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DVDs - VGames - Books
RADICAN'S ROH DVD REVIEW: "Wrestling At The Gateway" (McGuinness & Castagnoli vs. Danielson & Lynn, Black vs. Aries)
Feb 14, 2009 - 8:43:01 PM


By Sean Radican, Torch Columnist

Radican's ROH DVD review series
Wrestling at the Gateway
Collinsville, Ill.
December 5, 2008


Star ratings and results

(1) Kenny Omega beat Kenny King. This was a good opener with both men setting the stage for the rest of the show without doing too much. They used their athleticism in small doses and created some really nice exchanges with their ability to deliver strikes and kicks from unique positions. Omega's rollup out of nowhere in the end sets the stage for future matches between these two. (**3/4)

(2) Sal Rinauro & Rhett Titus beat Bushwhacker Luke & Grizzley Redwood. This match should have been cut off the DVD release. It was fine for what it was, but I don't think ROH's fanbase is buying DVDs to see something like this match offered. (1/2*)

(3) The Briscoes beat Irish Airborne and Brent Albright & Erick Stevens & Davey Richards & Bobby Dempsey in a Tag Team Gauntlet match. This was a really fun Gauntlet match with the winners getting a shot at facing Nakajima & Sasaki at "Final Battle later in the month. I thought the story that was built around Dempsey doing really well at times, but also costing his team in the end was a lot of fun. I was skeptical of how SNS Inc. bullying Dempsey was going to work out at first and they've been building the angle for so long, but this was the first times Dempsey showed some real signs of life inside the ring and he did a good job of making the angle mean something as it advances. (***1/4)

(4) Ace Steel & The Necro Butcher beat Jimmy Jacobs & Delirious. This was much better than I expected it to be. It started off with some chaos, but the ref restored order and both teams traded turns with the advantage. What really worked was the sense of drama that occurred once all four men ended up brawling on the outside with the ref deciding to let things go and not count them out under the new ROH rules. There was a sense the match could be thrown out at any second, but it kept going and the crowd loved that all for men were "getting away" because of the ref being lenient. The finish with Haze coming out was also well-done and logically continues her storyline with Delirious. This was a very good mid-card tag with some good storytelling and fantastic action. (***1/4)

(5) Tyler Black beat Austin Aries. This was a show-stealer for sure. Both men went for the finish early, but ended up settling into a fantastic match that went close to 18 minutes. Both men targeted the neck area, which played heavily into the finish that saw Aries unable to use his neck to bridge his signature last chancery submission on Black. I like how the finish came out of nowhere and the crowd reacted really well to the entire match. This is a must-see match and the kind of match that ROH needs on DVDs at this time to generate some positive buzz for the company amid the changes in the later stages of 2008. (****)

(6) Bryan Danielson & Jerry Lynn beat Nigel McGuinness & Claudio Castagnoli. This was a good main event that was designed to set up McGuinness vs. Lynn and Danielson vs. Castagnoli on the next show. Although this wasn't a great main event, it was very good and featured a lot of play before all four men to set the stage for their singles matches on the next night. McGuinness & Castagnoli dominated the bulk of the match, as they used cheap shots and cheated behind the ref's to maintain the advantage. The crowd was into the action and added some good heat to the match as they were all over Castagnoli. I wasn't sure what to make of Lynn's pin on Castagnoli at the end of the match. (***1/2)


Virtual time analysis

-Kyle Durden introduced the show with Kenny King, Rhett Titus, and Sal Rinauro. King said he had gotten himself a couple of partners. Titus bragged about going from city to city with girls and said he could ride a train with Rinauro and King. Rinauro said they were going to make it rain and threw some money into the air. Durden took a bill that landed on him and slipped it into his pocket. Rinauro came across really well here.

-Crowd is hot for the start as King and Omega made their entrances for the opening match. I love Omega's entrance. The lighting is good at this venue, but once again, it looks like almost every common ROH show.

(1) Kenny King vs. Kenny Omega. After a period of feeling each other out, Omega took King down with a dropkick and he spilled to the outside. Omega went for a dive, but King got out of the way. Omega managed to pull up and nailed King with a dropkick as he bragged to the camera. Omega went for a springboard off the apron, but King grabbed his legs and dropped him face-first on the apron. King tossed Omega into the barricade on the outside before tossing Omega back into the ring. Omega and King exchanged some chops, but King got the upper hand and choked Omega on the top rope before tossing him to the mat. Omega fired back on King and got a sunset flip for a 2 count, but King clotheslined the living hell of Omega to regain the advantage. Omega finally freed himself from King by slapping him right across the face.

