The official piggybacking off Wrestlemania started back in 2004 for Ring of Honor. The show ran March 13, 2004 at the legendary Rexplex in Elizabeth New Jersey. The event featured two cage matches, appearances by two legends, and a pure championship bout with two future world champions.
-Taped on March 13, 2004 from Elizabeth New Jersey
-Your hosts are not Gabe Sapolsky and not Doug Gentry
-Samoa Joe opens the show with a promo featuring more personality in five minutes than he he’s ever shown in five years of TNA. He shows off some pure wrestling skill while talking trash about the Pure wrestling title. Unfortunately, this “feud” between the two titles wouldn’t get carried out for two years. More in this later.
-Dusty Rhodes is signing autographs before the show, and Ox Baker comes in ranting and raving like a drunk maniac about how Rhodes didn’t cause him to leave Florida. Ox hits himself with a chair. Dusty Rhodes goes in the ring and unbuttons his shirt then talks a bunch of garbage. Five minutes of my life… gone.
-Sugar Sean Price wants an interview with Homicide but he gets Julius Smokes instead. Smokes says he’ll have words for Homcide later on in the evening. Maybe they’ll even be in English
-Mark Briscoe vs. Teddy Hart vs. Jack Evans vs. Jimmy Rave vs. Amazing Red vs. Sonjay Dutt
A match with Teddy and Sonjay? Not sure if I’ll make it. Teddy pledges to die for a fan at ringside. There’s the moment you’ve been waiting for Kevin. Some good pure wrestling between Mark and Rave of all people. Sonjay comes in with a hurancanrana. Evans tags in he faces off with Dutt. Some fun flippy stuff between both men and it climaxes with Dutt flopping Evans down on his face out of a powerbomb situation. Hart tags in and shakes hands with Evans. Red tags in. The best part about the announcing is them talking about how nuts Hart is. Gentry even says Hart has stuff to work on. No shit. Red gets dropped right on his head odd a German suplex. Rave and Dutt put an end to that. Evans tries a dive but Dutt kicks him. Dive by Sonjay and since Mark didn’t want to be left out, he does a shooting star press to the other five wrestlers on the floor. Keep that mind for down the road. Teddy Hart does a dive of his own. I know you’re shocked. Evans dives. Red, despite having come off knee surgery, tries one but Rave trips him up. Big heat for that. Shining wizard but Dutt rolls in. Rave applies a crossface and Teddy Hart does… Put it this way. Gabe asks on commentary, “What the hell was that?” Awesome. Rave applies a sharpshooter but Evans spinkicks Rave. Evans hit a shooting star elbow. Dutt with a hurancanrana on Hart. Evans with a Michinoku driver and 630. Briscoe comes in and hits a Burning Hammer ON TOP OF EVANS head. Red Kicks Briscoe. Another. Dutt eats a spike. Redstar press ends this sucker.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Amazing Red/12:08/***1/4
-Weird to think how much Ring of Honor’s style has changed in the ensuing five years. You never see these kinds of matches from them anymore. This was a ton of fun and a great way to get the crowd into it. This was a record audience, and ROH delivered a strong opener to start what was at this point the biggest show in company history.
-Ace Steel and Colt Cabana promo. Punk warns them not to get all goofy. No hijinks or tomfoolery tonight. Cabana threatens to cancel his talk show. Punk just cuts a promo of his own and says he he’ll bring gold to the Second City Saints. He leaves saying Ricky Steamboat wants to talk to him. Hmm, wonder if that will go anywhere.
-Gary Michael Cappetta is in the ring. No, I can’t believe he worked in ROH either. Homicide is missing, and Julius Smokes is asked by GMC what the deal is. Smokes starts out speaking jibberish before cutting a promo that I can almost understand. Nothing is said about the whereabouts of Homcide, but Smokes challenges Samoa Joe.
-Ricky Steamboat makes sure Styles and Punk know the rules of the Pure title. Man, Steamboat sucks at talking.
