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Ring of Honor Wrestlerave June 28th, 2003

June 28, 2003

From the Murphy Rec Center in Philadelphia, PA

Your hosts are Ray Murrow and Chris Levy





Show starts with Low Ki cutting a promo with his arm in a sling as he thanks the fans for their support as he recovers from his injury. He then calls out Danny Maff for joining the Prophecy and says that they will never have a place in RoH, much like Julius Smokes as the streets do not belong in Ring of Honor. Ki then says that Samoa Joe proved to be a fighting champion and how the one-year anniversary of their first match is coming up soon and he will be returning to the ring in August then yanks of his sling and tells Joe all he can do is be ready. Decent promo from Ki here.



Rob Feinstein cuts an intentionally corny promo then gets asked about the "promo schedule" by someone off camera when Simply Luscious interrupts. Feinstein points out how The Group lost two weeks ago and has disbanded so wants to know why she is here as Corino, Shane, and CW Anderson are all out of the company. Luscious said she is ready to work as Feinstein said she can sell programs as Luscious then cuts a terrible promo about how we have not seen the last of The Group and that Corino will come back to cause trouble. This telegraphs a Corino return but the segment itself was not too good.



Dunn & Marcos vs. Prince Nana & Jimmy Jact Cash

Before the match, Nana insults the crowd as he calls Cash one of the best wrestlers on the Independent scene today. Marcos then grabs the mic to say their catchphrases but get attacked from behind. Cash knocks down Marcos before destroying him in the corner. Cash then hits a flying back elbow smash for two then goes over to Dunn and calls him a "bitch" but turns around and gets hit with a Northern Lights suplex. Both men tag out as Nana catches Dunn with a lariat before hitting a few running charges in the corner. Cash tags and comes off of the top with a leg drop then hits a spinebuster but Dunn is able to come back with a Gory Bomb as both men are down then tag out as Dunn & Marcos take care of Nana. Dunn puts Marcos on his shoulders and tosses him off with a senton onto Nana but Cash breaks that up but after that, Dunn assists Marcos with a Sliced Bread #2 and ends up splashing onto Nana in the process then gets the win as Dunn & Marcos have won their first match (4:18) 3/4*. After the match, Dunn & Marcos celebrate to a solid reaction from the crowd.

Thoughts: Match was nothing but it was cool to see Dunn & Marcos actually win. Their celebration afterwards was fun.



Alexis Laree vs. Sumie Sakai

Match starts with the girls trading moves. Sakai's screams are quite grating. Sakai then hits a pair of missile dropkicks before putting Laree in a bow-and-arrow lock. Sakai then puts on a Camel's Clutch as the match has slowed down. Laree fights out and hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors but gets caught with a knee. They have a sloppy pinfall reversal sequence then follow that with a much better one as they are rolling all over the ring with the ref unable to even make a count due to how fast they were going. That pumps up the crowd then Sakai gets two with a back suplex. Northern Lights Suplex gets two. Sakai slams her down the goes up top but misses a moonsault then Laree hits her with an inverted DDT for the win (5:02) **1/4. After the match, Laree raises the arm of Sakai and they hug each other.

Thoughts: Decent action here and easily the best women's match in the company to date. Even still, the company has no semblance of a women's division but as the show went on it seemed like they were trying to establish one.



The Prophecy are backstage as Daniels says that they finally got rid of The Group but are not going to rest and that their mission is to retain the RoH Championship as Danny Maff will be taking on Samoa Joe for the belt tonight. Maff tells Joe that he beat him once and will do it again. Daniels then said that he will team with Raven tonight to face the Second City Saints as Raven is shown sitting on the ground. Daniels asks Raven if he is okay with his messed up ankle as the camera zooms in with Raven just smiling into the camera.



Tap Out Match
Chad Collyer vs. Matt Stryker

Collyer is taking the place of Tom Carter, who we are told missed the show as his wife was about to give birth. Crowd is silent to start as the guys trade holds. Hell, they didnt even applaud the standoff. A few guys start a "Let's go Stryker" chant as Collyer has him grounded on the mat. Stryker now takes control as he has Collyer in a crossface of sorts. Collyer comes back and pus Stryker in a painful looking hold that pops the crowd but cannot maintain it and they end up back on their feet. Collyer takes Stryker back down and stretches him out in order to soften him up for the Texas Cloverleaf, the move that has made Stryker tap twice. Stryker comes back and grounds Collyer with a hammerlock. Collyer fights out then knees Stryker in the face before roughing him up as Levy shits on the WWE for the "Boring" angle with Lance Storm. Stryker ends up escaping from a Fujiwara armbar and is able to put Collyer in his own finisher. Collyer is able to reach the ropes and ducks outside then yanks down Stryker and starts roughing him up, even ramming his leg against the ring post. Collyer attacks the leg with Stryker trying to fight back. Collyer locks on a Figure Four that Stryker is able to reverse as both men are now limping around then start to trade chops. Stryker is able to put Collyer in the ankle lock in the middle of the ring as the crowd chants "tap." Collyer fights out and Stryker puts him back in the hold then Collyer trips him up and locks on the Texas Cloverleaf but Stryker reaches the ropes. Stryker then puts on the Stryker Lock but Collyer reaches the ropes as the crowd boos. Collyer floats over on a suplex attempt from the apron then blocks an enziguiri as he takes down Stryker with a Dragon Screw then is able to put Stryker back in the Cloverleaf as Stryker has no choice but to tap (18:20) **1/2.

