2004 nearly killed Ring of Honor in the wake of the Rob Feinstein incident. Several stars departed killing high profile feuds and the loss of the backing of RF Video made many think that ROH wasn't long for the world. To his credit booker Gabe Sapolsky refused to give up new ownership came in and the loss of old stars opened the door for new. One of the first acts to get hot was Generation Next a stable made up of Austin Aries, Alex Shelley, Roderick Strong, and Jack Evans. Also given a new push was Jimmy who turned heel and joined the Embassy a group led by manager Prince Nana that had a been around a while but never got going. As the year ended Shelley was kicked out of Gen Next leading to him joining the Embassy in 2005 and the two groups feuding was a natural. The two factions traded wins in several matches and even exchange members. The stage was set for the next to last even off 2005 where the feud would in ROH's take on the war games style match. The show and the match was praised heavily in 2005 but what about now? Well that's the reason I started these reviews.
We open with Jay Lethal talking about his time in ROH. He mentions his start in heel group Special K and how it was Samoa Joe that got him out that group, showed him potential, how to act outside of the ring, and was the guy he could count on. He mentions how he won the Pure Title on 205 only to lose it to Joe. He challenges Joe to a match at this show so he can step out of Joe's shadow once and for all. It was a decent effort by but Lethal has had issues with promos for years and this came off kind of boring. I think he was trying to real serious but instead he came off bored. Say what you want about Black Machoismo but it did help to cover some of Lethals problems. Than the face of pure evil aka Jim Cornett appeared at his home. Cornett was the on screen commissioner for ROH at this point but he had no power backstage that I'm aware. Cornett address the actions of Pure Champion Nigel McGuinness during a recent match with Claudio Castagnolli and warns Homicide thugs and Colt Cabana not to get involved in the Homicide vs Steve Corino match that night. Actually a decent promo since Cornett didn't de-evolve into his usual yelling and screaming jackass mode and since it was at home I could make out what he was saying.
Our announcers are Dave Prazak and "Jimmy Bower" now I like Prazak for the most part I know some really came to hate him towards the end of his ROH when it sounded like he didn't give a damn anymore but back than he was fine. Jimmy Bower is Gabe Sapolsky the ROH booker at the time. Gabe is pretty awful at commentary and I think he tries be Joey Styles even having something he will yell really loud when something big happens but unlike Joey who would vary up his "Oh My Gods" Gabe would just scream the moves name and than "DANGEROUS!" as loud as he could. Also it was annoying the guy would use fake names since Gabe has one of those voices the when you hear him talk you know it's him so he wasn't fooling anyone. Plus the guy always made dumb jokes a lot about himself but still dumb jokes. That even included a small angle on commentary and in written posts where Bower was removed from commentary due to his drinking. Dumb jokes even aimed at yourself aren't funny there just stupid. And we don't' need a detailed reason why a guy isn't on commentary anymore.
Jason Blade & Kid Mikaze vs The Ring Crew Express Dunn and Marcos- Dunn and Marcos were ROH's jobber to the stars team while Blade and Mikaze were a young team ROH was giving a look to. In a nice touch they mention that Blade and Mikaze were 0-2 in there previous ROH matches and needed a win to keep getting bookings. You get your pretty typical lighter guy tag team match. Mikaze has a few moves that reminds me of Amazing Red or TJ Perkins/Manic. Blade and Mikaze were going for a double team moonsault but Marcos shoved them off the top rope setting up for a stage dive by RCE. Dunn and Marcos kept Mikaze cut off from Blade for an extended period of time. Finally Blade got a blind tag. Dunn hit a really slopping looking Gory Bomb on Blade. In a nice finish the Ring Crew Express went for the assisted senton the move that went them a previous match with Blade and MIkaze but this time the youngsters saw it coming. That allowed Mikaze to hit an inverted shooting star on Marcos for the win. Decent open nothing bad outside of the bad Gory Bomb.