-Slyk Wagner Brown (w/April Hunter) vs. Xavier (w/Prince Nana)
Xavier is a former Ring of Honor champion, and this is in the infancy of The Embassy. Basic start until Brown dives on to Xavier. Back into the ring where the exchange chops. Brown goes for a dropkick to the outside, but Xavier takes control with kicks. Brown regains the advantage with an over the shoulder belly-to-belly suplex. Scoop up off a crossbody by Brown into a slam. Xavier has a superkick countered, but he hits a twisting kick instead. Dropkick into the corner. Big knee coming off the second rope by the X man. Roll-up attempt by Brown gets a submission hold on the knee. Xavier misses a charge into the corner. Brown slaps Xavier in the back of the head. Dragon suplex by Xavier. Full nelson camel clutch gets the submission.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Xavier/6:27/**
-Nigel McGuinness vs. Jerry Lynn
These two has never met before tonight. Announcers mention this will be a contender’s match for the Pure Title. In keeping up with that, they start out basic with wristlocks. Pace quickens and it’s a standoff. Gabe says Nigel McGuinness is a future superstar in ROH. There goes Gabe overhyping again. Lynn and Nigel stretch each other out as we some nice wrestling. McGuinness goes for a DDT, but Lynn hits a clothesline. Armbar now. Good psychology there as it was the arm McGuinness used to kick out. McGuinness counters into a European forearm. Lynn fights back and gets a legdrop with Nigel’s throat on the second rope. Heads bang together and both men are down momentarily. McGuinness with a roll-up, but he only gets two. He then gets a Thesz press for two as well. Lynn gets a DDT. Cradle piledriver attempt, but McGuinness rolls him up for two. McGuinness continues to go for pinning combinations but Lynn hits an inverted DDT. TKO attempt by Lynn but McGuinness hits a lariat. Never seen him use that before. McGuinness tries a piledriver, but Lynn hits an AIR RAID CRASH! Lynn counters one more time into a cradle piledriver for three.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Jerry Lynn/10:55/***1/4
-Some might say I overrated this match, but I loved what these two brought to the table. It was just two guys having a match and countering. McGuinness constantly going for pinfalls and quick roll-ups was a nice touch. But you almost got the impression these two had more in the tank, almost like they could have another match down the road and have it mean something more. Hmmm.
-Dunn and Marcos are fixing the ring (Get it? Ring Crew Express) before The Solution walk in. Not The Ultimate Solution thankfully. Crowd chants for Dunn and Marcos as opposed to these two roided up geeks. Hey, just in case you didn’t know Solution member #1, shouting “Shut up!” doesn’t mean you’re over as a heel. These geeks want a spot on the show and say they don’t have one because they don’t kiss ass. Dunn says they’re not gonna take it. The Solution get dispensed like the jobbers they are as “We’re not gonna take it” blasts over the speakers. Call me crazy but I miss Dunn and Marcos.
-Number 1 Contender’s Trophy: Matt Stryker vs. John Walters
The personality is just oozing out of this match. This is not the Stryker we’ve all come to hate calling Smackdown but a unibrowed wrestler who can wrestle but has zero personality. This is for the number one contender’s trophy. In keeping with tradition, these two also start out basic as well. Walters with a headlock before going with wristlocks. Arm drag into an armbar by Walters. Northern lights suplex follow-up. Submission hold that’s a combination of a sharpshooter and armbar. Stryker punches his way out. Walters continues working over the arm. Stryker tosses Walters into the guardrail multiple times. Back inside for a bow and arrow. Walters with a brief flurry of offense that’s quickly kiboshed. Stryker with additional offense. Walters hits a divorce court. Exchange of forearms. Backdrop and dropkick by Walters. German suplex by Stryker, but that only gets two. Powerslam but walters escapes. Modified stunner by Walters. Surfboard by Walters leads into Stryker’s own finishing submission hold, an Indian deathlock. Hurricane DDT attempt, but Stryker hooks in his version of the hold. After pulling Walters to the middle of the ring, Walters passes out and Stryker wins the trophy.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Matt Stryker/12:14/***
-What these two lack in any sort of charisma or personality, they make up for with sound wrestling skill. Not the most exciting of matches but at least it was technically solid.
