In early 2006 ROH had some major milestones coming so they did the Milestone Series six events that would see the company turn four years old, there first trip to the ECW arena, the first ever triple shot over WrestleMania Weekend and finally ROH's 100th show. And make not mistake about it they wanted you to buy every show in the series as they did To Be Continued… at the end of the shows and did special packaging for the DVD. This is like WWE doing the Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and WrestleMania all in a row. Not only would these shows feature the ongoing CZW war they would also feature stars from Pro Wrestling NOAH and Dragon Gate, the end of along the way. Lets take a took at the first show in the series. The fact ROH was reaching four years is a pretty big deal a lot of indy companies got belly up before than and even "big" companies like the GWF or UWF (Herb Abrams Version) with TV deals don't last. So the fourth anniversary was a reason to party for ROH.
We open with Jim Cornett in his house. Cornett welcomes us to the show and say he can't believe its been a year since the third anniversary show. He also thanks the fans for there support. He explains he again had some business to deal with in Louisville but he will be getting updates on the show and will have some rulings he wants to announce later. As much as I rip Cornett he's actually fine here he's calm he's sounds like an actual person you could see getting his a job running ROH and I wish companies would do this more often instead of having the "boss" there every show just have him pop up from time to time when it's key.
We see the teams for the advertised opening match make there entrance but just before the bell rings everything goes to shit! The Briscoe Brother make there ROH return. For those that missed this glorious time in ROH the Briscoes were out with injures for a while so ROH could have some decent tag team matches. To be fair this before the Briscoes went down hill in terms of look and still like like wrestlers instead of parodies of average fans think Indy Wrestlers look like. Jay gets the microphone and says tonight is a fresh start and they want to prove they are best and add themselves to the match. Decent promo as again this was pre drunken redneck Briscoe but yeah that BS is coming soon enough.
Jason Blade & Kid Mikaze vs Tony Mamaluke & Sal Rinauro vs The Briscoe Brothers Jay & Mark- The Briscoes jump right in the ring The other teams jump on the Briscoes. Jay with a bad looking release German on Sal. The Briscoes clear house. Mark with his sloppy looking Shooting Star to the floor just seconds into the match. I don't want to sound like Jim Cornett here logging for the days of NWA souther style where a cross body was high spot but for the love of god the match just started and he's already doing that move. And I think that's the first not strike that Mark has used in this match. Hell look at Austin Aires he does plenty of flying but he doesn't start out with it he builds to and a move like SSP to the floor would a be a major moment. Finisher number two from the Briscoes as Jay hits a Death Valley Driver. Double team running knee by Blade and Mikaze. Ok strange spot where it looked like Jay went for a double clothesline but than Blade and Mikaze pop up and Jay rolls to the outside like he felt some kind of move. I think it was meant to be some kind of double team arm drag but Jay's arm's were not hooked. Mamaluke slams Rinauro onto Mikaze. Mikaze misses a kick that Sal sells. Mark comes in with a missile drop kick and is so low he almost hits his back. The Briscoes hit a burning Hammer and Legdrop combo on Blade for the win.This match was doomed we had the jobber team, the random team that people never cared about and the Briscoes. Typical Briscoe Brother BS moves that should be finishers uses every five seconds and they all look sloppy and dangerous.
Christopher Daniels talks about how BJ Whitmer had been a thorn in his side. Daniels explains he didn't reform the Prophecy with BJ because he had put his hands on Alison Danger and he will start it and finish it tonight. Its a really good promo by Daniels and it's a nice use of history. See when Daniels was pulled by TNA for while Whitmer and his parter Dan Maff were managed by Danger still eventually they turned face and she vowed revenge and brought in various teams to take them out. Whitmer did in fact hit her with an Exploder Suplex. When Daniels returned to ROH Danger was again his manager so it all fits he was loyal to Danger. Amazing ROH could remember all that and WWE creative can't recall what happened on there own shows last month. We than Lacey approaching Daniels and offering to help him beat BJ. Again this made sense as BJ had left Lacey's Angles the Trios Tournament. And again it made sense for them at work tougher. We also get a look at the ROH top rankings this month it's Low Ki, Jimmy Rave, Christopher Daniels, Alex Shelley and Roderick Strong.
