4/1 Ring of Honor Internet PPV Roundtable Reviews

Sean Radican, PWTorch columnist (7.0)
Twitter: @SeanRadican

I didn't like the production on this show. My stream was fine for the most part, but the building was lit badly and the cameraman missed a lot of key shots during the course of the night. That being said, there was a lot of good wrestling on this show that made this feel like a big event, especially the second half, but ultimately I wasn't blown away.

The undercard was lackluster for the most part. I enjoyed the Joshi wrestlers a lot and they had a really good tag match with Del Rey and Deeb leading into their Shimmer Tag match Saturday. I was surprised to see Homicide go over in such strong fashion in the four-corner survival given the way he's been booked lately and it seemed management had lost faith in him as a top guy after moving his title match against Roderick Strong on the last iPPV to the mid-card.

The O'Reilly & Cole vs. Briscoes match was really good, but I'm not sure O'Reilly & Cole's performance will be remembered given the post-match activity between the Briscoes and ANX. It's a shame because they put on a heck of a performance against the Briscoes. The Briscoes didn't seem to go all-out heel yet outside of going after the ref, but the crowd was all over them right from the start of the match.

The second half started out really strong with an excellent Richards-Strong match that featured a ton of drama, hard-hitting action, and good nearfalls. I really enjoyed this match and these are the types of matches ROH needs to fill their shows with during WrestleMania weekend.

The tag title change was the only thing that felt really important and left a lasting memory from the show. The first half of the KOW-Haas & Benjamin match was really lackluster, but once they picked it up, the match was awesome. I loved how they made a huge deal out of the title change as well.

The main event featured another outstanding in-ring match. I loved Daniels selling his frustration with being unable to put Edwards away. The match was different from the Strong-Richards contest, but it was at about the same level. It was paced slow early, but not for long because both men began going at it full speed, which fed into an exciting climax for the match.

This was a really good show, but I think the shows during WrestleMania weekend should feel really special. I was let down by the lighting of the crowd. There were dark shadows everywhere with spots of light and it was hard to see their reaction during the course of the show, but the fans could be heard. I reccomend a replay, but be aware of the production values and don't set your expectations sky high.

Mike Roe, Torch specialist (7.5)
Twitter: @MikeRoe

Great show, and I'd definitely recommend the replay for any independent wrestling fan. There continues to be some issues with the video quality on Internet pay-per-view, but I only completely lost the feed once during the show, and was quickly able to reload it once I realized it wasn't coming back on its own. The video quality is also generally higher on the archived version, so that's a plus for anyone picking up the replay.

The main event was great, though paced a little slow early, telegraphing that they were going a decent length. Edwards's title reign begins with a bang, and his match vs. Daniels got me excited for what the rest of this reign holds. I felt the big table spot on the outside was a cheap pop and didn't play well into the overall psychology of the match. I also think that the facials in the match would have played better if not for the blurry iPPV feed, but still great.

Kings of Wrestling vs. Haas & Benjamin was so fun, and my personal match of the night. I felt the fans were up for this more than anything on the show, which added to the vibe. It was fast-paced and a great reminder of why these are two of the best, most joyful to watch teams in pro wrestling today.

Roderick vs. Davey was a great technical wrestling match and my second favorite match of the night. Truth Martini's interference at this point was getting a little grating, but as usual, it's impossible for Davey Richards to have a not-awesome match. I think the image that's burned into my brain from this is the blood flying from Richards's mouth on strikes from Roderick. I didn't mind the slow middle section, as I thought it worked well with the match's overall psychology.

I found the Briscoes vs. Cole & O'Reilly match a little dull, but certainly solid. I expected more fire from the Briscoes, but felt like they were letting their opponents shine while not putting them over strong enough to make me get behind them. Still, the live crowd loved it and were passionately behind the babyfaces and against the Briscoes, so I may be in the minority here. The post-match angle was strong, with the fans dying for the officials to let Titus/King & the Briscoes fight.

