By Sean Radican, Torch columnist

RADICAN’S ROH REVIEW SERIES
“THANKS STEEN THANKS”
RELEASED BY ROH IN 2014
BY SEAN RADICAN, TORCH COLUMNIST

Kevin Owens made a big splash when he debuted at the NXT Takeover special on Dec. 11 attacking Sami Zayn after he had finally captured the NXT Championship from Adrian Neville. Owens and Zayn have a long history dating back to their days on the independent scene as a tag team when they were known as El Generico and Kevin Steen. Zayn is scheduled to defend the NXT Championship against Owens next week on the latest NXT Takeover special on the WWE Network, which is fitting given how intertwined their careers have been.

“Thanks Steen Thanks” is a compilation that includes a collection of matches from Steen’s final run. It seemed like Steen had done all he could do in ROH after having a lengthy run with the ROH World Title before dropping it to Jay Briscoe in 2013. Steen’s weight issues seemed to be the biggest obstacle in his way when he came to achieving his goal of getting a WWE contract.

Steen deserved to be in WWE and it was difficult to see him discuss his struggles with losing weight on The Kevin Steen Show episodes distributed by Highspots.com. It seemed that Steen couldn’t put his bad eating habits aside and had difficulty getting into the gym. Steen was still very big at the beginning of 2014, but something clicked and he began to shed weight. The news eventually broke that he had signed a WWE contract and nobody was more thrilled than this columnist.

Steen’s talking ability alone complimented by his unique look and brawling style should take him a long way in WWE. It isn’t surprising that Steen is already having success in WWE as Kevin Owens, but it is surprising how quickly he is getting pushed to the top of the card against longtime rival Sami Zayn/Generico.

This compilation is a fantastic set. Although Steen seemed to flounder in terms of how he was pushed during the tail end of his run in ROH, this set features a selection of fantastic matches from 2013-2014. The first disc focuses on the end of Steen’s run with the ROH World Title and his parting with SCUM. The highlights of the first disc are two excellent ROH World Title matches against Jay Lethal and Jay Briscoe. Steen dropping the title to Briscoe during WrestleMania weekend in 2014 in NYC was particularly memorable and one of the biggest shocks of the year given that not many people saw the title switch coming.

The SCUM storyline dragged on when it took place in ROH, but this set does a nice job of moving through the latter stages of the angle building up to the Steel Cage Warfare match that begins the second disc with an Eight Man ROH vs. SCUM Elimination Tag match. Although Steen never came off like a heel during his run in SCUM, this was a fitting ending to the feud and the blow off match was good late after a slow start with Steen finishing off Jacobs in the end and earning the trust of ROH matchmaker Nigel McGuinness. The ending of the SCUM vs. ROH storyline also gave ROH a fresh start and reinvigorated the company going forward in terms of fans getting fresh storylines and matches.

“Thanks Steen Thanks” is put together well, as the matches tie together Steen’s narrative during his final run in ROH nicely. His feud with Michael Bennett towards the end of 2013 is highlighted and although it takes a big leap of faith to get into the twists and turns of the booking of their blow off match at “Final Battle 2013,” they had the crowd on fire by the end, although I was a huge fan of the post-match angle with Steen putting his hands on Maria and then calling her a bitch on the mic after hitting her with a package piledriver.

The last gem on the second disc is a great match between Steen and O’Reilly from “Wrestling’s Finest” from January 2014. This match headlined an episode of ROH TV and was used to set the stage for Steen’s match with Cliff Compton at “12th Anniversary,” but the match itself shouldn’t be overlooked given the story it told with O’Reilly working over Steen’s arm throughout the match. O’Reilly couldn’t get Steen to tap in the end Steen overcame a distraction from Compton on the outside before submitting O’Reilly with a sharp shooter in a match that is a hidden gem on this set. The post-match brawl between Steen and Compton was well-done and set up a good Non-Sanctioned Street Fight to conclude the “12th Anniversary” show.

The third disc on this set is easily the best. The first three matches on the set are worth the price of admission alone, as Steen & The Young Bucks vs. Elgin, ROH Champion Adam Cole vs. Steen, and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Steen are all four star or higher matches that blow the roof off.

The final three matches on the set feature Steen’s farewell tour. If I had one small nitpick, I would have included Steen’s match against Silas Young at “Best in the World 2014” that set up their blow off at “Summer Heat Tour.” Their match at “Summer Heat Tour” was really good, but having the context for the No DQ match taking place during Steen’s final set up shows in the company would have been a nice touch.

The final highlight of this collection of shows is Kevin Steen’s last match in ROH against his good friend Steve Corino. Many people weren’t happy when the match aired with the introductions cut out on TV, but this release features the full uncut match with ROH ring announcer Bobby Cruise and Steve Corino dialing the clock back and doing their old in-ring introduction routine once again. It was a nice touch that made the match feel special and for long-time ROH viewers like myself, it was a priceless segment that absolutely deserved to see the light of day.

Steen and Corino should be proud of their effort in this match. Corino doesn’t wrestle matches as grueling as this one often, but he more than held up his end of the bargain when it came to putting on a memorable match to send Steen out of ROH. Although Steen didn’t acknowledge he was heading to WWE, hit farewell speech with the ROH roster surrounding the ring was fantastic and the entire segment is a fantastic addition to the DVD library of longtime Steen fans.

Overall score: (9.0) – ROH production team did a fantastic job with this release. It would have been great to have Steen appear and talk about the matches on the set, but the way the set is put together does a great job of flowing from feud to feud. Steen was clearly beloved during his final run in ROH and just watching the crowd pop huge nearly every time he comes out on this compilation is a blast.

Besides a great collection of matches, this set is put together nicely with great packaging, disc art, and menus for each disc. I really enjoyed the 3D effect on the comic art of Steen hitting his signature cannon ball in the corner on disc 2.

It’s an exciting time to watch Kevin Owens in WWE, but it’s also fun to look back at Owen’s/Steen’s final run in ROH. This set is a must for Kevin Steen fans and those just discovering him for his work in NXT as Kevin Owens.

You can purchase ROH’s “Thanks Steen Thanks” on DVD by clicking HERE or by visiting ROHWrestling.com. For more information on ROH visit ROHWrestling.com.

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