DVDs - VGames - Books DVD Review: ROH "Glory By Honor VI, N2" with Kenta vs. Misawa, 110307
Jun 10, 2008 - 4:05:59 PM
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By Chris Vetter, torch contributor
Ring of Honor returned to Manhattan, N.Y., on Nov. 3, 2007, in the Manhattan ballroom, for “Glory By Honor VI, Night 2.” Once again, this venue is packed, and the crowd here must be 1,100 to 1,300 fans. This looks GREAT on video to see such a large crowd, that is so into the action!
Back on commentary are the usual duo of Dave Prazak & Lenny Leonard. I really enjoy their work together, but I'm becoming increasingly annoyed with their delayed reactions to some big spots. (It really reminds me that the commentary is dubbed later, and is not done live.)
* The DVD opened with a nice video package, showing off some great video clips of ROH's top talents, and it included clips of wrestling greats who have stopped by ROH in the past five years, like Mick Foley, Bobby Heenan, Ricky Steamboat, Eddie Guerrero, Jushin Liger and Matt Hardy. Wow, that was a tremendous video!
(1) Chris Hero (w/Larry Sweeney & Sara Del Rey & Bobby Dempsey) defeats El Generico at 14:24. Very good opener. The crowd chanted for Dempsey. Hero refused to shake Generico's hand. Leonard said this was the sixth consecutive sellout for ROH in Manhattan. Prazak noted this match is a rematch from the recent "Race to the Top" tournament. The match began, and they traded armbars early. This match has good heat, as the crowd is really pumped up. Prazak & Leonard talked about Nigel's arm injury, as Hero stalled. Generico hit an armdrag at 4:00, and he worked the left arm. Hero started bouncing around the ropes in the corner, but Generico immediately hit another armdrag, and he was in charge.
Hero begged for a timeout, and he stalled, but then he nailed a big boot to the chest at 6:30. Generico hit a clothesline that sent Hero to the floor. Sweeney grabbed Generico's ankle, allowing Hero to shove Generico off the apron into the guardrail. Sweeney briefly beat up Generico on the floor. Hero slapped Dempsey for no apparent reason, but it sure drew great heat! Hero hit some chops on Generico. In the ring, Hero hit a second-rope senton splash for a nearfall at 9:30, and the crowd chanted, "Ole!" to rally Generico. Hero missed a top-rope guillotine legdrop.
Generico hit a springboard kick and a chop, then a nice top-rope Rana for a nearfall at 11:30. Generico hit a top-rope crossbody block. Hero came back with a cravate swinging neckbreaker, then a modified stunner for a believable nearfall. Generico scored a backslide for a nearfall, then a Tornado DDT for a nearfall. Generico missed his Yakuza Kick in the corner, but moments later, he nailed it, and that got him a believable nearfall. Generico went for a top-rope diving headbutt, but Hero caught the head, and Chris hit a cravate suplex, then the Hero's Welcome/swinging faceplant, for the clean pin. Very good action, and the crowd was hot.
* The Hangman 3 (B.J. Whitmer & Brent Albright & Shane Hagadorn) hit the ring, and they beat up Generico. Brent Albright hit an Awesome Bomb, tossing Generico over the top rope and through a table set up on the floor! Kevin Steen ran to the ring to make the save. Moments later, Delirious also ran to the ring to help out, and that leads to an impromptu tag match!
(2) B.J. Whitmer & Brent Albright (w/Hagadorn) defeat Delirious & Kevin Steen at 10:58. Another very good tag match. Delirious hit the BAM leaping lariat at the bell on Albright, then some punches to the face. Delirious choked Brent with his jacket. Steen entered and hit some chops and his flipping guillotine legdrop for a nearfall. Delirious hit a senton. Albright fired back with his wind-up uranage on Delirious for a nearfall at 2:30. Whitmer tagged in and he hit some chops and stomps on Delirious. Whitmer hit a second-rope elevated kneedrop across the chin, and the heels were in charge.
Delirious hit a missile dropkick on Whitmer, but he couldn't make the hot tag. Albright hit some hard kneelifts to the chest and an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Whitmer hit a nice frogsplash for a nearfall at 5:30. Albright hit a nice powerslam for a nearfall. Delirious couldn't lock on the Cobra Clutch, and Albright escaped the hold. Delirious hit a jumping headbutt to Brent's chest. Steen finally got the hot tag at 7:00, and he hit some stiff forearms on Whitmer and a clothesline, then he nailed a Superkick on Albright. Steen hit a flip dive to the floor on Hagadorn & Albright. Delirious and Whitmer were alone in the ring, and they briefly brawled. Steen hit a pumphandle neckbreaker over his knee on Whitmer!