Austin Aries cuts a promo talking about how things have gotten personal between Generation Next and The Embassy. We than hear from Nana who declares the Embassy will put Generation Next in the grave and reminds Generation Next how they took out valet Jade Cung. Two good promos and they have these through out the night as various members of the two teams in the main event would talk about it. I think that adds atmosphere and just make the match bigger.
Top of the Class Trophy Davey Andrews © vs Pelle Primeau- The top of the trophy was a title for students out of the ROH wrestling school the problem was these beings students were all really green. Pelle was a undersized guy who always played the underdog face. I'm not sure if this is true or not but it was implied Pelle was yet to win a match so why was he getting a title shot of any kind. Short match that Andrews wins with a stretch plum. Ok match given how inexperienced the two guys were.
Ricky Reyes made his way out and for some reason they edited out his entrance. The rest of the ROH students were in the ring minus Pelle. Reyes was pissed he wasn't booked on the card ad his gimmick at this time was he bully heel who had beat all the students. He than challenges the student to face him in a gauntlet match. Its a short series of killings as in one or two moves Reyes beats each kid even usually hitting a leg kick or locking in the dragon sleeper. Only Andrews managed to do anything vs Reyes and that didn't last long. Pointless segment I get the students were just the jobbers at this point but no cared about Reyes either. This was done to set up a match down the line with Reyes and the than ROH wrestling school's trainer Austin Aries. But did we really need that much a set up I assuming they wanted to push Reyes at this point but I'm to sure why.
Roderick Strong cuts a promo on Jimmy Rave taking out Jade Chung. Chung had been the Embassy's mistreated valet until she joined Gen Next and it was implied she and Strong were dating. It being Strong the promo sucked. Rave's promo was just a recap of the hellish things he had done and wasn't anything to special either.
ROH World Tag Team Championship Tony Mamaluke and Sal Rinauro © Colt Cabana vs Milano Collection AT- Milano had been a stand out in the early days of Dragon Gate was on a US tour. The reason Colt and AT got a title shot was the champs had put out an open contract. I was never big on Mamaluke and Rinauro it felt like they only got the belts to get them off Whitmer and Jacobs so they could turn heel and ROH wasn't ready to put the belts on Aries and Strong yet. This match just couldn't' draw me in back than or event now. It wasn't awful but you had two random teams fighting for the title and Colt was in the middle of a big feud with Homicide. In a nice touch they mention Colt personality was changing during his feud with Homicide. The two teams did have some nice exchanges but like I said the match never connected with me and it felt like this match just went on way to long. Finish finally came when the champions hit a double team spiked pile driver for the win.
Matt Sydal talks about how the Embassy jumped him in his first ROH match. In a funny moment they run text saying they tried to get comments from Abyss and there camera man was now in the hospital (this was before Abyss talked) Sydal seemed like he let Roderick Strong write his promo for him and that's not a complement.
ROH Word Heavyweight Championship Bryan Danielson © vs Rocky Romero with Ricky Reyes and Julius Smokes- This is something that annoyed about Danielson's title run he was almost never in the main event slot. Now it was one thing for a show like this that had a end to a major feud with a big stipulation but starting in 2006 it seemed like almost every show had the tag belts main event. Now Gabe would claim "I wanted the tag titles to be equal to the world title." But here is the thing the tag belts shouldn't be equal with the world title. The world title is supposed to be the ultimate goal the person that holds it is the top person in the world. The tag belts can be important but not as important as others. So the world title should main event your shows. If it's not in that spot the message isn't that other title is as important it's that the world title isn't that important to begin with. Romero hadn't been in ROH for months and before that he had mostly been a tag wrestler. Julius Smokes is by far one of the worst managers I have seen in my life the guy isn't about getting about his guys over he's about being annoying and make you focus on him instead of the match. The guys screams over again makes strange faces and runs around. To get some cheap heat Romero spits in Danielson's hand instead of shaking it. Early on the two guys exchanged some kicks early that for the most part looked decent. Gabe went out his way to try and justify Romero getting a title shot saying he had won the trios tournament plus he had tapped and KO'ed Danielson at the New Japan Dojo. Freaking Smokes will not shut up and it' snot him trying to encourage his man instead its just yelling Yeah Yeah Yeah over and over again. Danielson and Romero did have a good match exchange hard strikes and submission holds but I swear to god almost every second of the match you would hear Smoke yell out something and if he wasn't yelling he was jumping around like a moron on the outside. Think about trying to understand a movie and some idiot is talking on his phone well Smoke is like that only worse. Danielson worked this match as a heel the fans cheered him because he was Bryan Danielson but he pushed the rules and even mocked the fans. And it's matches like these that when idiots would go "Guys like Danielson have no charisma." I call bull shit on the guy had charisma the "Smarks" Just wanted to be "Smart" and cheer the heels. At one point the two men exchange a series of Palm Strikes but instead of looking like an old Pancrase fight it looked like two guys slapping at each other and missing. Danielson picked up the win with a half crab. Good match outside of the slaps and freaking Smokes.
