After a really good show and a near five hour event, Ring of Honor was ready to climax Mania weekend with an event called Better than Our Best, a nod to a previous show that had been entitled At Our Best. This is a show that featured the return of Lance Storm after a ten month retirement as he competed for his first world title. Two of Blood Generation’s best took on Generation Next for the tag team title, and the feud between Colt Cabana and Homcide finally reached its’ end.
This also happened to be my first Ring of Honor show ever. But I’ll talk more about that in a couple weeks. Right now, it’s time to look back at the show some consider the best in Ring of Honor history.
-Taped on April 1, 2006 from Chicago Ridge, Illinois
-Your hosts are Dave Prazak and Lenny Leonard
-Colt Cabana comes out during the pre-show while a women’s match is going. Feminists would not approve of that. He says if Homicide is going to kill him, kill him right there. BUT THE MAIN SHOW HASN’T EVEN STARTED YET! Derreck Dempsey comes out to inform Cabana that Homicide isn’t at the building yet.
-Jack Evans vs. Jake Crist vs. Dave Crist vs. Matt Sydal vs. Jimmy Jacobs(w/Lacey) vs. Ace Steel
It is announced at the beginning of the show that this is the largest crowd in Ring of Honor history. At Our Best drew over 1,600 people. This show had 1,800. Sydal and Evans start off. They had faced off in a tag match the night before. Ace Steel defeated Chad Collyer in a first blood match. Jimmy Jacobs got choked out by Samoa Joe. This is the main show debut for Irish Airborne. Jacobs and Jake Crist are in next and Jacobs gets a headscissors. Facebuster and neckbreaker by Jake. Dave is on and they double team Jacobs. LARIAT by Ace. Another one. Powerbomb on Jake. That’s what’s known as making an impact. Armdrag by Jake and another coming off the top. Evans back in. Rolling senton and corkscrew press. STO by JacobsSydal breaks that up. Ace tries a powerbomb on Sydal, but he gets a standing moonsault. Three men end up on the shoulders of their opponents, and they chop each other. Airborne, Jacobs, and Sydal end up on the outside. Evans leaps off Ace for a moonsault. Wow. You know it’s a special night cause Ace tries to break out a dive, but Airborne stops that. Airborne turn their attention to Sydal. Dropkick off the second rope by Jake. Evans tossed into the guardrail. Sydal drives the leg into Dave before dropkicking Jake who was coming off the top rope. Sydal moonsaults the other five men outside the ring. Jesus. Running dropkick by ace into Dave Crist in the corner. Tigerdriver and Ace goes to the top. Jacobs crotches him and hits a senton that only gets two. Evans kicks the legs and one more to the jaw. He springboards on to Jacobs to the floor. Ace tries to powerbomb Sydal from the top. Good God. Neckbreaker by Ace on to Sydal and Jake Cirst. Ace has the match won but Lacey is distracting the referee. Ace goes after her and Jacobs makes the save. Evans with a 630 on Jake for the victory.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Jack Evans/10:08/***1/4
-Much like At Our Best, this was a great way to open the show and get the crowd rocking right away. This may have been crazier than the other mayhem match too. Fun opener.
-Jim Cornette comes out with a baseball bat. He says the only people who soiled the previous evening were the hardcore wrestlers. Cornette points out Adam Pearce and says he’s the bouncer for the evening. Fitting. Then it’s time for Cornette to call out…. No, wait. Colt Cabana is out. Cabana wants to be at peace and asks for a non-sanctioned match with Homicide. Not just any match but a Chicago street fight. Cornette accepts and we have our main event. Cabana leaves and Cornette next calls Delirious out. The lizard man has yet to win a singles match in Ring of Honor, and he’s going to get just one more shot. It’s win or go home. His opponent is only fitting based on the events of the night before.
-Ricky Reyes (Julius Smokes) vs. Delirious
Reyes made Delirious pass out to the dragon sleeper the night before. Delirious beats up Reyes on the outside of the ring. He even gets a shot in on Smokes. Reyes comes back and they head in the ring. I never heard a bell. Reyes works over the neck and gets his dragon sleeper. It’s too close to the ropes though. Reyes rips at the tassles. Belly-to-back suplex. Cradle by Delirious but Reyes immediately hits a clothesline. Chestfirst to the buckle goes Delirious and it’s dragin sleeper time. No, Delirous climbs to the rope. Elbows and a boot to the face. Shadows over Hell. Bizarro driver only gets two. Knee by Reyes followed by a neckbreaker. Another one and a fisherman buster. Smokes and Reyes are shocked by the kickout. Dragon sleeper reversed. Cobra clutch by Delirious. Reyes is tapping, but the referee misses it. He quickly turns around and Delirious WINS.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Delirious/N/A/*1/2
-Not a great match but a great moment as Delirious finally got his first win in Ring of Honor. The pop from the crowd is incredible. Delirious going into the crowd to celebrate was awesome too.
