When ROH began it was a one show a month company. As the company grew it started adding more shows more often than not would run two shows a weekend. In 2006 during WreslteMania 22 weekend ROH decided to hold its first every triple shot of events. Three separate shows all sold as separate DVD's all part of the milestone series. Now from what I have heard and seen WWE hates when other companies runs events in the same city as WrestleMania I say get over it you going to make your money lets some of the indy shows (Where the next generation is learning) make some to. Look no matter what ROH will never compete with WWE. I highly doubt the WWE events that weekend were bare with fans going all picking indy shows. A triple shot for ROH is tough since back than they sold all there events as DVD's so they were hoping fans would buy all three meaning they had to come in swinging and looking for the home run. And remember ROH was already hyping up the whole Mile Stone Series thing. Did they do it? Well lets see
Before we get to the show I should talk a little about Dragon Gate in case any of my readers are not fans of wrestling from Japan. Dragon Gate started as the Ultimo Dragon Gym it's early starts trained by the legendary Ultimo Dragon. Now Ultimo Dragon who spent a great deal of his career in Mexico had a much more Lucha based style than other wrestlers from Japan as a results that also influenced the style of his students. Ultimo left the school/promotion after a while and took all the copy rights with him but the company went on changing it's name to Dragon Gate. Now Dragon Gate also uses stables more often than american wrestling does while it's not uncommon for TNA or WWE to have one or two around pretty much everyone on the Dragon Roster is in some kind of stable. Sadly this would also influence Gabe Sapolsky who went stable crazy in 2007 and started up at least six different ones. Actually after leaving ROH Gabe now runs Dragon Gate USA a company funded by Dragon Gate here in the states. So yeah Gabe got over his ECW phase and started a Dragon Gate one. The stars of Dragon Gate had already done one show with ROH in late 2005.
We open picking up with the Embassy fight. Nana threatens to stop paying them. He tells his boys they will focus on the world title team titles. Rave and Shelley shake hands. Nana puts the tag division on hold. Sadly this never really went anywhere. Shelley and Rave did team and even get a tag title shot but first it way to soon after the Embassy Gen Nex feud to have them face Aries and Strong plus it appeared they were setting up for a split of some kind but Shelley and Nana both left ROH before any payoff. Lacey tells tonight is the nigh they get revenge on BJ. Jimmy tries to ask her about the music video he made but Lacey blows it off and tells Jimmy she doesn't care if he wins she wants him to hurt BJ. She even promises him a reward if he does. Jimmy asks what kind of reward. Lacey says what ever he wants and Jimmy picks giving Lacey a foot rub. Decent segment. I think Jimmy was unsure of how he was going play the Jimmy loves Lacey stuff so comes off as more awkward nerd than EMO. Bobby Cruise is in the ring an announces we will see three huge matches of ROH vs Dragon Gate. Colt Cabana interrupts. Colt says his match with Homicide can't wait any longer. Colt reminds us the last time in Detroit he superplexed Homicide through a table and makes this a falls count anywhere match. Colt calls out Homicide to start the match. Good promo by Colt.
Falls Count Anywhere Colt Cabana vs Homicide with Julius Smokes- And where have a problem right away. ROH had already set up a feud ending match between Colt and Homicide for the final show of the weekend. But not wanting the Detroit Show to suffer they tossed this and a Samoa Joe vs Daniels match on it witch actually hurt the over all tone of the weekend. ROH fans knew the feud was ending in Chicago so they were pretty sure the Homicide would go one here. Big punches by Colt than the butt butt. Homicide to the outside Colt chases after. Hip toss by Colt sends Homicide into the fans. Brawling into the crowed and wI can see what is going on. Homicide suplexs Colt on what Lenny Leonard says are chairs but again I can't see. Even worse freaking Smokes is following them around so I have to hear every stupid comment he makes. Back in the light Homicide gets a chair but Colt cuts I'm off with a kick. and we brawl back to area with no light. ROH tries to use a spot light to follow them but they can't keep the light on the two guys since they are moving around. Even back than I would scream "Why don't they turn on the house lights?" The brawl up on the bleachers and Colt hits Homicide with a chair. Finally we head back to ringside. Now normally I hate when Falls count anywhere matches do that but this time I am grateful for this since I can finally see again. Colt goes under the ring and pulls out a ladder. Homicide starts tossing chairs into the ring. Catapult by Cabana sends Homicide into the ladder than a big corner splash. Homicide whips Colt into the ladder and hits an ace crusher before dropping the ladder on Colt. Smokes running around as usual like an idiot. Colt is sandwiched in the ladder as Homicide hits it with a chair. Colt is lifeless as Homicide covers him to win. See this is why this match is BS. Why do it just days before the final blow off And don't tell me Homicide needed a win he had won most of the matches in the feud anyway.