Thoughts: The "pure wrestling" matches were too dull for my tastes. Also, it wasn't even all that psychologically involved as they just did submission holds for the sake of doing them, making it too contrived. Plus, both guys bore the shit out of me. Never did get why they were high on Stryker at this point. He should have been a Velocity jobber for the WWE.



Izzy & Dixie & Deranged w/ Special K vs. Carnage Crew & Justin Credible

Before the match, the Carnage Crew introduce Justin Credible as a surprise partner, despite the fact he joined them at the last show. He gets a good pop from the crowd and a loud "welcome back" chant too. After some stalling by Special K, the match begins with Credible taking down Deranged. Credible beats on him but Deranged comes back with a hurricarana and a spin kick that has the rest of Special K going crazy. Loc tags in and beats on Dixie until he gets hit with a tornado DDT. DeVito tags and he beats on Izzy and they work an awful sequence that takes the crowd out of the match. Izzy fights out of the opposing corner as Special K are wrestling as the faces here then makes the hot tag to Deranged. Loc tags and folds Deranged in half with a Saito Suplex. DeVito then destroys him with crossfaces as Levy a lot of awful jokes on commentary. Credible tags back in and chops Deranged in the corner. DeVito misses a moonsault as Deranged makes the hot tag to Dixie, who runs wild. His offense looked bad here. The fans are silent as Special K are the faces in this match, despite being heels. As soon as I say that Special K gets the crowd going with a dive sequence capped off by Izzy getting crazy height on his move. Back in the ring, the Carnage Crew are in control until Dixie fights them off. He potatoed Loc badly on a moonsault kick and has had a terrible match as a whole. Credible takes him out with a super kick then hits the That's Incredible (Tombstone) for the win (9:13) *3/4.

Thoughts: This was entertaining at times but some of this was bad and Dixie flat-out sucked in this match. Nothing he did looked good and he managed to single-handedly dragged down the match. And Special K playing faces for the match made no sense to the crowd but would play into the end of the show.



RoH World Title Match
Danny Maff vs. Samoa Joe

They let us know that Maff's father just passed away the day prior as Maff gets a ton of cheers from the crowd. Maff attacks Joe before the bell. Joe ducks outside where Maff takes him out with a tope. Back inside they exchange strikes with Joe winning that battle then he shoves Maff into the guardrail but misses the ole kick but is able to catch him with a big boot off of a charge. He then hits the ole kick as the crowd goes nuts and want to see it one more time so Joe does it and it looked brutal. Joe tosses Maff into the guardrail before hitting him with a chair. Brutal stuff so far. The action heads back into the ring as Joe hits a butterfly suplex before stretching him out. Joe kicks Maff a few times then hits a German Suplex but Maff pops right up and hits a clothesline as the crowd is fully behind him. Maff beats on Joe in the corner then hits him with a cannonball and follows that with a heel kick. Lariat gets two. Joe puts Maff in the choke but it gets countered with a back suplex as both men are down. Maff finally crawls on top of Joe but is only able to get two. Maff charges but Joe flattens him with an uranage. Joe gets two with a powerbomb then locks on a STF but Maff is able to reach the ropes. Joe charges as Maff returns the favor and catches him with an uranage. He then has Joe up for the Burning Hammer but Joe escapes and hits an enziguiri before getting the win with a Dragon Suplex (10:37) ***1/4. After the match, both guys bow in front of each other on the mat as the crowd applauds. Joe then leaves as Maff is in the ring soaking up the applause from the crowd, who are going crazy for him.

Thoughts: Good hard-hitting match and a nice moment for Maff as the fans really let him know that they felt sorry about the passing of his father. I'm not the biggest Maff fan in the world but he has improved since the company began.



Gary Michael Cappetta is with Homicide and Julius Smokes as he asks Homicide about his match without honor tonight against Trent Acid. This is the result of Acid attacking Homicide at the Do or Die Show that took place one month prior. Cappetta then asks Smokes about Low Ki's comments about him costing Homicide the title as he goes off on a tirade about him. They were using the beef between Ki/Smokes to enhance Homicide's storyline and I was fine with that, especially with Ki being injured.