Omega continued his comeback with a series of blows before decking King with a punch. Omega then hit a variation of the bulldog from behind on King for a 2 count. Omega showed some real athleticism by flipping over King off the turnbuckles before nailing him with a kick for a 2 count. Omega went up top, but King crotched him. Both men fought up top, but Omega pushed him off. King managed to land on his feet and nailed Omega with a kick before slamming him to the mat with a spinning Rock bottom for a nearfall that were counting along with the ref's count.

Omega put on the stop sign to King as he went to punch him and nailed him with an enzuguri. King fired back a short time later with a cartwheel kick and went for another spinning Rock bottom, but King slipped behind him and rolled him up for the pin. (**3/4)

(2) Sal Rinauro & Rhett Titus vs. Grizzley Redwood & Bushwhacker Luke. Titus and Rinauro tried to get the jump on Redwood and Luke, but ended up getting sent out to the floor. Titus nailed Luke with a big chop and strutted around the ring, but Luke fired back and nailed Titus with a chop of his own. Luke bounced off the ropes moments later, but Titus was able to catch him with a side slam. I get the feeling the fans aren't thrilled with the action so far. Luke fired back on Titus moments later and tagged in Redwood, who rolled the log on Titus in the corner. Redwood and Luke then strutted around the ring, but Rinauro ran into the ring and tagged in both men from behind. I am so happy to see Rinauro get rid of those crappy trunks he wore for years in favor of some powder blue tights.

Titus and Rinauro ended up isolating Luke, who took a sustained beating. Rinauro and Titus hit a double elbow on Luke and mocked the Bushwhacker strut. Redwood ran into the ring with the ref distracted and hit a leg drop on Rinauro as he went to slam Luke, who was able to tag out. Redwood ran wild with a number of chops on Titus and Rinauro. The action broke down with all four men going at it in the ring. Redwood & Luke ended up hitting the battering ram on Rinauro. Titus ran in and sent Luke to the outside with a dropkick. Redwood tried to come off the top with a splash on Titus, but he rolled through and got the pin on Redwood by grabbing the tights. (1/2*)

-SNS Inc. was shown backstage. Richards punched away at Dempsey while Sweeney tried to pump him up. Richards told Dempsey he better not make him look stupid.

-An ad aired for "Battle For Supremacy."

(3) ROH Gauntlet Series match: The Briscoes vs. Brent Albright & Erick Stevens vs. Davey Richards & Bobby Dempsey (w/Larry Sweeney) vs. Irish Airborne (Jake & Dave Crist). Albright & Stevens kicked things off against Irish Airborne. The announcers said the winner of this match would face Nakajima & Sasaki at "Final Battle" next month. Albright got the best of Dave on the mat, so Jake tagged in. Albright quickly took him down with a shoulder tackle and tagged in Stevens, who nailed Jake with a fantastic chop. Jake fired back with one of his own, but Albright simply obliterated his chest with another chop. Albright & Stevens continued to work well together as they worked over Jake, who couldn't shake free and tag in Dave. Jake finally fired back and raked Albright eyes before tagging in Dave, who quickly ate a huge clothesline from Albright and once again, Irish Airborne was at a disadvantage.

Irish Airborne eventually ended up attacking Albright in their own corner and Jake raked him across the eyes. Albright tried to fire back, but Jake nailed him with a big punch. Dave tagged into the match and grabbed a headlock as the crowd tried to rally Albright. Irish Airborne continued to double team Albright, but eventually he fired back and Stevens tagged in and ran wild on Jake and Dave. Jake managed to rake Stevens's eyes, but Albright blind-tagged himself into the ring and nailed Jake with the half-nelson suplex to eliminate Irish Airborne.

The Briscoes music played, but Davey Richards & Bobby Dempsey jumped Albright & Stevens from behind. Dempsey ended up tagging into the match and nailed Stevens with a suplex. He then went for a splash, but Stevens moved. Dempsey managed to tag in Richards, who took Stevens down and then knocked Albright off the apron. Dempsey tried to be friendly to Richards after they hit a double team maneuver, but Richards kicked him hard across the chest. Stevens tried to fire back, but Dempsey took him down with an avalanche. Richards teased being friendly with Dempsey, but ended up kicking the middle rope into the lower regions when he went to step back out onto the apron. Stevens eventually managed to take out Richards with a Samoan drop and he tagged in Albright, who ran wild on Richards.

Dempsey ended up running in to break up a pin on Richards, but he ended up landing on him. Albright got the crowbar on Richards and Dempsey didn't know what to do, so Sweeney pushed him on top of Albright to break up the submission. Sweeney then hopped up on the apron and gave his boot to Richards, but Stevens managed to duck the boot shot. Stevens then hit Richards with the boot, but the ref saw it and DQ'd Stevens & Albright.