Post match as Danielson celebrated and remind us all he was "The Best Wrestler in the World," Lance Storm walked out. To Storm's credit the fans did really pop for the guy. Storm put over Danielson's match and what he stood for. Storm than claimed he retired (early that year) because he wasn't allowed to have the kind of matches he could be proud off anymore. Storm challenged Bryan Danielson to an ROH world title match. Danielson stalled but did accept Storm's challenge and did put over Storm as one of the guys that paved the way for guys like him (Danielson) to make a living as a wrestler. This segment was OK but not great. They tried to sell as it was a huge deal that Storm who had retired on his terms was coming back for "One more" match. But to be honest I was never the biggest Lance Storm fan yeah he worked a style I liked but was never he always lacked that X-Factor to take to the next level. Hell if anything I think even 2005 a lot of fans saw Danielson as a bigger star than Storm already.
Jack Evans cut a rambling promo where he spoke a lot but said nothing. I think he was saying that the cage was something he could jump off of. Alex Shelley than talked about how it had been a year since Austin Aries had usurped leadership of Generation Next from him and the was going to crucify the Personal Jesus witch was one of Aries' nicknames. The Evans promo was pointless. Shelley was really good and showed why went on to be a regular in TNA and New Japan.
Jay Lethal vs Samoa Joe- There was some good backstory to this match as Joe had taken Lethal under his wing and teamed with him in the past. Joe had also beat Lethal for the pure title earlier in 2005. Joe had also made it clear his goal was to win the tag titles with Lethal but Lethal instead challenged him to this match. Early Joe was in control playing up the teacher and mentor story. The announcers also did a great job of recapping the story between the two and had 2005 had really been a breakout year for Lethal. It seemed like every time Lethal was about to get control Joe wind find a way to out smart him or out power him Lethal couldn't get a two count in his early pin fall attempts. Slowly but surely tension started to build. Lethal finally took over after a series of high impact moves. But this being Joe it just took one huge blow for him regain control. Joe went for the Ole kick in the corner but Lethal moved and than pulled Joe into the corner and wrapped his the post. The announcers were quick to defend it saying he just reached without thinking. Only for Lethal to grab a chair and start hitting Joe's leg with it right in front of the ref who for no reason other than I assume he disliked Joe didn't DQ Lethal. And it one of those quick shots the referee could have missed or after the ref got bumped Lethal just started hitting Joe with a weapon and the referee let the match keep going. Lethal began working over the the leg back in the ring. Joe attempted to rally was cut off by a kick to the leg. The announcers started questioning why Lethal do this. Joe did a great job even limping badly when he manage to get back in control. Lethal put Joe in a half crab only for Joe to get the ropes. What's funny is after the referee allowed the match to go on after the chair attacked he kept calling the match normal even counting for the break when Joe got the ropes. Joe went for the muscle buster but his leg gave out allowing Lethal to hit the Dragon Suplex for the win. The match started off really good start building slowing to that moment when Lethal finally snapped But than the spot was botched by clearly have the referee see Lethal attack Joe with a chair over and over again and not call the bell and once Joe was "hurt" it went on a little to long. Post match Lethal kicked Joe in the leg again Joe attempted to return the attack but couldn't' stand. This was supposed to the star of a big feud between the two men but Lethal had some kind of falling out with ROH and was gone early in 06 it all worked for him though since TNA came calling that same year.
