By Chris Vetter, Torch Contributor

Ring of Honor debuted in the famous “ECW Arena” in Philadelphia, Penn., on March 11, 2006, for “Arena Warfare.” The raucous crowd is split between supporters of both ROH and CZW.

* The tape opened with Christopher Daniels standing outside the Murphy Rec Center, a building only a few blocks away from the ECW Arena, and the original home of ROH. Daniels said he walked into that building four years ago, for an unknown promotion, and it became a success. But he’s heard the same question, over and over, ever since that night. He got in a car, in the passenger seat, and said, “If you are running in Philadelphia, why don’t you make your mark, and run in ECW Arena?”

The car drove to the ECW Arena, as Daniels talked up ECW and how that little promotion made such a big and profound impact on wrestling. “That building has symbolized wrestling,” he said. The car finally pulled up to the ECW Arena, and fans were lined up there. Intriguing promo.

* To the arena! I have to start by talking about lighting. I’ve seen numerous taped events from this building… just in the past two years, CZW, Chikara, JAPW, IWA-Mid South and 3PW have run shows I’ve watched from this venue. So I was STUNNED that this show didn’t ‘look like’ ECW Arena. With the light towers shining down on the ring, and the crowd hidden in the shadows, this event could have been held in any building that ROH uses. The trademark background ‘look’ of this building is absent.

But, lighting is good, sound is great, and commentary is handled by the usual duo of Dave Prazak & Lenny Leonard, and I’m a big fan of their announcing.

(1) Homicide & Ricky Reyes defeat the Briscoes and Dunn & Marcos (the Ring Crew Express) and Jason Blade & Kid Mikaze at 11:55. Good match. A clip from “Testing the Limit” with the Briscoes was played. The fans chanted, “Welcome home!” at the Briscoes. Like the prior show, Jay is wearing trunks, and Mark is wearing a singlet. All four teams brawled immediately. Blade hit a spin kick on Dunn, then a nice dropkick on Homicide. Jimmy (Gabe Sapolsky) Bower stopped in the booth, and said that “Chris Hero doesn’t have the guts to be here.” Bower said that there is tension between ROH and CZW wrestlers, and they even have separate locker rooms.

Reyes hit a running basement dropkick on Blade. Blade & Mikaze hit a nice team Japanese armdrag. Mark Briscoe entered and hit a nice belly-to-belly suplex on Mikaze at 3:00. Jay chopped Mikaze and hit a swinging neckbreaker for a nearfall. The Briscoes have some nice double-team moves here. Mark hit a double clothesline on the Rottweilers. Mikaze dove to the floor on several wrestlers. The Ring Crew hit their Stage Dives/top rope presses to the floor. Jay hit a top-rope moonsault to the floor, and Mark followed that with a top-rope Shooting Star Press to the floor on everyone at 6:30!

In the ring, Mark hit a belly-to-belly suplex on Reyes. Reyes came back with spin kicks to Mark’s chest. Homicide nailed a running Mafia Kick on Jay. Jay hit a second-rope belly-to-belly suplex on Homicide! Mikaze hit a Lungblower to Marcos’ chest. Dunn hit a Gory Bomb on Blade. The Briscoes nailed a springboard Doomsday Device/elevated clothesline at 9:30. Reyes put Jay in a Dragon Sleeper, but Mark made the save. Reyes hit a top-rope powerbomb on Mark. Homicide nailed a clothesline on Jay. Homicide then hit Marcos with the Copkillah for the pin. Fun, quick action.

* B.J. Whitmer came to the ring. The crowd began chanting, “Necro’s gonna kill you!” B.J. grabbed the mic and talked about how his match with Christopher Daniels was ruined by CZW interference. The CZW fans shouted him down.

* The top five rankings were listed.

(2) Roderick Strong defeats Jimmy Yang at 12:52. Above-average match, but it didn’t meet my expectations, either. They had an intense lockup, then a standoff. Strong hit an armdrag and a leg lariat, then he applied a headscissorslock. Strong hit some chops; Yang hit some (weaker) chops. Yang hit a nice Asai Moonsault to the floor. In the ring, Strong hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, and he tied Yang in a pretzel in the ring. Strong hit a butterfly suplex for a nearfall at 5:00.

Yang missed a spear in the corner, crashed into the ring post, and he fell to the floor. In the ring, Strong hit another backbreaker, and they traded more chops. Yang hit a spin kick to the face. Bower stopped in the booth again to note there are a lot of CZW fans here. Yang hit a clothesline, a backbody drop, and a spin kick off the second rope for a nearfall at 9:00.

