match. Black and Jacobs brawl, apparently before the bell. Jimmy takes what looks like a screwdriver and smacks Tyler in the head with it. The bell rings, the ref looks at Black, sees he's bleeding, and gives the match to Jacobs. Every bit as unimpressive as it sounds. Black then takes the mic and says that's he's cashing in his title shot tonight against Jerry Lynn.

(5) Colt Cabana defeated Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson, and D-Lo Brown in a Four Corner Survival Match. Colt getting the win doesn't really help him all that much, as he's already kind of over, except for some die-hard Danielson fans who felt that Cabana's goofing around cost Danielson the win. Danielson is pretty much Teflon at this point; losses do him no harm, so he's in this match to give everyone else the rub. Claudio and D-Lo would have benefited most from a win here, but in this middling match, it was not to be.

(6) ROH tag team champions Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards beat El Generico & Kevin Steen to retain the ROH Tag Team Titles. A very good match, which ended due to the damage done to Generico's already injured knee. I thought there might have been a title change here, but Steen's post-match promo talked about a future ladder match between the teams. Richards stands out here, and has been lately, as a Benoit-like engine of destruction. Steen and Generico both ooze charisma, the kind that's not based on looking like a body-builder, but have that intangible "it" factor.

(7) Jay Briscoe (w/Mark Briscoe) defeated Guido Maritato. Jay has cat-like reflexes, as a paper airplane thrown from the crowd whizzes by, Briscoe plucks it right out the air immediately after he gets into the ring. Hey Jay, the Mets need infielders who can handle routine pop-ups; you interested? (Luis Castillo need not apply.) Decent match. I know Guido can go, and Jay's reputation speaks for itself, but I was hoping for maybe more of a barnburner. Jay seems to have been de-pushed since having to compete in singles matches while waiting for Mark to heal up. Maybe if the match went longer than it did, it would have been more satisfying. I remember a time a year or so ago, the Briscoes would always be the last match in Manhattan, and the crowd loved it.

(8) Austin Aries defeated ROH champion Jerry Lynn and Tyler Black to become the new ROH Heavyweight Champion. Aries comes out to Flair's "Thus Spake Zarathustra," and this was a pretty clear indicator that a title change was very possible tonight. He explained that Flair wouldn't be at ringside. Nigel comes out wearing a ref shirt and a cleanly shaven head. This is the first time I've seen Nigel like this; he's looking good. Lynn comes out, and some clown in the first row is flipping him off with both hands, and Lynn has some words for him.

This has really bothered me since Lynn has become champion. He's been portrayed as nothing but a total babyface and yet gets hit with disrespectful treatment and lame chants such as "Jerry-atric" just because they feel he's "boring." Lynn will go down as the most under-appreciated ROH champion ever, and those fans who booed him will have no one to blame but their own limited view of the wrestling business. I want say "Thank you" to Jerry Lynn; there are fans out here who've appreciated everything you've done for the business and have appreciated your reign as ROH Champion.

The crowd went nuts when Lynn was eliminated - some elation that there would be a title change, some thinking that tonight would be the night that Black finally wins the belt, and some cheering just because Lynn in no longer champion. At this point, the match lost me. There were a lot of nearfalls and high drama, and eventually Aries wins. Looking back, I'm sure the match was better than I'm giving it credit for, but I'm still bummed over the refusal by some to give Lynn an honest chance. Congrats to Aries, who's a masterful worker. Black seems to be slotted in the "Best wrestler who's never won the belt" role that Danielson had back in the early days of the company; he's clearly the future, and I think that keeping his title win as an inevitable but elusive moment is good booking on ROH's part.

After the show, my friend and I grabbed a bite next door at the Tick Tock Diner. We were finishing up when Jimmy Jacobs and Nigel McGuiness walked in to loud applause. Bryan Danielson, Roderick Strong, and Kenny King soon followed. The table next to us sent a Heineken to each guy. It was funny to see Jacobs appearing cheerful and animated, in contrast to his brooding and twisted heel persona.

Overall, ROH continues to have excellent talent capable of putting on outstanding matches. The company seems to be hit or miss at this point, both in main event and mid-card booking. At least there were no students in matches tonight.

The in-ring product remains better than TNA and WWE, but the quality of the company overall is not the slam-dunk that it was in the Gabe Sapolsky days. The fact that the next show is moving back upstairs to the Grand Ballroom is a little concerning. The official reason is that another act is scheduled for the Hammerstein, but I remain skeptical.

The security at Manhattan remains another consistently poor issue. For the highest ticket prices at any ROH venue, you would expect the hired security to at least be polite, as opposed to confiscating cameras and tossing out umbrellas.

ROH has found some equilibrium and maybe an Aries title run can help the company find a solid identity again. Maybe the Dragon Gate promotion - run in the States by Sapolsky - can give ROH some competition and compel the company to step up its game.

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