Final Battle 2006 – December 23, 2006
Taped from New York, NY
The DVD release begins showing Homicide and ROH Champion Bryan Danielson arriving in the building, giving this a major sporting event feel. Love it.
Some ROH students dress up in Christmas gear and hand out gifts to kick off the live event. They do not get a warm reception. “Fuck you Santa!” The segment comes to a screeching halt when the Briscoes show up, with Jay giving Santa Dempsey an open chair shot on the head. Yeah, a chair shot to the head is DEFINITELY worth the downside in THIS segment. The brothers decimate the students to a “Thank you Briscoes!” chant.
Jay brags a mic and wishes the crowd a “Merry fucking Christmas!” Tonight, the Briscoes want a rematch against the Kings of Wrestling after last night’s finish. Crowd is hyped.
Jimmy Jacobs cuts a backstage promo, feeling lonely in New York City. Apparently he’s generally been very introverted and unsocial, until he found love in Lacey. He’s still pissed about what’s happened to Lacey, but tonight he’s alone, even with mercenary Brent Albright as his partner against BJ Whitmer & Colt Cabana. “He’s not my friend.” Jacobs feels he has very little to live for, but his opponents “will have a lot to die for.”
Christopher Daniels vs. Jimmy Rave vs. El Generico vs. Davey Richards
Generico is quite over already as the crowd breaks out in “Ole!” chants before the bell even rings. Rave has some good heat, but nowhere near his peak when Prince Nana was with him.
Generico and Richards start the match off, and Generico is clicking on all cylinders in terms of connecting with the audience. No shocker there for anyone who’d followed him in PWG, CZW, IWA-MS, IWS, and numerous other indies at this time.
Daniels and Rave is pretty heated, with the Fallen Angel having little tolerance for the former Crown Jewel’s heel tactics. That’s short-lived as Rave takes a powder, returning it to more work between Generico and Richards, only for Daniels to get back in to work on the Generic Luchador. Once Daniels is tossed out and down momentarily, Rave of course tags in to take advantage. He gets an extended Abdominal Stretch on the Tag Champ, only to finally get cut off with a Death Valley Driver.
Richards tags in to reignite his program from a few months back against Rave. Generico tags back in only get dominated by Richards. Everything in this match so far is on point as the crowd chants for Richards.
Geenrico tries some hope spots but gets cut off, so Daniels breaks up the pin and tags in, knowing Richards would’ve had Generico finished off. But Richards scouts the Angel’s Wings and tags Generico in to work against Daniels, and once again the match has been a perfect opener. It’s come down to Daniels, Generico, and Richards trading work with each other while Rave remains on the outside.
Generico successfully hits a Yakuza kick on Daniels, but Richards has it scouted on the next attempt, turning it into an overhead T-Bone suplex into the corner. Rave is shown waiting for an opportunity to jump in, and he does as he tags Richards, who eats a Top Rope Brainbuster from Generico, and then finishes the future Sami Zayn with the heel hook submission.
The crowd breaks out in “Bullshit!” chants, but Rave says he’s aiming for the ROH Title. Nigel McGuinness arrives and kicks his ass. Even with Rave being arrogant and opportunistic, this seems like a bitch move for McGuinness after Rave had just competed. Crowd is fully behind McGuinness.
Perfect opener that guaranteed Generico would return in 2007, stayed true to Rave’s character, and had zero tag legalities as well.
Rating: ***1/2
Ricky Reyes vs. Adam Pearce is just a storyline segment. Pearce & Shane Hagadorn give a spike piledriver to Julius Smokes, still wanting to use any way possible to undermine Homicide tonight.
Brent Albright & Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer & Colt Cabana
Whitmer & Cabana dominate early, with the heels getting very little offense. Jacobs even eats an Exploder Suplex on the entrance ramp. A table gets set up outside the ring and Cabana backdrops Jacobs to set him up for a Whitmer powerbomb throught it, only for Albright to cut it off. This opens the door for the heels to turn Whitmer into a FIP, with Jacobs getting vicious.
Once the hot tag is made, Cabana takes care of business, with the heels having little answer for him. Jacobs finally cuts off the babyfaces with a Shiranui on Cabana and then spinning head-scissors on Whitmer. The dazed Whitmer is victim to a Splash Mountain Powerbomb from Albright onto a table, and this time Cabana cannot overcome the odds. That table spot certainly was spectacular although obviously questionable. Jacobs says this is vindication, and I like that Albright is trying to be congratulatory with Jacobs, reminding me of villainous alliances in films.