Four Corner Survival- Adam Pearce vs Azrieal vs Claudio Castagnoli vs Jay Fury- Fury was a regular in FIP who was getting a look. Pearce and Azrieal start us off with Perace out powering the smaller man. Pearce started mocking Claudio's trademark "Hey." Azrieal tries some some big shoulder blocks and finally knocks I'm down. After eating a few dropkicks Pearce tags in Double C. Claudio has some fun and frustraters Arzrieal who tag in Fury. Fury with a leaping spinning elbow I'm sure that's a move that sound cool but it looked stupid. Pearce tags himself back in by slapping Castagnoli in the face. Nice drop kick by Pearce on Fury. Claudio tags himself back in and comes in for a delayed vertical suplex and by delayed I man he actually holds Fury up for a bout a minute. Pearce breaks up the pin by back chopping Claudio. Big slap by Claudio tag back in Pearce. Pearce with a great looking spine buster on Fury for two. Fury with a big double stomp right on Pearce's chest. Fury finally makes the tag to the very fresh Azrieal. Pearce tries to tag out but Claudio bails out. House of fire spots by Azrieal. Pearce again knocks off Claudio who comes in and hits an upper cut on Pearce. Fury with a twisting suplex on Azrieal. Fury takes Claudio out with a spring board twisting splash to the floor. Pearce hits the big splash from the top rope on Azrieal for the win. Decent match problem is the ref seemed to be unsure of when to count a strike to someone on the outside as a tag or not and by the end the tags were forgotten about.
Jay Lethal vs Samoa Joe- Lethal had been the protégée of Joe's but had turned on him and used various heel moves to steal a win back at Steel Cage Warfare. Lethal tried to jump Joe at the start but Joe saw it coming and made Lethal pay. Big suicide dive by Lethal early on. Leonard and Prazak explain a little more about Lethal's heel turn saying it came after Lethal learned how much Joe was begin paid. Lethal works over Joe's head and neck early on even choking him using the ring ropes. Joe with some stiff kicks but Lethal pulls him to the ground and rams his head into the guard rail. Joe catches Lethal on leap frog drives him into the ground. Joe catches Lethal on a cross body and gives him a fall away slam. Lethal counters ST Joe into an arm drag and than a neck breaker. Lethal his Joe's trade mark snap power slam but only gets two. Powerbomb into the STF by Joe. Big running knee by Joe. goes for the Muscle Buster but Lethal escapes by going to the eyes. Flying head but by Lethal gets two. Joe knocks Lethal with a palm strike and enziguri and than the Muscle Buster for the win. Good match both guys sold the intensity well and did little thing like pulling the hair and going to the face that would do in a fight with a guy your early didn't like. This pretty much wrapped up the Lethal and Joe feud as Lethal was gone and Joe would going into the CZW war and keep his feud with Daniels going its to bad as there was plenty of potential in it at the start.
Next we get a highlight video looking back the previous years in ROH. We see Austin Aries defeating Colt Cabana in a cage match for the ROH title. Jimmy Rave's feud with AJ Styles and CM Punk. The Homicide vs Bryan Danielson feud. And for some reason highlights from the Best American Super Juniors tournament a show considered the worst in ROH history. Gen Next turning on Alex Shelley. Punk winning the ROH world title and turning heel and signing his WWE contract on the belt. Punk losing the belt and his final ROH match with Colt Cabana. And lots of other stuff. Its a very well done video and I love seeing stuff like this fist for a big moment like ROH turning four.