Strong hit another backbreaker and a BIG boot to the face for a believable nearfall. OUCH! Strong hit his fireman’s carry gutbuster for a nearfall. Yang came back with a second-rope moonsault for a nearfall. Strong put Yang in a Boston Crab (this was more of a traditional crab, not really a vertical “Stronghold” crab), and Yang tapped out. Good… but missing something.

* Colt Cabana cut a promo talking about being in a three-way dance tonight, but he wants Homicide later tonight.

* Alex Shelley talked about remembering your ‘firsts,’ from your first time having sex, to the first time Generation Next hit ROH. Tonight, he’ll have his first ROH world title.

* BJ Whitmer again came to ringside! Necro Butcher came out, and they traded slaps and punches at ringside! Necro hit a headbutt. They fought on the ring apron. Whitmer hit a running knee that sent Necro to the floor. Suddenly, Super Dragon attacked Whitmer! Super Dragon nailed a Curbstomp on Whitmer. The crowd was HOT and split between ROH and CZW. (No commentary during this segment). Super Dragon hit a doublestomp on Whitmer. The Ring of Honor locker room hit the ring, and the CZW guys bailed. The fans chanted, “ROH,” but there were lots of “CZW” chants as well. Fun segment.

(3) Austin Aries defeats Matt Sydal at 16:50. Excellent match. They opened with quick mat reversals and some standing switches. Aries hit a flying back elbow. They hit shoulder tackles, with neither man budging. Sydal applied a headscissorslock and he blocked Aries’ attempt to escape and hit the basement dropkick – point is, Sydal knows what to expect from his Gen Next teammate. Aries hit a back suplex at 5:30. Sydal hit his snap headscissors takedown, then he dove to the floor on Aries.

Back in the ring, Sydal hit a guillotine legdrop for a nearfall and a spin kick for a nearfall. They traded chops. Aries dove to the floor on Sydal at 8:30. Aries hit some hard kicks to Sydal’s chest as they brawled on the floor. In the ring, Aries hit a senton and a flying elbow for a nearfall, then he bridged backward, pulling back on Sydal’s neck. Aries stayed on top with a basement dropkick to the face, a Finlay Roll, then a frogsplash for a nearfall at 12:00. Sydal came back with a Tornado DDT, and both men were down. Sydal hit some spin kicks.

Sydal hit his standing moonsault for a nearfall at 14:30. Aries hit a running dropkick to the face in the corner, and he went for a brainbuster, but Sydal escaped. Sydal then nailed the “Here it is” driver/pumphandle sitdown powerbomb for a believable nearfall. Sydal missed a Shooting Star Press. They traded rollups, and Aries hit the Brainbuster, then the 450 Splash for the pin. The crowd was hot throughout this match.

* The Briscoes attacked both men. Roderick Strong came out to make the save, and all five brawled. Jay’s chest was really red!

* Gary Michael Capetta interviewed Homicide, telling him about Cabana’s challenge to meet him later tonight. Homicide said they could meet on the streets, and bring anybody they wanted for the fight. Julius Smokes glared at the camera and shouted, “Colt Cabana must die!” He barked like a dog repeatedly.

(4) Jake & Dave Crist defeat Tony Mamaluke & Sal Rinauro at 9:17. Sal wore red shirts, and he looked a bit more muscular than I’ve seen recently. Sal started with Dave, who has the darker hair, and more tattoos, of the Crists. Dave hit some nice armdrags, and he’s quick and crisp in the ring. Jake entered, and he hit a Mafia Kick to the side of the head, then a running neckbreaker for a nearfall. Sal hit a lungblower to the chest. Mamaluke entered, and the former champs hit a team neckbreaker and Russian Legsweep. Mamaluke hit a side suplex, dropping Jake on his head.

Sal hit a nice over-the-shoulders hurricanrana. This match, thus far, is just lacking crowd heat. Mamaluke put Jake in a chinlock on the mat at 5:30. Dave Crist hit a springboard dropkick for a nearfall, and the Crists hit a team Alabama Slam. Dave hit a nice Lionsault Press on Mamaluke. Sal hit a spin kick on Jake. Sal hit a spinning uranage for a believable nearfall at 8:00 on Jake. The crowd began chanting, “Irish Airborne!”

Mamaluke put Jake in a Front Guillotine Choke. Dave hit a doublestomp on Mamaluke’s head, then the Crists did a neckbreaker over a knee, and Jake pinned Mamaluke. On commentary, Dave Prazak sold this as a huge upset, with two unknowns in their ROH (main show) debut scoring a victory over former tag champions.

