By Chris Vetter

Ring of Honor returned to the Boston area, heading to Roxbury Crossing, Mass., on June 8, 2007, for "A fight at the Roxbury." This is a big gym, and there were people sitting in bleachers from the ring. The crowd may be 800 or more -- it's hard to judge with the crowd hidden in the shadows.

As with all recent ROH releases, lighting and sound are good, and production has continued to improve. As usual, the commentary team of Dave Prazak & Lenny Leonard are back, and they do a great job together.

* The DVD opened with Rebecca Bayless interviewing the No Remorse Corps. The guys didn't take her seriously, and Roderick Strong told her she should be wearing something more revealing. Strong was angry at Delirious for biting him. "Tonight, I kill you," Strong said. Strong then talked about Austin Aries, saying that Aries is "hiding behind his TNA contract." (This tells me that ROH officials likely knew Aries would quickly return). Davey Richards said that "we are the measuring stick."

* Bryan Danielson talked about his match later. He said he has respect for Jimmy Rave, but he promised he would "make short work" of Rave, unlike the last time they met.

To the ring!

(1) Brent Albright defeats B.J. Whitmer via DQ at 9:25. They immediately traded slaps to the face, then some stiff forearms! Albright hit a shoulder tackle. Whitmer hit a back heel kick and he suplexed them both to the floor. Albright whipped Whitmer into the guardrails, so Whitmer did the same to Brent. The ref admonished Whitmer, and Whitmer was quickly annoyed with the referee. Back in the ring at 3:30, Brent went to work on Whitmer's left arm. Albright hit a kneedrop on the elbow, and he tossed him shoulder-first into the ring post. Whitmer hit a standing neckbreaker for a nearfall, some punches, and a Northern Lights suplex for a nearfall.

Albright hit an implant DDT for a nearfall at 7:00, then a bodyslam. Whitmer hit a German suplex, so Albright hit a German suplex. Whitmer hit a Dragon Suplex for a nearfall! OUCH! Albright applied the Crowbar/Fujiwara Armbar out of nowhere, but Whitmer reached the ropes. Whitmer hit a running boot to the side of the head and a running kneestrike to the head. The referee stopped Whitmer from doing something; Whitmer had been annoyed with this ref the entire match, so he nailed a headbutt on the ref, causing the DQ! Whitmer began throwing chairs. "Whitmer has snapped!" Prazak said. Interesting.

* Daizee Haze came out, and she was upset at Lacey because of a recent street fight. Jimmy Jacobs came to the ring, and the crowd chanted, "You f**ked Lacey!" Haze attacked Jacobs! She hit him with his cane! Lacey ran in, and she nailed a Lungblower! Lacey checked on Jacobs to make sure he was ok. Definitely a change in attitude for Lacey! Lacey grabbed Daizee's head and she repeated smashed her head into the mat.

(2) Bryan Danielson defeats Jimmy Rave at 10:50. Good match; they've definitely had better. Prazak said this was a rematch from the fourth-year anniversary. They opened with solid mat reversals, and Rave hit some forearm shots that jarred Danielson. Danielson tied up the legs, and he applied a modified Figure Four leglock, then he cranked on the head and turned the move into an abdominal stretch! Cool mat stuff. Danielson hit some forearm shots, and Rave bailed at 3:30, and the crowd taunted him. Back in the ring, Rave applied a legscissorslock. Danielson hit a shoulder tackle, so Rave spit on Danielson! Rave then hit a shoulder tackle and he celebrated, so Danielson spit back at him.