Claudio Castagnoli’s ROH Farewell?
Briscoe Bros. vs. Kings of Wrestling
Chris Hero introduces his agent Larry Sweeney, which is a good idea since not everyone was in Hartford the night before. I love Sweeney’s reaction when the crowd breaks into a “Sweet 'N Sour” chant. Hero also says he had a special farewell planned for Castagnoli, but instead they will “man up” in a rematch against the Briscoes
The Briscoes waste no time, being on KOW like white on rice before the opening bell even rings. This is some hot shit, especially when Jay hits a senton to the outside, and they just continue dominating. KOW has no answer for the Briscoes, who are dead set on making an example out of their opponents tonight. That onslaught finally ends though when Castagnoli blocks a head-scissors by Jay, allowing Hero to dropkick his head and begin dominating.
Jay attempts a comeback only to eat a Fall Away Slam and continue having the ring cut in half on him. Hero’s arrogance comes at a price it looks like when Jay gives him a Fisherman’s Buster, only for Hero to prevent the hot tag by yanking Mark off the apron. It finally happens when Jay blocks a double suplex and counters that with a double DDT. The crowd doesn’t pop at all for the tag, just Mark’s house of fire.
I’m glad this wasn’t treated as a turning point in the match, as KOW regained control by having Hero counter a springboard splash with knees to the torso, a scouting from the night before. Castagnoli’s Ricola Bomb on Mark is just a near-fall. Jay gets tagged back in, having regained some endurance.
Everything is mechanically good so far, but there’s been very little to be considered highly dramatic. Rather than create a match that would crack the crowd emotionally, it’s been a moves exchange with dueling chants for the most part. That finally changes when Mark hits a Top Rope Doomsday Rana on Castagnoli, who then eats a splash near-fall from Jay. The crowd breaks out in ROH chants at this point.
Jay tags in Mark in a different corner than they had established, which pisses Sweeney off. Sweeney is technically correct, although I’m happy to see the tag legality is being adhered to at all. The Briscoes’ dominance gets cut off when Hero prevents Jay from hitting a Springboard Doomsday Device, then Castagnoli moments later swings BOTH Briscoes around as their legs are tied on his shoulders for a great moment. KOW stack on Mark for a near-fall, and Sweeney is in disbelief that wasn’t the finish, then the crowd breaks in “This is awesome!” chants as moves start happening like there’s no tomorrow, including the Double Underhook Piledriver, Alpamari Waterslide, and Cutthroat Driver to the crowd’s delight.
I love that everyone is selling the finishing moves, so when Mark crawls to Castagnoli for a weak near-fall, it made sense that Castagnoli kicked out. Hero and Jay have a strike exchange, then Sweeney distracts the ref so Hero can deliver an eye poke, but that backfires. Castagnoli uses Sweeney’s steel briefcase to try knocking Jay out, only for Hero to be shoved in the way, allowing the Briscoes to finish them off with a stereo Guillotine Leg Drop and Shooting Star Press. The crowd is very happy, but this would’ve meant far more had it been a Tag Titles change as I’ve stated before (KOW would’ve threatened to “retire” the belts had they left tonight as champions since Castagnoli was originally leaving.)
Very good match, although not as great as I had remembered. This wasn’t as hot as the similarly structured classic the Briscoes had against Austin Aries & Roderick Strong a few months earlier, so in this instance I’d have liked to have seen the hot tags be more meaningful.
Rating: ***3/4
The crowd thanks Castagnoli and chants for KOW too, but he reveals that he’s sticking around! The crowd is supportive when he stumbles on his English, which I love. He implies that 2007 will be even more historic for KOW, only for Sweeney to say that only Hero is his client. “When you changed your plans, you killed the Kings of Wrestling, and they ain’t coming back.” Hero then begrudgingly sides with Sweeney, leaving Castagnoli all alone in the ring.
He doesn’t have any time to digest his broken friendship, as Samoa Joe arrives immediately once Hero & Sweeney go to the back. Castagnoli tries to be cordial with Joe, only to be told “This is my space, bitch, and I’m not your friend. Get out of my ring.” Castagnoli obliges as he exits through the crowd, completely dejected.