Delirious & Steen briefly argued over what move should be done next, and that allowed Albright to hit his wrap-around-the-ropes kneestrike on Steen, then a German suplex for a nearfall. Delirious hit the Panic Attack on Whitmer, and Steen immediately hit the rolling Tumbleweed on BJ! Delirious hit the Shadows Over Hell backsplash, and Steen followed it with the Swanton Bomb on Whitmer for a nearfall, but Albright made the save at 10:00. Delirious hit a top-rope flip dive to the floor on the heels. Steen set up Whitmer for a Package Piledriver in the ring, but Hagadorn jumped in the ring and hit a low blow on Steen! This allowed Whitmer to hit an Exploder on Steen across an open chair for the pin! Very good match.
* Shane Hagadorn got on the mic, and he excused his teammates. Hagadorn boasted that the Hangman 3 are on a roll, and he made an open challenge. Out of the back came... Austin Aries!
(3) Austin Aries defeats Shane Hagadorn at 1:13. Hagadorn attacked Aries immediately, hit a Death Valley Driver, but he only got a one-count. Hagadorn relaxed in the corner. Aries nailed his running dropkick to the face! Aries then hit the Brainbuster and a 450 Splash for the pin.
* Aries got on the mic and said, "That took me longer than I thought it would." He announced he was disbanding the Resilience, but was quite careful to not say anything bad about Erick Stevens or Matt Cross. "I have no time to get caught up in faction warfare," he said. Because now, he's the number one contender, and he's focused on the ROH World Title! Nigel McGuinness came out in street clothes, and he talked (complained?) about how he was injured and couldn't wrestle tonight. Nigel was upset at some of the hecklers in the crowd, and he called one fan a "wanker" who is a "sad, pathetic, ignorant, prick." Nigel said he would be out another four to six weeks, but he will be ready to face Aries on the Dec. 29 PPV.
(4) Claudio Castagnoli defeats Naomichi Marufuji at 18:41. Very good match. Prazak said this is their first 1-on-1 meeting (although they met in a four-way just a few months ago). Claudio led the crowd through some "Heyyy!" chants, so Marufuji did the same thing. They shook hands and traded some standing switches. Claudio worked the left ankle, and he applied a Full Nelson. After Marufuji escaped, Castagnoli let Naomichi apply the Full Nelson! The crowd mockingly chanted, "Please don't tap!" Claudio slowed Marufuji down with a headlock. They each applied a Claw on one another at 5:30. Claudio hit an armdrag, and they finally sped it up with quick reversals, a standoff, and the crowd popped.
Claudio overpowered him in a test of strength. However, Marufuji nailed a Dragonscrew Legwhip in the ropes at 8:00, and he began to work Claudio's left leg. He applied a modified anklelock, but Claudio reached the ropes. Marufuji hit a dropkick on the injured leg, and he hit another Dragonscrew, this time pulling Castagnoli off the top rope! Marufuji applied a Figure Four leglock, and Castagnoli finally reached the ropes at 10:30. Claudio hit a nice gutwrench suplex and a fisherman's suplex for a nearfall, but he sold his injured left leg. Marufuji hit a nice chinbreaker over his knee. Claudio hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall, and he tied Naomichi in a pretzel to slow him down.
Marufuji hit some clotheslines for a nearfall at 13:30. Claudio hit a wheelbarrow-style German Suplex for a nearfall, but he couldn't hit the Ricola Bomb/Pyramid Powerbomb. Claudio hit the Bicycle Kick for a nearfall. Marufuji came back with a second-rope Superplex for a nearfall, then a Superkick, but he couldn't hit the Sliced Bread #2, and Claudio shoved him to the floor at 15:30. Back in the ring, Claudio hit a top-rope diving European Uppercut for a nearfall, then he hit the Giant Swing! Claudio hit a running European Uppercut for a believable nearfall! The crowd was now HOT, as they started alternating chants for the wrestlers.
They traded stiff forearms and blows, and Marufuji hit a Superkick for a believable nearfall! Naomichi hit the Sliced Bread #2 at 18:00, but Claudio got his foot on the ropes! Claudio again couldn't hit the Ricola Bomb. Marufuji couldn't hit another Sliced Bread #2. Claudio got an O'Connor Roll, leaned back for a Backlund Bridge, and scored the pin! "That's perhaps the biggest win in Claudio's career!" Prazak said. Very good match, bordering on excellent.
