Date- 3/25/2006
Location- Manhattan, New York
Commentators- Lenny Leonard & Dave Prazak
I really don’t know that much about Ring Of Honor, so I’ll be basing this review on what I see on the DVD.
CZW Attacks Video
They start off by showing a video from Arena Warfare. Apparently, the video was too violent too show in it’s entirety before, but ROH officials have decided to show us everything now. Yeah, this just sounded like another way to get you to buy the next DVD, so you can see everything that happened. Anyway, John Zandig and other CZW wrestlers are beating up and torturing B.J. Whitmer. Zandig says he will kill Whitmer if the crowd doesn’t shut up. He trashes the crowd and the IWC. He says Whitmer is the example. The crowd starts to heckle Zandig with “boring” chants. They cut to a video of wrestlers trash talking each other in the parking lot. We’re back indoors now. Zandig powerbombs Whitmer. Whitmer has CZW spray painted across his back in yellow. Whitmer is still beat up from this attack, so he won’t be on the show tonight. ROH has issued an open and fair challenge to any CZW wrestlers. I’ve tried watching CZW before, but I thought it was terrible, so I never tried to get into it again. Again, I don’t know that much about ROH, and I have no idea what this CZW VS ROH war was all about.
The ROH top five rankings are shown.
Jimmy Rave/ With Prince Nana VS Pelle Primeau
Rave is showered with toilet paper as he enters the ring. Primeau is a graduate of the ROH Academy. Rave reluctantly shakes hands with Primeau before the match. Rave hits the Greetings From Gahanna for the win. This move looks exactly like The Pedigree, and one of the commentators almost made the mistake of saying it as Rave was executing the move. Yeah, this match was pretty much a squash. It was very short, and Rave dominated the bulk of the match here. Rave did hit a nice spear towards the end of the match, but I just couldn’t get into this. Why would you want to start off a show with a squash match?
After the match, Nana gets on the mic. He’s heckled with “SHUT THE FUCK UP!” chants. He insults the fans. He praises Jimmy Rave, and he thinks Jimmy should be a champion. Nana tries to call out Bruce Lee Roy. Lee Roy is at ringside. He stands up, but he doesn’t want to step inside the ring. Nana says nobody can take out Jimmy Rave. Jimmy Yang sprints to the ring, and the next match begins…..
Jimmy Yang VS Jimmy Rave
Rave hits a running knee, but he doesn’t get the three count. Rave is in shock. Yang takes advantage by locking on a crucifix pin cover for the win. This was a damn good match. There was plenty of action here, this one had a fast pace to it, and this match didn’t have a dull moment. Nana tried to get involved, but Yang was able to catch him with a spinning heel kick. After the match, Nana and Rave beat down Yang, but Bruce Lee Roy breaks up the attack. He takes out Nana with a super kick. He hits Rave with a weak kick to the leg. Rave goes flying to the outside. Really? Nana and Rave flee the ringside area. Yang gets on the mic. He praises Lee Roy. Lame.
Lacey VS Allison Danger VS Mercedes Martinez VS Daizee Haze- Four Corner Survival Match
*Rules For A Four Corner Survival Match*
There are no teams in this type of match. Only two wrestlers can be in the ring at one time, and tags are necessary. Who ever gets the pinfall or submission wins the match.
Apparently, this is Mercedes Martinez’s debut…..We get a melee towards the end. All four ladies are hitting their finishers left and right. Martinez hits a Fisherman Buster on Lacey. She goes for the pin, but the ref tells her she’s not legal. Danger made a blind tag. Haze hits Martinez with a missile dropkick, and Danger sneaks in to get the roll up on Lacey for the win. I really enjoyed this match. Lacey botched a spinning kick here, but overall, this was a very entertaining match. There was a good amount of back and forth action in this one, the pace was pretty quick, and for a women’s match, this one was pretty damn physical.