Joe is disappointed he can’t compete tonight in his scheduled singles match against McGuinness. Some of the crowd breaks out a “Fuck Umaga!” chant, but Joe squashes that quickly with pure logic. Joe then says that when ROH returns to this building on February 16, he wants NOAH to send someone, whether it’s Takeshi Morishima, Naomichi Maruufji, or “I’ll tell you what, old man, send me Mitsuharu Misawa.” He then even mentions Doug Williams and Scorpio, plus McGuinness. He promises a fight in 2 months, and then McGuinness comes out to say something. McGuinness wants the match on February 16, but Rave shows up to give him a receipt for earlier on the card, only to get bitch-slapped by Joe. The former ROH Champion then suggests they have a match later tonight. Not keen on Rave doing double-duty in principle, nor since he’s supposed to be a heel too. Why not just have booked the singles match as soon as Joe was unavailable, and let the opener just be a three-way?
The apparent over push of Rave, along with the splitting of KOW, comes across as desperation to manufacture individual stars going into 2007.
It must first be pointed out that the KOW breakup was a HUGE mistake on booker Gabe Sapolsky’s part. KOW are very similar to the Hardyz to me, in that they’ve never been very impressive opponents against each other, and thus it’s always better to keep them paired together. Why WOULDN’T Sweeney want both as his clients too? After all, they are a just a month removed from being Tag Champs. The three of them together had the chance to also be the greatest tag team and managerial combo since Jim Cornette and the Midnight Express as well, but instead Castagnoli, who lacks the mic skills and overwhelming charisma to be a completely solo act without a partner and/or mouthpiece, is thrown in the deep end, rather than protecting him and enhancing Sweeney’s on-screen shrewdness. In addition, Castagnoli’s weaknesses that I just pointed out are very glaring considering he’s now in the same position as Alex Shelley 2 years ago, someone who DID have the traits to pull off the “man without a country” direction. Lastly, at the time of this show, the tag division is looking quite stale without KOW, as it’s now the Briscoes, Aries & Strong, and Tag Champs Daniels & Matt Sydal as the champs. That’s it. That's you’re tag team division going into 2007, folks. Even with KOW having a weak title reign, the division still NEEDED them until at least 2-3 more teams were formed or introduced and got over to a significant level.
At intermission, Pearce tells Gary Michael Cappetta that Smokes has gone home due to cracked vertebrae, so no way does Homicide dethrone Danielson tonight.
Jimmy Rave vs. Nigel McGuinness
McGuinness dominates early, targeting Rave’s left arm and shoulder, but is finally cut off when a running corner uppercut attempt is blocked with a knee strike to the head, and he’s then driven down Uranage-style on the apron. I certainly don’t feel any discomfort whatsoever a decade later when McGuinness hits a barricade head-first, and then Lenny Leonard says “This guy might have a concussion right now. His eyes rolled to the back of his head when he hit that barricade…” Honestly though, McGuinness may have gotten his hands in front when he hit the barricade, so who knows in this instance.
Rave continues dominating for awhile, not allowing the hope spots of McGuinness to stop him. But McGuinness finally regains control with a Hammerlock Takedown. They exchange strikes which McGuinness obviously wins, and Leonard is right to point out that wasn’t the best idea for Rave.
McGuinness continues targeting Rave’s left arm and shoulder. However, that work is cut off when Rave spears him. McGuinness has a hope spot near-fall when he counters the Gonorrhea with a small package, but Rave spears him again while following up with a Shining Wizard.
Rave scouts the rebound lariat, but McGuinness scouts his scouting, hitting a clothesline to regain control. This time the control is extended with various strikes and then a Tower of London, which is a near-fall. The crowd reacts in lukewarm fashion to that, which is disappointing. This wasn’t Rave getting a limb on the rope; he actually kicked out. That’s a huge deal for someone long established as a chickenshit heel.
Rave cuts McGuinness off in the corner, finally hitting the Gonorrhea for another near-fall that had a lukewarm reaction. That’s followed up with a Pedigree near-fall, and now the crowd is waking up as McGuinness kicked out at one and has insult-driven fighting spirit. McGuinness wants more, but it ends up with a Crippler Crossface. (Little did we know what was just 6 months away…) This is a great false finish when McGuinness gets a rope break, as the crowd actually reacts.