The Shimmer women's tag match was fantastic, with the Japanese women putting the Americans through their paces. Del Rey and Deeb both held their own as well, and this was my favorite match of the first half of the show, and a nice little angle after the match to set up the tag title match on tomorrow's show.

The four-way was good with strong wrestling from Homicide and Colt Cabana and a nice storyline involving Caleb Conley and the stakes for him if he won this match, though Tomasso Ciampa was largely a black hole of charisma. I thought the finish was a little predictable, but I'm curious where they take Homicide from here.

I was impressed by newcomer Michael Elgin in the opener; some good, athletic big man offense. The ninja-interference-behind-the-ref's-back finish drops it a notch, but a fine opener.

Jimmy Eaton, Torch specialist (7.5)
Twitter: @thecommonfan

The show didn't get off to the best of starts with production issues early on, but I'll try not to complain about that too much here. Nevertheless, the opening match of Mike Elgin going up again the crowd favorite, El Generico, was not a bad match at all. Elgin impressed me a bit for a guy his size and I'm a huge fan of El Generico's style. **1/4-match for me to start before getting into the Four Corner Survival Match. Not bad here either with a few guys I wasn't too familiar with. I keep forgetting how Colt Cabana is a technical mastermind. Fun match that also was about two stars for me all around. It wasn't given a ton of time, but I was surprised at Homicide going over.

Let me get these thoughts out of the way quickly. The cameras bogged down the first half of the show for me. It seemed like the camera lenses were filthy and more often than not, the show felt more amateurish with hard cuts and cameras still rolling without someone knowing. Granted, it's not a terrible thing and I don't mind the independent feel from time to time; it just was a bit too much at times. With that said, though, the way everyone was seated in the arena looked good (and full in my opinion) and the announcers having their own table up high was a really nice touch to give it a more "professional" feel. The commentary wasn't bad either for the first half, just not the greatest. it seems like Kelly and Prazak take a little while to find their groove.

Next was the Shimmer showcase tag match with Serena Deeb/Sara Del Ray against Matsumoto & Ayumi Kurihara. This was a really good tag match for the women and at the three-star level for me. I thought it was the best of the first three matches with a nice showcase for Shimmer; the Shimmer tag champs looking on during the match was a nice set-up for Saturday's women's match.

Next, the Briscoes vs. Cole and O'Reilly was a blast and had some excellent tag team double-teams along with believable nearfalls. Excellent match in my opinion and around ***1/2 stars for me. I was really impressed with the flow of the match with a bunch of technical, smooth spots from both teams. Seeing the Briscoes showcase their wrestling talent at times over their brawling was a nice change of pace. After intermission were the final three matches on the card, and by far the best of the night, making my money already well spent.

I'll make these comments brief because they were all excellent, lengthy, and told a decent to good story throughout. First, there was Davey Richards beating Roderick Strong in a great, incredibly stiff 25-minute match that I rated four-stars. That was followed by what I thought was a four-star tag match with new tag champs crowned with WGTT over the Kings of Wrestling. Then, another four-match for the main event. What PPV today (besides maybe DGUSA) delivers three four-star matches in a row? At least for me, that was flat-out fantastic. Great way to close the show with Edwards retaining. I see him carrying the torch for a long time to come and a spring/summer program with Davey Richards won't hurt that cause.

Looking forward to the next Center Stage show on Saturday, I have higher expectations for the card then I did Saturday night. Overall, I was a bit disappointed with the first half of Friday's show, but after the quality of production improved , the show really picked up and was very, very good in the second-half. I recommend it for the second half of the card, with it being a perfect example of a card improving over the course of the night (despite a dirty, annoying camera lens). Also, a shout-out to the RWC fellas, as I had a blast tweeting with them throughout the night.