Chris Hero & Necro Butcher
Hero and Butcher have accepted the ROH open challenge. Hero is in the ring with Necro Butcher. The crowd is heckling Hero with “FUCK YOU HERO!” chants. Hero whines about not having a free pass. There are these two nameless ROH guys at ringside. The ROH guys can’t handle Butcher and Hero. One of them is choked out by Hero. After the challenge, Hero gets on the mic again. He calls out Adam Pearce. Pearce hits the ring. He gets a few shots in on Hero, then he takes the fight to Necro. Necro gets the upper hand by throwing a bunch of chairs at Pearce, while he’s on the ground. Pearce pops up quick, and he shows no signs of suffering the attack. WOW. Nice way to no sell there Adam. Anyway, Pearce eventually puts Necro through a table, but Hero whacks Pearce from behind. Necro and Hero continue the beat down. Hero calls out Claudio Castagnoli. Apparently, these two were tag team partners. Hero tells the crowd Claudio was a student of his, and he considers him to be a best friend. Claudio comes to the ring, but he decides to take out Necro and Hero instead. Claudio says “FUCK CZW!” The crowd loudly agrees with him. Pearce taunts Necro and Hero. He shakes Claudio’s hand, and the two leave to loud “ROH! ROH!” chants. Meh. I couldn’t get into this fight. I’m not familiar with this ROH/CZW war. But I will say this, I am not a fan of Necro Butcher. I seriously don’t see why some people like this guy. He looks like a crazy homeless man, and nothing about this guy excites me.
Christopher Daniels/With Allison Danger VS Alex Shelley/With Daizee Haze & Prince Nana
Daniels hits the Angle’s Wings for the win. This was a very good match. There was plenty of action here, this one was very physical, and the constant back and forth action here was great. This match was very entertaining and there was tons of energy here. Nana got involved a few times in this one, but it was nothing major.
Nigel McGuinness(Champion) VS Claudio Castagnoli- ROH Pure Title Match
This is the last time Castagnoli can challenge for the title while Nigel is the champion……
*Rules*
-Each wrestler gets three rope breaks to break up a pin fall or submission. Once a wrestler uses up their three rope breaks, the ropes will not be able to save them
-There is a strict 20 count on the floor
-No closed fist strikes to the face
Nigel gets on the mic, as referee Todd Sinclair is laying down the rules. He calls Sinclair the best ref in the world. The ROH crowd disagrees. Castagnoli whacks Nigel, as he continues to kiss Sinclair’s ass, and the match begins.
McGuinness runs into a European uppercut from Castagnoli, but Nigel comes right back with a Lariat Clothesline. He gets the three count for the win. DAMN. This was a hard hitting match. Both men beat the hell out of each other here, and the constant battling back and forth was outstanding. This match wasn’t flashy, but it was very competitive and rough. I really enjoyed this one.
The Ballad Of Lacey
It’s intermission time in Manhattan. It looks like we’re in the backstage area, but I really can’t tell, because everything is so dark. Anyway, they play a music video by Jimmy Jacobs. He professes his love for Lacey. The video is strange and creepy, and the lyrics are kind of bad, but this video is very funny. Man I couldn’t stop laughing when I saw this.
I think we’re still in the backstage area. Again, I really can’t tell, because it so damn dark, and I can barely see anything. Nigel McGuinness is being interviewed. He says he’s the best pure wrestler in ROH. He boasts about his victory over Claudio. He says he will return to Japan(NOAH). He wants to make the ROH Pure Title the real World Championship. He takes a shot at Bryan Danielson.
Austin Aries(ROH Tag Team Champion) VS Ricky Reyes/With Julius Smokes
Reyes locks in the Dragon Sleeper. Aries gets his feet on the ropes, but Reyes refuses to break the hold, so Aries picks up the win via DQ. I thought this match was decent. Everything that happened in this match was pretty basic, but things did pick up towards the end, because there was some nice back and forth action. Aries hit an elbow during the match, and then he did the same move for the second time, but he did it reverse and slow motion the second time around. I thought this was pretty cool. On a side note, I have a nice little set of ROH DVDs. I’ve seen Julius Smokes on a good amount of them, and I do think this guy is one annoying motherfucker. He never shuts up, and he always manages to get under my skin. I don’t know if this guy was a face before, but he sure can be a good heel. After the match, Reyes still has the Dragon Sleeper on Aries, but he is chased off by Roderick strong and Jack Evans. The crowd wasn’t happy with the DQ decision, and they voiced their displeasure with “BULLSHIT!” chants.