McGuinness eats a Saito Suplex and hits a rebound lariat, but the pain from the suplex delays him going for a cover. At this point the crowd is actually engaged in dueling chants which surprises me. Rave prevents another Tower of London and dumps McGuinness out, only to eat one on the apron just like Marufuji 3 months earlier in this building, and then Rave kicks out! Crowd actually treats that as a big deal, but not in overwhelming fashion.
Rave kicks out again when he eats a crotched clothesline, and the crowd is pretty damn surprised. They have a strike exchange and Rave scouts the rebound lariat, securing his second victory of the night with the heel hook. “You still suck!” chants are directed at Rave, who spits on McGuinness as a receipt for earlier. Rave then says he wants to face tonight’s ROH Title match winner on February 16.
Good match, no complaints about it really. They were limited without Nana being around, so of course the crowd wasn’t white-hot. This Rave push is getting really heavy-handed though. Instead of feeding so much to Rave, this was the opportunity to have McGuinness go over; instead of saying he’d face Joe on February 16, which wasn’t the plan at all anyway, he wants the winner of Danielson vs. Homicide. Joe vs. Morishima, which was the obvious plan, can be the closing match that night, with the obvious Homicide vs. McGuinness for the ROH Title underneath to have a controversial finish, leading to a rematch when ROH comes to Liverpool in March. Instead, we have what I consider the equivalent of the Maryse-less Miz’s push that resulted in him headlining
WrestleMania XXVII. Without Nana around, Rave’s stock as a heel drops, and that’s the brutal reality of the situation. He’s still valuable as an mid-card to upper mid-card heel, but under no circumstances should be challenging for the ROH Title at the Manhattan Center without a charismatic mouthpiece to elevate him.
Rating: ***1/2
Danielson is shown preparing, reminding me of Steve Austin looking in the mirror at
WrestleMania X-Seven.
Dragon Gate Rules Match
Matt Sydal, CIMA, & Shingo vs. Delirious, Austin Aries, & Roderick Strong
This review will be much shorter than I would’ve expected a decade later. Simply put, I was not impressed by this match whatsoever. Perhaps this should’ve been the pre-intermission main event so that Todd Sinclair, who had experience in this kind of match, could’ve been the ref instead of Mike Keener.
This match overwhelmingly ignored its very easy tag legalities, which could change by standard tagging, or the legal man exiting the ring to allow a partner to insert himself. With Blood Generation, especially Sydal, being such dicks, this was a major missed opportunity to actually build some tag psychology. Let Blood Gen dominate the match and take advantage of Keener’s inexperience in this environment, with Aries playing the FIP. Aries eventually makes the comeback against Sydal, who he’s had an issue brewing with, in very testy fashion. Delirious & Strong then go crazy at the hot tag, and the match becomes a spectacle as Keener makes a judgment call to let the action fly while adhering to the tag legalities.
Undoubtedly, the action in this match was incredible, as proven by how insane the Manhattan crowd went throughout much of it. The reception CIMA got afterwards was incredible. With that said, I even hate the ending of CIMA pinning Delirious. This was the opportunity for Aries & Strong to humble Sydal and give the cocky champion a sense of vulnerability, building to the former champs getting their Tag Titles shot, which based on Sydal’s Dragon Gate schedule, would happen in this building on February 16 at the very earliest. I am excited that CIMA says he’ll be back in 2007.
Rating: ***
Homicide is shown having his last warm-up moments.
Jack Evans is returning in 2007. Reflecting back, perhaps his absence in the last quarter of 2006 is another reason the product lost a significant chunk of its aesthetic peak. Matt Cross has certainly been a downgrade, and Evans has proven to be incredibly versatile thanks to his style and personality.
ROH Title vs. Homicide’s ROH Career
Bryan Danielson vs. Homicide
Todd Sinclair is assigned this main event, which explains why he was unavailable for the prior match.
New York City is obviously crazy for Homicide, as they should be. The entire pre-match presentation has an intimacy that is often missing in much of today’s professional wrestling; this simply feels like a historic match, in fact everything that Hulk Hogan vs. Sting was supposed to be in terms of crowd hype 9 years earlier at
Starrcade 1997. This feels like what Game 7 of the past NBA Finals between the Cavaliers and Warriors would’ve been had it taken place in Cleveland instead of Oakland.