Alex Shelley vs. Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer vs. Tony Mamaluke

This is the RoH debut of both Shelley and Jacobs, who is only 19 years old here. He starts off the match with Mamaluke as they go back and forth on the mat. Levy alerts us that Cappetta is trying to arrange an interview with both Julius Smokes and Low Ki. Jacobs tags and has a test of strength with Mamaluke and from that they have a pinfall reversal sequence. Jacobs reaches the ropes quickly after Mamaluke put him in an armbar as the crowd chants "let's go huss" at Jacobs,  referencing his furry boots. Shelley tags and works a nice sequence with Jacobs. Shelley is the more impressive out of the two. Whitmer tags and hits both guys with an Exploder but Mamaluke also tags and works the leg. Mamaluke then locks on a Camel Clutch but that gets reversed. Shelley tags himself in and beats on Mamaluke. Jacobs tags as the crowd goes nuts with a "huss" chant then he gets booted to the floor by Whitmer. Lots of quick tags as the action stays steady. Shelley shoves Mamaluke off of the top rope but gets tripped by Whitmer then Jacobs knocks Whitmer off of the apron and tries a hurricarana off of the top rope but Shelley counters and alley oops Jacobs into the turnbuckle from the top in a move that I have never seen before. The pace picks as we get several nearfalls that get broken up and the action is all good. Whitmer then takes the advantage as he overpowers everyone before putting away Jacobs with an Exploder just before Shelley tapped to Mamaluke's hold (14:34) ***1/2.

Thoughts: Very good match that was all action. Shelley in particular stood out as he showed a lot of personality and did a fine job in the ring. Jacobs was a fan favorite and also did a fine job in the ring as well. Mamaluke is just a guy added to provide some name value but it was Whitmer who was the focus of the match.




No DQ Match
Colt Cabana & CM Punk w/ Lucy vs. Raven & Christopher Daniels w/ Allison Danger

Punk gets on the mic after being chased from the ring as he runs down Raven and the fans. He enters with Cabana and they both get clotheslined to the floor. Back inside, the Second City Saints are getting double-teamed as Raven & Daniels put them in the row boat spot. Raven sets up a chair but Punk blocks a drop toehold. However, Daniels whacks him with the chair. Punk then is able to return the favor as he is now busted open. Punk and Cabana then open up Daniels, who tries to fight back. Punk is wearing a crimson mask at this point. The Second City Saints maintain control as the crowd chants "Raven's Bitch" at Punk before he locks on a crossface. Cabana stretches out Daniels as despite a "No DQ" stipulation, it is not tornado rules and you must tag in and out. Daniels has Cabana in a submission but Punk breaks that up with a leg drop from the top rope. Daniels fights back and hits Cabana with an inverted DDT then makes the tag to Raven, who runs wild. Cabana knocks down the ref then gets caught with a Raven Effect. The girls are fighting in the ring now then Cabana super kicks Danger out of the ring. Everyone then trades finishers until Punk hits Raven with a chain then chokes him out. He starts whipping Raven with the chain then covers him as the ref crawls over and counts to three (13:47) *1/2. After the match, Punk chokes out Raven with the chain some more as he is covered in blood. After the Second City Saints leave, Raven is slowly helped to his feet then he grabs the mic and tells Punk that their will have to be retribution for what he did and that they will have to settle this once and for all next show in a Dog Collar Match. Raven is coughing and selling the beating quite well here.

Thoughts: First off, this match sucked. Despite the no DQ stipulations, you still had to tag into the match. That is idiotic to say the least. And the actual wrestling was disjointed at the beginning and far too slow-paced overall. However, it was what took place after the match that was memorable.



Punk and Cabana are backstage as Punk looks into the camera to tell Raven that the reason he hates him is because when he was a kid and his dad can home smelling like beer and grew up not thinking it was strange for someone to drink all day long and says how he acted just like Raven. He then yells at Raven and said the reason he is coming after him is because he had everything handed too him but flushed it down for booze and pills then tells him that he will fight him on July 19th and promises to end his time in RoH. Tremendous promo from Punk and quite possibly his best ever. My recap does not do this justice so I included it below:






