By Chris Vetter, Torch Contributor

Ring of Honor debuted in Broxbourne, England, on Aug. 13, 2006, as night two of its UK tour. Like for day 1 in Liverpool, the crowd appears to be perhaps 1,000 or more fans (it’s always hard to tell when the lights are down!), and the fans were HOT for ROH action!

This show was dubbed “Anarchy in the UK,” and as commentator Dave Prazak said, the show had a “unscripted feel” to it, as many of the matches occurred as a result of what happened at the “Unified” show a night earlier. Joining Prazak in the booth is Jared David.

* The DVD opened with Austin Aries in the ring, with his ribs taped up. Aries told the fans he had suffered some broken ribs, and would not be able to wrestle. The fans applauded him. American Dragon Bryan Danielson hit the ring, and the fans chanted, “F--- you Dragon!” Danielson said he was the best champion in the world, as he held both the world AND pure titles. Roderick Strong, who had joined Aries in the ring, said he now didn’t have an opponent for the night, and he challenged Danielson! Danielson initially teased that he wouldn’t accept the challenge, but he reluctantly agreed.

* As Danielson left ringside, SUWA jumped him from behind! SUWA nailed Dragon with a Singapore cane!

(1) Go Shiozaki defeats B.J. Whitmer at 15:18. Excellent match, and one of the best ROH openers I’ve seen in a long time! Go is tall, has black hair, and during the “Unified” show, Prazak & David really built Shiozaki up as a rising star in Noah. They opened with basic standing switches, and Whitmer hit a leg lariat, and Go bailed. The crowd was hot! They traded offense in a knucklelock, and Whitmer stomped on Go’s fingers. They traded hard chops at 4:00, and Go hit a nice dropkick for a nearfall, then he applied a modified Camel Clutch. Whitmer was tied upside down in the ropes, and Go hit him with a dropkick. They traded stiff forearms, and Go nailed a running knee to the head for a nearfall at 6:30.

Go hit a second-rope kneedrop for a nearfall. Whitmer fired back with an Exploder Suplex, and Go bailed. Whitmer immediately hit a dive through the ropes, slamming into Shiozaki. In the ring, Whitmer hit a Northern Lights suplex with a bridge for a nearfall at 9:00, then a brainbuster for a nearfall! Go came back with a Fisherman’s Buster for a believable nearfall, and the crowd was HOT, alternating chants for both wrestlers. Shiozaki hit a missile dropkick for a nearfall. Whitmer hit a Mafia Kick. Shiozaki hit a Superkick and a spinning uranage for a believable nearfall! The crowd chanted, “This is awesome!”

Shiozaki missed a moonsault, and Whitmer hit a German release suplex! Go hit a Saito Suplex! They hit double clotheslines, and both men were down! Whitmer hit a hard clothesline for a nearfall at 12:30, then a Dragon Suplex for a nearfall. They traded more stiff forearms, and Go applied a Cobra Clutch on the mat, but Whitmer reached the ropes. Go hit a German Suplex, tossing Whitmer into the corner, then he hit a German Suplex with a bridge for a believable nearfall. Shiozaki then nailed a top-rope moonsault for the pin! The wrestlers shook hands and hugged after the match. Wow, what an opener!

* Backstage, Jimmy Rave & Prince Nana said they were upset at the UK fans for disrespecting him at the “Unified” show. Rave said he was making a challenge to one of UK’s own stars, Doug Williams!

(2) Jonny Storm defeats Jody Fleisch and Spud in a three-way at 6:34. Nonstop sprint! Spud wore a blue & black outfit, and he again was greeted with a mixed reaction. Fleisch got quite a pop, and he wore red & white pants. Storm wore a red & yellow singlet. Storm & Spud briefly worked together on Fleisch. Fleisch hit a crossbody block on both of them. Spud hit a flip dive to the floor. Storm hit a corkscrew plancha on Fleisch. Fleisch hit a dropkick to Storm’s back, but he missed a springboard doublestomp move. Storm picked up Spud and gave him a powerbomb into the guardrail at 2:30, and the crowd chanted, “You killed Spud!” Funny.

