SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The following report was originally published 15 years ago on PWTorch.com…
Ring of Honor live event report
November 29, 2003
Framingham, Mass.
Report by Sean Radican, Torch Team Contributor
This was the second Ring of Honor show I have attended and it was a great show. I would recommend it to anyone who is disappointed with WWE house show events or wrestling on television in general. Ring of Honor contains none of the stupidity and lame angles force fed to wrestling fans by WWE or NWA-TNA. All of the performers went out of their way to produce a 3-4 match and for the most part, they succeeded. I would guess there were about 400-500 people at the event. I’m not sure if moving the event so many times hurt attendance, but the people who attended the event were into every match. The thing I like the most about Ring of Honor is the intimate atmosphere. If you attend a Ring of Honor show, it will be the best twenty bucks you ever spend.
(1) The Backseat Boyz defeated Hotstuff Hernandez & Fast Eddie via pinfall. This was a good opener that the crowd was into. Hotstuff Hernandez spent most of the match yelling at Fast Eddie for getting beaten up. At one point, Hotstuff Hernandez hit an Undertaker-like dive over the top rope on the Backseat Boys. The Backseat Boys won the match with a double razors edge on Fast Eddie.
(2) Special K defeated the team of The Carnage Crew & SAT & Slugger via pinfall. This was a match of many amazing spots. At one point, The members of Special K all hit dives over the top rope, leaving Slugger alone in the ring. Slugger acted like he was going to do a dive of his own, but stopped and did a splash from the top rope. Another amazing spot saw Devito and Joel I believe nail one of the members of Special K with the Spanish Fly. After they hit the Spanish Fly, Devito went for the pin, but Joel broke it up. He then covered for the pin, but Devito knocked him off. The SAT’s and Carnage Crew began arguing at this point, which allowed one of the members of Special K to roll up Devito for the pin.
After the match, the SAT’s and The Carnage Crew argued briefly, but no blows were exchanged.
(3) B.J. Whitmer won the Gauntlet Series Match
(1) C.M. Punk defeated Jimmy Rave via pinfall. Before the match, Punk got on the mic and said he would find out before the night was over who was responsible for the attack on Lucy in Dayton. This was the best match in the Gauntlet Series. Punk sold a knee injury for most of the match. Jimmy Rave worked over his knee and Punk did his best to fend him off by getting out of submission moves applied to his leg. Jimmy Rave had Punk set up on the top rope, but Punk fended him off and nailed him with a top rope pedigree for the win.
(2) Matt Stryker defeated CM Punk via submission. This match was really short, as Punk looked spent after his match with Jimmy Rave. Stryker quickly applied a submission maneuver to Punk’s leg and he tapped out.
(3) Matt Stryker defeated Colt Cabana. Cabana came out and was really funny. I love the way dances to his theme music. At one point his music slowed down and he started doing the robot. His music sped back up and he went strutting around the ring, which was hilarious. This was a pretty good match from what I can recall, but it was short. Stryker won the match with a running DVD.
(4) B.J. Whitmer defeated Matt Stryker via pinfall. This was too short to develop into much of anything. Whitmer tossed Stryker to the floor and he looked to be her. The announcer of all people held up the X sign signaling for help. A bunch of people came out to check on Stryker. Whitmer came out and threw Stryker back into the ring and gave him a really stiff looking DVD like maneuver where most of the impact went on Stryker’s head.
After the match, the announcer got on the mic and asked if there was a doctor in the house who could help them.
Intermission
(4) The Outcast Killers defeated Slyk Wagner Brown & April Hunter. April Hunter hit a nice spear at one point on Slyk, which got a small Goldberg chant going. I don’t remember much about this match after that as I got distracted by the people around me. Oman got the pinfall on April to end the match.
After the match, Xavier came out and ran down Boston and the Red Sox to a loud chorus of jeers. This set up a New York vs. Boston match with Xavier facing John Walters.
(5) John Walters defeated Xavier via pinfall. This was another great match that went back and forth. It had a good mix of high-flying action and mat work. The finish saw Walters roll up Xavier for the victory. I believe this was his first victory in ROH.
After the match, Xavier attacked Walters with a chair and busted him open. He then got a ladder, which they had teased using during their match and threw it on top of Walters. I guess this might set up a ladder match between the two at some point.
(6) The Briscoe Brothers defeated Christopher Daniels & Dan Maff (w/Allison Danger) via pinfall. Before the match, Allison got on her knees before Daniels who made a very unholy motion towards her with his hips. This was a great match, which saw Daniels hit the Angel Wings on I believe Jay, but it was broken up. At one point, Jay hit a sick shooting star press from the top rope to the outside on Daniels and Maff. The Briscoes won when Jay nailed Daniels with a double underhook piledriver.
(7) Samoa Joe defeated A.J. Styles to retain the ROH Heavyweight title. This was the best match of the night. Joe dived through the second rope onto Styles at one point and the two brawled outside for awhile. A.J. was on the offensive for the ladder part of the match, which lead up to him nailing Joe with the Styles Clash to a huge pop, but Joe kicked out at the last second. Great heat for this match, but eventually Joe choked out Styles for the win.
After the match, Joe put over ROH and said AJ Styles is a big reason why ROH is an up and coming promotion. The crowd gave both men several standing ovations at the conclusion of the match.
While the ring crew set up the barbed wire on the ring, Capetta came out and interviewed CM Punk. Punk said Daniels is the one who took out Lucy and he’s the reason she won’t come back to ROH. Daniels came out and said Punk wouldn’t be able to handle knowing who took out Lucy. Eventually, Daniels said that instead of telling Punk who attacked Lucy, he would show him. At that point the two brawled until Punk nailed Daniels with what looked like The Eye of the Hurricane. Punk stomped away at Daniels until Maff and Danger made the save.
(8) Steve Corino defeated Homicide in a No Ropes Barbed Wire match when Julius Smokes threw in the towel. This was a great match with several sick spots. At one point, a barbed wire bat was introduced into the match. Homicide hit Corino in the head with it and you could see his hair fly up into the air from being pulled out by the barbed wire. Both men bled heavily. Steve Corino used a fork at one point to bust open a cut on Homicides head, which was caused by the barbed wire. Corino had his ear cut open at one point and looked to be really hurt. The men threw each other into the barbed wire several times, but also did some mat work. The finish saw Corino wrap some barbed wire around Homicide and then choke him out. Homicide wouldn’t tap, so Smokes threw in the towel for him.
After the match, Homicide wouldn’t shake Corino’s hand. The crowd booed and it looks like this feud is not over, as Homicide seemed to want another fight with Corino somewhere down the road.
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