Danielson hit a European Uppercut, and he reminded the ref he "has til 5" to break a hold, and he ripped at Rave's face. Rave hit a low block kick, some chops, and he jawed at the referee. Rave hit a back suplex at 7:00, and fans began to chant, "Let's go Dragon." Danielson hit an Earthquake Buttsplash, and he applied a Triangle Choke, then he hit a Tajiri-style spin kick. Danielson nailed a diving European Uppercut from the apron to the floor. In the ring, Rave nailed a spear as Danielson went for a move off the top rope. Rave hit a basement dropkick on the leg, and he twisted the leg. Danielson hit an overhead suplex at 10:00, and he unloaded some slaps. They traded rollups. Danielson began ramming repeated elbow shots into the side of Rave's head, and Rave tapped out. Good action.

(3) Kevin Steen defeats Mark Briscoe at 9:43. Another good, short match. They immediately traded blows, and Briscoe hit a spin heel kick. They traded more forearms, and Mark hit a Superkick, then a swan dive over the top rope onto Steen on the floor! Mark hit a second-rope swanton dive to the floor, and they were both down. Briscoe whipped Steen into the guardrail. Steen nailed a powerbomb into the ring apron! Steen then hit a powerbomb, over the guardrail, and into the crowd at 2:30! OUCH! They fought into the crowd, and they traded chops near the bleachers. Steen hit a snap suplex onto the hard, wood floor! Steen teased climbing a light tower to hit a move, but he came down, and the crowd booed.

Mark nailed a Flair Toss off the guardrail to the floor. Mark hit a standing moonsault on the floor, then a catapult doublestomp in the ring for a nearfall at 6:00. Steen hit an enziguri and a neckbreaker over his knee for a nearfall. Steen went for a Swanton Bomb, but Mark got his knees up to block it. Briscoe hit an Exploder suplex for a nearfall, then a springboard dropkick, and the crowd was HOT as Mark set up for the Shooting Star Press. However, Steen hopped up, and he shoved Mark off the top rope through a table on the floor at 9:00! Steen brought Mark back into the ring, and he nailed the Package Piledriver for the pin! Hard-hitting action.

(4) Claudio Castagnoli defeats Mike Quackenbush and Nigel McGuinness and Chris Hero (w/Toland, Larry Sweeney, Bobby Dempsey) at 18:41. WOW, that was some really great action!
Nigel and Hero started, and the crowd chanted, "F**k you, Hero!" Hero bailed. Nigel and Quack traded mat reversals, and Nigel applied a cravate. Quack tied up the arms, and they had a standoff. They shook hands at 2:30. This is just some GOOD mat wrestling reversals. Hero nailed Quack from behind! Hero and Quack sped up the action, with Quack hitting some armdrags. Quack then faced Claudio at 5:00, and the crowd popped for this pairing!

Quack hit a nice monkeyflip, an armdrag, and he posed, and the crowd popped. Claudio hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Quack for a nearfall. Hero entered, and he punched Quack. Hero & Claudio worked together on Quackenbush! Claudio hit his Giant Swing. The Kings of Wrestling hit double Mafia Kicks on Quack. Claudio applied an abdominal stretch on the mat, and the crowd chanted for Nigel to get in. Toland choked Quack at 9:00. Quack hit some palm strikes and a legsweep, and he made the hot tag to Nigel! Nigel hit a short-arm clothesline on both Claudio, then Hero. Nigel hit a running European Uppercut on Hero, then another short-arm clothesline on Hero for a nearfall.

Hero hit some repeated thrusts to Nigel's chest. Nigel hit a Divorce Court armbreaker on Hero. Quack tagged back in and hit some more unique armdrags. Quack hit a reverse crucifix takedown, dropping Hero stomach-first to the mat, for a believable nearfall at 12:00. Hero hit a back suplex on Quackenbush for a nearfall. Claudio entered and hit a running Liger Bomb on Quack for a nearfall. However, Claudio couldn't hit the Waterslide, but he did hit the cross-armed German Suplex. Quack hit a hurricanrana on Claudio, then one on Hero for a nearfall. Hero hit a running boot to the side of Quack's head. Hero and Claudio shoved each other at 14:30!