Danielson refuses Homicide’s gracious handshake at the beginning, instead giving the challenger a middle finger. This sparks a “Fuck you Dragon” chant. Awesome.
Danielson eventually targets Homicide’s taped right shoulder, but neither gets an extended advantage early. The champ’s cockiness is amazing here as he applies the La Tatipia twice, then drives the knees to the canvas on the third time. Homicide brings it to an even point when they exchange strikes though, only to eat an uppercut from the champion, who’s happy to brag about outsmarting the challenger.
They exchange straightjacket submissions, which allows Homicide to gain control. Danielson cuts that off with a chinbreaker, and then chokes Homicide on the ropes while showboating to the crowd and taking full advantage of the 5 count. Danielson got too cocky though, as Homicide evaded a choking strike and then hit Eddie Guerrero’s 3 amigos suplexes.
Then all of a sudden, Shane Hagadorn & Adam Pearce arrive to attack Homicide, including a spike shoulderbreaker. This ensures Danielson leaves as champion via DQ. Homicide’s various friends including Monsta Mack are fought off, only for Julius Smokes to return and drive both out despite his pain from the earler spike piledriver. The heels scurry to the back, but then Sinclair says this match will NOT end in a DQ; Danielson is livid. The cynical would say Sinclair was trying to avoid a riot and ass-kicking; the logical would see this as evidence that Sinclair never had a vendetta against Homicide over the years whatsoever, despite Homicide’s irrational claims.
Homicide is a house of fire despite his right shoulder hurting; that’s all Danielson needs to cut him off and target that joint again. Homicide finally cuts off Danielson with something I don’t recall if Chris Benoit ever did with DDP and Randy Orton, which was counter a diving headbutt with an Ace Crusher. He eventually tosees Danielson out with a vertical suplex, then follows that up with a Tope Con Hilo as Smokes shows concern and tries to give his support to the Notorious 187.
Homicide blocks a forearm strike from Danielson, causing Danielson’s right arm to hit a ring post, making him extra vulnerable when considering his injured right shoulder too. They then tease a great false finish when Homicide hits a Super Overhead Hammerlock Takedown, then locks a submission on the right arm. The crowd is displeased when Danielson cuts off Homicide with a boot, he gives the crowd a middle finger, and hits a diving headbutt. Danielson is showing more pain in the right shoulder than Homicide.
Homicide continues going after Danielson’s arm when he kicks out of a German Suplex. They then exchange strikes, Danielson with forearms, Homicide with boots, with Homicide winning that battle. Danielson avoids a Tope Con Hilo and clotheslines Homicide over a barricade, then hits an insane springboard aerial attack considering his shoulder.
After exchanging some near-falls, Homicide takes too long getting on the top rope; this allows the champ to hit a Super Backdrop Suplex for another near-fall. The champ then goes for elbows to the head, but the challenger does his best to shake them off, and then finds himself in the Crossface Chickenwing after a terrific struggle. They have an excellent false finish when Homicide’s arm drops a third time, but he holds onto Sinclair’s pants to prove he’s still conscious. Homicide gets a rope break but Danielson refuses to break, the champ obviously wanting a DQ, but Sinclair refuses.
Homicide elbows out and throws a right hand, obviously in pain, then locks on an STF, dragging the champ to the middle of the ring to apply it again. Danielson rakes his eyes to break another submission attempt. Danielson avoids the Kudo Driver, only to eat a boot, but then takes advantage of Homicide’s lariat attempt, using the momentum to apply Cattle Mutilation! Homicide rolls out, kicks out of a Tiger Suplex, and then is still victim to another Cattle Mutilation. Danielson goes for more elbows to the head, then reapplies Cattle Mutilation for a third time in the middle of the ring.
They have a great near-fall when Homicide uses the Tiger Suplex position to roll back on Danielson, and then the match hits a fever pitch when Danielson gets his hand on the ropes after a successful Kudo Driver! In shock, Homicide goes shirtless and grabs a ring bell, but the crowd begs him not to use it. Sinclair won’t let him, and Danielson takes advantage with a low blow and small package, but Homicide kicks out for another awesome near-fall! Danielson blocks a lariat, only for Homicide to tell his pain to fuck off just like in their first ever match at
Reborn Stage 2, and hitting the lariat for the victory, and finally ascending to the top by ending the greatest title reign in underground wrestling history!