BJ Whitmer vs Christopher Daniels with Alison Danger and Lacey- If the CZW war had one problem with it its that in order to get guys into the ROH side they had to kill feuds or delay them. Whitmer some how got hit by this really hard. First his feud with Daniels that actually had a lot of potential got reduced to just a few matches even though they had clearly been building to it. Heck you could BJ vs Daniels, Daniels vs Jacobs, Daniels and a Parter vs BJ and Jacobs. An mixed tag with Danger and Lacey involved. ROH quickly turned BJ face after turning him heel just a few months before and broke up his team with Jacobs for a feud that would come down the line. Again I like the CZW feud and BJ was a big pat of that I'm just pointing out what might have been. Lockup to start with neither guy backing down. Gabe jumps in on commentary to make a dumb sex joke and sell his "Jimmy Bower" is drinking story. BJ with a nice flying knee. Daniels takes control until BJ hits a leg kick that causes Daniels to drop. Danger gets right in the ring to check on him which I find strange. They try to explain Daniels has been out with a knee injury lately. Daniels with a big spear right away again I find it strange since his knee was supposed to be hurt. Daniels with a chair and he hits BJ in the back. What did ROH make chair shots legal? I mean first Lethal vs Joe at Steel Cage Warfare now this. They brawl into the fans and all I can make out is the log on BJ's elbow pad and his tape because they are whiter thing else I can't't make out. There is zero lighting and you can tell someone took a big bump that the whole world missed. Match gets thrown out and sadly it's just been a waste. There was never a real high spot some bizarre stuff and than they brawl into the fans so anyone watching on DVD can't see them. Now there was a reason for getting them out of the ring….
All of a sudden Chris Hero, The Necro Butcher and a bunch of other guys from CZW jumped the guard rail and got in the ring. Hero got on a microphone and sang Happy Birthday and Fuck you to ROH. The ROH locker room came out but couldn't retake the room. Finally Adam Pearce got in and got at Hero. BJ Whitmer returned went after the Butcher as the rest of the ROH Locker Room Finally got in and the brawl was on. TO ROH's credit it was just just a few ROH guys it was a pretty much everyone on the roster at the time coming out. The ring cleared out allowing Hero to return and than Samoa Joe hit the run and attacked Hero The CZW crew saved Hero. the ROH crew stood strong as the fans chanted ROH ROH ROH and Joe Joe Joe. Good segment as the brawl was well done since it happened during a match it was unexpected as ROH didn't really do stuff like this where the match got forgotten about. And given the Idea it was ROH vs CZW and not just these ROH guys vs those CZW guys it was cool to see even guys like AJ Styles and Austin Aries run out. Its kind of like TNA having the locker ban together to fight Aces and Eights it works.
Suddenly the Briscoe Brothers jumped Austin Aries. Roderick Strong came back for the save as the ROH locker room now had to pull four of there own apart. This didn't work as well. Now' I'll admit I'm biased and hate the Briscoes but we just had this big brawl and than we got right into another one see it kind of kills that who it's all for ROH thing we the Briscoes go and jump on ROH guys. Than Homicide and Colt Cabana ran out to jumpstart there match. I assume this was Gabe having his "be like ECW" moment on the show but come on. We have Daniels and BJ brawling than the CZW brawl than the tag team brawl right into another brawl to kick off a hardcore match. Hell I almost feel like the guys behind WSX booked this segment
Ghetto Fight
Colt Cabana vs Homicide with Julius Smokes- Colt rams Homicide into the guar rails to star. Fuck we got right into the fans and I can't see. They don't stay out there for long and are back at ringside. These two had a long on going feud and both guys had damaged each other time and again. This is actually an I quit match but they called it a Ghetto fight because Homicide's in it. Smokes doing his stupid "yeah yeah yeah." BS. Colt puts his foot on Cide's throat. Homicide start throwing chairs into the ring. Smokes as usual won't' shut up and keeps doing all he can to get into camera shot. Homicide rams Colt into the ring post. Cabana busted open and Homicide tires to tear it open even worse Colt has to have Smokes yelling his face. Homicide pulls the aluminum ROH sign off the guard rail and hits Colt I think they were hoping it would sound good when Colt hit it but instead it just show how bad a weapon that is. Prazak claims that it's steel but it's clear its not. Smokes hands Homicide a razor that he uses to dig into Cabana's face. Cabana whipped into the aluminum. Homicide goes for a single leg crab I get it's an I quit match so submissions make sense but none of the moves he had done had damage Colts legs or back it was all to his head and neck. Colt goes for a arm lock and the makes sense given Homicide's bad shoulder. Moonsault by Cabana misses and Homicides hits the lariat with the bad arm oh come on Homicide. Homicide uses a camel clutch again none of moves had been to the back witch is what the clutch works. Smokes hands Homicide a coat hanger witch he uses to choke Cabana. Finally the referee calls for the bell. What a bad match maybe the worse of Colt and Homicide's career. Ignoring the issue of it coming after a series of brawls we than get a freaking giant piece of aluminum as a weapon. Homicide using submissions for body parts he hadn't worked over and just a crappy hardcore match with no logic on top of it all. Also Colt didn't quit the referee called off the match even though the idea was it was an an I quit match. Hell wasn't this the stuff ROH was saying CZW was all about?