* Sweeney & Hero hit the ring and attacked Claudio! Sweeney hit a top-rope elbowdrop on Castagnoli.
(5) Jimmy Jacobs & Necro Butcher vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe goes to a double DQ at 0:43. The crowd chanted, "Man up!" All four men brawled immediately, and the Briscoes hit their double football shoulder tackle on Necro Butcher. Some chairs were brought in the ring, and the wrestlers traded dueling chairshots. The ref called for the bell, ending the match. The heels left, leaving the Briscoes in the ring, encouraging the fans to chant "F'n bullsh!t!" Good setup for the match later on.
(6) Takeshi Morishima defeats Bryan Danielson via DQ at 13:26. Sharp, hard-hitting match! Danielson dove through the ropes onto Morishima to start the match! He whipped Takeshi into the guardrail and hit some stomps, then an elbowdrop off the apron to the floor. Leonard noted this was their third matchup. Danielson hit some spin kicks to the chest, and he gouged at Morishima's eye! The bell finally sounded as they got in the ring at 2:00. Morishima hit an overhead belly-to-belly suplex and a running boot in the corner, then some forearms and stomps. Danielson tried to apply a sleeper, but Morishima just shrugged him off. Morishima hit a spine kick and more forearms, then his cartwheel-into-a-Stinger Splash, then a missile dropkick, sending Danielson to the floor.
Morishima followed to the floor, and he hit a running Buttsplash on Danielson against the guardrail. He whipped Bryan into the guardrail at 5:30, and Danielson had a bloody mouth. However, Danielson hit a springboard clothesline, leaping over the guardrail, and nailing Takeshi in the crowd! The fans chanted, "Holy sh!t!" (As mentioned above, Leonard paused a few seconds before shouting, "Danielson has gone insane!" This felt forced and delayed, and didn't feel like an "authentic" reaction that happens in live commentary). Danielson got the ring bell, and he tried to gouge Takeshi's eye with the hammer! However, Morishima hit a Back Drop Driver on the floor!
Danielson tried to get in the ring, but Morishima hit a stiff forearm that sent Danielson back to the floor at 8:30, crashing into the guardrail. This happened once more. Danielson now had a bloody forehead, and he hit a catapult Sunset Flip for a nearfall. Takeshi hit a big clothesline for a nearfall. Danielson hit three roaring forearms, a basement dropkick on the knee, several spin kicks to the chest, then repeated elbowshots to the side of the head! Danielson hit a German Suplex for a nearfall, and the crowd was HOT, chanting, "Dragon!" Danielson held onto Morishima's arms and repeated stomped him in the shoulder and head!
Danielson applied a Triangle Choke, but Morishima countered and got a nearfall at 12:00. Morishima hit a clothesline, then several, several stiff clubbing forearms on Danielson's eye! Danielson hit a low-blow uppercut, then several low-blow stomps! He shoved the referee to the mat, and the ref disqualified Bryan. Some ROH students hopped in the ring to stop Bryan, but he beat them up too. Wow, that was intense; it's hard to believe it was that short, because that was action-packed!
* Nigel McGuinness hopped in the ring, but Danielson kicked him on his injured shoulder!
* It's intermission time, backstage with Rebecca Bayless. She tried to interview Danielson, who was bloody & sweaty, and he said that it was "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." Bryan said that Morishima tried to take out his eye, so Danielson made him pay for it.
(7) Tyler Black defeats Alex "Sugarfoot" Payne at 1:07. Payne came out to Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me." Nice touch. Black charged Payne and hit some forearm shots and a dropkick, then he dropped him stomach-first across the top rope. Black gave him a powerbomb into the corner, then he hit the Small Package Driver for the pin. Decent squash beatdown.
* Jay & Mark Briscoe hit the ring, and Black scampered off. Mark called out the Age of the Fall, and he started to say something about getting revenge on them next time. However, Jay stole the mic from his little brother, and he said ROH should put them on last TONIGHT, in a no-DQ street fight! The crowd popped.
(8) Roderick Strong & Rocky Romero & Davey Richards defeat Jack Evans & Ruckus & Jigsaw (w/Julius Smokes) at 14:34. Good six-man tag. All six brawled at the bell. Ruckus hit a headscissors takedown on Strong. Jigsaw and Romero traded quick reversals, and Rocky hit a headscissors takedown. Richards hit a nice dropkick on Jigsaw. Evans hit a springboard spin kick on Richards. Jigsaw hit a flip dive to the floor. Evans hit an assisted moonsault, then a standing moonsault on richards. Richards nailed Jigsaw with a nice uranage at 2:30. This action has been quick! The heels now took charge of Jigsaw. The fans began taunting Strong with the slow "Rod-A-rick" chant.