Nigel nailed his headstand mule kick, then a Tower of London/hangman's stunner on Claudio for a nearfall, but Hero made the save. Claudio hit the Waterslide/modified Angle Slam on Nigel for a nearfall. Quack gave Claudio a monkeyflip to the floor! All four fought on the floor. Nigel hit his Rebound (Jawbreaker) Lariat on Hero on the floor at 17:30. In the ring, Nigel went for another Jawbreaker Lariat, but Toland and Dempsey pulled Nigel to the floor as he was leaning backward in the ropes! Claudio nailed a bicycle kick on Hero! Quackenbush hit a satellite headscissors takedown into a rollup for a believable nearfall! However, Quack nailed a hard European Uppercut on Quack to score the pin! A great mat-based match, and it immediately showed that Quack belongs in ROH.

* It's intermission time, and Rebecca Bayless tried to interview B.J. Whitmer, but he wouldn't talk. Kevin Steen & El Generico walked up. Steen predicted that Generico would beat Matt Sydal later. Steen taunted Mark Briscoe for losing earlier, and Steen predicted they would soon be tag champions.

(5) Eddie Edwards defeats Pelle Primeau at 7:13. Good match that topped all my expectations. Pelle came out with his trophy. Edwards is MUCH bigger and thicker, and he worked the left arm, and he hit a shoulder tackle. Pelle hit a headscissors takedown and a snap headscissors takedown, then a second-rope crossbody block. Edwards NAILED some loud chops and an overhead faceplant for a nearfall at 2:30. Edwards hit a snap suplex and a hard clothesline. Pelle fired back with some paintbrush open-hand slaps to the face, but that just made Edwards angry!

Pelle hit a headscissors takedown on the floor, sending Edwards crashing into the guardrail. In the rng, Pelle hit his springboard Thesz Press and a doublestomp for a nearfall at 5:00. Pelle hit a Tornado DDT for a nearfall. Edwards caught him in mid-air and slammed Pelle into the corner. Edwards hit an enziguri and a Backpack Stunner for a nearfall, then a fisherman's suplex for a nearfall. Pelle got a sunset flip for a nearfall. Edwards hit a standing powerbomb for a believable nearfall. Edwards finally hit a cross-legged brainbuster for the pin. Good match, and Pelle showed good fire here.

(6) Matt Sydal defeats El Generico at 14:04. Good match. They opened with an intense lockup and some standing switches. Generico hit his armdrags. Sydal hit a snap headcissors takedown and a nice dropkick, then an enziguri at 3:00 for a nearfall. Sydal hit some body slams, and he was cocky as he celebrated. Sydal hit a nice sideslam for a nearfall, and he tied Generico in a Bow & Arrow. "I beat every masked man in ROH," Sydal shouted. Generico fired back with a leg lariat for a nearfall, then a Lionsault as Sydal was tied in the ropes for a nearfall at 6:00.

Generico hit a nice tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a nearfall, then some chops, but he couldn't hit his Mafia Kick. Sydal hit a spin heel kick, and they were both down, and the crowd was HOT. They traded forearm shots, with the crowd shouting "Ole!" every time Generico landed a blow. FUN. Sydal hit his double kneeshot in the corner, then his clothesline in the corner. Sydal nailed a top-rope flying double kneeshot to the chest for a nearfall, but he couldn't hit the standing moonsault at 9:00, and he landed on his feet. Sydal hit his Floatover Famouser for a nearfall. The crowd was HOT!

Sydal hit a crossbody block and they both went over the top rope to the floor. Generico ran on the floor, dove through the ropes around the turnbuckle, grabbed Sydal's head, and hit a Tornado DDT on the floor! COOL SPOT! In the ring, Generico flipped Sydal mid-air and hit a powerbomb for a nearfall at 12:00. Sydal came back with a standing moonsault for a believable nearfall. They fought on the top rope in the corner. Sydal hit his Jump-up Rana, but moments later, Generico hit his Mafia Kick! Sydal nailed a nice hurricanrana for the clean pin. They shook hands afterward. Good match. Excellent match.