The Briscoe Brothers VS Jack Evans & Roderick Strong
Strong and Evans are still in the ring. The Briscoes attack from behind, and our next match is underway……After Strong hits a Half Nelson Backbreaker on Mark, he places Jay Briscoe across his shoulders. Evans goes to the top rope. He JUMPS ON JAY BRISOCE WHO IS STILL ACROSS STRONG’S SHOULDERS AND HE LANDS ON MARK BRISCOE WITH A PHOENIX SPLASH. This is just one of those things you have to see to believe. Strong hits a backbreaker on Jay, and Evans gets the three count for the win. This match was packed full of action, and the fast pace here was incredible. Also, the teamwork and chemistry from both teams was outstanding. The final moments of this match made my head spin, but I still enjoyed this one.
Colt Cabana
A video of Cabana is shown. Cabana recalls an incident where Homicide poured Drano on him. Cabana says he will conqueror his fears. He says it needs to end. Decent enough promo here. Cabana used some nice analogies, as he compared facing his fears to petting a dog after being bitten, and stepping inside a batter’s box after being hit with a baseball. He did go over the top at the end, but still, this wasn’t a bad promo.
KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji VS Bryan Danielson(ROH World Champion) & Samoa Joe
Danielson follows the code of honor as he shakes hands. Joe shakes hands with Marufuji, but he refuses to shake hands with KENTA. KENTA hits Danielson with the Falcon Arrow from the top rope. He goes for the cover, but Danielson kicks out at two. KENTA signals for a GTS. He has Danielson on shoulders, but Danielson counters this into a crucifix pin cover. KENTA escapes. Danielson tries to keep him down with elbows, but KENTA fights out of the attack. He hits the GTS on Danielson, and KENTA picks up the three count for the win. This was a damn good main event. Both teams attacked each other with so much intensity, and the ferocious battling between KENTA and Joe was something to admire. Both teams did a great job of working together, and there was plenty of action towards the end. The struggle between Danielson and KENTA at the end of the match was insane, because it was hard to tell who would come out on top. After the match, Joe revives Danielson by pouring a bottle of water on him. KENTA tries to hand Danielson his ROH World Championship, but Joe snatches it from him. KENTA grabs a mic. He says he will return to New York soon. Joe gets on the mic. He says KENTA has never beaten Danielson or himself in singles competition. Joe calls KENTA a bitch. He throws the mic down. Joe is starting to walk away, but KENTA gets on the mic again. KENTA reminds us he can’t understand English. Danielson has his belt back. He shakes hands with Marufuji and KENTA.
Lance Storm
A video of Lance Storm is shown. He wants to face Bryan for the ROH World Championship. He says a match with Danielson will bring him out of retirement. I’ve seen Danielson VS Storm before, and it was one amazing match.
The Embassy
Nana wants revenge on Bruce Lee Roy. Shelley questions Rave about a canceled plane ticket on February 11. Shelley says this was supposed to be his night for a World Title shot. Rave says he didn’t win the title, so the canceled ticket shouldn’t matter. They trade insults. It looks like a fight is going to break out, but Nana gets in the middle of both men. He tells the camera man to “cut it” and we get a to be continued message to end the show.
Overall Show Rating 9/10: The majority of the wrestling one this show was outstanding. I wasn’t a fan of the squash, but every other match managed to entertain me. Castagnoli VS McGuinness was my favorite match on this card. It was such a physical battle, and both really gave it their all in this one. I haven’t seen too many good women’s matches, so the Four Corner Survival match was a real treat for me. Best In The World 2006 is an awesome show, and I’m glad I decided to watch this again.