The heels hit a chest & back kick spot on Jigsaw. Richards hit a Thesz Press and some punches. Strong hit an elbowdrop and some hard chops, as the crowd continued to berate him. Richards hit a nice snap suplex. Strong tied Jigsaw in a pretzel on the mat at 7:30. Richards hit some spin kicks to the chest. Jigsaw hit an enziguri, and he finally made the hot tag to Ruckus, who entered the ring and hit some forearms and kicks. Ruckus hit a sloppy running Shooting Star Press, coming up quite short. Evans hit a nice standing corkscrew press. Ruckus hit a nice flipping neckbreaker. Romero hit a second-rope DDT for a nearfall on Ruckus at 9:30. Evans hit a nice spin kick to Romero's head, then a Lionsault-back-elbow on Romero.
Strong hit a big boot on Evans for a nearfall. Jigsaw hit a Superkick on Strong. Richards hit a nice enziguri on Jigsaw, then a German Suplex for a nearfall. Ruckus hit a rolling fisherman suplex on Richards, and Evans followed with a standing corkscrew press for a nearfall. Evans and Strong traded forearm shots. Richards hit a clothesline on Jigsaw, sending him to the floor. Ruckus hit a top-rope moonsault to the floor on several wrestlers, and they were all down at 13:00. In the ring, Evans hit a springboard Buff Blockbuster on Strong. Evans tied Strong in the Tree of Woe, and Jack hit the Ghetto Stomp Kneedrop to Strong's chest! OUCH!
Evans missed a dive to the floor! Strong peeled back the thin mat on the floor, then he grabbed Evans, and he gave Jack the Gibson Driver/butterfly powerbomb on the floor! OUCH OUCH! Strong pulled Evans into the ring, and he applied the Stronghold/vertical Boston Crab, being Evans in half in a painful-looking submission spot. Evans tapped out, giving Strong (and the No Remorse Corps) the victory. Good action, particularly after Jigsaw made the hot tag.
* In a pre-taped segment, Tyler Black & Jimmy Jacobs & Lacey stood in the parking lot of a Toys R Us. Black asked if people remembered a carefree childhood, where they wanted nothing more than to go to the toy store. They then had the camera pan the parking lot, and they showed that a strip club was visible, maybe 200 yards from the toy store! They berated society for allowing this travesty to happen. Intriguing.
* Back to the arena, and Larry Sweeney, Chris Hero and Bobby Dempsey have walked out from the back! Sweeney said that Castagnoli has agreed to leave ROH if he loses his match to Chris Hero on Dec. 29th. (Why would he agree to that?) Chris Hero got on the mic and said he’s unhappy, because he should be the ROH champion. He turned to Dempsey and attacked him. “The louder you get, the harder I kick his fat rear end,” Hero told the crowd.
Hero turned his focus to Austin Aries, who is now the number one contender. Hero called him “Mr. 2005,” and he said that Aries is the worst ROH champion ever! Aries emerged from the back, and he said he knows what it takes to be a champion, then he challenged Hero to a match! Sweeney said that Hero would fight… but only if Aries put the number one contender spot on the line! Aries agreed, with his own stipulation – if Aries wins, Castagnoli will get a match against Sweeney on Dec. 30th!
(9) Austin Aries defeats Chris Hero (w/Sweeney & Dempsey) at 16:08. Good match. Hero jumped Aries and hit some stomps, then he applied the headscissorslock. Aries, of course, escaped the hold and hit a basement dropkick, so Hero bailed to the floor and stalled. Hero said he wanted a “Do-over,” and the crowd laughed at him. Aries worked the left wrist. Lenny Leonard talked about how both of Aries partners -- Erick Stevens and Matt Cross -- are out of action. Hero applied a top wristlock, and he was in charge. Hero hit a shoulder tackle at 4:30, and he began to ‘bounce around’ the ring in his cocky manner. Hero took a towel that had been near his crotch and shoved it in Dempsey’s mouth, which was both funny and disgusting.