A number of babyfaces are in the ring to congratulate Homicide, including Roderick Strong (that’s something to remember MUCH later in the future.) If there’s a missed opportunity here, it could be that Homicide isn’t selling the fresh low blow, but perhaps it can be argued that while Danielson struck him, it landed NEAR the groin, not actually on it. Homicide is selling his right shoulder, but is then congratulated by the former champion Danielson, who graciously gives him the belt, but makes it clear he’ll want a rematch at some point.
The crowd is going crazy here, because on the underground wrestling scene, this IS as historic as a hometown team winning Game 7 of the World Series, NBA Finals, or Stanley Cup Finals after suffering an extensive drought. Homicide takes the time to put over the backstage crew and the NYC crowd, saying that this is for them. He then pays homage to the Notorious B.I.G., ending it with “Brooklyn, we did it!” The ringside celebration then plays to the tunes of Jim Jones’s “We Fly High” and even more epically, Frank Sinatra’s “Come Fly With Me” from what I can tell.
A terrific main event that while not even close to the greatest in ROH’s history, is a staple in the history of underground wrestling, that wrapped up years of storylines. Since Homicide would never reach a level of significance in TNA that matched up to this, and he would unfortunately be one of the numerous victims of WWE’s primitive hiring philosophies until CM Punk was the first to break that barrier at
Money in the Bank 2011, this is, like the match I just referred to, a career-defining moment for its victor. This is also one of the defining moments of my 19-year wrestling fandom, a rewarding experience that the underground wrestling scene stopped delivering years ago.
Danielson should NOT have kept wrestling when he got hurt at
Gut Check; with that said, his decision to keep going for another 4 months, in what primarily looks to be because he was a total team player throughout his career and wanted Homicide’s moment to be as meaningful as possible, is yet another reasons why a decade ago, there was no championship I respected more in North American wrestling than the Ring of Honor Title.
This was a great, emotional ending to the greatest reign in the history of underground wrestling, a title reign that significantly defined Danielson’s Hall of Fame career and the 2000s decade in general. It was a match that paid off many of the finishers Danielson had established since dethroning James Gibson at
Glory By Honor IV, making all of them meaningful when they took place on this magical night. It is the moment that made sitting through the awful booking of
Night of the Grudges II a worthy venture, for this moment would likely have never happened had New Jersey not hijacked that show in Homicide’s favor.
Lastly, this was yet another final chapter for a great underground wrestling rivalry for the 2000s decade in December 2006. Unlike Danielson vs. Joe 15 days earlier, this was a fitting end to the Danielson vs. Homicide rivalry that had started with a fantastic, highly under-appreciated dream match at
Reborn Stage 2, and became an actual feud that spanned half a year.
Rating: ****
The match is followed by a video chronicling Homicide’s time in ROH since Day 1, showing his greatest moments and his worst moments (including the fact that Low Ki and Boogaloo were both excommunicated from the company), clearly stating how badly he wanted to become the ROH Champion; every decision of his since 2003 has been centered around winning this title, which even further elevated the importance of the belt as a box office attraction for the company. This video truly reminds me of what I miss so much about the Golden Age of ROH.
Do I need to spell out why this show is a necessity for fans of Homicide, Bryan Danielson, and underground wrestling? Do I need to point out that the match quality on this is on par with
The Final Showdown?
Even with the booking red flags becoming more frequent, this gets my strongest recommendation possible. The historic main event alone would’ve made this a must-have, but the quality undercard gives this the depth to be considered just a notch below the most elite events in ROH’s history.
There will be 2 separate columns coming as holiday gifts to compliment this review; one will chronicle Homicide’s journey to what turned out to be his career-defining moment, while the other will chronicle the greatest title reign in the history of underground wrestling.
It’s difficult to really say if 2004, 2005, or 2006 has a stand out amongst the three as the greatest calendar year in ROH’s history. Some will pick 2004 because that’s when the switch got flipped in response to Rob Feinstein being forced out of the very company that he had founded. Some will pick 2005 because of its overall consistency, with peaks in February, May, almost all summer, and the majority of the last quarter. Some will pick 2006 because of its first 9 months, featuring all-time epic title reigns, all-time epic storylines, all-time epic rivalries, and excellent usage of special attraction talent.