The Briscoes came out next and they came in as the final team in the match. The Briscoes immediately double teamed Richards and nailed him with a double dropkick in the corner. Mark ended up covering Richards, but Dempsey broke up the pin. The Briscoes thought about what they were going to do to Dempsey, which gave Richards time to recover and take down both of the Briscoes. Dempsey tagged in and slammed Mark and nailed him with a big splash for a 2 count. Richards tagged back into the match and ended up going at it up top with Mark. Mark managed to push Richards to the mat and nailed him with a flying elbow before tagging in Jay. Richards quickly fired back on Jay and nailed him with a kick, but Jay fired right back with a spinebuster.

Jay ended up tripping Richards into the turnbuckles and tagged in Mark. Mark and Richards traded kicks and Richards ended up nailing him with a German suplex with a bridge for a nearfall. Mark hit a chin breaker and Dempsey tagged himself into the match. Dempsey nailed Mark with an Alabama slam and went up top and nailed him with the Dempsey bomb, but Jay broke it up. Richards ran in and tossed Jay to the outside before kicking Dempsey as he made his way out of the match. Richards went for the DR driver, but Mark blocked it. Mark ended up nailing Richards with an exploder before tagging in Jay. Richards blocked a Jay-driller and Dempsey ran and accidentally clotheslined him. Jay then hit the Jay-driller on Richards for the win. (***1/4)

-After the match, Sweeney nailed Dempsey with a slap and kicked him several times. The crowd chanted for Dempsey as Sweeney attacked him. Sweeney slapped Dempsey across the face and he came up bleeding from the nose.

-Ace Steel & The Necro Butcher cut a promo backstage. Steel said someone was going to die tonight as Necro gave the thumbs down. This was fine for a short promo.

(4) The Necro Butcher & Ace Steel vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Delirious. Jacobs & Delirious jumped Necro as he got into the ring. Steel ran into the ring to help, but Delirious cut him. Steel & Necro quickly fired back and sent Jacobs to the outside. They then nailed a double team elbow on Delirious. Jacobs ran back into the ring, but Steel caught him on his shoulders and dropped him down onto Delirious with a Finlay roll. Jacobs & Delirious ended up going to the floor to collect themselves as Prazak criticized the ref for not getting two men on the apron. Jacobs got back into the ring and tried to bail to the outside again, but Necro cut him off and tossed him back inside the ring where Steel continued to beat on him. Jacobs ended up finally hitting a chin breaker before tagging in Delirious, but Steel caught him with a backbreaker and tagged in Necro, who assaulted Delirious with several monkey flips.

Delirious eventually cut off Steel and choked him on the ropes. Steel fired back and eventually Jacobs ran in and both men held Jacobs and Delirious in abdominal stretches. Jacobs eventually speared Necro off the apron to the floor, but Steel cut him off. Steel went up top, but Delirious cut him off. Steel ended up hanging upside down in the corner with Jacobs holding him in place so that Delirious could nail him with a running dropkick. Jacobs & Delirious began tagging in and out of the match to work over Steel. Steel managed to free himself of Jacobs, but could not tag out to Necro, who ended up getting sent to the floor by Delirious. Jacobs & Delirious went for a spiked piledriver, but Necro pushed Jacobs to the floor. Steel then escaped from Delirious and tagged in Necro, who nailed Delirious and Jacobs with big punches.

Necro tossed both of his opponents to the outside and all four men began brawling. Steel nailed Delirious with a suplex on the floor that drew a big applause from the fan. Steel ended up dropkicking Jacobs out of a chair on the outside as the ref continued his count. Delirious hit a panic attack on Necro against the guardrail as the crowd continued to get more and more into the match. The ref ended up deciding not to count both men out and hopped outside to try to bring the action back inside the ring. Jacobs and Steel went at it on the outside and battled around a table that was set up against the ringpost. Delirious and Necro ended up back inside the ring. Necro went for a tiger driver, but Delirious back dropped him onto a chair. Jacobs & Delirious tossed Steel face-first into the table set up on the outside. Leonard said it should be a DQ, but Prazak quickly cut him of and said it should not be because the ref wasn't calling for one.

Jacobs took out his spike and gave it to Delirious. Jacobs held Necro as Delirious went up top with the spike. Daizee Haze ran out and jumped on the apron to try to stop Delirious. Prazak said Haze had been spiked before. That was a funny line. Haze ended up convincing Delirious to drop the spike, but Necro ended up catching him when he came off the top and finished him off with the Gibson driver after a chokeslam for the pin. (***1/4)

-After the match, Jacobs walked away and picked up his spike leaving Delirious by himself. Necro and Steel left with Haze. Delirious then got up and got a big reaction from the crowd.

-An ad for ROHWrestling.com aired.

