The first portion of this compilation is a two-hour interview with Edwards. Among the topics discussed include:
-Becoming a professional wrestling fan and entering the business.
-Training with Killer Kowalski and other influences.
-His first trip to Japan for Zero1 and staying at the Pro Wrestling NOAH Dojo.
-The difference between Japanese and American crowds.
-Exposing himself to the Ring of Honor product and his debut match against Austin Aries.
-Joining Sweet n' Sour Inc. and becoming a full-time roster member.
-His breakout match in Ring of Honor against Roderick Strong in New York City.
-Rising up the ranks of NOAH and some of his bigger matches with the promotion.
-Teaming with Davey Richards and forming the American Wolves.
-The feud against Kevin Steen and El Generico and winning the ROH World Tag Team Titles.
-The Tag Title Classic match against Bryan Danielson and Tyler Black (note: everyone should go watch this match right now).
-Wrestling in Japan after the death of Mitsuharu Misawa.
-Breaking his elbow and taking part in Ladder War with the injury.
-Being the first World Television Champion and wrestling Davey Richards in the finals of the tournament.
-Wrestling and winning Survival of the Fittest with a separated shoulder.
-Defeating Roderick Strong for the ROH World Title.
-Wrestling for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and the Reseda crowd.
-Title defenses against Christopher Daniels, Chris Hero, and Davey Richards.
-Building towards the Final Battle match against Richards and Jim Cornette’s influence.
-The death of Bison Smith.
-Teaming with and wrestling against Adam Cole.
-Reforming the American Wolves.
Match #1: ROH World Title: Eddie Edwards © vs. Christopher Daniels (Honor Takes Center Stage: Chapter 1 – 4/1/11)
Daniels grabs hold of a wristlock and tries a few rollups. Things get heated after a strike exchange but they shake hands. Edwards snaps off a hurricanrana. Daniels blocks a second one and applies a half crab. The action goes to the floor where Edwards hip tosses Daniels into the barricade. In the ring, Edwards hits a back suplex and connects with a sliding dropkick. He adds an overhead suplex but Daniels responds with a blue thunder bomb. Edwards comes off the middle rope with a lungblower and hits a TKO. Daniels connects with an enzuigiri. Edwards armdrags out of a uranagi and tries a backpack chinbreaker on the apron to no avail. Daniels uranagis him off the apron and through a table at ringside. Daniels sets up two chairs on the floor and slams Edwards onto them. Todd Sinclair gives him a warning. Back in, Daniels lays in a slingshot elbow drop and hits repeated scoop slams, working over Edwards’ back. Daniels maintains control until Edwards connects with a missile dropkick. They trade pin attempts to no avail. Edwards sends Daniels to the floor and follows out with a dive. In the ring, Edwards lands a flying crossbody and adds repeated chops in the corner. He hits a tiger suplex along with a sit-out gourdbuster. Daniels avoids a flying double stomp and applies the koji clutch. Edwards is able to desperately put his foot on the bottom rope. They battle up top and Daniels hits a side slam from the middle rope. Edwards blocks an enzuigiri and synchs in the achilles lock. Daniels reverses into a koji clutch but Edwards quickly turns it into a pin attempt for a two count. They exchange forearms and Daniels hits a saito suplex. Edwards responds with a lariat and a 2k1 bomb. Both men are down. They battle up top once again and Edwards back drops out of a super Angel’s Wings. He connects with a flying double stomp but Daniels answers with Angel’s Wings for a nearfall. Daniels hits a uranagi and lands the BME for a two count. He starts pounding away with closed fists. Edwards gets his knees up on a second BME attempt and applies the achilles lock. Daniels fights out but falls victim to a 2k1 bomb from the middle rope. Edwards hits another 2k1 bomb to retain his title at 30:07. This was an excellent first title defense for Edwards that immediately gives his reign legitimacy. However, I feel as though Daniels was the star of this match. From resorting to using a table and chairs to all of the small things he did such as using closed fists down the stretch, he did a tremendous job of foreshadowing his upcoming heel turn. After their time limit draw at the 9th Anniversary Show, I appreciated how this match also went half an hour. It shows consistency and firmly establishes these two as rivals. They had absolutely no problem filling that half an hour with quality action and this was a great main event. ****