(5) American Dragon Bryan Danielson defeats Alex Shelley (w/Prince Nana) at 32:28 to retain the ROH World Heavyweight title. A clip of “Hell Freezes Over” played, with Shelley hitting the Sliced Bread #2 on Dragon. The crowd was split between both wrestlers. Dragon took the mic and said he was upset at the foul language in the building. He pointed out a young girl in the crowd, but then he said the girl gave him a pair of middle fingers! The crowd laughed. Dragon ripped into Chris Hero and Claudio Castognoli for hiding out in Mexico. Dragon then listed some of the great technical wrestlers who have appeared in this building, and he proclaimed that he would not put on “the best technical match this building has ever seen!”

The match began, but Shelley jawed at the fans, and he was upset at some of the gay comments hurled at him; they didn’t tie up right away. Lenny Leonard on commentary said that Samoa Joe’s plane had just arrived, and he’s on his way to the building. Dragon overpowered Shelley in a knucklelock. A few fans started chanting, “boring!” Shelley shouted down the fans. They traded quick reversals, and Shelley applied a headscissorslock. Dragon hit a dropkick at 8:00. Shelley slapped Dragon in the face a couple times, so Dragon returned the face slaps, and Shelley bailed to the floor.

Shelley went for the Sliced Bread #2/flip overhead bulldog, but Dragon blocked it at 11:30. Prazak & Leonard acknowledged the smattering of ‘boring’ chants in the building. Dragon applied an abdominal stretch, grabbed the top rope for leverage… and the crowd popped when Dragon reminded the ref that he ‘has til 5’ to let go. Shelley applied a Trailer Hitch/inverted Figure Four, and he twisted on Dragon’s left leg. They traded blows to the face at 16:00. Dragon hit a belly-to-belly suplex, and he set up Shelley for a surfboard, then he jumped on Shelley’s thighs.

Dragon shouted, “F--- you people!” making it clear he would still ‘wrestle the way he wants to wrestle.’ Dragon hit a slingshot suplex for a nearfall, then he applied the Surfboard. Dragon put Shelley in a Figure Four Leglock at 19:00, and he was dominating the action. Dragon then hit a Benoit Flying Headbutt for a nearfall. Shelley came back with an enziguri and a Tornado DDT for a nearfall, then a nice basement dropkick to the face. Shelley again went for the Sliced Bread #2, but Dragon blocked it. Shelley then hit a superkick.

Shelley hit FOUR consecutive standing neckbreakers, and Prazak acknowledged that Shelley was softening up Dragon’s neck for the Sliced Bread #2. The crowd was into the action now, alternating chants for both men. In a neat spot, Shelley bridged backward on Dragon’s neck, pushing Dragon’s neck down into his own chest at 24:30. He dumped Dragon to the floor, where Nana grabbed Dragon. Shelley dove to the floor, but he hit Nana, and he landed awkwardly. Dragon then nailed his springboard summersault dive, over the guardrail, and into the crowd on Shelley & Nana.

In the ring, Dragon hit a missile dropkick, then a German Suplex with a bridge, then a Cattle Mutilation/double armbar, but Shelley reached the ropes. Shelley came back with a frogsplash for a nearfall, a superkick, and two brainbusters for a nearfall at 29:00. Shelley applied the Border City Stretch/modified Crippler Crossface, and Prazak noted that the move works on the neck region. Shelley AGAIN tried for the Sliced Bread #2, but Dragon blocked it again, and Dragon hit a top-rope back suplex!

Dragon applied the Cattle Mutilation, but Shelley somehow flipped them over and got a nearfall. They traded forearms, and Shelley hit a low blow, then a Shellshock/spinning faceplant for a believable nearfall, but Dragon reached the ropes at 31:30. Dragon hit a roaring forearm. Shelley hit a superkick, then he got the Sliced Bread #2! However, Dragon rolled through the Sliced Bread move, applied the Cattle Mutilation, then quickly rolled Shelley over to get the pin! Nice finish, very good match.

* Dragon grabbed the mic and he ripped on CZW.

(6) Colt Cabana defeats Christopher Daniels (w/Allison Danger) at 13:43. This was supposed to be a three-way dance, but Samoa Joe was still not at the building. Colt had a serious expression, and he appeared to be in a foul mood. Prazak said Samoa Joe was five minutes away, and he would now face the winner of this match. They traded quick mat holds, and Daniels applied a headscissors lock. Daniels worked on the left arm, and they traded nice reversals. Bower stopped by the booth again, and said that the CZW guys are no longer there. “We ran them off in their own building,” Bower stated.