Aries hit a catapult senton and a leaping elbowdrop for a nearfall. Aries dove through the ropes to the floor, barreling into Dempsey. Hero hit a big boot on Aries, and he whipped him into the guardrail at 7:00. In the ring, Hero hit some stomps. The crowd was surprisingly split. Hero hit some atomic drops and he was in charge, as he hit his Rolling Thunder senton for a nearfall. Aries fought back with a hard clothesline and some chops at 11:00. Hero went to ‘skin the cat’ back into the ring, but Aries caught him with a basement dropkick to the face! Nice! Aries then dove the ropes, barreling into Hero!
Aries hit his catapult corkscrew press back into the ring, and he went for the Lionsault, but Hero got his knees up. Hero hit a cravate toss for a nearfall. Aries hit a back suplex at 13:30. Hero hit a big boot and a release suplex for a nearfall. Aries hit a rolling elbow, and they were both down. Hero hit a cravate suplex, but he couldn’t hit the Hero’s Welcome. Aries hit a brainbuster, and he bridged back into a hold on the neck. Larry Sweeney tried to make the save! Castagnoli ran to ringside and chased Sweeney away. Aries hit repeated kneeshots to the head, and he applied the Horns of Aries, cranking back on the head, until Hero tapped out. The crowd taunted Hero for tapping. Good match, but I think these two are capable of much more.
(10) Misawa defeats KENTA to retain the GHC Title at 18:30. WOW, this was fun! Joe Higuchi, a veteran of Japanese wrestling, read the introductions for the match. Both men got the streamer treatment from the fans, and the crowd was absolutely RED HOT. They opened with an intense lockup, and they traded forearm shots. KENTA hit a Japanese armdrag, and they had a standoff, as the crowd erupted with a “This is awesome!” chant. Prazak said this is the first singles match between these two since 2004. They traded more forearms, and KENTA hit some hard slaps to the face. Misawa hit a forearm that leveled KENTA at 3:30. KENTA fired back with some right & left kicks that knocked Misawa down. KENTA placed Misawa on the ropes and hit some Field Goal kicks to the chest.
KENTA landed a top-rope kneestrike to the head, then he applied a headscissorslock. They traded more forearms, and KENTA hit some spine kicks and his quick back-heel-kick to the head. Misawa hit some stiff forearms that sent KENTA to the floor at 7:30. Misawa whipped him into the guardrail. In the ring, Misawa hit some leaping kicks to the chest and a senton for a nearfall, and he was in charge. Misawa applied a tight headlock and he really wrenched it in! They traded more STIFF forearms, and KENTA went down. KENTA hit a powerslam, and they were both down at 11:00. KENTA hit a running forearm, then more right & left kicks and a big boot for a nearfall, then a springboard dropkick for a nearfall.
KENTA went for a springboard maneuver, but Misawa caught him with a forearm, and KENTA fell to the floor! Misawa then dove through the ropes, and the crowd chanted, “Misawa!” Misawa hit a Tiger Driver in the ring for a believable nearfall at 14:00. KENTA hit a running boot as Misawa was climbing the ropes. They fought in the ropes in the corner. KENTA hit a kneestrike to the chest as Misawa was coming off the ropes, and the fans chanted, “ROH!” KENTA hit a Tiger Suplex for a nearfall, but he couldn’t hit the Go To Sleep kneestrike, so he instead hit some kicks and a backfist. KENTA then nailed the Go To Sleep for a believable nearfall at 16:30! The crowd popped for the kickout and chanted, “NOAH!”
Misawa fought back and unloaded more stiff forearms, then an “Emerald Fusion,” which is a sitdown suplex, delivered with a lot of force. KENTA fired back with a running kneestrike, and they were both down. Misawa hit some stiff forearms for a nearfall, then he hit another Emerald Fusion for the pin. This match was a blast. I admittedly thought Misawa seemed a bit buried and unused in his tag match a day earlier. This match allowed him to shine, and he delivered. The crowd was hot, and the entire match had a fantastic vibe. The wrestlers shook hands. A replay aired of KENTA’s Go To Sleep landing squarely on Misawa. OUCH!
* A commercial for the ROH store aired.
(11) Jay & Mark Briscoe (w/Daizee Haze) defeat Necro Butcher & Jimmy Jacobs (w/Lacey) at 17:43. A very entertaining, hard-hitting main event. All four men brawled immediately. The Briscoes each hit a clothesline on Necro in the corner, and they hit team double boots on him. Jay hit a flip dive to the floor on the heels. Mark hit a top-rope Shooting Star Press to the floor! Dangerous! Prazak talked about the brutal hanging the Age of the Fall gave the Briscoes in Chicago. Jacobs tied Jay in the Tree of Woe and hit a running knee to the gut. Necro tossed a chair at Mark’s head, then he hit his chair-assisted bodyslam for a nearfall. Jacobs went for a dive to the floor, but he missed, and he crashed into the guardrail! OUCH! The Briscoes beat up Jacobs. A lot of chairs were now in the ring. Jay whipped a chair onto Necro’s back at 4:00.