Location- Manhattan, New York
Commentators- Lenny Leonard & Dave Prazak
I really don’t know that much about Ring Of Honor, so I’ll be basing this review on what I see on the DVD.
CZW Attacks Video
They start off by showing a video from Arena Warfare. Apparently, the video was too violent too show in it’s entirety before, but ROH officials have decided to show us everything now. Yeah, this just sounded like another way to get you to buy the next DVD, so you can see everything that happened. Anyway, John Zandig and other CZW wrestlers are beating up and torturing B.J. Whitmer. Zandig says he will kill Whitmer if the crowd doesn’t shut up. He trashes the crowd and the IWC. He says Whitmer is the example. The crowd starts to heckle Zandig with “boring” chants. They cut to a video of wrestlers trash talking each other in the parking lot. We’re back indoors now. Zandig powerbombs Whitmer. Whitmer has CZW spray painted across his back in yellow. Whitmer is still beat up from this attack, so he won’t be on the show tonight. ROH has issued an open and fair challenge to any CZW wrestlers. I’ve tried watching CZW before, but I thought it was terrible, so I never tried to get into it again. Again, I don’t know that much about ROH, and I have no idea what this CZW VS ROH war was all about.
The ROH top five rankings are shown.
Jimmy Rave/ With Prince Nana VS Pelle Primeau
Rave is showered with toilet paper as he enters the ring. Primeau is a graduate of the ROH Academy. Rave reluctantly shakes hands with Primeau before the match. Rave hits the Greetings From Gahanna for the win. This move looks exactly like The Pedigree, and one of the commentators almost made the mistake of saying it as Rave was executing the move. Yeah, this match was pretty much a squash. It was very short, and Rave dominated the bulk of the match here. Rave did hit a nice spear towards the end of the match, but I just couldn’t get into this. Why would you want to start off a show with a squash match?
After the match, Nana gets on the mic. He’s heckled with “SHUT THE FUCK UP!” chants. He insults the fans. He praises Jimmy Rave, and he thinks Jimmy should be a champion. Nana tries to call out Bruce Lee Roy. Lee Roy is at ringside. He stands up, but he doesn’t want to step inside the ring. Nana says nobody can take out Jimmy Rave. Jimmy Yang sprints to the ring, and the next match begins…..
Jimmy Yang VS Jimmy Rave
Rave hits a running knee, but he doesn’t get the three count. Rave is in shock. Yang takes advantage by locking on a crucifix pin cover for the win. This was a damn good match. There was plenty of action here, this one had a fast pace to it, and this match didn’t have a dull moment. Nana tried to get involved, but Yang was able to catch him with a spinning heel kick. After the match, Nana and Rave beat down Yang, but Bruce Lee Roy breaks up the attack. He takes out Nana with a super kick. He hits Rave with a weak kick to the leg. Rave goes flying to the outside. Really? Nana and Rave flee the ringside area. Yang gets on the mic. He praises Lee Roy. Lame.
Lacey VS Allison Danger VS Mercedes Martinez VS Daizee Haze- Four Corner Survival Match
*Rules For A Four Corner Survival Match*
There are no teams in this type of match. Only two wrestlers can be in the ring at one time, and tags are necessary. Who ever gets the pinfall or submission wins the match.
Apparently, this is Mercedes Martinez’s debut…..We get a melee towards the end. All four ladies are hitting their finishers left and right. Martinez hits a Fisherman Buster on Lacey. She goes for the pin, but the ref tells her she’s not legal. Danger made a blind tag. Haze hits Martinez with a missile dropkick, and Danger sneaks in to get the roll up on Lacey for the win. I really enjoyed this match. Lacey botched a spinning kick here, but overall, this was a very entertaining match. There was a good amount of back and forth action in this one, the pace was pretty quick, and for a women’s match, this one was pretty damn physical.