-Colt Cabana and Ace Steel (Traci Brooks) vs. BJ Whitmer and Dan Maff (w/Allison Danger)
It’s a battle of The Prophecy versus The Second City Saints. Unfortunately, Christopher Daniels would not end up being a major part of the feud due to the events that took place after this show. However, this was a pretty good feud that stretched through most of 2004 and climaxed with an awesome street fight in Chicago over Death Before Dishonor II weekend.
Cabana says there will be no shenanigans or dancing tonight. I wish he would say that in 2009. Know how every match up to this point has started out fairly basic? Not this match. These two teams begin by brawling inside and outside of the ring. Ace and Maff chop the hell out of each other before Ace gets an octopus. Whitmer breaks that up. Resume the brawl. Maff with a vicious bucklebomb. Double team of Ace. Cabana drops Whitmer on his head with a German suplex. Low blow by Ace. Ace continues his roll by clotheslining Whitmer off of Cabana’s shoulders. Brooks comes into the ring and she’s joined by Danger. CATFIGHT! CATFIGHT! Whitmer and Ace send them out quickly. German suplex/clothesline combo on to Cabana. Ace and Whitmer fight outside while Maff and Cabana fight inside. Cabana then hits an asai moonsault on to Whitmer. Maff decides to get crazy and tries to fly. Ace cuts him off and goes outside to clothesline Whitmer into the crowd. Three men are fighting in the crowd and Maff missiles his way. The Prophecy introduce chairs. Ref Hansen is sent flying and he has no choice but to throw the match out. The brawl continues between both teams and the women. The locker room clears out to keep these guys separated, and they barely can contain them.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: No contest/7:55/**1/2
-I liked the fact these two teams brawled with each other from the start, and then things slowly broke down. Man, even Gabe took a shot from Ace Steel. Hell of a brawl between these two teams, and I think this illustrated just how good of a feud this was even without the presence of Christopher Daniels.
-Pure Wrestling Championship: A.J. Styles (champion) vs. C.M. Punk- Special Referee: Ricky Steamboat
I could write an essay on the Pure title and its’ legacy. For the purposes of this review, let’s keep it simple. The Pure title was started in February 2004 as a way of giving some of the mid-card guys a championship to fight over. This title was meant to be fought under a different set of rules to encourage pure wrestling instead of brawling or even high-flying. Here are the rules.
- Each wrestler is permitted three rope breaks for a pinfall or submission. After three rope breaks are used, the ropes are in play for a wrestler to lock in a submission and not have to break. This also applies to pinfalls.
- No closed fists to the face. The first fist garners a warning and anyone after that costs a wrestler a rope break. If there are no rope breaks left for the wrestler who threw the closed fist, then they are disqualified.
- There is a mandatory 20 count on the floor. The title can change hands on a disqualification or count-out.
Some argued the rules were convoluted while other say it lent a whole new dimension to Ring of Honor. I became a fan when the Pure title was about ready to be dissolved, so it’s tough for me to give an opinion. I did appreciate the Pure title, but I feel like the rules could have run their course eventually. Now on to the match itself.