Post match Prazak claims the feud is over and Cabana will never get peace. Smokes embraces Homicide and than starts jumping around again. Backstage we see Dragon Kid Ryo Saito and Genki Horiguchi they say "Tonight we are here to fight you." Fight who? were they calling out ROH in general or someone in particular? I'm all for letting the outside talent speak but if they can't' speak enough english to do a promo or you don't have the ability to do subtitles don't let them just random stuff. Christopher Daniels is with Alison Danger. Daniels talks about brining Samoa Joe into ROH and says Joe was always more trouble than he was worth. Daniels says he tried Joe but at every time they have faced off Joe has pinned him. He says tonight is his last chance to beat Joe and he might even shake Joe's hand. Damn good promo by Daniels to bad ROH wrecked this by having Joe and Daniels wrestle a single match on this show and than again in multi man matches the rest of the weekend. Think about it the blow off to the feud is on night one why not put it on night two at the very least? Hell put Daniels or Joe in one of the Dragon Gate Matches I'm sure you could pick some interest with that.
Chad Collyer vs Ricky Reyes Julius Smokes- Fuck 2006 ROH you gotta give me more space between seeing Smokes. Collyer is a very talented wrester out of the mid west who had worked for the HWA you may have seen him under the name Metal Master in various companies. Sadly ROH really fucked him over here. See Collyer had turned heel back in 2005 by splitting open Ace Steel with a chair at Punk the Final Chapter . Now Steel is the trainer of CM Punk and Colt Cabana and the show was in his home town of Chicago so you had the making of a hot mid card feud. Instead ROH barely booked either guys for months to the point the feud was dead than brought them back for the triple shot and just to make sure Collyer had no heat they have him lose to another heel in Reyes. Smokes does his whole dumb barking things and keeps blocking Reyes during the entrance. Reyes with a hammer lock but Collyer turn it into a over head wrist lock but Reyes reveres into a wrist wrap than a cravat. Collyer with a shoulder tackle a few drop kicks but misses the third. Back heel kick by Collyer. Assisted DDT on the reps by Reyes gets two. Scoop slam and knee drop by Reyes. I think Smokes is yelling "Do the thing." use shut up moron. Neck breaker by Reyes. German with a bridge by Collyer neck breaker than another German by Collyer. Butterfly suplex block by Reyes than a spin kick and a great looking neck breaker. Collyer escapes the fishermen's' buster and rolls up gets two. Slam attempt by Collyer but Reyes catches him in a triangle than a arm bar. Collyer fight it into a clover leaf which is is finisher. Reyes gets the ropes. Smokes jumps on the apron and than right back down because he doesn't want people looking at the match. Collyer with a bridging pin but gets caught in the dragon sleeper for the win. Decent spot but again kills off any heat Collyer had going into his match with Steel.
More Dragon Gate guys its Cima Yoshino and someone else. Cima says Blood Generation is number 1 not Generation Next. Samoa Joe says tonight he result will the same his hand will be raised in victory and Daniels will shake his had. Ok I should explain the hand shake thing. In ROH they have the code of honor and a part of that is you shake hands before and afar the match Daniels had never done that but ROH was teasing he might start.