In the ring, Spud hit a sunset flip, which caused Storm to hit a German Suplex on Fleisch. Spud hit a running dropkick for a nearfall. Fleisch hit a snap hurricanrana. Storm hit a headscissors takedown, then a Tornado DDT on Fleisch. Fleisch hit a shooting star press on Spud at 5:00, but Storm made the save. Storm hit a nice second-rope Japanese Armdrag. Fleisch hit a springboard Tornado DDT on Storm for a nearfall. Storm nailed a Michinoku Driver on Spud for the pin. Fun, high-flying action that is expected from these guys.

* Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli & Chad Collyer hit the ring and beat up all three high-flyers! Hero & Castagnoli hit a cool flip powerbomb move on Spud, and the crowd loudly booed Hero. Hero got on the mic and said, “I have Ring of Honor, and everything it stands for.” He talked about Collyer, saying that Chad is “an outcast.” Nigel McGuinness & Robbie Brookside ran to ringside to make the save! Nigel said he was there to defend the British style of wrestling. Colt Cabana’s music hit, and Colt joined the Brits at ringside! Colt reiterated that Hero “is not welcome in Ring of Honor!” The fans chanted that “Hero is a pu$$y,” and Hero was going NUTS at ringside!

(3) Nigel McGuinness & Robbie Brookside & Colt Cabana defeat Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli & Chad Collyer at 15:37. Good match. Hero and Brookside started, and Brookside immediately crotched Hero, and Chris went to the floor to recover. Claudio and Colt squared off, with Colt doing some goofy rolls on the mat and strutting around the ring. Chad tagged in and he worked Colt’s arm. This match had TREMENDOUS heat! Nigel tagged in at 3:00 to a huge pop, and he got a rollup on Chad for a nearfall. Hero again faced Brookside, and Robbie tied Hero up on the mat! The heels began to work Brookside over in their corner, with Chad hitting a back suplex for a nearfall at 6:00.

Hero twisted Brookside’s leg and applied a Modified Figure Four. Claudio mocked Colt’s dancing. Funny. Colt chased Claudio, who bailed and ran through the crowd to escape. Good humor. Hero & Castagnoli gave Brookside’s legs a wishbone, and Claudio made the cover for a nearfall at 9:00. Chad applied a single-leg crab. Claudio & Hero held Brookside off the mat, and Chad hit a dropkick. Nigel finally made the hot tag, and he nailed a short-arm clothesline on Hero, then he hit a Mule Kick out of the headstand position. Claudio hit a spin kick and a diving European Uppercut to Nigel’s back. Claudio was tied in the Tree of Woe, and Brookside hit a running dropkick to the face. Brookside then hit an Iconoclasm/flip slam off the ropes on Claudio at 12:30 for a nearfall.

Collyer entered and hit a powerslam for a nearfall on Brookside, then a brainbuster for a nearfall. Cabana made the hot tag, and he hit some Dusty Elbows on Collyer, then his Moonsault Press for a nearfall and a flying buttbump. Nigel hit a running European Uppercut in the corner on Collyer, then his Tower of London/stunner from the corner for a nearfall at 14:30. Claudio hit his modified Angle slam on Nigel. Brookside hit a pumphandle back suplex on Claudio. Hero hit a cravate slam on Brookside. Colt hit a neckbreaker over his knee on Hero, and all six were down! Nigel nailed his hard clothesline, bouncing out of the second rope, onto Collyer for the pin! The faces celebrated in the ring. Good match with great heat.

* Doug Williams backstage said he had heard Rave’s challenge for a match, and he accepted!