-Tyler Black came out for his match against Austin Aries to a nice ovation. The crowd chanted for Austin Aries in anticipation of his theme starting and got even louder once it actually began playing. Aries was greeted with a big ovation once he came through the curtain.

Aries got on the mic prior to the start of the match. A few fans told Aries to shut up and he said he was looking forward to breaking his body for them sarcastically. Aries told Black he had been a good soldier for Jacobs just like Necro had been before he left him. Aries said he noticed during his match with Jacobs at the Rising Above PPV, Jacobs had berated him. Aries said that Jacobs might be jealous. Aries said he only had a problem with Black because of his association with Jacobs. Aries said tonight they should put everything aside and have a good wrestling match to see who the better man is. Aries said tonight was Black's chance to earn his respect.

(5) Tyler Black vs. Austin Aries. The announcers indicated heavily that the winner of this match would have a good chance to get a shot at ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness in the near future. After an initial feeling out period, Black caught Aries with a nice dropkick and went on the attack. Aries fired back moments later and got a headlock on the mat. Black countered a got a headscissors, but Aries slipped out and nailed him with a dropkick. Aries went for a quick finish as he grabbed Black for a brainbuster, but Black slipped out and went for God's last gift. Aries managed to counter and landed a few knee strikes to Black's head on the mat, but Black slipped to the outside. Nice, intense start to the match. The crowd began chanting for both men as the ref administered his count. Aries ended up going outside to chase Black. Aries ended up draping Black's head over the apron before nailing him with a knee strike to the head.

Aries continued to maintain the advantage as he went after Black's head. Both men ended up out on the apron where Black eventually caught Aries with a neckbreaker after slipping out of a DVD. Black tossed Aries back inside the ring and tossed him neck-first several times into the mat. The announcers did a good job of detailing how both men were setting each other up for a finish later in the match. The crowd got into the action and tried to rally behind Aries, but Black gave him a snake eyes before suplexing him to the mat. Leonard dropped a VinnieVegas reference after the snake eyes, which was very well done. Black asked the crowd if they wanted to see who the better wrestler was, which fired up Aries, who nailed Black with several strikes and got a sunset flip for a 2 count, but Black managed to take him right back down to the mat after kicking out of the pin. Black signaled for God's last gift, but Aries countered with a hurricanrana. That was a slick looking sequence. Aries nailed Black with a series of forearm shots and followed up with the power drive elbow for a 2 count.

The crowd continued to chant for both men as Aries maintained the upper hand. Aries went for his signature dropkick in the corner, but Black caught him. Aries slipped away and nailed Black with a running boot for a 2 count. Aries went for the brainbuster, but Black slipped away and kicked him in the head. Black then powerbombed Aries into the turnbuckles, but he kicked out at the last second and an "ROH, ROH" chant broke out from the fans. Black went up top, but Aries cut him off. Black went for a shoulder block through the ropes, but Aries caught with a knee to the face and then hit a neckbreaker with Black draped over the ropes.

Black ended up spilling to the outside after an Aries dropkick. Aries then hit the heat seeking missile to the outside and quickly tossed Black inside the ring and covered him for a 2 count. Aries then hit a series of knee strikes and locked in the last chancery, but couldn't hold it because of the work Black did on his neck. Aries hit several more knee strikes and locked in the last chancery again, but had to let go because of his injured neck. The crowd chanted "this is awesome" as Aries went for a brainbuster, but he couldn't get him up. Black hit a big kick, but Aries fired back with a kick to Black's head. Black ended up countering the brainbuster into God's last gift out of nowhere for the pin. (****)

-The crowd all rose to their feet out of nowhere and applauded Black's surprising win. That was a great match. Prazak mentioned that Black had just defeated a former ROH World Champion. Black left the ring first and the crowd gave Aries a big ovation as he got out of the ring. Aries had a glazed stare in his eyes and smiled as he went to the back.

-An Ad for "Vendetta II" aired.

-The main show didn't do much to explain why the main event tag match was taking place. I think there's a better alternative than going to the ROH Video Wire on a separate menu. Derek Burgan said the same thing before, so he's right again. Just don't tell him I said so.

Both teams came out for the main event to separate entrances. Bryan Danielson got the superstar reaction of the night once his theme played and he came out last.

Castagnoli and McGuinness shook hands before the match instead of shaking hands with Danielson and Lynn. McGuinness called Lynn an old man before the match and challenged him to start the match.