(7) Delirious & Erick Stevens & Matt Cross defeat Roderick Strong & Rocky Romero & Davey Richards at 21:35. Another very good match. Fans taunted Strong with the "Rod-A-rick" chant. The faces charged the ring, and all six men brawled, and there was fighting on the floor. Romero and Stevens traded forearms in the ring, then chops and slaps. Delirious hit a senton on Strong, then a top-rope flip dive to the floor onto the heels! Cross hit a nice dropkick on Strong for a nearfall at 3:00. Stevens hit a nice side slam on Strong for a nearfall.

Delirious hit a back suplex on Strong. Stevens hit a standing neckbreaker on Strong. However, Richards did a low bridge on the top rope, and Stevens crashed to the floor at 5:00. The heels began to take turns beating up Stevens. Richards hit a running forearm in the corner and a quick kick to the thigh. Strong hit some chops, and this was a basic beatdown. Romero hit a springboard kneedrop at 9:00. Richards hit some hard spin kicks to the chest. Stevens hit a belly-to-belly suplex on Strong, and they were both down, and the crowd was hot. Delirious made the hot tag, and he hit some clotheslines and back elbows.

Cross hit an enziguri. Delirious hit a crossbody block on Richards, and they both fell to the floor at 12:00. Cross hit his dropkick in the ropes, then the Super Space Flying Tiger Drop/cartwheel dive to the floor. In the ring, Richards went for a springboard crossbody block, but Delirious caught him with a leaping headbutt. Delirious nailed the Bizarro Driver/pumphandle Michinoku Driver for a nearfall. Romero hit a flying knee on Delirious. Delirious hit his "Never-ending" clotheslines in the corner on Romero. Romero fired back with a second-rope DDT on Delirious for a nearfall. Romero applied a modified Dragon Clutch. Stevens hit his "Choo choo" running splash in the corner on Romero, then a pumphandle slam on Romero for a nearfall at 15:00.

All six fought in the ring. Cross hit a handspring-back-elbow in the corner. Delirious hit his Panic Attack/running knee on Romero. Stevens hit a TKO stunner on Romero for a believable nearfall. Romero hit a Tajiri-style spin kick on Cross, and suddenly, all six men were down! Stevens and Strong began to trade forearm shots and chops, and Stevens hit a Bulldog Powerslam for a nearfall at 18:00. Romero hit a springboard tornado DDT on Stevens for a nearfall. Delirious couldn't hit the Shadows Over Hell backsplash.

Richards and Stevens traded slaps, and Stevens hit a German Suplex! Delirious hit the Shadows Over Hell! Cross hit a Phoenix Splash for a believable nearfall, and the crowd chanted, "ROH!" Strong hit a top-rope superplex on Stevens. Richards hit a top-rope elbowdrop on Stevens for a nearfall. Romero applied a cross-armbreaker on Cross, but Delirious hit a guillotine legdrop on Romero to save Cross! Delirious got a Crucifix Takedown on Strong for a nearfall. Strong hit his Gorilla Press Gutbuster over his knees on Delirious. BUT, Delirious nailed the Chemical Imbalance 2/flipping powerbomb for the pin on Strong! Very good match with plenty of action.

* Larry Sweeney and Chris Hero stood in an empty gym. Tank Toland was training Bobby Dempsey. Toland talked about how he's a natural athlete, and they all made fun of Dempsey's weight.

(8) Takeshi Morishima defeats Jay Briscoe at 13:27 to retain the ROH World Heavyweight title. Another very good match! Morishima got in the ring and immediately attacked Jay, and he tossed Briscoe to the floor. Morishima whipped him into the guardrail, then he nailed a running buttbump against the guardrail. Jay hit a frogsplash off the ring apron to the floor. In the ring, Jay hit a swinging neckbreaker and a guillotine legdrop for a nearfall. Jay hit a dropkick that knocked Morishima down, and he fell to the floor. Jay grazed Morishima on a flip dive to the floor, and they were both down.