(4) American Dragon Bryan Danielson defeats SUWA at 11:48 to retain the ROH World Title. This was awkward, only that ROH did such a great job the day before establishing SUWA as a heel, thus this was a heel-heel match. They immediately fought on the floor, with Dragon hitting some European Uppercuts, and they traded punches. Dragon slammed SUWA into the wall. SUWA hit Dragon with a chair! Danielson was bleeding from the back of his head, and SUWA hit some chops as Dragon was crotched on the guardrail. They entered the ring at 1:40 and the bell sounded (so this match is technically, bell-to-bell, about 10 minutes even.)

They traded chops and slaps in the ring, and SUWA wiped off some of Danielson’s blood on the ref’s shirt! SUWA nailed a flying shoulder tackle, and he was in control. SUWA hit a nice tilt-a-whirl backbreaker over his knee, and he stretched Danielson over his knee. SUWA hit a series of headbutts at 4:30, and he was dominating the action. The back of Dragon’s head was now red from the cut. SUWA applied a Boston Crab, but Dragon reached the ropes at 7:00. Dragon fired back with a second-rope flying European Uppercut and a running forearm, then a top-rope superplex.

Dragon hit a Benoit Flying Headbutt for a nearfall, then he applied a Crossface Chickenwing on the mat, but SUWA reached the ropes at 9:00. Dragon hit some chops. SUWA hit a Saito Suplex. Dragon hit a German Suplex with a bridge for a nearfall. They traded hard slaps to the face! SUWA nailed a clothesline for a nearfall, and the crowd was hot. They traded headbutts and more stiff forearm shots! Out of nowhere, Dragon got a rollup as SUWA was bouncing off the ropes for the pin! Good action.

* Davey Richards & Matt Sydal cut a backstage promo, saying they are teaming because they both have problems with the Briscoe brothers.

(5) Doug Williams defeats Jimmy Rave (w/Prince Nana) at 20:59. Good match. Rave made fun of England, and people with bad teeth, saying he can’t wait to leave this dump. The crowd chanted, “Die, Jimmy Die!” and they sang together, and Rave was NOT happy at the way he was being treated! Williams got some quick mat tie-ups, and Rave bailed. The fans taunted Rave with some gay-themed chants, and Prazak, in perfect tone, said, “Purely Speculation.” FUNNY. In the ring, Williams slammed down the left arm on the mat. WOW, this crowd is going nuts! Jimmy Bower joined the booth, saying it’s hard to believe that when ROH started 100 shows ago in Philadelphia, that they would have grown enough to be in the UK!

Williams was simply out-wrestling Rave early, and he applied a Cobra Clutch at 6:00. Nana beat up Williams on the floor, and Rave tossed Williams into the crowd. In the ring, Rave hit a snap suplex for a nearfall. Williams came back with a second-rope butterfly suplex for a nearfall, but Nana made the save at 9:00. Williams hit a running knee in the corner. Rave hit the Ghana Rea/spinning back slam, then some stomps in the corner, and he was in control. Nana hit a Rumpshaker in the corner at 13:00 as the ref was distracted, and Rave got a nearfall. They traded punches, and Williams hit European Uppercut and a gutwrench suplex for a nearfall.

Rave went for a top-rope superplex, but he slipped and crotched himself. Nonetheless, Rave recovered and still hit the top-rope superplex, and they were both down. (Personally, I think that after Rave slipped, they should have skipped this spot.) Willaims hit a back suplex and a frogsplash for a nearfall. Williams hit a belly-to-belly overhead suplex, and some more European Uppercuts at 16:30. Rave nailed a spear, and they were both down. Rave hit a DDT and a running knee to the face for a nearfall. Nana pulled out the Ghana flag and he waved it at ringside, drawing even more heat! Williams went for the Chaos Theory/roll-through into a German Suplex, but Rave avoided it, and he got a rollup with his feet on the ropes for a nearfall.