-The Embassy (Alex Shelley, Jimmy Rave, and Masato Yoshino)(w/Prince Nana and Daizee Haze) vs. Do Fixer(Dragon Kid, Genki Horiguchi, and Ryo Saito)
Do Fixer is coming off a win in the mind-blowing six man tag from the night before. Yoshino was on the losing team while Shelley and Rave have won each of their two matches over the weekend.Yoshino biffs Saito in the head with toilet paper. That’s the spirit. Fast start by Saito and Shelley. Shelley grabs a wristlock but Saito counters into a submission hold focusing on the legs. Shelley with a leg submission of his own. Hiptoss by Saito and he nails Yoshino. Shelley seeks comfort as Kid and Yoshino tag in. Much quickness shown as Kid hits a headscissors on Yoshino. Embassy regroups on the outside. Horiguchi and Rave face off. Dropkicks by Horiguchi and Rave takes a powder. Yoshino’s luck isn’t much better. Double team in the face corner. Heat segment on Yoshino. Great double teams by Do Fixer. Yoshino manages to make back to his corner to tag in Shelley. Attempted suplex, but it only leads to more offense from Do Fixer. Triple dropkick but Yoshino grabs Horiguchi’s hair. The Embassy works over Horiguchi and perform various double and triple teams themselves. Crowd gets behind Horiguchi and he responds with a back elbow to Shelley. Saito tags in and things break down very much like they did last night in the six man tag. It’s not as chaotic though, a positive considering this is just the third match on the card. Saito and Shelley have a great mini-sequence. Kid and Rave have a dandy too. What a spear by Rave. Kid hits a stunner. Yoshino comes off the top tope but gets hit by all three of his opponents. Kid with a springboard moonsault, but that only gets two. Spear and a clothesline combination by Shelley and Rave. Rave with a shining wizard for two. Yoshino says it’s over, but Saito fights back. Nana trips Saito, but Yoshino hits Nana. German suplex, but Yoshino kicks out. Dragonrana, but Shelley breaks the pinfall. Superdragonrana, but Yoshino knocks Todd Sinclair into the ropes. Acecrusher from the top. Genorrheas from both Rave and Yoshino. Backslide from Horguchi gets two. Greetings from Ghana on Horiguchi ends this sucker.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: The Embassy/16:13/****
-There were three six man tags this weekend, and despite the fact that this was four stars, this was the worst of the three. It’s not an insult either. Considering four of these six men tore the house down with each other the night before, it was easy to plug in two pros like Shelley and Rave and not miss a beat. Great match here. It should also be noted that The Embassy went undefeated this weekend and were set to challenge for the tag team titles later on in the month.
-Lance Storm talks about why he retired and now why he’s coming back for one night.
-A.J. Styles vs. Christopher Daniels (w/Allison Danger) vs. Samoa Joe vs. Jimmy Yang
TNA had three of these guys go at it, and it ended up being one of the greatest matches in the last ten years. It’s almost like Yang doesn’t belong. Fittingly, he starts against Daniels. Basic mat work as the crowd chants for both men. Pace quickens as Yang hits a couple hard chops. Kick blocked and missed. Daniels with a chop. Armdrag exchange by both men. Joe comes into face Daniels. They trade shots, and then they stare at each other. Chops missed by Joe. Daniels flees and tags Styles. Stiff kicks by Joe, but Styles sweeps Joe’s legs and goes to work. Tag in comes Daniels and he hits leg lariat. Headscissors. Yang comes in and they double team Joe. Standing moonsault by Yang. Leaping kick. Superkick. Joe slumps in the corner. Double suplex by Styles and Yang. Kneedrop by Styles. Hard kicks by Joe but Styles gets a dropkick. Into the corner and Joe boots Styles coming off the top. Hard tag to Yang. Series of kicks in the corner. Hard chop. Styles counters but Yang re-counters and hits sidekick. Chestfirst Styles goes into the corner. Styles reaches the ropes, but he gets backdropped by Yang. Series of strikes by Styles. Chop in the corner. Vertical suplex by Yan. Joe’s not happy and comes in kicking hard. Whip into the corner followed by a running knee strike. Facewash and a knee in the corner. Yang tags Daniels. STO by Daniels. Yang hits a leaping kick on to Styles in the corner. Joe back in kicking Styles. Exchange of forearms. Bicycle kick by Styles and he finally tags Daniels. Daniels is a house of fire on Yang and Joe. Blue thunder on Yang only gets two. Yang comes back with a leg lariat. Jockeying so Styles hits a clothesline on them. Forearms for everyone. Styles tries to dive on Joe, but Yang shakes the ropes. Joe tries an ole ole kick Styles on the outside but he has to settle for a flying leg kick. Yang soars on to Joe. Daniels with a springboard moonsault. STO by Daniels reversed to a kick to the back of the head by Yang. Reverse hurancanrana by Daniels. Wow. You don’t see that from Daniels very often. Yang hits a moonsault on Daniels, but Joe stops the pin. He chips both men and hits an over the head suplex on Daniels. Powerslam on Yang, but Styles breaks the pin up. Inverted DDT by Styles. Joe hits a front forward suplex and rolls throiug. LARIAT! Daniels and Yang break the pin. Daniels ends up with a Koji clutch, but Styles breaks that up. Styles and Daniels go back and forth. Styles gets kicked, and Joe hooks the choke. Styles to the top but a running boot and musclebuster end Styles’ night
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Samoa Joe/17:32/****
-Very exciting fast-paced match between these four guys. Daniels and Joe weren’t going through the motions on this night, and Styles was game too.