Match #2: ROH World Title: Eddie Edwards © vs. Chris Hero (Revolution: Canada – 6/26/11)
Hero uses his Sweet and Sour Incorporated theme and wears purple and pink to pay tribute to Larry Sweeney. They begin with some chain wrestling and Hero sneaks in a cheap shot in the corner. Edwards answers with numerous loud chops and they stare each other down. Hero escapes an early achilles lock attempt and takes some time to regroup. He connects with a flash kick but Edwards once again comes back with vicious chops. Shane Hagadorn gets involved at ringside, allowing Hero to connect with a dropkick through the ropes. Todd Sinclair catches wind of more interference and sends Hagadorn and Sara Del Rey to the back. Edwards boots Hero off the apron and throws him into the barricade. He yakuza kicks Hero into the front row and suplexes him onto the floor. In the ring, Hero stomps Edwards’ left arm and begins working it over. Edwards tries to fight back with chops but Hero simply elbows his left arm to stop his momentum. Edwards eventually comes back with an overhead suplex into the turnbuckles. He connects with a missile dropkick and lands an asai moonsault to the floor. Back in, Edwards finds success with a flying double stomp. Hero fires back with a mafia kick but runs into a leg lariat. Edwards goes up top but Hero elbows him to the outside and through a table. That was discrete and unexpected in a good way. In the ring, Hero connects with a roaring mafia kick for a nearfall. He hits a piledriver and applies a stretch plum, wrenching on the left arm. Edwards desperately makes it to the ropes. He blocks a roaring elbow with an enzuigiri. They battle on the apron where Edwards hits a fisherman buster. After both men recover, they exchange strikes in the center of the ring. Hero feigns on a roaring elbow attempt and eats a superkick. He recovers with two nasty back suplexes and a regalplex. Hero connects with a roaring elbow for a nearfall. Edwards is dead weight right now. He escapes a piledriver and hurricanranas Hero off the top rope. Edwards connects with a lariat, hits a powerbomb, and applies an achilles lock. He can’t synch in the hold perfectly due to his bad arm. Hagadorn and Del Rey distract the referee while Claudio Castagnoli comes through the crowd and hits a Ricola Bomb on Edwards. Hero covers for a two count. Edwards counters the Deathblow with a backslide for a nearfall. Claudio gets involved again but Davey Richards brawls with him to the back. Hero tries a quick rollup to no avail. He connects with his stomp-roaring elbow combination but Edwards won’t stay down. Edwards connects with a superkick, hits a reverse hurricanrana, and follows with a 2k1 bomb for a nearfall. Edwards applies an achilles lock while stomping on Hero’s head to retain his title at 37:12. The first thing that I should mention is that this match is definitely not for everyone. It’s a near forty-minute time investment so you have to enjoy the styles that these two bring to the table. Personally, I thought this match came off tremendously and really showed just how good Hero is right now. He did an excellent job of working over Edwards’ arm and tried his best to make it seem as though he had a chance of winning the belt. To his credit, Edwards made the arm work pay off by structuring his offense in ways so that he wouldn’t have to use his left arm. The second half of the match was filled with great moments. I especially liked how Edwards almost lost when Richards tried to help him by taking out Claudio at ringside. Overall, if you’re a fan of Edwards and Hero, I would strongly recommend that you go out of your way to see this match. I think we’re two for two with excellent Edwards’ title defenses. ****
Match #3: ROH World Title: Eddie Edwards © vs. Roderick Strong (Supercard of Honor VI – 5/21/11)
Strong catches Edwards off-guard with a knee strike. The action goes to the floor where the champion is thrown into the barricade. Strong hits a suplex into the apron and maintains control in the ring. They battle over a suplex and Edwards eventually finds success. He connects with a hesitation dropkick followed by a running dropkick from the floor. Strong escapes a backpack chinbreaker and drops Edwards across the top rope. He applies the Stronghold but Edwards reaches the bottom rope. Strong takes control until Edwards hits a saito suplex along with a sit-out gourdbuster. He applies the achilles locks in the ropes and lands a moonsault from the apron. Edwards connects with a missile dropkick and hits a fisherman buster. Strong blocks a charge but falls victim to