(6) ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness & Claudio Castagnoli vs. Bryan Danielson & Jerry Lynn. McGuinness rolled through a wristlock from Lynn and posed arrogantly as he stared out at the crowd. Both men began exchanging strikes, but McGuinness ended up bailing to the floor to regain his composure. Castagnoli then came over and checked on McGuinness. Castagnoli tagged into the match and the fans chanted "hey" at him and he didn't like it one bit. Danielson ended up tagging into the match, so Castagnoli tagged out. Danielson went for Castagnoli on the apron, which gave McGuinness an opening to attack him from behind. Castagnoli tagged into the match, but Danielson went for a big kick and he bailed to the outside and stalled for time to recover. The crowd was all over Castagnoli as he came back through the ropes only to tag McGuinness back into the match.

Danielson quickly got the better of McGuinness and went to work on his arm. Danielson & Lynn began double teaming McGuinness and went for a double elbow drop, but McGuinness dragged him to the outside. Castagnoli went to get back into the ring, but Danielson & Lynn tossed him to the mat and hit the double elbow and the crowd applauded. Danielson and Lynn both went for dives to the opposite side of the ring, but Castagnoli and McGuinness walked out of the way before they could come through the ropes. Castagnoli ended up jumping Lynn from behind as McGuinness taunted him on the outside. Castagnoli then tossed Lynn to the outside where McGuinness tossed Lynn into the barricade. The announcers hyped the Danielson-Castagnoli and McGuinness-Lynn matches set to take place the next night in Nashville as Castagnoli & McGuinness tagged in and out of the match to work over Lynn.

Castagnoli used the tag rope to choke Lynn as the ref had his hands all tied up trying to keep Danielson out of the ring. Lynn tried to fire back and tag out, but McGuinness caught him and slammed him into the turnbuckles. Lynn finally managed to tag out and Danielson ran in and nailed Castagnoli with a big clothesline. Danielson then nailed Castagnoli with a series of kicks in the corner before nailing him with a running dropkick in the corner. Danielson was about to get the surfboard on Castagnoli, but McGuinness attacked him as the ref was trying to get Lynn out of the ring. McGuinness ended up tossing Dragon to the outside where Castagnoli repeatedly drove him into the barricade. Castagnoli then took exception to the fans chanting "hey" at him and halted his attack on Danielson to yell at him. Danielson tried to go through McGuinness's legs to tag in Lynn, but McGuinness cut him off. Castagnoli and McGuinness then took turns nailing Danielson with European uppercuts from the front and back, which was a pretty cool spot, as Danielson bounced back and fourth between them.

Castagnoli applied the surfboard on Danielson and the crowd continued to give him a hard time. Castagnoli and McGuinness continued to take every cheap shot they could on Danielson with the ref distracted by Lynn coming into the ring and protesting. McGuinness ended up accidentally nailing Castagnoli with a clothesline and Danielson tagged in Lynn, who ran wild on Castagnoli and McGuinness. Danielson recovered and came off the top with a missile dropkick that sent McGuinness and Castagnoli to the mat. Lynn and Danielson then got stereo cattle mutilation on McGuinness and Castagnoli, but they managed to escape.

Danielson and Castagnoli spilled to the floor. Lynn then hit a powerbomb on McGuinness for a nearfall. Lynn hit a German with a bridge for another nearfall. McGuinness went for the jawbreaker, but Lynn caught him with a lariat and then hit a T.K.O., but the ref was distracted by Danielson who was trying to come into the ring. Castagnoli ran in and nailed Lynn with a bicycle kick. McGuinness then hit Lynn with the tower of London, but he kicked out and the fans roared. Castagnoli blind-tagged himself into the match. Lynn ended up kicking McGuinness into Castagnoli and they both went to the outside. Danielson took out McGuinness with a big dive through the ropes. Lynn then took out Castagnoli with a flip dive over the top and the crowd chanted "ROH, ROH." Castagnoli & McGuinness went for a spike piledriver on Lynn, but Danielson held Castagnoli's boot while Lynn pushed McGuinness into him. Lynn then hit the cradle piledriver on Castagnoli for the pin. (***1/2)

-Lynn and Danielson stood alone in the ring as the crowd chanted "ROH, ROH" after the match. Lynn held the ROH World Title and pointed at McGuinness before tossing it in his direction. McGuinness told the camera he was going to beat Lynn tomorrow.

Danielson got on the mic and thanked the crowd for coming to the show. Danielson asked the fans to chant for Lynn, so they did. Danielson told the fans to have a good night and waved goodbye as the crowd chanted "ROH, ROH" to end the show.

-Austin Aries cut a promo backstage. He pointed to his nose, which was bruised. Aries said Black had broken his nose. Aries said the fans chanted his name for years, just like they chant Black's name now. Aries said the fans used to do the same for him. Aries said Black was going to go through him to get an ROH World Title shot. Aries challenged Black to a rematch to see who the better man is. This was a good promo to end the show.