-Joe grabs the microphone, and he makes it clear that he wants to be the Ring of Honor world champion once again. This brings out Bryan Danielson, and they have a fairly funny exchange. Danielson trying to get the crowd to chant “Lose some weight Joe, lose some weight” still cracks me up.
-Since we’ve got three fairly significant matches to get to in the second half, the CZW/ROH brawl takes place just before intermission. Hero comes from behind and throws Joe over the top rope. Pearce is in for a fight as Danielson and Joe brawl to the back. Pearce and hero go through the record crowd and evetntually end up in the ring. Claudio comes in as Pearce seemingly is doing well for himself. Claudio “accidentally” hits a European uppercut on Pearce. Necro and hero then beat up Cornette. Whitmer tries to help, but he gets nailed in the leg with a chair. Pearce tries to protect him, and Ring of Honor doesn’t look so good.
-It’s intermission time. Prince Nana is happy over The Embassy’s undefeated weekend. Shelley is just happy to be getting laid by hookers.
-Ring of Honor Tag Team Championships- Generation Next (Austin Aries and Roderick Strong)(champions) vs. Blood Generation(CIMA and Naruki Doi)(Masato Yoshino)
If you’ll notice, I’ve left my memories alone when it comes to my seeing the various matches live. When it comes to this match, I really can’t. I’d only seen Aries and Strong in TNA, but I really liked what I had seen. I had never seen a match involving Doi or CIMA before. Hell, I’d never heard of Dragon Gate before April 1, 2006. Unlike many of the fans in attendance who may have seen the six man tag, I didn’t know what to expect.
Blood Generation defeated Generation Next in a six man tag two nights before, and they lost a five star tag team match against their number one rivals in Dragon Gate, Do Fixer. Aries was in a tag team match, and partner Jack Evans was on the losing end. Strong was in a 56 minute classic against Bryan Danielson for the ROH world title.
I didn’t know what to expect, but what I got was one of those matches that blew me away. I’d never seen a tag team match like this anywhere, not on television and especially live. My experience had been going to a few WWE house shows and television tapings. Matches like this just didn’t happen in that company. It starts out as a normal tag team match as Generation Next goes to work on CIMA. The pace is quick and sudden throughout the match. Drama is added early in the match as Aries’ nose bleeds in a nasty way. Aries plays face in peril, and one of the nastiest spots in the entire match is when Doi powerbombs Aries into the bottom turnbuckle. What a nasty thud that was. Strong tags in and things break down. Some of the same spots Blood Generation used the previous night are broken once again. Some new stuff is as well. It’s all hit crisply, and both teams came out of this match looking fantastic. Generation Next pull out the victory with a Strong backbreaker followed by an Aries 450 splash.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Generation Next/20:21/****1/2
-Fantastic match from all four men involved. Be nice if we could see these Dragon Gate guys again next year.
-Ring of Honor World Championship: Bryan Danielson (champion) vs. Lance Storm
Part of what made Bryan Danielson’s title reign so special was him defeating so many of the TNA guys like Daniels, Sabin, and Styles. Also, he defeated international guys like Marifuji, an established like Steve Corino, and a lot of the top Ring of Honor guys too. Then there was this match against a man coming out of retirement and who’d achieved success in a number of top companies across North America but had never been the world champion.