a backpack chinbreaker. He recovers with a slam out of a splash mountain position and hits a backbreaker. Edwards blocks a gutbuster but Strong synchs in an achilles lock. Edwards reverses into the Stronghold. They trade pin attempts and Edwards hits a gutbuster. They exchange chops and Strong hits a gutbuster of his own. Edwards connects with a superkick and comes off the middle rope with a lungblower. Strong responds with the Sick Kick and both men are down. They battle up top and Edwards snaps off a hurricanrana. He hits a powerbomb and connects with a flying double stomp. Edwards transitions into an achilles lock but Strong is able to reach the bottom rope. The action goes to the apron where Strong hits the Gibson Driver. He hits another Gibson Driver on the floor but Edwards won’t stay down for a three count. Strong connects with two superkicks. Edwards dodges a third one and applies the achilles lock to retain his title at 23:39. With the roles reversed, these two were able to deliver another outstanding match that rivals their previous outing at Manhattan Mayhem IV in terms of quality. Strong brought the fight early on and what followed was almost twenty-four minutes of constant action. They also managed to make this contest stand out from their last match together by playing off of the finish to their encounter at Manhattan Mayhem IV and adding in new elements such as when they stole each other’s signature moves and submissions. The finish was also a high point, as it made Edwards look extremely resourceful and felt like a satisfying conclusion. Speaking of Edwards, he has been absolutely on fire since winning the title. Strong did his part as well and I don’t know what more you could have asked from these two in the main event on one of the bigger shows of the year. ****¼
Match #4: ROH World Title: Eddie Edwards © vs. Davey Richards (Best in the World 2011 – 6/26/11)
This is Richards’ final chance to claim the ROH World Title. Edwards doesn’t offer a clean break and almost pays for it. They trade reversals and strikes. Richards gains the advantage after a punt to the chest. Edwards fights back with a TKO and a gutwrench suplex. Richards sends him to the floor and punts him from the apron. Richards slingshots back into the ring and lands a dive to the outside. Edwards gets caught by a missile dropkick back in the ring. He tries a backpack chinbreaker but Richards almost reverses into a cross armbreaker. Richards hits a northern lights suplex and goes back after the left arm. They trade headbutts on the top rope and Richards hits a superplex. He transitions into a falcon arrow and applies a cross armbreaker. Edwards reverses into an achilles lock. Richards goes back to the cross armbreaker but Edwards rolls through. Edwards counters a handspring kick with a sit-out gourdbuster and hits a fisherman buster. He comes off the middle rope with a lungblower. Richards sneaks in another cross armbreaker but Edwards just stomps on his face to escape. Edwards sends Richards to the floor and lands a moonsault off the apron. Back in, Edwards connects with a missile dropkick and hits a tiger suplex. Apparently, Edwards hurt his left knee at some point. They exchange forearms and battle on the apron where Edwards hits a 2k1 bomb. Edwards connects with a superkick and double stomps Richards through a table at ringside. In the ring, Edwards connects with another flying double stomp. Richards catches him in the ropes and Edwards dares him to hit a dragon screw leg whip. Richards connects with a flying double stomp of his own. He synchs in an ankle lock but Edwards reaches the ropes. Back up top, Richards lays in a series of headbutts and hits a german suplex. He kicks Edwards into the corner and adds another german suplex. Richards applies an ankle lock but Edwards counters into one of his own. Richards reverses back and Edwards is able to reach the bottom rope. They battle on the apron and Richards inadvertently kicks the ringpost. Edwards snaps off a top rope hurricanrana and hits a powerbomb. He connects with a lariat and follows with a 2k1 bomb. Edwards synchs in an achilles lock and transitions into a cloverleaf. Richards hits a saito suplex out of nowhere and Edwards returns the favor. Both men are down. They exchange forearms, chops, and kicks. Richards connects with a lariat. Edwards won’t stay down so Richards follows with a flurry of kicks. Richards connects with two superkicks and a knockout kick for a nearfall. Richards says “you will always be my brother” and lays in one final kick to become the sixteenth ROH World Champion at 36:00.