Jimmy Jacobs with Lacey vs BJ Whitmer- These two had been tag team partners and had twice held the ROH tag belt. Whitmer had quit Lacey's Angles when he got fed up with Jimmy crush with Lacey. Sadly it was rushed I think Jimmy and BJ actually teamed one time during crush story getting started. I think it was done more to get BJ out of his team with Jimmy so he could be in the CZW war. Than after the CZW war ended ROH dragged this story on way to long as these two spent nearly a year just brawling with each other rare a feud can be both rushed and dragged out. Before the match we get footage of BJ attack Jimmy when he is appearing on a local news show. Ok this confuses the hell out of me. As BJ was supposed to be the baby face defender of ROH at this time and Lacey was a bitch heel with Jimmy as he client. I assume they though Jimmy would just get cheered anyway since it's his hometown but still its like when WWE had HBK in Canada you can't turn him heel for one night. At least with the team break up you can play if off like BJ was pissed Jimmy cost him a match and he was sick of Lacey. They play up the foot massage stuff with Jimmy and Lacey. Jimmy with a arm wring but BJ cartwheels into the advantage. Over head takedown by BJ. Helicopter headscissores by Jimmy. Jimmy waves at Lacey. BJ best out of the ring and goes after Lacey. Jimmy goes for a sling shot cross body to the floor by BJ catches him. Jimmy sent into the guard rail and than whipped into the other side and than the third. Leg lariat by Whitmer than a vertical suplex. BJ goes for a power bomb by Jacobs with a head scissors and than and a double stomp. Running drop kick on the floor by Jimmy ramming BJ's head into the ring post. Series of double stomps than an elbow gets two for Jacobs. JYD style head headbut by Jacobs than nice looking seated dropkick. Senton off the top by Jacobs but Whitmer gets the legs up Exploder Suplex by Whitmer. Boot to the gut by Jimmy goes for the Contra Code but BJ blocks it and drops Jimmy on the turnbuckles. German suplex than rolling through to a dragon by Whitmer. Sunset flip and than roll up by Jacobs each get two. Whitmer goes for another vertical suplex but they both win up tumbling over the ropes to the floor. Jacobs up first he climbs the apron and goes for a flying rana BJ catches him and power bombs Jimmy onto the steel. Back in the ring brian buster by Whitmer gets two. Big running boot by Whitmer gets another two count. Whitmer climbs the ropes but Jacobs cuts him off and crotches him. Jacobs climbs up the ropes. Both men fight BJ stands and had Jimmy and a power bomb position and slips on the rope
This is the most infamous part of there feud because it was not a planned moment BJ slipped as the nob used to tighten the ropes moved under his foot and both men crashed to the floor and Jimmy head smacked the apron after hitting the ropes. Both men are down. BJ gets up first and toss Jimmy back into the ring and pins him for a two count. Now I admire Jimmy and BJ for wanting to go on and finish the match but honestly I think that's when you call an end to thing Your never going to top that moment and honestly both guys cold be shaken up and just end it. But I'm not a wrestler and I sure as hell was not in the ring that night. Jimmy fights out out the exploder and hits the contra code. Lacey yells at Jimmy to keep doing punishment to BJ and demands he put BJ though a table. Jimmy shoves BJ out onto the ringside table. Jimmy climbs the ropes and the fans chant please don't die. Jimmy takes a time to blow a kiss to Lacey. BJ gets up and nails Jimmy. Both men stand on turnbuckle again. Over head belly to belly and lariat gets BJ the win. Ok its a very good match even with the massive botch. It did't turn into a all out hardcore lets the tables chairs and spike match the feud would breakdown into instead it was a very intense match between two wrestlers.