Extras: The first extra is a very good Daizee Haze vs. Sarah Stock match from SHIMMER Vol. 15. The other extra is a Nigel McGuinness feature that runs around 14 minutes. McGuinness was shown sitting at a bar and then looking at shirts in a store. The cameraman went around and asked different people what they thought of McGuinness. One woman called him an a—hole.

McGuinness was shown with several ROH Wrestling School students. He told them if they could pin his shoulders to the mat for 1 second, he'd see what he could do for them. McGuinness then proceeded to teach the students how to throw a lariat. McGuinness picked one student and nailed him with a short arm lariat. Nigel picked another student and practiced the jawbreaker lariat on him. The camera showed a shot of another student cringing at the jawbreaker lariat's impact on his classmate, which was pretty funny. He ended up walking away when McGuinness asked him if he wanted to see if he could pin him for a 1 count. For some reason, the same segment plays twice, but it a good segment.

Overall thoughts: (7.0) This was a really good Friday night show, which hasn't always been the case for the company this year. The show flowed nicely, had a number of really good matches, the booking didn't get in the way, and Tyler Black and Austin Aries put on a show stealing match that is a must-see.

The undercard got off to a bit of a slow start. I liked the King-Omega match, but I'd really like to see what they could do if they were slotted higher on the card. The comedy tag match was alright, but really should have been cut from the release.

From that point forward, the show was really strong. The Gauntlet Series match told a really good story and got me interested in SNS Inc. again if only to see if Bobby Dempsey is ever going to stand up for himself. The Necro & Steel vs. Jacobs & Delirious match was also really good and the match did a good job of playing around the new rules, as it seemed the match could be stopped at anytime if the ref wanted it to due to the chaotic nature of the match outside of the ring.

The Aries-Black match is a must-see affair with both men going all-out and delivering a fantastic match. I really liked how they went back and fourth and told a good story as they both wore each other down by targeting their respective neck areas. I thought the finish of the match was fantastic and showed that when Black hits his finisher, the match is over. One thing the new booking crew is doing that is good is protecting finishers.

I give this show a solid thumbs up rating. The crowd was hot throughout and went home happy with the babyfaces going over. The pacing of the shows is much better lately. I felt like this show could have used one more match, as it just flew by. If you pick up this show, watching it is certainly an enjoyable way to pass an evening and the bonus match from SHIMMER is really good as well and worth checking out if you've never seen a SHIMMER release. The Nigel McGuinness bonus segment is fun as well.

You can purchase "Wrestling at the Gateway" by clickinghere

Sean Radican and co-host Derek Burgan record ROH themed audios on the Radican Audio Showcase on most weekends that are made available exclusively to Torch VIP members. Sean also reviews nearly every ROH release for Torch VIP members. You can contact Sean at PWTorchSean@Gmail.com.


Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.

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Tales From The Pulpit: Random thoughts on PWG's BOLA 2008: N1 featuring surprise entrant Low Ki

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Current Top Ten Staff Picks
Staff Picks
TORCH TALK DAILY with Eric Bischoff: In-depth look at why Vince McMahon is marketing the WWE product as PG family-friendly
WWE News: TOP STORY - "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson working with WWE on a TV project beyond guest-hosting Raw
WWE News: Linda McMahon reveals the McMahon Family's vast wealth in Senate campaign filing
WWE News: Raw TV ratings are in - Did Raw rebound from the 2009 year-low?
WWE News: WWE announces guest hosts for the next four weeks of Raw, including two new names
Hogan News: Watch VIDEO of the Hulkamania Press Conference breaking down into a staged fight (w/VIDEO)
TNA News: SPOILERS - first two matches announced for TNA's December PPV
MOJO MITCHELL'S WWE RAW 11/16: Stream of Piper In The Back, Hornswoggle Stabbed in the Back, An MSG Look Back, Mr. McMahon Backs Out, Kofi Kingston Backs Randy Orton Up
CALDWELL'S WWE RAW REPORT 11/16: Complete coverage of Roddy Piper hosting, DX vs. Cena & Taker vs. Jericho & Show
TNA News: Kurt Angle suffers back injury at Sunday's Turning Point PPV