In the ring, Jay went for a crossbody block, but Morishima caught him and hit an overhead belly-to-belly suplex at 3:30. Morishima hit some Field Goal Kicks, and they traded forearms. Morishima hit a guillotine legdrop, and he was in charge. Morishima hit his rolling buttbump as Jay was sitting on the mat. Takeshi applied a modified Camel Clutch. Jay hit some chops, but they had zero effect. Morishima hit some forearms and a clothesline in the corner. Morishima shoved the referee at 7:00! Morishima missed a buttdrop. Jay hit a basement dropkick, and they were both down, and the crowd was hot!

Jay hit a Mafia Kick for a nearfall, then a flapjack. Jay hit a vertical suplex at 9:00, and the crowd popped for Jay's strength! Morishima came back with a (Boss Man) Sidewalk slam, then a so-so cartwheel-into-a-Stinger Splash. Morishima hit a missile dropkick, but he couldn't hit the Back Drop Driver. Jay nailed a Superkick. Morishima hit another mid-ring buttbump. Morishima went for another buttbump, but Jay caught him and hit a German Suplex! Jay nailed a Death Valley Driver and a frogsplash for a BELIEVEABLE nearfall at 11:30, and the crowd went nuts!

Briscoe tried, but he couldn't hit the Jay Driller. Morishima hit the buttdrop for a nearfall, and he climbed the ropes, apparently going for another missile dropkick. However, Jay caught him in the corner and he nailed a Superplex! BUT Morishima hopped right up to his feet! Jay hit some forearms and a running boot, but Morishima hit a decapitating clothesline and the Back Drop Driver for the clean pin! WOW, that was a lot of action for just 13 and a half minutes!

* Immediately after the match, Kevin Steen jumped in the ring and attacked Jay Briscoe! Mark Briscoe made the save. El Generico ran in, and those four men brawled into the crowd, then into the concourse and hallway.

* Backstage, Brent Albright talked about how he's a "gun for hire." However, he said he has his eye on the ROH title as well.

* Larry Sweeney and Tank Toland watched Chris Hero run circles (literally!) around Bobby Dempsey at the indoor track. Light-hearted humor to close the show.


Final thoughts: DVD runs 2 hours, 34 minutes (making this one of the shortest ROH shows I've ever seen!)

This was a good show with four very strong top matches. Depending on your tastes, you may rank any of those top four matches differently. Personally, I'll give Hero-Claudio-Quack-McGuinness my vote for best of the show. The action kept going, and it was smooth reversals and fun mat wrestling. Yes, Quackenbush did a double-shot in April, but this night is the first time he was really able to show his incredible, graceful, mat wrestling skills. Great stuff.

The main event earned second-best. As with pretty-much all of Morishima's title matches, it was under 15 minutes, but they packed in a lot of action. While I don't think many fans really thought Jay would take the title, he sure put up a heck of a fight and gave fans a few brief moments where it appeared he actually might pull it off.

Generico vs. Sydal was great stuff, and the crowd was totally into it. Another very good match, and in my eyes, it barely tops the good six-man tag. Nothing wrong with the six-man -- it was quite good -- it just feels like I've seen that match a LOT already, even with Delirious substituting for Aries.

The rest of the card was solid. Mark Briscoe-Steen and Danielson-Rave were good, short matches early on. Whitmer going crazy gave us something new about his personality. Pelle had his best singles match to date. The Lacey-Jimmy stuff was intriguing.

Thus, this show gets a thumbs up. Nothing bored me, most of the matches were quite good, but there were no "match of the year" candidates here. Geez... if I had to find a complaint, it would be that the DVD ended so early. This might have been a time to put in an "FIP bonus match" from some of the FIP shows that have never been released on DVD. Purchase this DVD at www.rohwrestling.com for $20.

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