NWA-TNA Heavyweight Championship Match
Chris Sabin vs. AJ Styles

Sabin is the X Division Champion here but that title is not on the line. Match starts on the mat with both guys going back and forth. AJ goes for a Styles Clash but Sabin quickly escapes. AJ then snaps Sabin's neck off of the top rope from the apron. Sabin catches AJ with a baseball slide then from that sends AJ into the guardrail with a hurricarana. Back inside, Sabin gets two with a flying clothesline then locks on a crossface. AJ escapes then hits a neckbreaker from a vertical suplex position that looked painful. Brainbuster gets two. Powerslam gets two. Both men then attempt to hit each other with an enziguiri at the same time and are now down. They get up and trade chops for a bit until Sabin hits a release German Suplex for two. Sabin tries a catatonic but AJ reverses it into a crucifix in a cool spot that gets two. Sabin is able to come back with a catatonic backbreaker then climbs up top and goes for a rana but AJ rolls through then hits a Styles Clash for the win (10:05) ***1/4. AJ then grabs the mic as they play Ric Flair's entrance music as AJ talks about how a few years ago this belt was thrown in the trash but that he will respect the title as much as he does the fans, who cheer loudly and chant his name.

Thoughts: Good match that had the chance to become great if given several more minutes. This was all about establishing the NWA-TNA title as the two companies were exchanging talents at the time and the crowd was super into AJ too.



Cappetta catches up with Ki and tells him that Smokes wants to meet up with him after the show. Ki seems reluctant.



Fight Without Honor
Trent Acid vs. Homicide

Acid's entrance is devoted to mocking Homicide. He then attacks Homicide before the match and takes him out with a quebrada. They head into the ring where Homicide fights back and suplexes him around. He then sets up a ladder in the corner and sends Acid crashing into it with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Homicide grabs a chair and sets it up on the floor. He chokes out Acid then places him on the chair and heads back in the ring so he could run out and hit a flying body press. Homicide bridges the ladder across the ring apron and guardrail then Acid gets backdropped and lands on the ladder feet first as they are both now standing on it where Acid DDT's Homicide. Back inside, Acid throws a chair at Homicide's face than rings around his head. He then bridges the ladder across two chairs and hits Homicide with a Blue Thunder Driver. Homicide is eventually able to fight back with a baseball slide then hits Acid with a brainbuster onto the chair. Johnny Kashmere runs into the ring and he and Acid with Homicide with the T Gimmick. Smokes then attacks Kashmere as they brawl all the way backstage. Acid gets two with the Backseat Driver as the fans chant for Homicide, who comes back with an Ace Crusher. Northern Lights Bomb gets two. He then sets up a table outside of the ring as a dueling chant breaks out. In the ring, Acid sets up a table and places Homicide up top but Homicide then takes Acid off of the top and through the table outside of the ring with an Ace Crusher in an insane spot that has the crowd going crazy. Homicide gets up and rolls Acid in the ring but can only get two. Homicide plays to the crowd then they trade Yakuza kicks that sees Acid getting a nearfall. Acid then sets up a ladder in the ring. He slams Homicide and climbs up top but Homicide gets up and pushes the ladder over as Acid dumps outside and hits the guardrail. Homicide limps outside and lays Acid across of the ladder then flies outside but crashes on a tope con hilo as Acid was able to roll away. Acid rolls Homicide back inside but only gets two. They trade strikes and more Yakuza kicks. Acid rolls through a Cop Killer attempt then gets a reverse rollup that he messed up and got the pin (19:42) ***3/4.

Thoughts: These two guys went all out and really put their bodies on the line and it made for a fantastic match. The ending looked rough but everything else was awesome and it should have made Acid into more of a star with this win but that did not happen and drugs definitely played a part in that.


After the match the lights go out as Special K's music hits. They are beating up everyone in the ring but we can barely see as the lights are still out and the strobe lights are going. The lights come back on as Izzy and Dixie put the Backseat Boys through a table. Special K celebrates as we have learned that Homicide was carried to the back. All of the girls in the ring are making out with each other as Deranged grabs the mic as we now have a giant rave taking place in the ring.



Jim Cornette is cutting a promo with the OVW banner in the background. He talks about how he has seen the next big things throughout his career then says that he has heard RoH might be the next big thing and that he would make an impact at the August 9th show in Dayton, OH.



Back to the ring as the rave continues as the camera focuses on the girls who hang with Special K.



We then get a promo from the Carnage Crew as they hype their match against the guys from TWA. Loc then cuts a really good promo about how he worked in ECW doing all sorts of menial tasks but the company shut down before he got his chance to shine. Both guys excelled in their roles.



We are shown more of the rave as Colt Cabana has joined the "Special K Sluts." Great.



Samoa Joe cuts a promo on his next opponent, Paul London, and how he should listened to his fans and not die by reconsidering his match. This was London's final RoH match before leaving for the WWE.



Cappetta hears screaming behind a closed door and goes to see what it but it turns out to be Benny from the Bronx screaming a Lit from Special K. Bronx was an indy guy from the Northeast who was nothing special at all.