Rave accidentally hit Nana! Williams hit a hard clothesline, then a top-rope kneedrop to the face for a believable nearfall at 19:30. Rave applied a Crippler Crossface, and the fans chanted, “Please don’t tap!” Williams escaped. Rave hit a spear and another running knee for a nearfall. Rave set up for the Greetings From Ghana/Pedigree, but Williams escaped it and he immediately hit the Chaos Theory for the pin! Good match.

* A doctor examined the cut on the back of Danielson’s head. The camera panned to Dragon’s face, and Bryan said that this cut wouldn’t stop him from beating Roderick Strong later. Intense.

(6) Jay & Mark Briscoe defeat Davey Richards & Matt Sydal at 26:35. Another awesome match from the Briscoes; all four of these guys really stepped up their game! The Briscoes wore their Confederate flag trunks, dressed identical tonight. (Do UK fans understand what a Confederate flag means?) Prazak on commentary said the Briscoes have made a lot of enemies since their return to ROH. Richards and Mark started with some mat tie-ups and a standoff, and Richards hit his kick to the shoulder out of the bridge. Sydal and Jay traded some quick offense, with Sydal applying an anklelock, and Jay reaching the ropes at 3:30. Jay hit a nice headscissors takedown, so Sydal hit his snap headscissors takedown!

Richards tagged in and hit his chops and a hard kick to the chest. Sydal hit a catapult doublestomp and a nice standing dropkick on Mark. They worked over Mark Briscoe, with Richards hitting a guillotine legdrop. Mark hit a back suplex. Jay tagged in and hit a European Uppercut, some stiff forearms, and a dropkick on Richards. Richards came back with a running clothesline at 9:30, and he made a hot tag to Sydal, who hit a fisherman’s suplex. Mark hit a spin heel kick on Richards. Jay hit some stomps on Richards.

Richards hit an STO uranage. Sydal hit a spin heel kick and a knee strike to the head in the corner. Richards hit a powerslam. Sydal hit a nice standing dropkick on Mark at 13:30. Sydal went for the jump-up rana in the corner, but Jay grabbed Mark’s foot to prevent him from flipping off the ropes. The Briscoes then began to work over Mark, and they tossed him across the ring, then they hit the double football shoulder tackle. They flipped Sydal up in the air, and Matt crashed hard, stomach-first, to the canvas. Sydal finally was able to hit the jump-up rana in the corner, and he made the hot tag to Richards. Richards hit a Mafia Kick, a springboard dropkick, and he was fired up, hitting a running clothesline, then a dive to the floor!

Richards hit his right & left kicks, a Mafia Kick to the side of the head, and a German Suplex for a nearfall! On the floor, the Briscoes flipped Richards over the guardrail and into the crowd! Sydal went to the top rope, and he hit a moonsault, over the guardrail, and onto all three in the crowd at 19:00! In the ring, Sydal hit his standing moonsault for a nearfall. Sydal went for a second standing moonsault, but the Briscoe in the ring got his feet up to block it. The Briscoes hit their Splash Mountain & neckbreaker combo on Sydal for a believable nearfall. Sydal hit a reverse Tombstone Piledriver on Mark for a believable nearfall. Sydal hit an enziguri. Jay hit a Death Valley Driver on Sydal for a nearfall. Richards hit a Saito Suplex on Jay, then several kicks. Mark hit a top-rope flying knee as Richards was held off the ground at 22:00.

Richards fired back with the handspring-back-enziguri and a T-Bone Suplex! There was a double clothesline, and both men were down, and the crowd was going NUTS. All four fought in the ring, with Jay hitting a Mafia Kick on Sydal. Jay went for a frogsplash, but Sydal got his knees up to block it. Sydal hit an elevated top-rope spin kick to one of the Briscoe’s head for a believable nearfall. Sydal hit a top-rope belly-to-belly suplex for a nearfall at 25:00, and the ref had lost control! A Briscoe hit a piledriver on Mat, then they hit a spike Jaydriller on Richards! The Briscoes hit a Death Valley Driver & guillotine legdrop combo move on Sydal for the pin! WOW. The fans chanted, “This is awesome!”