Chris Hero & Necro Butcher
Hero and Butcher have accepted the ROH open challenge. Hero is in the ring with Necro Butcher. The crowd is heckling Hero with “FUCK YOU HERO!” chants. Hero whines about not having a free pass. There are these two nameless ROH guys at ringside. The ROH guys can’t handle Butcher and Hero. One of them is choked out by Hero. After the challenge, Hero gets on the mic again. He calls out Adam Pearce. Pearce hits the ring. He gets a few shots in on Hero, then he takes the fight to Necro. Necro gets the upper hand by throwing a bunch of chairs at Pearce, while he’s on the ground. Pearce pops up quick, and he shows no signs of suffering the attack. WOW. Nice way to no sell there Adam. Anyway, Pearce eventually puts Necro through a table, but Hero whacks Pearce from behind. Necro and Hero continue the beat down. Hero calls out Claudio Castagnoli. Apparently, these two were tag team partners. Hero tells the crowd Claudio was a student of his, and he considers him to be a best friend. Claudio comes to the ring, but he decides to take out Necro and Hero instead. Claudio says “FUCK CZW!” The crowd loudly agrees with him. Pearce taunts Necro and Hero. He shakes Claudio’s hand, and the two leave to loud “ROH! ROH!” chants. Meh. I couldn’t get into this fight. I’m not familiar with this ROH/CZW war. But I will say this, I am not a fan of Necro Butcher. I seriously don’t see why some people like this guy. He looks like a crazy homeless man, and nothing about this guy excites me.
Christopher Daniels/With Allison Danger VS Alex Shelley/With Daizee Haze & Prince Nana
Daniels hits the Angle’s Wings for the win. This was a very good match. There was plenty of action here, this one was very physical, and the constant back and forth action here was great. This match was very entertaining and there was tons of energy here. Nana got involved a few times in this one, but it was nothing major.
Nigel McGuinness(Champion) VS Claudio Castagnoli- ROH Pure Title Match
This is the last time Castagnoli can challenge for the title while Nigel is the champion……
*Rules*
-Each wrestler gets three rope breaks to break up a pin fall or submission. Once a wrestler uses up their three rope breaks, the ropes will not be able to save them
-There is a strict 20 count on the floor
-No closed fist strikes to the face
Nigel gets on the mic, as referee Todd Sinclair is laying down the rules. He calls Sinclair the best ref in the world. The ROH crowd disagrees. Castagnoli whacks Nigel, as he continues to kiss Sinclair’s ass, and the match begins.
McGuinness runs into a European uppercut from Castagnoli, but Nigel comes right back with a Lariat Clothesline. He gets the three count for the win. DAMN. This was a hard hitting match. Both men beat the hell out of each other here, and the constant battling back and forth was outstanding. This match wasn’t flashy, but it was very competitive and rough. I really enjoyed this one.
The Ballad Of Lacey
It’s intermission time in Manhattan. It looks like we’re in the backstage area, but I really can’t tell, because everything is so dark. Anyway, they play a music video by Jimmy Jacobs. He professes his love for Lacey. The video is strange and creepy, and the lyrics are kind of bad, but this video is very funny. Man I couldn’t stop laughing when I saw this.
I think we’re still in the backstage area. Again, I really can’t tell, because it so damn dark, and I can barely see anything. Nigel McGuinness is being interviewed. He says he’s the best pure wrestler in ROH. He boasts about his victory over Claudio. He says he will return to Japan(NOAH). He wants to make the ROH Pure Title the real World Championship. He takes a shot at Bryan Danielson.
Austin Aries(ROH Tag Team Champion) VS Ricky Reyes/With Julius Smokes
Reyes locks in the Dragon Sleeper. Aries gets his feet on the ropes, but Reyes refuses to break the hold, so Aries picks up the win via DQ. I thought this match was decent. Everything that happened in this match was pretty basic, but things did pick up towards the end, because there was some nice back and forth action. Aries hit an elbow during the match, and then he did the same move for the second time, but he did it reverse and slow motion the second time around. I thought this was pretty cool. On a side note, I have a nice little set of ROH DVDs. I’ve seen Julius Smokes on a good amount of them, and I do think this guy is one annoying motherfucker. He never shuts up, and he always manages to get under my skin. I don’t know if this guy was a face before, but he sure can be a good heel. After the match, Reyes still has the Dragon Sleeper on Aries, but he is chased off by Roderick strong and Jack Evans. The crowd wasn’t happy with the DQ decision, and they voiced their displeasure with “BULLSHIT!” chants.