Final Thoughts: Despite the overly long Special K rave at the end, I thought this was a solid show. Although no memorable matches, the main event was good and the reaction to Maff's match was nice to see. More importantly, they did some angle advancement with Punk/Raven, Homicide, and established AJ Styles as a major player. Plus the addition of new talent (Shelley and Jacobs) made this an enjoyable show.




Comments

  1. That Punk promo is fantastic. I'd rank it as his best. Just pure hate and emotion in every word.

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  2. It's what a pro wrestling promo should strive to be

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  3. The only thing that nearly ruins it is Cabana goofing in the background but that's not enough to detract from a special promo.

    Their feud really escalates from there and their Dog Collar match is easily one of the best moments in ROH history.

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  4. My second ROH show. The Murphy Rec Center didn't have AC and it was incredibly hot. The original show was supposed to be Punk v. Raven in an ECW Rules match but a bunch of Japanese bookings messed up the card.


    Jimmy Jacobs was instantly over with the bus trip crew. It was great to see.

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  5. The rave was awesome live. Homicide v. Acid was one of the first instances of the ROH rollup

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  6. Cabana has always sucked, IMO

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  7. WatercoolersandAirportsJanuary 10, 2015 at 8:27 PM

    So i watched that Roman Reigns promo "Sufferin Succotash" that was AWFUL.

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  8. That's a pretty big thing to just cast aside.

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  9. It fits his gimmick to a tee.

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  10. Not a fan at all. Some of the early Good Times, Great Memories were okay but his hammy goofball act wore thin and he's nothing special as a wrestler.

    Wrestling Road Diaries was great. I'll give him that.

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  11. Cabana's awesome. He can turn serious when need be for big feuds, like the one with Homicide.

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  12. ENOUGH WITH THE TIMELINES ABED!

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  13. More wrestlers were over in 1995. Ramon, HBK, Diesel, Bret, Kid and Undertaker were all over, and over more than most anyone today.

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  14. It fits his gimmick but that doesn't make it enjoyable to watch and a serious as hell Punk promo isn't the best place to feature Cabana in the backgound trying to show off his improv routine.

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  15. I think his character was also shocked at how hardcore Punk got.

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  16. Was Kid over?

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  17. Anyone ever get pop ups randomly on the bod? My phone sometimes gets some dumb weight loss ad but it's only on my phone on the blog of doom?

    I really don't eant to reset to factory settings

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  18. I'm not a fan of his. I just never liked him and he always screams bush-league to me

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  19. Punk's promo here is on par with the likes of Mick Foley's "Cane Dewey" and Steve Austin's "No one can stop me" in terms of "this guy is going to be something else" promos... and his is a hell of a lot shorter. After this, no one could touch him on the mic. Ungodly.

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  20. Personally, I don't know why NWA-TNA would ever stop exchanging talent with ROH.

    Oh, right.

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  21. Seriously, Brian. His feud with Homicide was incredible. Nearly on par with Summer of Punk and ROH vs. CZW.

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  22. A lot of his shtick works best for a live crowd rather than watching on tape. But the feud with Homicide is terrific and I loved a lot of his tag work with Punk. They had really good chemistry whether it be formula or weapons

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  23. I haven't seen that feud to be honest it I will watch it with an open mind when I see it

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  24. SUFFERING SUCCATASH!

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  25. I don't think it was much of a talent exchange. At the time, the guys didn't have exclusive contracts with TNA. The thing about the TNA contracts were that TNA had to be the wrestlers' first option, so if they were double booked or something similar, they had to work TNA.


    I remember when the RF stuff went down and TNA basically told the guys who worked for both companies that if they continued to work with ROH, TNA would stop booking them, and a lot of people thought TNA was using it as an excuse to prevent talent from working ROH because they thought the company was getting too hot.

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  26. Yes. It's so bad that I can't even look at the blog on my android phone anymore. Forget about even trying to reply to a thread. ..

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  27. Jarrett was actually photographed with Feinstein shaking hands after the incident. I don't think he even knew who he was

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  28. Eh...not over in a "I'm tuning in tonight to see the Kid" kinda way. But over in the fact that you were happy to see him out there cause he almost always put on exciting, fast-paced matches.

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  29. When was this promo and where can I see it?

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  30. No love for Owen and Bulldog?

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  31. I also want to see this.

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  32. Amazing this company became the best promotion in the country by 2005.

    Solid show here, but still not "there" yet

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  33. Wrestling Road Diaries is so great. Willing to bet 95% of this blog hasn't seen it unfortunately

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  34. About 80% of the time I get redirected elsewhere.

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  35. I think the problem might be that, unlike guys like Austin or Michaels, who would just say "Hey Vince this sucks, I'm going to say this instead." Reigns is either afraid to rock the boat and say no, doesn't have anything better to say himself, or is content to just say what Vince wants and get his paycheck.