Post match the Rottweilers comes out to celebrate but Cabana gets a microphone and says he didn't quit and that Homicide needs to finish him off. Colt mentions Homicides son. Cide and Smokes return to the ring but this time Colt gets control for a while. Smokes pours "rubbing alcohol" Into Colt eyes and Homicide piledrives Colt through a table to the floor. Sadly the table doesn't break meaning Colt took even more damage. Homicide demands a fight without Honor in Colt's hometown of Chicago. this segment was just over kill. We already Colt "nearly die" with the coat hanger why not have Colt get up and make the challenge for the fight with out honor instead? We than linger on Homicide going nuts I think the goal was to show how dangerous he was but it actually was just boring. Finally we see Colt get up and make his way to the back. Witch was meant to be Colt is tough moment but you know after all that it would be smarter to have a stretcher.
We cut to Cornett to getting an update on the CZW attack and he thus morphs into typical Jim Cornett. He starts ranting about CZW. Cornett mentions how he lost a a tooth in previous CZW attack and than picks a Louisville Slugger and says ROH is branding together. Cornett also he will be the one to take a few shots at CZW with the Slugger. It actually is a good promo but sadly this was start of Cornett morphing into the Jim Cornett we pretty much get all the time now. You know ranting and raving convinced he's the only one that knows anything about wrestling. But that's the problem when you start getting Cornett into a storyline.
ROH World Championship Bryan Danielson © vs Jimmy Rave with Prince Nana- Why the hell isn't this the main event? I mentioned in the past that most of Danielson's title defenses took place on the mid card and it will always bother me. Its not lie the crowd wouldn't have been hot for it. Rave was hated by everyone as he always showered with toilet paper and well Danielson could do no wrong in the ROH fan base. It just hit me Gabe was keeping Danielson out of the main event long before the WWE was. The Embassy had attacked Danielson at a previous attempt and than was part of the winning team of the trios tournament to earn a title shot. Jimmy with a arm bar but Daniels turns it into a pin fall and than gets to a waste lock. Rave keeps escaping many of Danielson's wrestling attempts. Prazak and Leonard put over Rave skills and the fact he's been a number of high profile match. Sloppy exchange of slaps. Gabe rejoins the commentary team and during a down moment in the match. But come on he couldn't do that during an earlier match I'm all for thanking the fan base but during a world title match the match needs to be the focus. Head scissors by Rave controls American Dragon but he kips put and gets Rave in position for a stink breaker. Rave gets the ropes and Danielson reminds the ref he has tell five. See it stuff like this I call but shit for anyone that ever said. "Danielson doesn't have charisma." The guy has more charisma even back than a lot of so called "Superstar." Danielson goes for the surfboard but Rave escapes except instead of it being an escape it looks more like Danielson just fell off. Danielson works over Rave's shoulder. Rave gets control and actually gets Danielson in the surfboard but can't get it all the way up so he instead makes it a chin lock. Series of counter wrestling moves ends with Danielson taking over again. Its seems like there is a lot of stalling and just rest holds in this match and big part of that is it went to long. Again I like Rave and I feel this should have been the main event but it felt like Gabe said "I know you guys have about 20 mins planned but go 40." I do like in ring wrestling and grabbling spots but when most of them are just rest holds it makes for a boring match. Danielson with a great looking slingshot suplex into a cover for two. Rave with a big spinning neck breaker gets two. Danielson finally manages to the surfboard. Danielson in a bit of creativity is even able to turn it into a pin fall. Danielson goes for a superplex but Rave shoves him off the champion hits the ropes throat first. Rave with running dropkick on the champion. Rave rams and whips Danielson into the guard rails.Rave goes for the Cattle Mutilation on Danielson and Leonard in a nice moment asks "How many moves can this guy steal?" Nana takes cheap shot when the referee's back is turned. Now that is how you get good heat not running around like an idiot screaming "YEAH YEAH YEAH!" Rave with a super superplex and again goes for Cattle Mutation Danielson gets the ropes. Leonard again show how good he is points out "Rave couldn't' get his hands locked like Danielson when he does it." Danielson with the backflip out of the corner into a big kick. Danielson with a snap butterfly suplex and than the diving head but. Danielson tries to lock in the cross face chicken wing but Rave counters.