I’ve seen Punk and Styles have a few matches, and while they’ve all been good, I wouldn’t consider any of them a four star match. Punk works over the arm to start before A.J. counters into an armhold of his own. Neither man gains an advantage, but A.J. apparently uses a rope break when he places Punk on the ropes. Steamboat should have had the ring announcer say that Styles used a rope break. More exchange of holds and armdrags. Punk slaps Styles in the face, and I think it’s on now. Things become more heated as Styles strikes the hell out of Punk. Big boot by Punk. Chop by Styles. Great exchange there. Test of strength lead to headbutts and more strikes. Punk gets a roll-up for two and misses a Shining Wizard attempt. Styles hits a beautiful dropkick and then kicks Punk in the face. Big knee. Styles tries a spinning lariat by he spins to the outside. Punk dropkicks him into the guardrail. Styles jumps a guardrail and hits Punk on a blind charge. Into the ring and Punk gets the advantage by hitting a neckbreaker on the bottom rope. Cravat by Punk. Toss headfirst into the second turnbuckle before applying a camel clutch. Thery’re close to the ropes, but Styles slides out and gets a Muta lock. Punk has no choice but to use a rope break. Punk with a delayed vertical suplex. Styles basically no sells it and gets a German suplex. Punk with a lariat to the back of the neck. Styles fights back with chops, but Punk applies a Boston crab. Styles uses his second rope break. Punk fires away and goes for the Welcome to Chicago. Bingo. Series of forearms, but Styles with a Pele kick. Punk goes to the top , but Styles fights him all the way to the top. Fight for the advantage. Both men topple to the floor. Steamboat stalls for time by checking on both men before beginning his 20 count. Shining wizard by Styles. Attempt by Punk is countered into the Styles Clash… no. Exchange of roll-ups. Punk with a Styles clash but Styles uses his final rope break. Punk does a hold in the ropes, but Steamboat breaks it since it’s a chokehold. Inside and Punk hooks a sleeper. The ropes are of no use as far as breaking the hold. Arm drops once. Arm drops twice. Arm drops three times. Styles picks his arm up just as Steamboat is ready to ring the bell Punk is PISSED because the arm did drop, and I don’t blame him. Styles gets fired up and hits two lariats. Punk goes for the sleeper, but Styles hits one more lariat for three.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL Pure Wrestling Champion-A.J. Styles /24:09/****
-Best match I’ve ever seen between these two. Great exchange of holds and the interplay with Punk and Steamboat was tremendous. They played off the rules well, and this was just two pros having a great match. It’s obvious why these two have each gotten to the heights they’ve gotten to in the big national companies.
-Afterward, Joe comes out to confront A.J. Would be nice if there was a payoff but circumstances that took place after this show changed the face of the Pure title forever. Steamboat wants the two men to shake hands as Punk throws a ball of paper at Joe. I can’t believe Joe didn’t crack up. Styles and Joe shake hands and leave the ring. Then it’s Punk’s time to talk. Punk says even Ray Charles could see the arm come down and wants an apology from the legend. Steamboat gives Punk nothing of the sort and pretty much dresses him down. Punk goes after Steamboat physically. Steamboat hits a chop and an ARMDRAG. Place comes unglued for that. That was cool. Steamboat’s theme plays and I can’t think of a better way to go to intermission.
-GMC interviews Matt Stryker about his decision. Stryker wants Joe for the world title.
-Sean Price interviews Samoa Joe. Joe is one cocky motherfucker, and he doesn’t care about Jay Briscoe, Homcide, or Matt Stryker. Joe tells Price to find Julius Smokes to meet him after the show.
-GMC with the Briscoes. Mark still has his two front teeth, and Jay cuts an awkward promo. Five years later and one thing that has improved is these two talking.
-Hydra (w/Becky Bayless) vs. Roderick Strong/ Austin Aries vs. Danny Daniels
These are both clipped versions of matches that took place on the Do or Die II show that took place earlier in the afternoon. Since they’re clipped, I’m not giving them full reviews. Hydra wins his match, and he’ll go on to have quite the future as Jay Lethal. Becky Bayless just has big boobs. Daniels is thinner, and Aries tights are nowhere near as gaudy. Odd to see two guys that have made such an impact in Ring of Honor have clipped matches on this DVD.