The Briscoe Brothers VS Jack Evans & Roderick Strong
Strong and Evans are still in the ring. The Briscoes attack from behind, and our next match is underway……After Strong hits a Half Nelson Backbreaker on Mark, he places Jay Briscoe across his shoulders. Evans goes to the top rope. He JUMPS ON JAY BRISOCE WHO IS STILL ACROSS STRONG’S SHOULDERS AND HE LANDS ON MARK BRISCOE WITH A PHOENIX SPLASH. This is just one of those things you have to see to believe. Strong hits a backbreaker on Jay, and Evans gets the three count for the win. This match was packed full of action, and the fast pace here was incredible. Also, the teamwork and chemistry from both teams was outstanding. The final moments of this match made my head spin, but I still enjoyed this one.
Colt Cabana
A video of Cabana is shown. Cabana recalls an incident where Homicide poured Drano on him. Cabana says he will conqueror his fears. He says it needs to end. Decent enough promo here. Cabana used some nice analogies, as he compared facing his fears to petting a dog after being bitten, and stepping inside a batter’s box after being hit with a baseball. He did go over the top at the end, but still, this wasn’t a bad promo.
KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji VS Bryan Danielson(ROH World Champion) & Samoa Joe
Danielson follows the code of honor as he shakes hands. Joe shakes hands with Marufuji, but he refuses to shake hands with KENTA. KENTA hits Danielson with the Falcon Arrow from the top rope. He goes for the cover, but Danielson kicks out at two. KENTA signals for a GTS. He has Danielson on shoulders, but Danielson counters this into a crucifix pin cover. KENTA escapes. Danielson tries to keep him down with elbows, but KENTA fights out of the attack. He hits the GTS on Danielson, and KENTA picks up the three count for the win. This was a damn good main event. Both teams attacked each other with so much intensity, and the ferocious battling between KENTA and Joe was something to admire. Both teams did a great job of working together, and there was plenty of action towards the end. The struggle between Danielson and KENTA at the end of the match was insane, because it was hard to tell who would come out on top. After the match, Joe revives Danielson by pouring a bottle of water on him. KENTA tries to hand Danielson his ROH World Championship, but Joe snatches it from him. KENTA grabs a mic. He says he will return to New York soon. Joe gets on the mic. He says KENTA has never beaten Danielson or himself in singles competition. Joe calls KENTA a bitch. He throws the mic down. Joe is starting to walk away, but KENTA gets on the mic again. KENTA reminds us he can’t understand English. Danielson has his belt back. He shakes hands with Marufuji and KENTA.
Lance Storm
A video of Lance Storm is shown. He wants to face Bryan for the ROH World Championship. He says a match with Danielson will bring him out of retirement. I’ve seen Danielson VS Storm before, and it was one amazing match.
The Embassy
Nana wants revenge on Bruce Lee Roy. Shelley questions Rave about a canceled plane ticket on February 11. Shelley says this was supposed to be his night for a World Title shot. Rave says he didn’t win the title, so the canceled ticket shouldn’t matter. They trade insults. It looks like a fight is going to break out, but Nana gets in the middle of both men. He tells the camera man to “cut it” and we get a to be continued message to end the show.
Overall Show Rating 9/10: The majority of the wrestling one this show was outstanding. I wasn’t a fan of the squash, but every other match managed to entertain me. Castagnoli VS McGuinness was my favorite match on this card. It was such a physical battle, and both really gave it their all in this one. I haven’t seen too many good women’s matches, so the Four Corner Survival match was a real treat for me. Best In The World 2006 is an awesome show, and I’m glad I decided to watch this again.