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UPCOMING EVENTS LISTING

Articles Grouped by Category
Torch Today
WWE RAW 11/16: Place Your Bets on tonight's Raw - Week 12 featuring Roddy Piper
WWE RAW 11/2: "Place your Bets" Scoreboard after Week 11 - Review the previous scores before tonight's Raw PYB contest
TORCH MONTHLY AWARDS: List of the 2009 Torch Monthly Award winners through October
WWE News
WWE News: What's on Smackdown tonight - Taker & Kane vs. Big Show & Jericho
WWE News: Jim Ross comments on possible WrestleMania 26 return, current WWE contract status
TORCH TALK DAILY with Eric Bischoff: In-depth look at why Vince McMahon is marketing the WWE product as PG family-friendly
TNA News
TNA News: TNA Impact ratings break down - Inside the numbers on TNA's recent ratings trends
TNA News: Impact rating is in - how did post Turning Point episode fare?
TNA News: Details on Chris Sabin re-injuring his neck at this week's Impact tapings
ROH News
ROH News: ROH Title match signed for Final Battle; Air dates for McGuinness and Danielson's Farewell speeches
ROH News: Ring of Honor announces details on Austin Aries's next ROH Title defense
ROH News: Tonight is Bryan Danielson's final ROH match - details on tonight's special ROH TV episode (w/VIDEO)
Other News
PWG News: First round matches for tonight's Battle of Los Angeles tournament - Aries vs. Kendrick; Cabana, Shelley, Strong in action
Hogan News: Hulkamania Tour secures TV deal in Australia, Notes on Hogan & Flair arriving at the airport to begin the tour
Austin News: Steve Austin to appear in new season of NBC's "Chuck" show
PPV Reports
CALDWELL'S TNA TURNING POINT PPV REPORT 11/15: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of A.J. Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Daniels
RADICAN'S DGUSA "Untouchable" PPV review - Doi vs. Danielson, Shingo vs. Richards
10/25 WWE Bragging Rights Results: KELLER'S detailed match-by-match PPV report - Cena vs. Orton Iron Man match
TV Reports
PARKS' WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 11/20: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the show, including Jericho & Show vs. Undertaker & Kane
CALDWELL'S WWE SUPERSTARS TV REPORT 11/19: Complete coverage of Henry vs. Rhodes on WGN
PARKS' TNA IMPACT REPORT 11/19: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the post-Turning Point show
Arena Reports
11/14 TNA in Scranton, Pa.: Second Report - Styles vs. Joe vs. Daniels, Chris Sabin vs. Suicide, Amazing Red vs. Homicide
11/14 WWE in Dublin: The Undertaker very limited in the ring vs. C.M. Punk, Rey vs. Dolph, Very interesting John Morrison vs. Matt Hardy match, No Jericho
11/14 TNA in Scranton, Pa.: Home of "The Office" delivers Styles vs. Joe vs. Daniels and Amazing Red vs. Homicide PPV warm-up matches
MMA / UFC Coverage
MMA News: Update on Brock Lesnar's health - how long Lesnar had been dealing with health problems, expected return to UFC
MMA News: Brock Lesnar health update - UFC president much more optimistic than this weekend
MMA News: Brock Lesnar released from the hospital tonight; Lesnar's UFC future in doubt
KELLER'S TAKE
KELLER BLOG: WrestleMania goes up to $55, all other PPVs $45 - let the pirate feed frenzy begin
KELLER BLOG: Dixie Carter asks wrestlers to step it up, but what does that mean? Shouldn't their goal to be winning matches and nothing else?
KELLER FLASHBACK: Review of Hulk Hogan's first autobiography - Hogan's political maneuvers evident in who he protects and buries
MITCHELL'S TAKE
MITCHELL FLASHBACK (Dec. 1994): C.M. Punk's character is the latest Vince McMahon creation responding to criticism of his WWE product
MOJO MITCHELL'S WWE RAW 11/16: Stream of Piper In The Back, Hornswoggle Stabbed in the Back, An MSG Look Back, Mr. McMahon Backs Out, Kofi Kingston Backs Randy Orton Up
MOJO MITCHELL'S RAW 11/2: Stream of My Fourth Grade Hero and The Mid-Card Kicks Main Event Ass
MCNEILL'S TAKE
The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down: McNEILL previews TNA Turning Point 2009!
McNEILL BLOG: The Big Questions About Hulk Hogan in TNA
Fight For Your Right to Bragging: McNEILL Previews WWE Bragging Rights!
CALDWELL'S TAKE
CALDWELL'S PPV/DVD REVIEW: Dragon Gate USA's "Open the Historic Gate" debut event - Review of whether following DGUSA is worth your time and money
CALDWELL'S TUESDAY CHAT w/GREG PARKS: Raw, Smackdown, TNA PPV discussion - MSG crowd, Survivor Series hype, Kofi breaks out, CSI:Miami vs. 30 Rock