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  36. Ever since The Rock left, but especially since Batista left (the first time), Vince has become increasingly paranoid that guys are going to catch on in the mainstream and ditch WWE for greener pastures. Nobody is allowed to get bigger than the brand.

    Funny thing is, the whole reason the WWF took off in the first place was because Vince utilized Hulk Hogan's mainstream popularity to expand the company's reach. Any place he could get a wrestler on TV back then - think Lou Albano in Cyndi Lauper's video - he would take it because it meant exposure. Now? He doesn't want them getting that exposure in case they pull a Rock, Batista, Stacy Keibler, Morrison or Punk and leave

    Nowadays Vince wants to bring in the most random D List celebrities in the hope they might bring a dozen extra eyeballs, yet all the wrestlers are forced to exisit in WWE's pocket universe and nowhere else in the media world. It's insane that Vince would bring in Grumpy the Cat for publicity and annoy his core audience but gets annoyed when Ziggler does a comedy show for a few dozen people.

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  37. Its certainly worse for me. At least in 1995 I was a pre-teen and could stomach the cartoony bullshit they were feeding me. Hell, at that age that was my diet. 2009-2015 is torture as an adult. I don't have the slightest idea what its like for a kid.

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  38. Wait, that actually happened? Get the fuck outta here.

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  39. Are you running an ad-blocker? I've got ad-block plus and on my laptop at least that seems to stop everything (including a lot of the embedded crap in Facebook).

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  40. It's like any business, where there is always that concern that you could invest in one of your employees, and then they could up and leave and some other company will benefit from your investment.


    Usually to stop that, you need to give that person a reason to stay.

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  41. The way I see it, 1995 was bad, no arguments there. But not only was it different from 1990, 1992 or 1994, as Scott mentioned, they were TRYING shit. Modern day WWE is practically afraid of its own reflection.

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  42. I don't know if I think that Vince is paranoid that wrestlers will leave for greener pastures. In all honesty, there has been one that actually pulled it off (The Rock) and another that might pull it off (Batista). It's not like primetime television is littered with sitcoms with ex-wrestlers on them.



    I think he didn't want any wrestler to be larger than the brand to steady the business. Not the massive lows he's had to endure when there wasn't a main event guy that the fans were interested. Come see the show, not Stone Cold Steve Austin or Kevin Nash or Bret Hart. It has worked, because the business has been steady for the last decade, despite the fact that the stars of the last 12 years are no where near the level of the Rock and SCSA. In the end though, it has created a steady erosion of the business, the loss of long-time fans and a creative snooze. Given another decade, it'll probably kill the business and we'll be able to buy the Smoky Mountain Wrestling library for $500.

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  43. Stranger in the AlpsJanuary 10, 2015 at 10:45 PM

    I tried to click the print button so I could have a hard copy of this poll.


    It didn't work. Like most democratic results.

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  44. http://youtu.be/SRFWb4Ia3r0

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  45. Meltzer even replied to.a tweet that unfortunately Vince has been writing Reign's promos lately, and it's scary how out of touch he is right now

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  46. http://youtu.be/SRFWb4Ia3r0

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  47. I was just listening to the Wrestling Observer eyadda broadcast after the WCW to WWF sale and Meltzer point blanks says that this is really bad for wrestling and the wrestlers, and that boys are going to be afraid to rock the boat soon. Listen to it on youtube..a bunch are uploaded.

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  48. Oh wow. That whole thing was terribawful.

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  49. The Colt/Homicide feud is one for the ages. It shows how much potential Cabana had.

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  50. Man. Even that fucking wink was awkward, like he held it for too long.


    They're trying so hard to make this guy act out a character that's just not natural for him.

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  51. Yep. I get them on iOS. I did some Googling and it's apparently the fault of the ad company the blog is using.

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  52. Doesn't help with phones unless your phone is rooted or you use Firefox for Android.

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  53. RoH 2003-2006 period among my fondest memories as a wrestling fan. Good solid showhere that would rank very high nowadays but there was SO much good stuff around this time that it gets overshadowed. That Punk promo; it's the kind of legendary promo ability Austin and Foley were known for, as some have said here; realistic, emotional, impactful, deep, personal, unique...

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  54. Adam "Colorado" CurryJanuary 11, 2015 at 12:38 AM

    1995 didn't have Adam Rose or the bunny. 1995 wins.

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  55. Yeah, I thought that was just Thomas Hall making up a joke to make the recap funnier. Holy motherloving shit, I can't believe that actually happened.