Brian Leahy, PWTorch Specialist (7.5)
Twitter: @cobyhectic

"Honor Takes Centre Stage Night 1" was a solid start to what will no doubt be an entertaining weekend of wrestling. Looking at the greater picture, ROH was wise not to over-deliver on night one, but rather put together a card that built audience interest instead of burning them out in their first three hours of WrestleMania-weekend action.

The first two matches contained little of note, other than the bizarre placement of El Generico in the opener, and the continued presentation of the House of Truth as an undercard annoyance to lovers of clean finishes. To anyone considering a replay purchase, the first real action occurs in the Shimmer tag match featuring Del Rey & Deeb vs. Joshi talents Matsumoto & Kurihara. It was a refreshing change to watch a women's match get the time and attention it deserves on a U.S. PPV, and all four athletes put in an admirable effort that was head and shoulders above the men's action that went before it.

Pre-intermission, The Briscoes vs. Cole & O’Reilly was better again. Cole and O’Reilly got some genuine and believable offense in. For a few moments, they were in a believable, match-winning position. The crowd seemed solidly behind the younger duo, and as a result the finish fell a little flat as the old guard went over in typical Briscoes style. The swift brushing aside of Cole & O’Reilly in the post-match ANX-Briscoes brawl was disconcerting considering the effort put forth by Kyle & O'Reilly, but at least they have an equally intriguing opportunity tomorrow night against the Kings of Wrestling, while the ANX and Briscoes settle their differences.

ROH saved the three most intriguing matches for after intermission. Funnily enough, all three clashes have been featured on iPPV in recent times, and all three at least matched up to the quality of their previous encounters.

Richards vs. Strong was first up, in the return match of their "Final Battle" title clash. In much the same vein, the two kicked, chopped, and stretched one another before succumbing to the allure of multiple false finishes. When considered in the context of the two matches that followed it, it’s obvious that multiple finisher kick-outs and submission attempts are not required to make a great match, but considering that they were the only match on the show to play that card they might just have gotten away with it.

The Kings of Wrestling vs. Hass & Benjamin suffered from lulls for periods in the middle of the match. The heat-building exercise carried out by the Kings on Benjamin isn’t something we see often in ROH, and they nearly did it to excess, but with a crowd so firmly behind The Worlds Greatest Tag Team and with heels as strong as The Kings, there was always going to be a way back. The title win by Hass & Benjamin now poses some interesting questions for the tag team division, especially with the Wolves now only tag-teaming as a special attraction and The Briscoes being the only other team that’s been presented as on the same level as WGTT.

The main event was comfortably my match of the night. Daniels and Edwards have both been on a roll as of late, and their styles seem to mesh perfectly. They both pulled out the big moves from their arsenal, and did each other the courtesy of trading nearfalls and finishes on their signature holds before Daniels fell to a super 2K1 bomb followed by a regular version of the same. This was easily the best first title reign of any ROH champion in the company’s history, and if this is the standard that Edward intends to maintain, he’ll be at the top of the ROH card for as long as he’s willing and able.

The one annoyance I should point out on the production side is the absolutely filthy camera lens coupled with some dodgy camera work from ringside. On the plus side, I had no issues with the stream and all the audio was clear as you’d hope and expect at this point.

A good first night for ROH, with four matches in the region of four stars and a couple more decent clashes on the undercard with plenty of build for Saturday night thrown in for good measure. It was easily worth its half of the $20 if you want to order the reply and Saturday night's live show.

Wes Comer, PWTorch Specialist (9.0)

On the biggest stage (no pun intended) for wrestling, Ring of Honor stepped up and delivered a home run show that both longtime and new fans will be talking about. Going into the show, I had no idea what match would be a fit to open the show and Michael Elgin and El Generico wound up being the perfect choice in this slot. Both wrestlers had an opportunity to shine without burning out the crowd, accomplishing exactly what their match was supposed to.

The biggest surprise of the night easily for me was how much I enjoyed the four-corner survival match. Despite being announced just days before the show, the match was better than I could have imagined. The crowd loves Cabana no matter what he does, Homicide was way over despite being booked in rather ho-hum fashion lately, Tommaso Ciampa looked decent, and Konley was the right person to take the pin. Homicide hitting three dives to the floor was a memorable moment.