A lot has been said about this match. Some people have called this an easy match of the year candidate, even going as far as five stars. However, there is a minority that doesn’t agree with the match of the year praise and I’m in that minority. After watching his excellent title defenses against Roderick Strong and Chris Hero, it’s easy to see how this match against Richards deviates from them. Instead of sticking to the limb work and telling a great story (his defense against Hero) or playing off of a previous match (his defense against Strong), this contest seemed to just be about throwing cool moves out there and hoping that the crowd gives them a reaction. While the crowd reacted for the most part, there were definitely times where the crowd felt burnt out, such as when Richards and Edwards traded saito suplexes and received no response. Don’t get me wrong, there are some awesome exchanges throughout this contest. I just don’t feel as though those exchanges really meant anything in the long run. If anything, this is a match where you simply need to decide for yourself. While I would say it’s worth a watch, I would not say that is a match of the year candidate. ***¾
Match #5: Eddie Edwards vs. Kyle O’Reilly (Glory By Honor X – 11/19/11)
They give each other clean breaks against the ropes. They trade control and wrestle to a stalemate. Edwards escapes an early cross armbreaker attempt and we’re at another standoff. They exchange elbow strikes and headbutts. O’Reilly tries for an armbar but finds himself in an STF. He’s able to reach the bottom rope. Edwards gives up on the clean breaks and connects with a chop. They trade stiff kicks and stare each other down. O’Reilly lays in a knee strike followed by kicks to the chest. He hits rolling butterfly suplexes. Edwards innovatively reverses one into a spike tombstone. O’Reilly rolls to the floor where he gets sent into the barricade. In the ring, Edwards takes control until O’Reilly catches him with a tornado DDT. O’Reilly applies a cross armbreaker but Edwards reverses into an achilles lock. O’Reilly counters into a crossface but Edwards is able to get his foot across the bottom rope. Edwards connects with a gamengiri. O’Reilly dodges a flying double stomp and responds with a knockout kick. Edwards wins an intense strike exchange after a chop to the face. He connects with a flying double stomp. O’Reilly counters a powerbomb into a guillotine choke. Edwards turns the hold into a 2k1 bomb and hits a second one. Edwards yells “Davey” and locks in a dragon sleeper for the victory at 15:21. Edwards came into this match looking to prove a point to Davey Richards by running through his protégé and the commitment to that story made the action extremely engaging. I liked that there weren’t a lot of nearfalls down the stretch as both men were trying to find an opening to decisively end the match. Edwards’ counters of the rolling butterfly suplexes and the guillotine choke were awesome and gave the impression that Edwards is retooling his game for Final Battle. This match was effective from both a storyline and in-ring perspective and both men came out of it for the better. ***½
Match #6: Eddie Edwards vs. El Generico (Southern Defiance – 12/3/11)
Generico armdrags out of a wristlock and they find themselves at a stalemate. Generico connects with corner punches followed by a leg lariat. Edwards avoids a split-legged moonsault and connects with a hesitation dropkick in the corner. He adds a running baseball slide. Generico lures him to the floor and follows out with a dive. In the ring, Generico lands a flying crossbody and hits a blue thunder bomb. Edwards blocks a yakuza kick and connects with a running knee strike. He hits a backpack chinbreaker and transitions into an STF. Generico is able to reach the bottom rope. They trade strikes and Generico hits a half nelson suplex. Edwards connects with a superkick but gets caught by a yakuza kick. Generico attempts a brainbuster but Edwards suplexes him over the top rope. Both men are down on the outside. Back in, Generico hits