I for one cannot pick between the three; it’s obvious that they are collectively the true peak of ROH’s 15-year history, a peak that will never be duplicated on the underground.
What I do know is that even with so many red flags popping up in the last quarter of 2006, it was one Hell of a historic, unforgettable year for the company. In a “normal” year, the breakthrough character work of Jimmy Jacobs and everyone else involved in his saga would be the angle of the year; but that’s not the case in a year featuring the greatest inter-promotional feud of all-time, which is also the greatest feud in ROH history, and my pick for the greatest feud of the 21st Century to date.
In a “normal” year, when there isn’t a definite easy one or two contests to point to as the MOTY, it’s because there are great picks aplenty, but none that stand head and shoulders above the rest. That isn’t the case here; in a rarity, it was difficult for me to pick the MOTY because there were so many all-time classics in 2006, the kind that in a “normal” year, would stand head and shoulders above the competition.
In a “normal” year, there would be an easy moment or two to point to as the most unforgettable, but like WWE in 2016, there are too many historic ones, just like the absurd quantity of historically great matches.
Let’s also not forget that 2006 featured what is, nearly 11 years later now, the greatest event in underground wrestling history, that being
Better Than Our Best. From start to finish, it wasn’t just a consistent event in the ring; it featured interesting directions across the entire card, wrapping up angles, advancing angles, and kicking off angles that had viewers dying for the next chapters in ROH’s canon. It was a show that truly displayed the variety that ROH was once so defined by, from tag team wrestling to trios action to spotfests to hardcore matches to scientific artwork; from career-advancing victories to outsider domination to championship ramifications to violent finales; and all done with talent that came in to bust their asses to put on an awesome show and steal
WrestleMania 22 weekend, whether they were hoping to get WWE’s attention, had already been in WWE and WCW, or visiting from the Land of the Rising Sun.
What must also be mentioned is that
Better Than Our Best was the peak of the 7 events that compiled
The Milestone Series. If I could use a comparison, I’ll go local here in the state of Washington. If
The Milestone Series is the Cascade Ranges, then
Better Than Our Best is Mount Rainier. Simply put, a fucking drop-dead gorgeous collection of artwork with a clear, distinct, breathtaking peak that like Mr. Rainier does for the Seattle and Yakima areas, is a defining staple of ROH’s history and reputation.
I would like to think that one day, I will have the time to once again revisit the golden years of ROH. I’m not sure if I ever will though, as much as I really would like to. I’ll still move forward with this project for now; but there are a number of things going on in this world that I know I’ll have to eventually prioritize over my consumption hobbies of various entertainment, whether it be pro wrestling, films, television series, sporting events, or even retro video game playthrough viewings on YouTube for nostalgic purposes. It isn’t to say that I don’t love, enjoy, and appreciate these hobbies, but they are ultimately leisure activities that I know deep down in my heart, consume time that I can instead use to assist those who don’t have the same kind of leisure as I and many other of my fellow first-world citizens do. That decision, if, or more plausibly when, will be a topic for another time when I reach it.
Not even taking THAT life-changing decision into effect, I will be honest. The last 3 months of 2006 for ROH have not impressed me overall. Sapolsky’s burnout has become apparent, and I’d be surprised if owner Cary Silkin didn’t notice the red flags too. Surely, he had to notice the mixture of anger and apathy displayed by the Philly crowd at
Burnout The Bitter End. Surely, he had to see how dead the crowds were in Philly, Long Island, Hartford, Dayton, Cleveland, and Chicago. Surely, he cringed like I did when Christopher Daniels declared himself and Matt Sydal as “Lords of the Ring.”
Like I said, I will continue this project. But the truth is that I’m not looking forward to 2007. Sure, I’m excited to see Joe go up against Morishima and McGuinness. Sure, I’m excited to see the final months of the saga involving Jacobs, which obviously will have him end his portion against Cabana in Chicago on February 24, and then against Whitmer in Detroit on
WrestleMania 23 weekend (I could see those coming a mile away a decade ago.) Yes, I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store for Generico after his successful “tryout” at
Dethroned and
Final Battle 2006. Sure, I’m excited to see Evans return and notice if he’s had anymore improvement from spending even more time in Dragon Gate. Sure, I’m excited to see Shingo continue his excursion. Sure, I’m looking forward to what else Sweeney has up his sleeve, as he oozed a charisma that very few of his contemporaries could match up to.