Homicide Julius Smokes vs Steve Corino with Bryan Regal - These two had a bitter and bloody feud in 2003. It finally ended with a barb wire rope match that saw Corino win. And that's why this match should never have happened. The two already had there big blow off the point where it couldn't get anymore violent anymore deadly. Its like that casket match HBK and Undertaker had after Hell in a Cell it just wasn't needed. Corino had been out of ROH for a time but was brought back in storyline by Cabana during his feud with Homicide. Before the match Corino's own ring announcer Bryan Regal cut some promo on the two men's history but the audio from the microphone was so bad I have no idea what he was saying. The fans started chanting boring and I agree when I have no idea what a guy is saying just watching him talk is boring. Right off the bat Homicide took Corino down and start to ground and pound him only for Corino to reverse. The announce team said Jim Cornett had said anything goes in this match except for outside interference. Homicide hit a big dive to outside that injured his shoulder badly and it wasn't a worked injury it was a legit injury that would affect him not just in this match but a good chunk of 2006. A masked Colt Cabana came out from under the ring and assaulted Smokes with a pipe of course it being Smokes he sold it in the most cartoonish way. Corino was busted open after being driven into a barbwire wrapped chair. Homicide pulled out a fork and stabbed Corino in the ear that Corino had lost the hear in after a slap in a pervious match. The kept trying to make the fork stabbing in the ear as a big "sick" spot but to be honest it didn't come of very violent on the DVD. Homicide hit a ace crusher through a table witch had to freaking hurt more than normal due to his bad shoulder. Corino kept launching chairs into Homicide's head. This match became of those hardcore matches I hate do weapon spot stall as we set up for the next weapon spot. Homicide took out the referee by mistake when he tried to hit Corino with a chair. Cide hit at the ace crusher but the delay in Todd Sinclair getting to the ring only meant two. The masked Cabana returned and low blowed Cide and placed Corino on top for the win. Match wasn't that good and I hate hardcore matches like this where it's do big spot stall to set for the next one but I do have to cut them so slack given the fact Homicide got badly hurt right at the start. The finish was strange given Cabana was meant to be the face in the feud. Corino was out of ROH afar the next show but returned a few months later roe resume the feud with Homicide.
Gary Michael Cappettia interviewed Lacey. Lacey put over the recent willing streak by her team. It was your typical Lacey promo at this time. It was very short and we went right to the ring for the main event. So I'm wondering why this was even needed.
Steel Cage Warfare The Embassy vs Generation Next- The rules were two guys start after five minutes The Embassy wold send a member out than Gen Next would and so on. To win you had to eliminate each member of the other team. As I said this as was meant to be ROH's version of the War Games or Lethal Lockdown and they make a huge mistake before anyone even gets in the ring. And that is… NO DOOR ON THE CAGE. And no I don't mean guys had to climb over the top to get in that would make some sense instead the spot where the door would be is left open. Was the part for the door to expensive or did the run out of time to get it built? The reasons you do a cage match are A the feud if so violent it has to end the only way to make sure it ends is to lock mean in a cage or B to prevent outside interference so the not having a door kills all that. The lack of for means it can't be locked and anyone could just run in or out. Heck from a logic stand point why would anyone at a disadvantage not stall until the time ran out and my next team member could come out. Jimmy Rave was the first guy out for his team in a nice touch instead of his usual gear Rave wore cameo paints and what appeared to be heavy boots. Austin Aries was the first Gen Next member. Right away Rave runs away and head for the opening and climbs out less than a minute in. It clear they wanted to open up and do brawling on the outside of the cage but you know what do that before the guys climb in there don't leave a door off the cage have them spill outside a minute into the match. Ok I see another reason the door was left off so the camera shot wold be clear but you know what its still stupid cut a whole in the cage like TNA does. Alex Shelley was next to enter. As it matches like this go the team with the advantage would take control until the next guy entered to even things up. I think doing five minutes is to long for the periods in a match like this it's fine for the start one on one or any even time but any disadvantage time just dragged on. Matt Sydal was next out for Generation Next. In a nice spot Sydal went for a moonsault but Shelley got the knees up but Sydal manage to land on his feet and instead he slammed Rave onto Shelley. Abyss made his entrance for The Embassy. Abyss quickly hit shock treatment on Aries and than followed it up by tossing Sydal into the air. Shelley wrapped a head scions on Aries and used it to drive Aries' head into a chair over and over again busting Aries open. Roderick Strong was the third man for Generation Next. Strong hit a series of back breakers taking out Shelley. Before going after Rave who had taken out Chung.