Colt hit a headscissors takedown at 4:00, then some chops. Daniels hit a spine kick. Leonard said Joe wouldn’t necessarily have the advantage facing the winner, as he would be exhausted from all the travel. Daniels hit a Field Goal Kick, and he worked on Colt’s stomach. Daniels applied an abdominal stretch. Colt hit a backbody drop at 8:30. Daniels hit an Arabian Press. Colt came back with a Lionsault Press, and both men were down.

Colt hit a series of punches and Dusty elbows at 11:00, then a buttbump and a clothesline for a nearfall, then a modified gutbuster. Daniels came back with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall and a Death Valley Driver, but he missed the Best Moonsault Ever, and he landed on his feet. Colt hit a missile dropkick, then he got a folding press for the pin. Good match.

* Immediately, Samoa Joe’s music hit, and he ran to the ring to start the next match!

(7) Samoa Joe defeats Colt Cabana at 2:45. The crowd taunted Colt with a “Joe’s gonna kill you!” chant. Colt hit a hard clothesline for a nearfall. Joe hit a Musclebuster for a nearfall! Joe applied the Kokita Clutch/rear-naked choke, but Colt reached the ropes! Joe had an incredulous look on his face. Joe unloaded a flurry of paintbrush slaps. Colt hit a low blow. Joe hit the Musclebuster again, and this time, got the pin.

* B.J. Whitmer hit the ring. Joe grabbed a fan that threw something and the fan was escorted out. Whitmer challenged CZW guys to a fight! Suddenly, Necro Butcher, Super Dragon, Ruckus and Sabian hit the ring, and the crowd was HOT. The fight spilled into the crowd, as Ruckus brawled with Roderick Strong. There were legitimately 30 to 40 guys in the ring fighting. Sydal and Sabian brawled at ringside. The crowd chanted, “ROH!”

CZW owner Zandig came out with some bigger guys, and they had weapons, and they chased off the ROH wrestlers. Super Dragon and Necro Butcher worked over Whitmer in the ring! They taped his arms to the top rope. We cut to some footage outside, as the fight carried on. Back to the ring, where Zandig pulled out a staple gun, and he stapled some paper to Whitmer’s forehead! Zandig pulled out a can of spraypaint, and he sprayed “CZW” over the ROH letters in the ring! Super Dragon choked Whitmer with an ROH T-shirt.

Zandig got the mic and said, “This is our house. You f--- with CZW, you f--- with Zandig.” Bower on commentary shouted, “Don’t let this idiotic speak! Cut! Cut! Go to black!” The screen went black, with the words, “To be Continued” appearing on the screen. (The post match brawl lasted about nine minutes!)

Final thoughts: Tape runs 2 hours, 51 minutes. I wonder if ROH ended this tape 9 minutes early on purpose – I hope so! By ending a few minutes before the three-hour mark, it gives a vibe that this show really was cut off early to not allow CZW to be shown celebrating.

The post-main event brawl is quite a spectacle. It was hot and filled with emotion. The look on many of the CZW wresters’ faces, from Sonjay Dutt to Necro Butcher, made me believe they genuinely dislike ROH and didn’t want to be associated with the promotion. It was an intense, action-packed fight to close the show.

The rest of the show is solid, but not as good as the prior event, “Fourth Anniversary Show.” I wouldn’t have expected to like Rave-Dragon more than Shelley-Dragon, but that’s the case. Shelley-Dragon still gets match of the night, ahead of Sydal-Aries. However, Shelley and Dragon started a bit slow, and lost some of the impatient CZW fans in the process. The crowd was more split on whom to cheer in that match, too.

I’ll give the hot four-way tag match the third-best nod, ahead of Cabana-Daniels. At times, it felt like those two were waiting and stalling for Joe to run in and make it a three-way. Strong-Yang didn’t meet my high expectations, and it was definitely below average for Strong, who can usually be counted on to deliver one of the best matches of the show.

The Crists upset victory was definitely a pleasant surprise. It certainly breaks from Gabe’s traditional booking that wrestlers lose their ROH debut match. (Yes, I’m aware these guys had dark matches, but this was their on-screen debut.)

Purchase this tape at www.rohwrestling.com for $20.

We suggest these recent related articles...

RADICAN'S Beyond Wrestling "Greatest Rivals Round Robin" review 9/26 - incredible show of the year contender, Busick-Edwards top-flight MOTYC, more!

RADICAN'S "The Pull List" (Vol. 5) "Young Bucks Too Sweet Journey" doc review, The Flash season 1 Blu-Ray, Top Ten MOTYC for 2015

RADICAN'S "THE PULL LIST" (Vol. 4) - step by step guide to social media and conduct, "Madden NFL 16" review, "Furious 7" Blu-ray w/The Rock & Ronda Rousey, more!