CALDWELL'S BLOG: Hitting the hot topics - Raw tonight, Turning Point vs. Survivor Series, Jesse Ventura, Brock Lesnar, Shane McMahon
RADICAN'S TAKE
RADICAN: A list of things wresters and TNA fans can support for Dixie Carter
RADICAN'S SHIMMER Vol. 23 Review - Busic-Melissa, Kong-Martinez, MsChif-Deeb
RADICAN: Daddy's little girl V 2.0 debuts on Impact
The Specialists
11/19 WWE Superstars Hits & Misses: Rosa Mendes, Eric Escobar, Lackluster Show
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - TNA Impact 11/19: Forgotten history between A.J. and Angle, TNA's new cameras, Pope gets referee assist, Numbers - The Rock a horrible tag champ
HITS & MISSES - TNA IMPACT 11/12: Review of last week's show before tonight's Impact - Wolfe-Angle build-up, Lethal loses to Niedhart
Guest Editorials
GUEST EDITORIAL: Disgruntled TNA fan says he's done with the promotion after today's Impact taping (Contains SPOILERS)
GUEST EDITORIAL: The ultimate irony - Hulk Hogan appears on TNA Impact and pre-taped TV sitcom promoting WWE on the same night
GUEST BOOK REVIEW: Hulk Hogan provides strong defense of his public image in new autobiography
Torch Feedback
ECW TV Reax #1: "C.M. Punk scoring the pin in the main event made Smackdown seem more important than ECW"
WWE Raw Reax #3: "While WWE delivered an above-quality show, they still haven't given viewers a reason to order Survivor Series"
WWE Raw Reax #2: "This was NOT one of the best Raws of 2009, but one of the worst..."
Ask the Editor
Ask the Editor: Wouldn't incorporating MMA-style holds into pro wrestling matches just be trying to be something it's not?
ASK THE EDITOR: Have the Michaels-Batista promos crossed a line with use of insider terms, references to "jobs"?
ASK THE EDITOR: Why do wrestlers in WWE refer to wrestling as "the business" and not "the sport"?
DVDs - VGames - Books
CALDWELL'S PPV/DVD REVIEW: Dragon Gate USA's "Open the Historic Gate" debut event - Review of whether following DGUSA is worth your time and money
RADICAN'S ROH DVD REVIEW SERIES: Death Before Dishonor VII: N2 - Storm-Hero, Ryan-Cabana
RADICAN'S SHIMMER Vol. 23 Review - Busic-Melissa, Kong-Martinez, MsChif-Deeb
Torch Flashbacks
PARKS'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 1 YR. AGO (11-21-08): Final Survivor Series build-up to Undertaker vs. Big Show casket match, Jeff Hardy vs. Triple H, Morrison & Miz
KELLER'S WWE SURVIVOR SERIES PPV REPORT 10 YRS. AGO (11-14-99): Big Show vs. Triple H vs. The Rock, Edge & Christian & Hardys team, Chris Jericho vs. Chyna
KELLER'S WWF SURVIVOR SERIES PPV REPORT 15 YRS. AGO (11-23-94): Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund, Undertaker vs. Yokozuna, Team Hall & Waltman vs. Team Michaels & Nash
VIP Exclusive Features
11/20 Wade Keller Hotline - Guest Bruce Mitchell: Survivor Series Match by Match Preview & Predictions (20 min.)
11/20 Bruce Mitchell Audio Show: Listener Questions - How Vince McMahon was perceived before he took over, Outlaw Promotions stories, Sting Flips off Bruce, Albano Craziness (45 min.)
PWTorch Newsletter #1117/1118 (31 pages!): Raw at MSG, TNA Victory Road PPV Roundtable, Mitchell on Russo-Hogan, Keller on Dixie Speech, more
Torch Trivia
TORCH TRIVIA 2/28: Which wrestler backed out of a WWA PPV in February 2002?
TORCH TRIVIA 2/27: Who said this quote about Hulk Hogan's athleticism 11 years ago?
TORCH TRIVIA 2/25: What said this quote about WWE's mid-1990s drug testing policy?
Torch Instant Polls
SMACKDOWN POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/20 Smackdown if you saw the show?
TNA IMPACT POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/19 Impact if you saw the show?
ECW MVP POLL: Who was the MVP of the 11/17 ECW TV if you saw the show?
PWTorch Free Podcast
11/4 Nostalgia Audio with Brian Hoops: Format change to the show, new guest host, upcoming shows
FREE FOR ALL: 10/27 Bruce Mitchell Audio Special: Hogan-Bischoff-TNA story from all angles including Monday Night War II possibilities (32 min.)
6/23 Nostalgia Audio with Brian Hoops: Former WCW rapmaster PN News joins Brian Hoops to preview upcoming Midwest shows (10 min.)
Annual Obituaries
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 1999 - Muchnick, Rick Rude, Owen Hart, Renegade...
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2000 - Solie, Albright, Duncum, Tsuruta, Blue Demon, Al Costello
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2001: Johnny Valentine, Terry Gordy, Chris Adams, Bertha Faye, Helen Hart