a michinoku driver for a nearfall. On commentary, Jim Cornette says that Generico would have “upset” Edwards there. Okay. Edwards hits a saito suplex and goes up top. Generico catches him with a yakuza kick. They battle up top and Edwards hits a TKO from the middle rope. He connects with a superkick for a two count. Edwards follows with a flying double stomp. Edwards hits a powerbomb and transitions into the achilles lock for the win at 18:01. These two had a great match in PWG about six months before and they had a worthy follow-up here. They kept the action predominantly back and forth but the crowd was still able to get invested in the match due to some awesome exchanges. If anything, this contest helped to build up Edwards heading into his main event match against Davey Richards at Final Battle, as Richards was able to defeat Generico as well after a hard-fought battle at Glory by Honor. As for the match itself, I liked their PWG encounter slightly more than this one. While the finishes were almost identical, Edwards spent most of the PWG match working over Generico’s leg. However, this was still a very good contest and will most likely end up being the best match on the show. ***½
Match #7: Eddie Edwards vs. Rhino (Border Wars 2012 – 5/19/12)
Edwards hangs onto a wristlock and snaps off an armdrag. Rhino bowls him over with a shoulder tackle. The action spills to the floor where Rhino drives Edwards face-first into the apron. Rhino takes control, military pressing Edwards over the top rope. In the ring, Edwards fights back with a mafia kick and a german suplex. He unloads repeated chops in the corner and connects with a shining wizard. Rhino misses a spear and falls through the ropes. Edwards lands an asai moonsault onto him. Back in, Rhino hits a belly to belly suplex. Edwards blocks the Gore with a dropkick. Truth Martini tries to interfere but almost hits Rhino with the Book of Truth. Edwards sneaks in a rollup for the win at 10:53. Edwards made Rhino look like a killer here. Edwards was very cautious with his offense and was always on-guard to avoid Rhino's signature moves. This wasn't necessarily a standout match, but it was unique enough to capture the crowd and start the iPPV on a high note. **¾
Match #8: Eddie Edwards vs. Davey Richards (ROH TV – 6/9/12)
They trade armdrags and both attempt kicks at the same time. Richards connects with a spin kick. Edwards boots him off the apron and Richards crashes into the barricade. In the ring, Edwards attempts his backpack chinbreaker but Richards counters into a cross armbreaker. Edwards scrambles to reach the bottom rope. They battle on the apron where Richards hits a divorce court. After a commercial, Richards starts getting cocky as he takes over in the ring. Someone in the crowd flicks him off and gets blurred out. Edwards comes back with a dive to the floor. In the ring, he connects with a missile dropkick and hits a tiger suplex. They battle up top and Richards hits a superplex. He transitions into a cross armbreaker. Edwards counters into the achilles lock. Richards responds with an ankle lock. Edwards fights out of the hold and they exchange kicks. Richards goes back to the cross armbreaker but Edwards turns it into a pin attempt for a nearfall. They exchange rollups to no avail. Richards connects with the Alarm Clock, a knockout kick, and a lariat. Edwards hits a TKO off the middle rope for a two count. Richards finds life with an ankle lock. Edwards fights out but gets caught by a running kick. Jimmy Jacobs appears at ringside and tries to interfere. The distraction allows Edwards to turn a missile dropkick into a rollup for the victory at 15:54 (shown). This was a solid showcase of what they could do together. Due to the shorter duration, they kept the nearfalls and elongated strike exchanges to a minimum and focused more on the mat wrestling, which worked out well. Jacobs' interference leading directly to the finish was far from ideal, but this was a satisfying television main event. ***¼
Match #9: Eddie Edwards vs. Homicide (Best in the World 2012 – 6/24/12)