Lacey tried to distract Jay, so he pulled her into the ring. Haze hopped in, and she hit a Heart Punch and a Yakuza Kick, then she hit a top-rope dive onto the Age of the Fall. The women brawled to the back. Necro hit some chops on Mark, then some stiff punches to the jaw, as they brawled on the floor. Necro rolled up Mark in the floor mat! Necro then hit a top-rope splash onto the mat! Jacobs hit a top-rope senton onto Jay, on the floor, at 7:30! This action has been wild! “Jacobs is nuts, too!” Prazak exclaimed. In the ring, Jacobs & Necro beat up Jay, and they hit a team suplex onto the folded chairs. Necro hit a running clothesline in the corner. Jacobs hit a spear on Jay for a nearfall. The crowd chanted, “Man up!” Necro hit a chokeslam onto the chairs.
Jacobs applied the Front Guillotine Choke, and he slammed Jay’s head into the chairs, but Mark made the save at 10:00. Mark hit a belly-to-belly suplex on Necro Butcher, then the top-rope doublestomp onto Necro. The Briscoes hit a team back suplex on Necro, onto an open chair, for a nearfall! OUCH! Mark hit a spin heel kick. Jay hit a suplex on Necro from the apron, sending him to the floor. Mark hit a top-rope corkscrew senton on Jacobs for a nearfall at 13:00. The Briscoes hit a team Splash Mountain on Jacobs for a nearfall.
Jay hit a Death Valley Driver. Mark hit a moonsault for a nearfall on Jacobs, but Necro made the save. This match has been good, but there is little crowd heat, with fans prettymuch only popping for the big spots. Mark hit a springboard Blockbuster on Jacobs for a BELIEVABLE nearfall. Necro crotched Jay onto an open chair! Necro hit some punches and chops in the corner on Mark, then he hit a backbreaker across two open chairs for a believable nearfall, but Jay made the save at 16:30. The Briscoes hit a team Flair Toss on Necro Butcher onto an open chair! OUCH! The Briscoes then shoved Jacobs through a table that was set up on the floor. The Briscoes hit chairshots to Necro’s head, and Jay hit the Jay Driller/butterfly piledriver on Necro Butcher, for the pin. Very good brawl, and a great way to end this excellent show.
BONUS MATERIAL: There is bonus footage of Higuchi being honored for his work in Japanese wrestling. Harley Race joined Higuchi in the ring to honor him. Higuchi’s career was detailed, and he was presented with a plaque. I’m pleased to see the ROH fans were quite respective and appreciative of this man, who I admitted had not heard of before. This bonus footage is 7 minutes in length.
Final thoughts: DVD main program runs 3 hours, 10 minutes.
This is one of the best ROH shows I’ve seen since the exodus of Samoa Joe, Homicide, Christopher Daniels, etc. This was just a top-notch show that really clicked for me.
Misawa vs. KENTA easily earned match of the night. The crowd was hot, the action was intense, and both men delivered in the ring. As I noted above, I was underwhelmed by Misawa’s role in the tag match a night earlier. He showed up here ready to work. I admittedly don’t follow Japanese wrestling, but it was a great thrill to see a wrestler with his stature in an ROH ring. This match alone is worth the cost of the DVD.
Danielson vs. Morishima was really good, even though it was short, and it lacked a clean finish. I loved it a lot, and it earned second-best. Their matchups have all been short, but have all been intense and great viewing. Fun, fun stuff.
I’ll give third-best to the main event. Jacobs & Black & Necro click. They just do, and I wouldn’t have expected it. The Briscoes always bring out the best in whomever they face, and that was no different here. This was a wild crazy brawl that I would hope to see end this show. The match narrowly edges out Claudio vs. Marufuji, which also was really, really good. It was nice to see Claudio score a huge win! Marufuji has been fairly unbeatable in ROH, so it really means a LOT that Claudio got the clean pin.
I have very few complaints. Aries vs. Hero could have been a bit tighter and faster, but it was still a good match. The short matches with ROH students served their purpose and didn’t run too long.
This DVD is a must-buy for ROH fans, and is definitely on ROH’s top 10 DVD list for 2007. Purchase it at www.rohwrestling.com for $20. Big thumbs up.
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