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  56. 2014 was not the worst year per se, but it was one of the worst in terms of talent squandered. You more or less forced CM Punk out of the company, broke up the most over stable since the nWo because reasons and now it's leader is seen as a clumsy moron who jobs to TV monitors, you also jobbed out the most interesting heel in years to John Cena TWICE and proceeded to do NOTHING after his followers went on their own and badly exposed the supposed heir apparent Roman Reigns by booking him in near 20 min PPV matches and giving him the corniest scripted lines this side of an AWA promo. And finally Bo Dallas and the rest of the NXT talent are probably wondering why they ever got called up in the first place.

    No, 2014 wasn't the worst year but goddamn did it give 1999 WCW a run for its money in terms of squandering talent.

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  57. Things are so bad that if NXT and WWE guys are paid the same, wrestlers would prefer being on NXT.

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  58. Merely the collective desire to free ourselves from the tyranny of democracy.

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  59. Roman Reigns only wears that flak jacket to protect him from The Mountie's cattle prod. He's running scared.

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  60. I don't remember being given the option to spam the fuck out of this poll.

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  61. Love love love the Trent Acid/Homicide feud, especially this match. Shame Trent couldn't get things straight as he could have been bigger than he was. As it remains this match was pretty much his crowning achievement.

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  62. Apparently, everyone voting for the God that is The Mountie is being looked upon as vote stuffing or some such nonsense.


    Some people are just neither, handsome, brave, nor strong.

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  63. Scott should run Scott's blog exactly how Scott wants. If you don't like it, start your own blog.

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  64. This is why I look at it as The Ascension being demoted to RAW, while Curtis Axel has been promoted to NXT.

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  65. I also thought several people on another forum I visit were messing with me by telling me about this promo.

    Like, I thought multiple people were pulling my leg for some reason.

    Then I saw the promo and I wanted to die.

    I talked to my dad about it and he said Roman just needed to deliver it differently. I was like "no, you can't quote Looney Tunes in a wrestling promo. EVER."

    Like that's not even something Flair, Dean, or Dusty could get over.

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  66. Simon Dean could get a fitness gimmick over so he'd have no problem getting that over.

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  67. Isn't the overall opinion on here that WWE would be better if they listened to what their fans wanted instead of ignoring it and booking entirely for the purpose of one man?
    Yet Scott is being criticised for asking his fanbase what they would like to happen.

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  68. I just don't get why Vince would be bothered by that. Make someone a megastar, they move on, they come back for huge return buyrates while you work on building the next megastar. Wasn't the whole point of WWE getting into movies in the first place to make guys into stars that can transcend mere WWE tv shows?

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  69. I think he feels like he got his fingers burnt by a few people this way, Lashley and Lesnar being two examples (one minor, one major).

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  70. Democracy is what cowards hide behind.

    Be a man, Scott!

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  71. Yeah, the cabana/homicide feud was brill. His mini-feud with jimmy jacobs was also good. Every time colt had a big match, he always bought it in the ring.

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  72. Delete your cookies. Should solve the problem.

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  73. Are people going to keep complaining about this? There are better wrestling shows to watch. By all means come back to WWE when they do something worth watching.

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  74. There's also another analogy in the whole vote-spamming thing. Everyone knows that Mr. Perfect/Razor Ramon or someone obvious like that will win but the fans are still championing their favourite (The Mountie) despite what the regime wants. Kinda like a Daniel Bryan/Wrestlemania situation

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  75. It isn't just Rock and Batista though. Look at Lashley. Vince invested a lot in him - including making him central to the Trump angle, which was huge - and had aims to make him one of the company's big stars. He ended up flaking out on them. Morrison is another guy they had high hopes for, but he figured it's easier doing D list movies and Lucha than being on the road. And WWE pushed the hell out of Stacy's dancing with the Stars success, and she left immediately after.

    True, none of them are at Rock's level. But they're all people WWE invested time and money in who left.

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  76. Agreed. And when the guys on the roster see what people who have left have accomplished, or people who left and came back with lighter schedules (Brock, Jericho, RVD), you have to wonder what goes through their heads

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  77. Honestly, I think the reason behind WWE Studios was to give wrestlers the chance to do "outside" projects while keeping them tethered to the company. Of course, WWE has no idea how to make a profitable movie, so all that WWE Studios is doing is taking guys off the road and TV

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  78. Yeah, probably. I look forward to Official WWE sponsored Stand Up Comedy tours!

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  79. 2003 ROH is the epitmoe of fun, it wasn't perfect as a product but you were never bored.
    Acid vs. Homicide is one of the greatest indy feuds to have existed, the cross promotion matches and continued nods to their previous matches were all excellent. It spanned near 2 years and gave Jersey All Pro, CZW and ROH some outstanding matches.
    2003 was Homicide's year and I still think it was the pinnacle of his career.

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  80. Car Talk ripping off the classic Three Stooges? GASP!


    (It's not a ripoff, I know... :) )

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  81. Sufferin' Succotash!