The Embassy regained control and eliminated Sydal after the black hole slam and greeting from Ghana. (Pedigree) Rave had been busted wide open at this point. The action again spilled to the outside with Rave tossing Strong into guard rails but again I point out how stupid it is that there wasn't a door. Prince Nana came out with his team firmly in control. Nana like Rave was wearing cameo. This portion of the match really drags after the Sydal elimination it made no sense for the Embassy not to eliminate Strong and Aries. They tried to cover with "They are proving a point." But that's BS It was just like eight minutes of Generation Next getting beat down. All this did was make the Embassy look stupid for nothing finishing the match when they had a chance. Jade Chung came out to the entrance ramp with a microphone. Chung mocked The Embassy. A pissed off Nana order the entire team out of the cage to go after her this allowed Jack Evans to run out and quickly hitting a double moonsault off the top of the cage taking them all out. Problem is wasn't a so much a double moonsault as a mooonsault and a half as it looked like Evans came down head first and only the Embassy members kept him from breaking his neck. Aries and Strong recovered from there eight minute beat down and went out to get Abyss. The three member of Generation Next tripled teamed the giant and pinned him after Strong and Evans hit ode to the bulldogs. Alex Shelley got his knees up as Evans went for a 630 and than hit an air raid crash off the top to eliminate him. Prince Nana re entered the cage and told his boys to hold Strong and Aries as he went for the ass to the face but both remember of Gen Me reversed and Nana hit his own men. Strong hit a sires of back breakers on Rave before making him tap to the strong Hold. Aries hit a DDT and than a Brian buster on a chair taking out Shelly. Leaving only Nana for his team. This was that rare team where the annoying manager finally gets what's coming to him. Strong hit another back breaker followed by the Aries 450 to win it. Post match Chung, Evans and Sydal returned to celebrate with Strong and Aries. This match was below average. There was a lot of great talent in it but the set was awful as I said no door on the cage and any of the spots on the outside didn't add anything even Evans big spot could have been down into the ring. The section with the Embassy beating Generation Next in the middle use dragged on and on. I also don't that they made it an elimination match since you wonder why not pin Aries and Strong and just kill Evans in a 4-1 when he got out there.
We close with Samoa Joe reacting to Lethal's turn on him. It's a very short promo but Joe does a good job with it. He sells the betrayal and even confusion of his student turning on him. LIke I said there was supposed to be a Joe and Lethal feud but that ever happened.
Steel Cage Warfare doesn't age well. The matches are at best ok but nothing that you have to see. The main event has major flaws the world title match is a mid card match. The tag titles are couple of random teams. I feel like this show was more about house cleaning. They had to end the Generation Me and Embassy feud before the CZW war and Aries and Strong won the tag belts. They wanted to add heat to the Cabana and Homicide feud so they called up Corino. Joe needed something to do so feud with Lethal. Might as well get rid of that match Romero has from the Trios Tournament. I get shows like that sometime have to happen but this was a bad one. What's really said is The Embassy vs Generation Next feud had a lot of really good matches this is just such a let down to leave it on.
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