Cheap pin as Rave holds the ropes. Rave goes for the running knee but Danielson catches the leg and gets Rave in a half crab. Rave locks in a sleeper as Prazak pus over Rave's past with Punk and Styles and now he was going hold for hold with Danielson. Of course since no one not named Piper hasn't won a match via a sleeper since 1983 Danielson escapes. Danielson again locks in Cattle Mutilation. Rave manages to get the ropes. Rave is busted open from something. Belly to back superplex. Rave kicks at two and back to the Cattle Mutilation Rave again escapes. Tiger suplex but Nana pulls the referee out. Danielson takes Nana out with a suicide dive. Danielson caught with a spar a he comes off the top rope. Gahanarea followed by Running knee by Rave. Rave with a Butterfly lock but Danielson gets the ropes. Rave goes for the pedigree but Danielson escapes. Danielson locks Rave in a hold and starts hitting him with elbow strikes finally the referee calls for the bell. Now I think this and the KO finish between Joe and Whitmer on an earlier show was the start of ROH trying to work MMA style into there shows. Now I love MMA but I feel a referee stoppage should be something rare done everyone once in a while. Plus Danielson's elbows look like shit. I get the guy had to be holding back not wanting to hurt anyone but to me they never looked like like the kind of blows that should finish anyone. The match itself goes way to long I feel like you could have cut at least ten minutes out with no problem. I get Rave was doing going for the cattle mutilation over and over but Danielson hadn't used that move as a finisher since coming back if anything he had turned the cross face chickening into his submission finish. Plus this match had Kurt Angle syndrome. You know a guy keeps locking in his big submission hold but time and again the guys escapes.
Post match the announcers remind us that Danielson will face Alex Shelley on the next show and if he wins that match he will pass six months as champion. We also Nana yelling at the referee only to get scared off by Danielson.Nana returns and helps the battered Rave to the back with would have been more effective if we hadn't already had Colt Cabana limp out. More highlights form the year including Nigel McGuinness wining the Pure Title. Mick Foley in ROH. Danielson's title win. Jade Chung breaking away from the Embassy. The Cabana and Homicide feud. Joe vs Kobashi. The Embassy vs Generation Next. And the start of the CZW war. And the one night return of CM Punk at Unscripted 2. Again it's another good video and and I enjoy seeing stuff like this on a anniversary show.
Ricky Reyes with Julius Smokes vs Jack Evans- Smokes had already started his damn "Yeah Yeah Yeah." Shit before he was in the entry way.And you know what I can't even call Smokes stuff negative heat it's just annoying hell him returning to manage the Vulture Squad actually made me stop buying ROH DVD's it was the straw that broke the camel's back during a down time in ROH for me. The guys is a distraction during matches. Evans offers his hand but Reyes kicks him in the stomach. Reyes with a springboard 450 takes out Smokes which I'm torn about one the one hand it was way to soon to do that move on the other it shut up Smokes for a few seconds. Evans had just gotten back from a tour of Dragon Gate and Prazak claims he had only been in the building ten minutes. Saito Suplex by Reyes. Evans goes for a rana but just bounces off of Reyes who I think failed to catch him. Evans goes for a springboard 630 but misses and hits the outside floor hard. Now this is one of those moments where it's clear something has gone wrong and there is a very real chance a man is injured. The kind of moment where you take a second to let him get checked on but Smokes can't sand anyone not looking at him starts throwing a roll of toilet paper at some fans. And I don't want to hear "He was killing time." Because he wasn't see the reason Evans missed was Reyes dropped to soon so he was selling the shot. We didn't need time to be killed just have both men down let the referee check on Jack. We don't' need an idiot screaming "Were the best in the world." Reyes gets Evans back in the ring. Series of Power Bombs than finally a sit-down bomb but Evans kicks at two and yeah even I fell for that near fall. Evans is crotched on the top rope Big DDT than into the dragon sleeper by Reyes for the win. Outside of the botch it was a decent pop corn match to kill time before the main event. But Smokes made it awful Honestly I don't think the guy has ever had any respect for the guys that get in the ring.