Post match BJ takes off his boot. Later that year BJ needed surgery on his ankle and I'm pretty sure the botch was the cause since why Jimmy hit the apron BJ didn't land softly either I wouldn't be shocked if he rolled an ankle with the way he fell. The referee pulls Jimmy up and the fans give the two men a standing ovation. BJ extends his hand to Jimmy out of respect and the fans chant for Jimmy to do it. Lacey tells Jimmy no an the leaves with her. BJ gets a microphone and insults Lacey. Jimmy acts like he will shake BJ's hand but spits at him instead. BJ starts to talk about getting laid out by the CZW guys back at the ECW arena. BJ says rumor has it Chris Hero and Necro Butcher are in the building and calls them out. No one shows up but says he will be watching the rest of the night. The post match stuff was fine since it was meant to sell the feud wasn't over after this match. I don't' like BJ calling out CZW again with no response instead I would have liked him do the old "I will get revenge and if they show up I will be here" promo
Dragon Gate: Ryo Saito vs ROH: Jimmy Yang- Look I get ROH was hoping Yang would stick around but I just don't think of him as an ROH guy at this point he still just a guy ROH was booking he get into that grove James Gibson had left. Honestly I think they would have been better to put Joe or Daniels in this match and save there blow off for night two or three. Prazak points out this is the only singles match of the three mach series that night. Yang with a big slap on a break. Side head lock takedown by Yang. Hammer lock by Saito and slaps Yang in the head. Rana by Saito than a bulldog and a drop kick. Yang bails to the outside. Saito calls for a test of strength but than refuses to do it. Yang does't like that so he kicks Saito. Over head belly to belly by Saito Yang's legs hit the turn buckle. Saito ties up the head and arm of Yang. Chop exchange with Saito getting the advantage. Yang crotches Saito on the tope rope and than a jumping kick to the back of his head. Match goes to the outside and Yang whips Saito into the guard rails. Yang comes up short on a drop kick but Saito sells it. Yang cannon balls down on Saito's leg and than snaps it. Hammer lock by Yang but Saito gets the ropes. Yang jumps off the top rope but Saito catches him with the drop kick and than an over head belly to belly. Fishermen's express (two suplexs into a buster) gets two by Saito. Saito off the top but Yang catches a spin kick. Yang time gets two. DDT by Saito. Saito to the top off with a big splash that gets two. Yang with a moonsault press misses Saito with a Dragon Suplex he calls premium Bridge for the win. Boring match I need could get into it. It feels like Yang was really just going through the motions in ROH.
The Embassy Jimmy Rave and Alex Shelley with Prince Nana and Daziee Haze vs Bryan Danielson and Delirious- The Embassy who had failed to take the ROH world title from American Dragon had challenged him to a tag match and he let them pick his parter who turned to be Delirious now at this time the story with Delirious was that he was winless in ROH but they kept booking him because the fans loved him. The The Embassy gets there pre match toilet paper from the fans. Shelley and Rave start tossing the rolls back and i think nailed Daziee Haze. Shelley and the freaking out Delirious start us off. Lots of stalling before the two men do a knuckle lock for about a second and than Delirious breaks the hold. They go for it again and this time Shelley bails out. Finally the test of strength and Shelley with the advantage. But Delirious turns it into a roll up. Head scissors by Shelley but the masked man escapes and gets a headlock. Shelley with a big knee to the midsection tag to Rave. Hip toss by Delirious and some fun with the Ghana flag as Delirious tires to eat it. Tag back to Shelley. Leaping Lariat by Delirious. Tag to Danielson. TO work on the arm Danielson goes. Danielson with the surfboard and than into a dragon sleeper. Shelley escapes going to the eyes and tags in Rave. Tag back to Delirious. Air plane spin by Delirious taking a page out of Danielson's playbook. Danielson tags back in and does his own airplane spin and Delirious runs around the ring making both Prazak me and himself dizzy. Slingshot suplex by Danielson. Dragon sleeper by Danielson. Shelley in to thumb the eye. Tag to Delirious and to Shelley. Delirious drives Shelley back tag back to Danielson who give Shelley a thumb to the eye. Shelley takes Danielson down and goes after the face and than starts to work over the leg. Exchange of stiff slaps by Danielson and Shelley. Bow and Arrow by Danielson. Sadly its time for Gabe to show up and give