-ROH World Championship: Samoa Joe (champion) vs. Jay Briscoe(w/Mark Briscoe)
I’ve seen this match a couple times on various compilation DVDs, and I’ve always given this a rating just below four stars. Let’s see how I feel about this match now. Briscoe tries to leave immediately, but he fails. Joe decimates the arm and chops away. Briscoe tries to escape and actually gets some offense in. Jay says he has Joe and tells his brother to close the door. Chops and a snap suplex by Jay. Doesn’t even get one. Joe comes back with chops and strikes, so Jay tries to leave once again. He misses an enziguri, and Joe hits a German suplex. Slingshots into various parts of the cage. Joe kicks the cage door into Mark Briscoe and chains the door to the rest of the cage. Uh oh. Red blood is pouring down Jay’s paleish face. This is a dark dark red. Joe washes Jay’s all over the cage. This is nasty. Joe with a face wash and a knee in the corner. Jay’s blood splatters on the floor. Another face wash. The look of disbelief on Mark’s face says it all. Jay fights out with a couple kicks and tries to climb over the cage. Joe with a backdrop driver FROM THE TOP OF THE CAGE. OH MY GOD! Strikes by Joe. Jay with a backdrop driver of his own. Super acecrusher delivered by Jay from the top rope. Low blow and a lariat leaves Joe down as Jay once again tries to climb the cage. Boot sends Joe to the canvas but Jay also falls off the cage. Jay’s body ends up between the cage and bottom rope. Ole kick breaks the cage and Jay almost climbs out of the damn cage. Wow. Powerbomb by Joe into the STF. Jay refuses to give up despite all the blood pouring down his face. The damn blood is clotting. Big knees by Joe but Jay gets a kick. Jaydriller and both men are down. Mark Briscoe tries to climb the cage, but Styles gets a Styles clash on the floor. Jay tries to leave the cage again, but Joe HITS A SUPER MUSCLEBUSTER! HOL-EE SHIT! Gabe shouting DANGEROUS has never been more appropriate.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL ROH World Champion- Samoa Joe/14:14/****1/4
-This is one of the most epic world title matches in Ring of Honor history. This was completely different than most other title defenses because it was a brawl from the get go and Jay’s epic blade job only added more drama. I hesitate to praise a guy for bleeding that bad of a gusher, but I firmly believe this match MADE Jay Briscoe into a star.
-Joe cuts a promo and praises Jay Brisoce. As he leaves the cage, Styles is still out there. The two champions stare at each other.
-Scramble Cage Match: Special K vs. Carnage Crew
There are far too many people in this cage, and I can’t even begin to figure out all of them. This is a pseudo WarGames match that I have to believe is only the main event because Dusty Rhodes waddles down to the ring to help Carnage Crew. It’s a big old brawl between both teams with ladders, powder, and a moonsault from the top of the cage by one of the Special K members. Ox Baker even comes out to go after Rhodes. This is completely ridiculous. Dives come from every which way. Dumb ones too. Angeldust ends up at the top of a platform. Devito piledrives Dust through two tables from the top of the cage. Mercifully, that ends this garbage.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Carnage Crew/12:25/DUD
-I should have stopped the DVD after Samoa Joe and Jay Briscoe because this sucked in every conceivable way. I couldn’t possibly follow what was going on and there were so many stupid bumps taken by these losers.
-Dusty Rhodes brings beer into the ring to celebrate with the Carnage Crew. They cut promo afterward and talk about how hard they’ve worked. When they look in their bags , they discover turd in their bags. Lovely.
-Samoa Joe beats up Julius Smokes for the hell of it and accepts Homicide’s challenge.
Final Thoughts: Take away the final 20 minutes, and you’ve got a classic show. Both title matches are four stars or more. There are a couple good mat-based matches in the middle of the show, an epic brawl involving two teams who hate each other, and an opener that featured some excellent high-flying action. An absolutely must see thumbs up show from 2004.
Everything appeared set up for a Samoa Joe/A.J. Styles title vs. title match-up. Then Rob Feinstein appeared on a local news station for trying to pick up a 14-year-old boy. He would end up selling his share of the company, and TNA pulled all of their talent from Ring of Honor. A.J. Styles was pulled despite being the Pure champion and wouldn’t appear until a leg of the 3rd Anniversary show. Christopher Daniels wouldn’t return until Death Before Dishonor III to attack C.M. Punk. Speaking of Punk, he would quit TNA and remain loyal to Ring of Honor before going to the WWE 18 months later. Gabe Sapolsky became the lead booker while Cary Silken joined in as owner of the company. A show scheduled in the state of Maryland was cancelled, and neither Sapolsky nor Ring of Honor have run the state since that cancellation. The question over the next few months would be, “Could ROH survive?”
Ring of Honor did survive. In fact, they thrived. Joe and Punk would have a classic trilogy that hailed a bygone era. Men like Alex Shelley, Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, and Jack Evans filled the empty void. James Gibson rehabilitated his career in ROH. Matt Hardy name-dropped the company on an episode of WWE Raw in the summer of 2005. Ring of Honor would not have the financial resources to send everyone to Los Angeles in April of 2005. But in 2006, Wrestlemania 22 came to Chicago.
Next week, we’ll talk about Ring of Honor going big time.