ROH World Tag Team Championship
Generation Next Austin Aries & Roderick Strong © vs AJ Styles and Matt Sydal- The story here was that Sydal was a member of Gen Next why AJ had teamed with them during the Embassy feud. Sadly they soon had Sydal team with pretty much the entire roster vs Gen Next which I just found odd since he was supposed to be there buddy it was one thing for it be a "mentor" like AJ. Sydal and Strong start us off Sydal with a pin early on. Strong takes over and puts the bad mouth on Evans. AJ tags in and exchanges hammer locks with Strong. Tag to Aries. Aries with an extended headlock on AJ to keep him grounded. AJ outsmarts Aries on his dropkick escape. Sydal and AJ work over Aries. Strong back in double team on AJ as Strong jabs him while Aries holds him. First back breaker by Strong gets two but Prazak says it's was at one. Great looking dropkick by Strong. Kip up rana by AJ on Aries but Strong cuts off AJ. AJ hits a phenomenal dropkick on Strong. AJ goes for a dive but Aries cuts him off with a lariat. Twisting body press by Aries. Sydal has caught Smokes sickness as he won't shut up and keeps yelling "come AJ." I get cheering for your partner but give a rest. Amazing looking northern lights suplex by Aries. Pelle by AJ and the hot tag to Sydal. Clotheslines for Aries and Strong. AJ sweeps Strong's legs and standing moonsault by Sydal gets two. AJ with a sling shot plancha takes on Strong but Suicide dive by Aries followed by the moonsault press by Sydal takes out everyone. AJ back in and gives Strong a taste of his own medicine with some chops and a backbreaker. Strong tries to make a tag but AJ uses his momentum against him and hits a great looking DDT. Aries makes the save. Finally Strong tag in Aries. Big drop kicks take out Sydal and Styles. Pendulum elbow by Aries. Sydal goes for a rana by Aries power bombs him. AJ with a double inverted DDT on the champions after a moonsault. Stereo enziguires by AJ on Sydal on Aries. AJ goes for the spring board but Strong cuts him off off. Torture Back into back breaker by Strong. AJ goes for the spring board again but Strong catches him and we get the Hart Attack by Aries and Strong. Gut buster by Strong than a the brain buster by Aries on Sydal. AJ makes the save. AJ plants Aries Shooting Star by Sydal but Aries gets his foot on the ropes. Sick Kick by Strong as AJ goes for the clash. Half nelson back breaker by Strong followed by the 450 by Aries for the win. Best match of the night by far. Ok I see why this was the main event as the guys clicked well. Even Strong did well he's fine teaming in a main event I don't see him as main true main evener. Hell not to long ago I saw AJ return to ROH vs Strong and why AJ wrestled very different from this match Strong was still pretty much the same guy.
Post match Aries tells the tag belts aren't join any where for a long time. Sadly than the Damn Briscoes hit the ring and give Strong a spiked Jay Driller. Jay than declares they are getting the belts back as Aries yells it's not like it was before. Yeah sadly the Briscoe Brothers were getting shot right back into the tag title picture. And we close outside the Murphy Rec Center where ROH held it's very first show Christopher Daniels stands outside as we get the To Be Continued… Its a decent cliff hanger although I think a better one would have been some kind of warning from CZW given the next show was a double headed with them in the old ECW arena.
This show is pretty awful. Outside of the main event I can't say any of the matches are all that good. Why ROH had some interesting stuff going I do the start of the down ward spiral in quality that led to Gabe leaving and me giving up on ROH for the most part. We see the set up for Cornett to turn heel the thing he never should have done he was fine as the good guy commissioner putting over "real wrestling" not the dumb line spewing idiot he is in shoot interviews. We also get the Briscoes back and I know they have a following but they are an awful team highly over rated that can only do high spots and they don't do them well. I would say avoid it unless your a big time completist and just have to all every show from the milestone series or every ROH anniversary show.
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