us the news about the up coming events and of course we gotta sell that damn "Jimmy Bower is a drunk" story. Rave breaks up the submission. Double team dropkicks and backdrops by Danielson and Delirious. Nana grabs at Danielson's leg and the ROH champion goes after the manager. Nana beg for mercy. Shelley with a dropkick through the ropes sends Danielson down and than whips him into the guard rail. Rave tags in and works over Danielson. Tag back to Shelley. Double team ground and pound by the Embassy. Shelley works over the champ and tag in Rave for another double team. Nana with a cheap shot when the referee's back is turned. Shelley goes for a belly to back but Danielson turn it into a near fall. More quick exchanges the Embassy. The Embassy maul Danielson in the corner and a double clothesline. Another double clothesline is missed when Danielson flips over it. Tag to Delirious who comes in with baby face fire and hits a headscissores on Rave. Cobra Clutch back breaker puts Rave down for two. Delirious sweeps Shelley and he winds up drop kick Rave and than hits a panic attack running knee on Rave. Shadows over hell misses. Tag to Shelley who comes in with a super kick. Danielson in and we get both Danielson and Delirious doing Cattle Mutilation . Suicide Dive by Danielson takes out Rave. Running knee lift by Delirious Haze and Nana distract the referee and Shelley low blows Delirious and hits sliced bread. Rave takes out Danielson with a spear and the embassy wins it. Ok match but I think they missed a chance. Gabe used this to start a Danielson vs Delirious feud. I think the smart move would have ben to have Rave or Shelley pin Danielson and earn another shot to keep pushing the Embassy vs Danielson feud and the breakdown of the Embassy as the one that didn't' get a pin and a claim to a title shot would be pissed.
During intermission Dave Prazak interviews Colt Cabana and it's dark and I can barley see anything again. Now they say Cabana requested the interview take place outside so he could away from everyone. But what does ROH have against light. Now just these old shows even some of there newer shows are poorly light. It doesn't make you look cool or cutting edge or different in a good way to do promos in the dark. It just makes you look stupid. I know it's a small thing but really why not go in a room with light and film. Also since I'm on a rant we clearly hear Gabe directing this witch you know we heard that a lot on ROH DVD's. So instead of the stupid "Bower is drinking story." If you honestly need to explain why Gabe isn't on commentary for every match why not just say "Jimmy Bower has taken on a role as the director of ROH shows." Witch would also explain why he could coming into the booth. Colt says he's still here and he is still fighting. Colt stops in pain and that it's . Yeah we really needed that promo in the dark. I have a feeling Gabe knew it was a mistake to do the Cabana vs Homicide match on this show so this was his effort to save face.
Shane Hagardorn vs Claudio Castagnoli- Hagardorn was out of the ROH wrestling school an the stick around in ROH longer than any of them wrestling playing the lackey and even managing taking over Larry Sweeney's role. He also has the work back tattoo ever. It's like he saw some plate at someone's grandma house and took that into the shop. Double C shows off his altehltishm with a few summersaults and chases Hagardorn around before the match as he does. Arm drag by Claudio he than kips up. Hagardorn with an arm drag of his own but he can't do the kip up. Slap by Hagardorn as Claudio plays to the fans. Hagardorn chokes Castagnoli on the ropes. Elbows to the neck and running hip attack by Hagardorn. Flying backwards elbow by Claudio. Seated dropkick and a diving upper cut by Claudio. Alpa Mare Water slide gets the win. Squash match with the jobber getting a little in. Not bad.
Chris Hero and Necro Butcher jump the rail and get in the ring to confront Claudio. Hero says he found Claudio and brought him to the United States. Necro starts humping Hero WHAT THE FUCK? Hero talks about the success he and Claudio have had as a team and tells us Claudio is his best friend. Hero says he is in a forgiving mode and asks Claudio to join hi and CZW against ROH. BJ Whitmer runs out and goes after Butcher and Hero. Claudio stand by and lets it happen as Hero calls for him to join. Claudio hits an upper cut on Butcher finally. The CZW invaders retreat as Claudio and BJ led n ROH chant. Decent segment to sell the CZW story witch was taking a backseat for this show. But I do think it took BJ to long to run since in the past we had seen ROH guys running out much faster to drive off Hero and company.