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  82. That poor guy. I really do feel sorry for him. This just can't work.

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  83. Ha! Jokes on you! I did!

    https://nickpiers.wordpress.com/

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  84. He was also great in his role during the Steen/ Generico feud.

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  85. I'll repeat what sydh said: this wasn't the worst year; it was just unrelentingly boring. 94-95 was full of bad stuff. Bad characters, bad gimmicks, bad wrestling...it was bad all over. 2014 just continued the slow, steady stream of making everything feel inconsequential, which leads to a boring product.

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  86. The Homicide/ Danielson feud was also great. Cornette was actually great in it. The feud paid off everything from their first match-up, incorporated everything from Homicide's career (except for Dan Maff), and had a huge feel good moment when Danielson was finally defeated.

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  87. I remember being at an ROH show in 2005 or 2006 and thinking that was an era people would remember like they remembered ECW. I'm honestly amazed ROH has been able to hang around as long as they have.

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  88. It's because the WWE's monarch is past his prime. If it were, say, Paul Heyman, the IWC's opinion would likely be different.

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  89. Plus Jacques Rougeau was a fuckin' beast

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  90. Vince wants the Brand to be the star, it's why the title belt is just a big ugly WWE logo instead of something that represents the "sport" people compete in to win it.

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  91. This is, wrestling as a whole has never been good at the whole make new megastars thing. They usually get one guy that gets the connection with the crowd, and they ride his overness for years to an end, until they run him in the ground, never actually bothering to make a new star, until the planets align and a new Megastar is dumped on their lap.
    Look at the AWA: it had Gagne and Bockwinkel, and when both guys weren't there anymore it died.
    Look at Memphis: Fargo and Lawler then nobody else.
    Look at WCCW: The Von Erich boys battling the Freebirds for almost a decade.
    Look at JCP/WCW: Flair for a decade, then they botched Luger, Sting and many other until the nWo came, an angle they ran into the ground.
    And the WWF: Bruno for 15 years, Backlund for about 6 years (not doing Bruno's numbers), Hogan for almost a decade followed by trying to recreate Hogan, Austin and Rock for a couple of years until they left, and Cena for a Decade now.
    Add that to all the guys the WWE has tried to make into Megastars and failed at it for a reason or another. Luger, Shawn, Triple H in 2002-2004, Brock, Orton, Batista (he had the megapush when compared with Cena, but Cena got ahead), Lashley.
    I'd say that the biggest success stories in Wrestling history were never planned, the promotions had a chosen one they wanted to push, but another guy got picked by the crowd, and if the promotion rolled with him (Austin and Cena are great cases) they got a megastar, if not (Hogan in AWA) things got bad.

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  92. I'm honestly confused by people complaining about WWE while only watching WWE. The Japanese, Brittish, and indie scenes are the best they've ever been, so there's good wrestling out there.

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  93. Foley has been trying to get that going for a while now.

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  94. I agree with you, but I also think being boring is the worst thing any kind of art or entertainment can be. I'd much rather watch people taking the big swing and failing than playing it safe. Like, late era WCW was interesting because it felt like they were trying anything and everything.

    That being said, that's just my opinion. But yeah, the current WCW isn't bad, just very boring.

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  95. For Dragon v Homicide I'll be honest I really wish Cornette was never involved, it added so little for me personally and the matches barely clicked to the highs I was expecting. They were good, just not great.

    Now Corino v Homicide was ace, it wasn't perfect either but holy shit was their "bitter friends, stiffer enemies" event match just out of this world. Though again that was 2003 and Homicide was on fire!

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  96. I wonder if after five minutes of sex he is on the floor holding his bare ankle and trying not to cry, as in all f his matches thus far.

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  97. I vote Dean Andrews as General Secretary. Don't worry, there's no way this minor position could ever cause any problems.

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  98. Exactly. Raw won't go back to two hours, they won't suddenly remember how to book logically, they won't stop putting old stars in big matches, they won't stop with evil authority figures, they won't start treating titles or their holders with any respect, and they won't book their talent based on talent/crowd connection and will continue to push their own pre-ordained favourites to the detriment of the product and success of the business. This is all fairly obvious.

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  99. Exactly! I want to vote for the guy I like, not what the Powers That Be tell me to vote for. I don't care how much he did for This Business, Grandads!

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  100. The think I like more about 94-95 after just watching on the Network is that the company still embraced WRESTLING. Today, the company hates what it is and that's why you get stupid variety show stuff week after week.

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  101. I feel Vince was hoping that when someone transcended to the mainstream he'd transcend with them. Rock was the most successful of all time and it didn't rub off on Vince. It's possible that seeing what would *really* happen once someone crossed over to Hollywood changed his mind.

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