(7) American Dragon Bryan Danielson defeats Roderick Strong at 20:07 to retain the ROH World Title. Another great match between these two. Dragon’s chest was already red from his match earlier in the show! Clips from their prior matches on 10/29, 11/4 and 3/31 aired. Dragon hit a slap to the face and he immediately bailed! Strong put Dragon’s head between his legs and he slammed it into the mat. Dragon applied a Bow & Arrow, then he went for a Surfboard, but Strong escaped it! Dragon applied a cool headscissorslock, but Strong reached the ropes at 4:00. Strong hit three hard chops! Strong hit a backbreaker over his knee and a belly-to-belly suplex for a nearfall, then he went for a Surfboard on Danielson, but Dragon escaped.

Dragon hit a European Uppercut, and he tossed Strong across the ring by his hair. Strong again avoided a Surfboard attempt. Strong hit some stiff forearms, and Dragon responded with another slap to the face. Dragon tied up Strong’s legs and he pulled back on the head at 8:00. They fought on the floor and traded chops. In the ring, Danielson hit some spine kicks, and he was in control, and he hit a modified Falcon Arrow slam for a nearfall. Dragon was now bleeding from the mouth, along with the cut on the back of his head! Dragon hit a dive to the floor on Strong at 11:00. Strong jumped to the floor and apparently hurt his ankle. In the ring, Dragon hit a missile dropkick, and he kipped up, and the crowd booed him! Dragon applied a Cattle Mutilation.

Strong fired back with a backbreaker and a Gibson Driver/butterfly powerbomb. Dragon got a rollup with a Backlund Bridge for a nearfall at 13:30. They traded chops and forearms, and Strong hit the Gorilla Press Gutbuster over his knees. Strong hit a flying boot to the face, then he applied a Boston Crab, but Dragon reached the ropes at 15:30. Dragon hit a top-rope back suplex for a nearfall, but Strong reached the ropes. Dragon applied a Crossface Chickenwing on the mat in the center of the ring, but Strong still was able to reach the ropes. Strong hit a second-rope Gorilla Press Gutbuster over his knees, and the fans chanted, “Holy Sh--!”

Strong applied a Boston Crab in the center of the ring, but Dragon was able to flip him over for a nearfall. (Prazak noted that is how Dragon beat Strong at the 3/31 match.) Strong hit a big boot to the face. Danielson tied up Strong and began ramming 20 to 30 elbow shots to the side of the head! Dragon applied a Cattle Mutilation, and the fans chanted, “Please don’t tap!” The referee lifted Strong’s arm, saw that he was out, and he called for the bell! The crowd chanted, “Thank you Dragon!” Dragon posed in the ring, with blood running down his head. Quite a visual.

Final thoughts: DVD runs 2 hours, 49 minutes. This was another very good show, although I thought “Unified” was better. If you are only getting one UK show, get that one. That said, this was really good, and the crowd was hot, making these already-great matches seem even better!

I’ll give best match to the Briscoes tag match, as there were many great false finishes and believable nearfalls, and the crowd was going nuts as the action kept going and going. Bravo to all four.

Second best goes to the main event. While I still contend that their 11/4 match in Chicago was the best of their four singles matches in ROH, this was quite good, and I liked how Dragon almost got the win like he did at 3/31, only to go back to the elbow shots for the victory.

The Whitmer-Shiozaki match was incredibly good, and that’s third-best here, just ahead of Williams-Rave. So, who is the bigger heat magnet, Rave or Hero? The UK crowd LOVED booing both equally, and both guys knew how to milk the crowd for every bit of reaction.

I liked Brookside and Collyer more here than at the “Unified” show. If I had to point to something I didn’t like, I’d say that Spud again just fails to impress me. Sure, I’ve seen Fleisch vs. Storm one-on-one several times now, but I would have preferred that to this three-way.

This show gets a solid thumbs up, and I highly recommend it. Purchase this DVD 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!