Dragon Gate: Do Fixer Dragon Kid and Genki Horiguchi with Ryo Saito vs ROH: AJ Styles and Matt Sydal- Even in 2014 with AJ out of TNA and working for ROH I find it strange to call him an ROH yes he was a regular on the roster but people think of AJ and TNA. Horiguchi and Sydal start us off. Horiguchi ties up Sydal's legs and than goes for a cravat. Sydal reverses into the hammerlock. Headlock by Horiguchi than shoulder tackle. Arm drag by Sydal but returned by Horiguchi. Tag to AJ. Exchange of arm drags. Tag to Dragon Kid. Shoulder tackle by AJ. Headscissores by Kid. Sydal in and a octopus by the kid and different style Surfboard by Horiguchi on AJ. Dragon Kid drops AJ with two drop kicks. Tag to Horiguchi who comes in with double stomp off the top. Horiguchi locks in the single leg crab. AJ escapes and double legs Horiguchi into the corner tag to Sydal. AJ holds Horiguchi allowing Sydal to hit a leg drop off the top. Sydal with a modified single leg crab tag to AJ. Knee drop by AJ. Kid comes into attack AJ who just shoves him off. I think Dragon Kid slipped AJ had no choice but do something like that. Tag to Sydal who hits a great looking standing drop kick. Enzigure by Horiguchi but Sydal holds the leg so the Dragon Gate team can't tag. Horiguchi reveres a suplex. Tags by both teams. Dragon Kid in with a springboard dropkick than spin kick. AJ sent to the floor Osi moonsault on AJ. Horiguchi with a suicide dive takes out Sydal. Kid goes for kind of move but AJ turns it into a belly to back. Tag to Horiguchi who hits a tornado DDT on AJ and mangoes to kick Sydal on his way down. AJ gets his legs up on a second rope moonsault. Standing moonsault by Sydal. Double spring board Arabian press by Dragon Kid. Ok were the wrestlers told this match was under Lucha/Dragon Gate rules? Because they keep acting like it is. Dragon Kid with the dragon rana only AJ but it only gets two. Sydal with a twisting dive to the floor takes out Dragon Kid. Backslide from Heaven by Horiguchi gets two. Styles Clash gets the win for team ROH. Good match but I wish it had gotten a little more time. As I felt the guys were just getting warmed up when it ended. Also it looked like Dragon Kid was off on this match like he was struggling to deal with the differences between an ROH and Dragon Gate ring.
Dragon Gate Rules Match Dragon Gate: Blood Generation Mashito Yoshino, Cima, and Narku Doi vs ROH: Generation Next Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, and Jack Evans- Dragon Gate Rules means there are not tags you can just enter when you want as long as there was no one from you team in like lucha rules. Blood Generation was a stable out of Dragon Gate and Gen Next was ROH's top stable. Evans with a little break dancing before the bell forcing Blood Generation to back up. Blood Generation refuses to shake hands. Strong and Cima start us off. Strong frap vines the leg but Cima escapes. Shoulder tackle by Strong but Cima gets up and hits a drop kick. Sunset flip by Strong but reversed by Cima. Series of near falls Tag to Doi and tag to Evans. Doi tries various moves to send Evans down by Evans keeps landing on his feet. Evans with a spring board rana that misses by a mile. Spring board front flip by Evans on the floor. Aries and Yoshino comes in Aries with a Japanese Arm Drag. Yoshino with his speed run of the ropes hits drop kick in comes Strong only to get double stomped to the chest . Aries with a power bomb on Yoshino tag to Evans who comes in with a spring board double stomp. Tag back to Aries for a chop than Strong in with one that Yoshino sells like he was shot. Generation Next with a series of moves on the down Yoshino. Back breaker flying elbow combo by Strong and Aries. Yoshino with a arm drag and tag to Cima Evans tags in. Evans goes to fly by Cima catches him in an ace crusher. Doi tags in and a cannon ball senton into the corner crushes Evans. Yoshino in now big vertical suplex. Evans hung in the tree of woe running corner drop kick by Yoshino all there member of Blood Generation are in. Cima with a clover leaf. Strong gets in an pulled Evans to the ropes. Cannon balls by The Dragon Gate teams on Evans and Cima with a double stomp off the top. Strong makes the