But I’m not looking forward to a Nana-less Rave get shoved down my throat. I’m not looking forward to Castagnoli being left on his own in an effort to replicate Alex Shelley’s role from 2 years earlier. I’m not looking forward to whatever Sydal & Daniels are gonna do next with the Tag Titles. I’m not excited for the tag team division at all with them as champs, and now KOW broken up. I’m not looking forward to Matt Cross, get the same if not better opportunities when it’s clearly obvious Generico brings much more to the table, already gotten over as a character and not just for spectacular moves. I’m not looking forward to B-shows that will be so unevenly slapped together by a “GM/head coach” that is clearly displaying signs of exhaustion after nearly 5 years in the position. And I’m also not looking forward to an ROH without Bryan Danielson, who obviously will finally take the time off he’s procrastinated for 4 months.
Maybe the reputation that 2007 has will be a flawed narrative. Maybe I’ll find out that the unfavorable history of that year for ROH has been rewritten to an unfair degree. Maybe my reservations will be wrong. But based on every red flag I’ve seen, which honestly started showing at
Fight of the Century and then became incredibly glaring at
Survival of the Fittest 2006, I can’t bring myself to be excited.
I know that I’m glad ROH’s next event would be 5 weeks away, which is pretty much the same amount of time for me to have a break based on my 10th anniversary shtick I got going with this. But rest assured, every problem I’ve just pointed out about ROH, has ONLY been based on what I’ve come across from late 2006. I’m not even including anything that hasn’t been alluded to yet and is still to unfold in 2007.
With that said, the first 3 quarters of 2006 are enough to make this a fucking phenomenal year for ROH. Without further ado, I give to my readers…
SUPER DUPER ROH 2006 AWARDS
Wrestler of the Year:
Bryan Danielson
Runner-up – Jimmy Jacobs, Austin Aries, and Roderick Strong
Debut of the Year:
Chris Hero @
Hell Freezes Over
Breakout Performance of the Year:
Matt Sydal @
Hell Freezes Over
Feud/Rivalry of the Year:
Ring of Honor vs. Combat Zone Wrestling
Runner-up – Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness and Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer (including Colt Cabana’s involvement)
Show of the Year:
Better Than Our Best
Runner-up –
Dragon Gate Challenge and
Glory By Honor V Night 2
Moment of the Year:
Homicide declines CZW’s offer @
Ring of Homicide and Bryan Danielson gets his foot on the ropes after KENTA hits him with the Go to Sleep @
Glory By Honor V Night 2
Match of the Year:
Team ROH vs. Team CZW @
Death Before Dishonor IV *****
Runner-up – CIMA & Speed Muscle vs. Dragon Kid, Ryo Saito, & Genki Horiguchi @
Supercard of Honor *****
ROH’s Top 10 Matches of 2006 (in chronological order):
1. CIMA & Speed Muscle vs. Dragon Kid, Ryo Saito, & Genki Horiguchi –
Supercard of Honor *****
2. Bryan Danielson vs. Roderick Strong –
Supercard of Honor ****3/4
3. Chris Hero, Super Dragon, & Necro Butcher vs. Samoa Joe, Adam Pearce, & BJ Whitmer –
The 100th Show ****3/4
4. Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness –
Weekend of Champions Night 2 ****3/4
5. Homicide vs. Necro Butcher (entire segment) –
Ring of Homicide *****
6. Austin Aries vs. KENTA –
Chi-Town Struggle ****1/2
7. Team ROH vs. Team CZW –
Death Before Dishonor IV *****
8. Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness –
Unified *****
9. Bryan Danielson vs. KENTA –
Glory By Honor V Night 2 *****
10. KENTA & Davey Richards vs. Austin Aries & Roderick Strong –
Honor Reclaims Boston ****3/4
Up next –
Dedicated
Matches will include:
Davey Richards vs. Rocky Romero
Samoa Joe vs. Nigel McGuinness
Briscoe Bros. vs. Austin Aries & Roderick Strong