The Women of Honor match succeeded in every aspect that the 9th Anniversary women's match failed at. They were given enough time for people to care, the action was crisp and good, and the match succeeded in being a legitimate showcase for athletic women's wrestling. I have never seen Ayumi Kurihara at all prior to this match and, although I am not the biggest fan of women's wrestling, I thought she was great as the spirited flyer for her team. Also, Matsumoto balanced her out perfectly with the power moves - that was a nasty looking backdrop driver to win the match. For ideas on how to book Women of Honor matches going forward to get people interested, this match should serve as a template.

Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly are can't-miss future top guys for Ring of Honor. They just keep getting better and better. Credit to the Briscoes for being their usual excellent team, but also making Cole and O'Reilly look like a million dollars. Too many great moves in this match to list here, but someone needs to find a name for that inverted lungblower, which was turned into a suplex in the move of the night. Also, I agree with the decision to start turning the Briscoes heel. As great as they are, a fresh change was needed and a heel run is a great way to fight the WGTT and keep the tag division from becoming stale. I called the pullapart brawl before it happened, but in this case, just because it was somewhat predictable doesn't mean that it was bad.

Davey Richards and Roderick Strong added another worthy match to their rivalry. It wasn't as great or epic as Final Battle, but still an excellent match in its own way. Davey was great taking a ton of punishment and rallying and getting the crowd into it... The World Tag Team Title match takes the crown as the match of the night. Ring of Honor truly does tag team wrestling better than anyone and this match proved it. The crowd helped that segment out a lot. The finish was wonderful with Shelton jumping perfectly and balancing on the top rope to throw Hero to the mat while Claudio tapped out, and I was happy to see Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team win the belts. It now gives Ring of Honor more name value and credibility, and also refreshes the entire tag team division with a KOW rematch, heel Briscoes feud, and All Night Express in the mix.

The main event was another great match and Eddie Edwards proved that Ring of Honor is going to be fine with him as the centerpiece. Edwards and Daniels match up very well with each other, and this match complimented their match at the 9th Anniversary show very well. This time, they paced themselves a little faster, they were a little more brutal with Edwards getting put through a table and two propped up chairs, and it was memorable seeing Edwards kick out of both the Angel's Wings and the Best Moonsault ever.

The only thing that keeps this show from being a 10.0 is I felt the hard camera was pulled back a little too far, and also there were several big moments and moves that the director only got a piece of or missed completely. The crowd was amazing, the show flowed well, the wrestlers worked hard, and together that makes an easy show of the year contender for Ring of Honor. Order the replay if you missed it; buy the DVD when it comes out.

James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor (7.0)

Good, solid, professional wrestling. ROH continued their trend on Internet PPV of slowly building toward the more important matches on the second-half of the PPV without burning out the audience in the first-half.

There was a bit of a burn-out feeling during the main event of Eddie Edwards vs. Christopher Daniels, but the champ and the pro, respectively, won the crowd over in the second-half of their ROH Title match with a very strong conclusion. It took a bit of a desperate table spot mid-way through the match to get the crowd involved, but they still had plenty of substance behind the second-half of the match to get the crowd emotionally invested.

There were also very strong conclusions to the ROH Tag Title match and Davey Richards vs. Roderick Strong match, which I had as the top match of the show. ROH's roster delivered a professional to spectacular effort up and down the card showcasing tag team wrestling, strong pro wrestling action, and good storytelling on a three-and-a-half-hour broadcast. Customers certainly got their money's worth with the in-ring product.

Now, ROH just needs to address production issues that everyone has touched on after they took a step forward at "Final Battle" in December. Perhaps being in an unfamiliar venue with a different set-up created a challenging production night, so it will be interesting to see if changes are made on a quick turnaround for Night 2 on Saturday afternoon.

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