saves. Evans with a spring board moonsault press takes out Blood Generation and tags in Aries. Aries vs Cima.. Finlay rolls by Aries, Strong with a Elbow off the top followed by a Aries frog splash. Dragon screw by Cima as Aries is coming the ropes. Evans accidentally hits Aries on a splash. Power bomb neck breaker top rope double stomp combo by Blood Generation on Evans. Cima with a big diva but ROH misses where he lands we just see him fly out of the ring and the shot so for all I know he is still flying some where. Gibson driver by Strong gets two. Aries with running drop kick on Yoshino. Aries climbs to the top but Doi shoves him off to the floor. Evans with a spin kick on Doi. Doi five on Evans. Cima is back as he and Yoshino his a double coast to coast drop kick to the corner on Evans. Strong with the Gut Buster on Yoshino than sick kick on Cima and back breaker on Doi. Cima with SHWINE on Evans for the win. Holy hight spot match Batman! To be honest I think this would have been awesome to see live but it suffers on tape. For thing the partner in peril stuff drags on way to long and than blow through seven hundred high spots at the end. Its not an awful match but it's not some classic yo must me.
We get a video recapping the long history of Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels in ROH. Starting with Daniels brining into to be his hired gun in 2002.Daniels failed efforts to win the ROH world title from Joe and there various other matches. Daniels returning to ROH and there feuding starting again. Daniels pinning Joe for the first time in ROH and how the triple shot will finally end the feud. Now the video is really well done and gets the key points across. But s I have said Gabe really fucked up on how he laid out the matches for these guys. There big singles one on one match is the first night of three nights of shows. I just can't get that so you have Daniels finally pinning Joe in a one on one match to win the feud except not really because Joe has a chance at revenge the next few nights. Also they were still feuding in TNA at this time so I kind of feel like ROH should have called off there plans for a Joe vs Daniels feud or held off until after the TNA feud was over.
Samoa Joe vs Christopher Daniels with Alison Danger- Making his entrance Daniels stops on the ramp gets a microphone and tells Joe the champs as here. The song the Champ is Here which Joe used when he was ROH champion plays and Daniels takes off his robe to show the TNA X-Division Championship. I think were hoping for a big "Oh that is so disrespectful" or this feud is so intense it's spilled else where but all it did was make me want to watch there TNA matches instead of the rest of this DVD. Joe charges downy he ramps and tosses Daniels into the guard rails and we are right in an area where I can't see what is going on. Finally they get to ringside as Daniels fights back and sends Joe into the guard rail a few times. For some reason the announcers don't talk over a chunk of. It must have been some rule that in ROH the announcers can't talk until the bell rings but think about a fight breaking out during football or something the announcers don't wait till the game restarts to start speaking. Joe sends Daniels into the ring and the bell rings so Prazak and Lenny can talk. Joe goes fur a running knee into the corner but Daniels moves. Joe sweeps Daniels' legs. Flying knee by Joe lands knocking Daniels down again. Joe goes for the muscle buster early. Daniels uses a body scissors to take Joe to the floor. Daniels with the Arabian press to the floor. Back to the ring flying shoulder tackle off the top by Daniels . Back heel kick from the fallen angel than a head scissors. Drop toe hold by Daniels sends Joe into the turnbuckle. Daniels with a swinging DDT for two. Joe plans Daniels face first. Chop kick and knee drop by Joe. Series of kicks to Daniels chest and finally the back. Hard back elbow by Joe knocks Daniels down again. Joe's special boston crap but Daniels gets the ropes. Daniels hits some chops but charges right into the ST Joe. Match to outside. Joe sits Daniels in a corner and the OLE OLE kick! Joe dents the metal banner ROH puts on the guard rail. Joe goes for