Homicide spits on Edwards’ hand and gets slapped. Edwards quickly hits a saito suplex and lands a dive to the floor. They exchange chops around ringside. In the ring, Edwards connects with a missile dropkick and hits a german suplex. He charges with a shining wizard. They reach a stalemate during a strike exchange and Homicide hits an overhead suplex. He sends Edwards shoulder-first into the ringpost and takes control. Homicide continues to work over the already-injured left shoulder. Edwards comes back with a superplex. He hits a sit-out gourdbuster and a 2k1 bomb. Edwards comes off the middle rope with a lungblower and locks in a crossface. Homicide escapes the hold and hits a tornado DDT. Edwards can’t hit his backpack chinbreaker and falls victim to an ace crusher. Homicide connects with a lariat for a nearfall. Edwards flips out of the Gringo Killer and tries a quick rollup to no avail. Edwards applies the achilles lock but Homicide powers out. Homicide just forearms Edwards’ left arm and hits the Gringo Killer for the victory at 12:46. Who doesn’t love a motivated Homicide? He did an excellent job of working over Edwards’ injured shoulder and the limb work hindered Edwards from utilizing some of his offense down the stretch. This probably should have been the opener, as the crowd gave both men a great reaction. ***
Match #10: Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards vs. Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly (Final Battle 2012: Doomsday – 12/16/12)
The Wolves start with some of their old double team sequences on Fish in the ring. They punish O’Reilly with chops and kicks. Richards puts Fish in a cloverleaf and dares O’Reilly to try to break up the hold. Fish blocks a punt from Richards and O’Reilly kicks him in the back of the head. O’Reilly follows with a missile dropkick from the apron on Edwards. Fish and O’Reilly isolate Edwards until he catches Fish with a superkick out of nowhere. Richards connects with the Alarm Clock on O’Reilly along with a knockout kick and a german suplex. Fish hits a falcon arrow on Richards. Edwards superkicks Fish and delivers one to O’Reilly as well. The Wolves hit stereo suplexes to the floor. Richards and O’Reilly reenter the ring and stare each other down. They exchange slaps and kicks. O’Reilly applies a dragon sleeper but Richards counters with an ankle lock mid-hold. Edwards comes off the top with a codebreaker on O’Reilly. Richards follows with a tombstone for a nearfall. O’Reilly responds with a tornado DDT and a brainbuster on Edwards. He locks in a guillotine choke. Edwards escapes and hits a german suplex but Fish catches him with a moonsault. The crowd starts to come alive. Richards levels O’Reilly with a lariat. The Wolves follow with their double team backcracker. Richards punts Fish and connects with a flying double stomp on O’Reilly. Edwards stomps O’Reilly’s head and Sinclair calls for the bell, giving the Wolves the victory at 13:36. The fans took extremely well to the reuniting of the Wolves while both Richards and Edwards looked like they were having a blast teaming again. This was my first time seeing Fish and O’Reilly in an extended tag team match and I think they could do some great things with the tag titles. Fish in a heel role particularly seems interesting. ***½
Overall: Every time Ring of Honor releases a compilation for an active roster member involving both a sit-down interview and matches, I really look forward to watching it. Die Hard: The Eddie Edwards Story continued the trend of these compilations being worthwhile. Obviously, mileage will vary on the interview portion of the compilation but Shane Hagadorn does a decent job of asking insightful questions. However, the real selling point for me were the ten matches included. Edwards had a quietly awesome but short title reign and all of the standout defenses are here. The interview/matches combination continues to work well on these compilations and this one earns a solid recommendation.
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