Feeling out process to establish that yes, Lance Storm does still have it. Lance finishes the sequence with a dropkick that sends Danielson to the outside. After some stalling, they head back inside for a test of strength. Storm comes away on top. Another stand-off. Back to basics as they exchange holds with neither man gaining an advantage. Crowd gets into it big time when Storm hooks the half crab. Pace picks up with Storm hitting chops on the outside of the ring. He introduces him to various guardrails, and they head back inside. Storm goes to the second, but Danielson knocks the challenger to the floor. Chops by Danielson and he tosses him into barricades as well. Back inside and Danielson works the back. Storm comes back with a kick to the chin. Forearms by Storm. European uppercuts by Danielson gets him the advantage once again. Backbreaker across the knee. Danielson rams the knees out of the surfboard position. Danielson tries to cheat to win, but a high leg kick gets Storm back in the match. Legdrop on the neck but Danielson hits a vertical suplex and goes for a series of covers. Lance hits an enziguri and hits a back. Left-armed clothesline and a leg lariat. Tiger driver. Powerslam. Danielson reverses an attempted rana into a powerbomb. Bow and arrow by Danielson. Back and forth again leading to a Storm superkick. Storm blocks a sunset bomb, but Danielson gets the super belly-to-belly suplex. Chickenwing by Danielson but Lance reaches the ropes. Attempted headbutt from the top, but Storm moves out of the way. CRADLE PILEDRIVER! 1-2-NO! Half crab, and Danielson seems ready to tap. Crowd is deeply into it. Danielson hooks the same roll-up as he did against Strong the night before. Only a two count this time though. Hard forearm and Regalplex by Danielson gets two. Cattle mutilation but Storm ends up on top. 1-2-NO! Tiger suplex by Danielson. Cattle mutiliation and Storm has no choice but to tap.
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL ROH World Champion-Bryan Danielson/26:24/***3/4
-This was missing just that little something to make it a four star match, but this was still one of the best purely technical wrestling matches you’ll ever see. Both men shake hands as a sign of respect for one another. Excellent psychology that paid off in the end with Danielson’s finishing submission move. The crowd wants to Lance to come back, and based on his performance in this match, I’m kind of sad he didn’t have a few more matches in Ring of Honor.
-Video package showcases the highs and lows of this feud. The Drano. The coat hanger. The blood. The going through tables. The rapping. This feud certainly had it all.
-Chicago Street Fight: Colt Cabana vs. Homicide
Cabana coming out with a deadly serious look on his face and beard for this match wonders why he didn’t stick with a more serious outlook instead of going back to being a goofball all the time. That’s not say every match is going to be as serious as this one, but one of the reason I dislike Cabana these days is because he’s constantly going for laughs instead of trying to have serious wrestling matches. This is a legendary feud as far as Ring of Honor goes. There is no basic wrestling sequence, no feeling out process, just a good old-fashioned. It’s not just that Cabana winning the match, it’s about him getting Homicide back for all the actions that took place in the months previous. You pretty much knew Cabana was going to win the match, but in a blowoff like this, THIS IS HOW IT’S SUPPOSED TO GO! The fun isn’t in the ending. The fun is the journey getting there and the moment when the babyface finally picks up the big victory or wins a long-awaited championship. Professional wrestling isn’t complicated if the people in charge can get out of their own way.
Every single trick Homicide used in the past to try and take Cabana out comes back to haunt him, from the coathanger to the fork to the ladder to a table and even the Drano. A barbed wire board was used in a prior Chicago street fight , and it’s also once again introduced in this street fight. I wonder if they borrowed it from IWA-MS. Somehow I don’t see Ring of Honor having one of those things lying around. Also, just as the street fight between the Second City Saints and Prophecy two years ago, here come the chairs. A good old-fashioned chair riot really is the only way to end this weekend. It’s likely the only thing the crowd hasn’t seen over these three fantastic shows. The action is almost too insane to describe, but this is an epic, violent match that is well-deserving as being considered a feud ender. After almost 30 minutes, Cabana hits a Colt 45 to put this feud to bed and get peace for himself
-Winner (s)/Time/Rating: Colt Cabana/26:33/****1/2
-An absolutely incredible match that might be each man’s best. Rickey Reyes and Julius Smokes attempt to continue the beatdown, but Homicide stops them. The two men shake hands and hug.
– Bryan Danielson is signing… SOMETHING!
Final Thoughts: A lot of arguments can be made about the greatest year in Ring of Honor history. Whether it be 2004, 2005, or 2006. One thing should not be doubted though. This tripleshot is the greatest weekend in Ring of Honor history. Period. I don’t want to hear any arguments to the contrary. Ring of Honor never came off better, more professional, and like the number one independent wrestling organization then they did over these three days. It featured great technical wrestling. It featured spotfests, some of which re-wrote the book on what wrestlers could do in a ring. It featured an epic feud come to a violent, bloody end. Finally, it featured the biggest attendance figured the company had ever seen. For all these reasons, Wrestlemania weekend 2006 was when Ring of Honor hit the big time.
Next week, we go back to 2007 where Jimmy Jacobs is all grown up and where a high risk almost ends the career of one of the competitors. Also, for the remainder of the countdown, I’ll be reviewing two shows a week instead of one.