a second Ole kick and hits it. Joe pitches Daniels back into the ring. Running knee in the corner by Joe. Muscle buster set up but Daniels escapes and drives Joe back and hits some short shoulder tackles into Joe's gut. Daniels goes for the iconclsim but Joe catches him in the choke. The ref forces the break since Joe is in the ropes. Palm strike by Daniels than the Iconoclasm. Series of flying forearms by Daniels. Joe blocks a belly to back suplex but Daniels is able to hit blue thunder for a two count. STO by Daniels. Atomic drop and big boot by Joe. Joe goes for the senton but Daniels gets the legs up. Snap power slam by Joe gets two. Power bomb by Joe than into the STF and damn Cena watch how Joe does it because that is how you do it. Joe turns it into a cross face. Daniels gets the ropes. Dangers grabs Joe's leg. Daniels sets up for last rights but Joe reverses into the choke but doesn't fall back allowing Daniels to get a chin breaker. Angle's Wings only gets two and I think that fooled a lot of fans since the popped. BME than another BME and than a third for the win. Good match but they had already had a number of better matches by this point and the best Joe vs Daniels matches at this time were defiantly in TNA it's doesn't compare to the Final Resolution match or one they had on Impact about this time. Also I already pointed out the issues with having the big singles matches on night one. Now a big problem both Joe and Daniels had in ROH at this point was they were pretty directionless they did some things like the CZW war and Daniels team with Sydal. But they never really got some thing solid again.
Post match Chris Hero and Nerco Butcher run out and get in the ring. Daniels is ready to fight but Danger steps between them. Hero tells ROH to kiss his ass. Danger keeps begging him and finally Daniels leaves. I always thought this was meant to led to something anything like Danger admitting she didn't want to see Daniels hurt like he was during the Punk feud and her fear Necro and Hero could do that. A twist that Danger was turing on ROH but it went no where. Maybe plans changed but I'm not sure. Joe gets back in the ring. Hero and Joe start to fight. Necro hits Joe from behind. Hero and Butcher stomp on Joe. BJ Whitmer runs out with a chair and takes out the CZW invaders even breaking a chair on Butcher's head. Joe lands big boot on Necro's head allowing the ROH students to run out and and escort the CZW guys out of the building. Sadly Necro decides to no del everything. Joe invites Butcher to face him one on one. Joe says if CZW wants a war they can go to war with him. Joe challenges CZW to bring there weapons because he will take them out with what god gave him his fists, his wrestling ability and the bad ass SOB's of the ROH locker room. It's a great promo by Joe but man did Daniels get screwed again he finally gets his big one on one win over Joe and the moment is forgotten. Plus we never get an explanation for Dangers actions. Also Joe was already part of the CZW war he had fought them at the Fourth Anniversary and Arena Warfare.
Lance Storm says he wants to be part of Bryan Danielson's title reign. Yeah yeah what ever Storm I didn't care about you in 2006 I don't care now. Than we see Jim Cornett getting a phone call about who knocked his tooth out at a prior ROH show. Cornett promises the person that did it will never be seen in ROH again and than we close on the cliff hangers. And I will give it credit since it is an effective way to get people to want to see the next part except ROH had already put it out on the net and I will spoil it here it was Low Ki that was how ROH wrote him out when he left the company for good.
Dragon Gate Challenge has some good to it. A lot of my issues are just dumb booking as to whole relates to the ROH product going foreword. The matches are all pretty good and worth a watch if you just a fan of good wrestling but the story telling really suffers here. I think Gabe was really worried about people skipping over this show so he over loaded it but it instead of making a better show it a damages what is to follow. If you like Dragon Gate it's might be a worth a watch but don't spend more than 10 bucks on this thing.
