Ring of Honor

[punky]

Ring of Honor

In less than three years RoH has gone from a new promotion trying to make it in the wrestling world, to one of the most popular and highly touted companies in wrestling. Since it's inception, they have consistently put on great cards due in most part to their incredible wealth of indy talent, smart booking decisions and intriguing storylines.

Each and every year that the company has been in business, they have been among the top 'breakout' companies with 2004 being their biggest to date. Their success has allowed them to expand into new markets such as Chicago, Ohio, Minnesota and Wisconsin, as well as continuing their success in Boston, New Jersey and Philadelphia. However, their success has not come without a large test and that happened in the first quarter of 2004 with the Rob Feinstein incident. Loyalties were tested and the company was on shaky ground for a couple of months until they produced proof of Feinstein being removed from the company.

RoH continued on but without two of their key components: AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels. These two men were removed from any further appearances in RoH because they were under contract with NWATNA, who did not want their stars associated with the company because they were trying to secure a Television deal. They were not the only ones, as RoH was utilizing talent such as Amazing Red, Chris Sabin and Tracy Brooks among others for their shows. The future of RoH was uncertain in some fans eyes but they strived forward and put on shows to key on their recent subject, as they would be "Reborn" in the next few months.

New stars began to be introduced such as Generation Next's Alex Shelley, Austin Aries, Jack Evans & Roderick Strong that made an immediate impact at the show aptly named "Generation NeXt" and declared that they would start taking people's "spots" inside the company. As well as many new faces such as Nigel McGuinness and Ricky Reyes/Rocky Romero, The Havana Pitbulls.

These are just some of the things that went down in Ring of Honor during 2004:

- RoH World Champion Samoa Joe has kept the belt for over a year & a half, taking on all comers including Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, Homicide and countless others as he has continued to show that he is THE man to beat in the company. But Joe has shown weakness and has not gone undefeated, as he has lost several times in non-title and tag team matches.

- After months of trying to capture the RoH World Championship from Samoa Joe, Homicide snapped and turned on the crowd that loved him. He has progressively gotten more violent in his attempts to work his way back up the proverbial ladder.

- Low Ki, the man that has personified Respect, Honor & Discipline returned to the company in shocking fashion back at Reborn: Completion. It looked like it was to help Samoa Joe but then turned his back on Joe & the fans by joining The Rottweilers and has wreaked havoc with The Rottweilers ever since.

- Generation NeXt wreaked havoc inside the company as they secured their spots by taking it at other people's expenses. Alex Shelley is the 'leader' of the rogue faction with Austin Aries as his charge and Evans/Strong competing in the tag team division.

- CM Punk was embroiled in a heated fued with Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat that escalated until Punk finally took Steamboat's side after Generation NeXt tried to make a name for themselves at Steamboat's expense. Punk has been embroiled in feuds with Generation NeXt and Samoa Joe over the last half of 2004.

- Legends Collided when none other than Mick Foley came to RoH to debut his "Ring of Hardcore" but Ricky Steamboat told him that RoH was all about Pure Wrestling. They have engaged in a war of words and some fighting along the way with BJ Whitmer & Dan Maff battling The Carnage Crew in a blood feud, as they represented Pure Wrestling & the Ring of Hardcore.

- The Pure Wrestling Title is slowly progressing to be a belt that alot of people are shooting for after the division was in disarray when AJ Styles left the company and the belt was vacated. John Walters has held the belt since defeating Doug Williams in August of 2004 and has taken on all challengers.

As well as so much more. With 2005 approaching, RoH has continued to put on some classic matches that have established them as the predominant indy promotion in the United States. With classics such as: Austin Aries vs Bryan Danielson (2/3 Falls at Testing The Limits) and CM Punk vs Samoa Joe (II at Glory By Honor II) that was given a ***** rating by Dave Meltzer. As well as some former RoH stars returning with AJ Styles (for a one shot appearance), Spanky & Steve Corino, along with debuting James Gibson (formerly known as Jamie Noble) who are all sure to shake-up things inside RoH in 2005!

Yes, we've seen just about everything this year in ROH. We've seen legends together for the first time ever like all three members of The Midnight Express on the same side and Jim Cornette vs. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, we've seen Mick Foley return to his underground roots to feud with another legend in Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, we've seen incredible surprise appearances that no one will ever forget from Low Ki to Steve Corino to Ricky Morton, we've seen fireballs, bloodshed and riots, we've been shocked and surprised, we've seen Jushin Liger work on an independent in the United States, we've seen so many great matches that we can't even begin to list them here and we've seen ROH comeback and survive.

2004 has been a rollercoaster ride and its one we won't ever forget and the final memories of 2004 will be made at Final Battle.

[punky]

OOC: I'm starting this diary AFTER Final Battle 2004, so when you read the recap it's not the writing that you can expect in the diary. This was my actually jumbled review of the show, followed by RoH's recap and then I will start actually doing this with the diary on my own. I will be using some stuff from RoH to keep things realistic but I will also make this diary my own. Hope you enjoy it.

RoH Final Battle Fan Recap

As I come into the Armory, I head right to the Merchandise table to pick up my AUSTIN ARIES t-shirt, along with the Briscoes t-shirt (hope they come back soon) and then go get a seat and wait for the start of the show.

Jimmy Jacobs vs Trent Acid

Acid did a long entrance to gay music, as he started smoking a cigarette and acted like he was a Sandman/Justin Credible clone. Everyone hated Acid and wished he was gonna lose but I had my doubts.

Acid didn't wanna shake the "HUSS" hand of Jacobs but he would high five him. Then low-fived but Jacobs stomped his hand, as Acid was holding it and he did the "HUSS" thing. The match itself was spotty at best because of Acid (who was wearing lifts! LIFTS AGAINST JIMMY JACOBS!!!) and the bright spots were Jacobs' comedy and Acid hitting a botched Cradle Breaker. Jacobs manages to pick up the win over Acid with the Contra Code to a HUGE POP.

Trent then declares to ROH and the World that he "FUCKING QUIT" and walked out. Everyone pops.

Mixed Tag Team Match: Angel Dust & Becky Bayless vs Deranged & Lacey (w/Cloudy & Cheech)

I loved me some Becky & Lacey, as they were both looking hot. It was very slow beginning but they hit some very neat spots, the highlight of which was Deranged hitting Angel Dust with what could only be explained as "Deranged springboards off the top rope, stomps his feet into Angel Dust's chest, who is standing and drives him down into the ground" to a nice pop. Ending comes with Lacey hitting a nice Elevated DDT on Becky for the win.

Special K then wanna beat Becky up some more but WE'RE NOT GONNA TAAAAAAAAKE IT! And Dunn & Marcos chase everyone from the ring but Cheech, who gets beat up by the RCE and then they help Becky up.

Rockin' Rebel vs Jobber

I had no idea Rebel was gonna be on the show, since I only thought he would be on shows that ROH had put on in Essington and he didn't have a match at MX Reunion. But sure enough a jobber comes out and we all know Rebel is coming.. AND HE GETS A POP FOR SOME REASON. I had to tell people around me that the only possible reason was that Rebel had 20 of his kids there. So we get a Rebel match and we all want it to end quickly but it doesn't. However, it was sort of a fun little match. The highlight (or VERY LOW POINT) was the jobber putting a bottle of water in Rebel's underwear and he procedes to take his pants off to take it out and the jobber slaps Rebel's ass. I'm gonna have nightmares.

Rebel picks up the win with a SECOND ROPE REBELIZER and DIDN'T break his hip. Rebel then took the microphone and wished everyone a Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays and he says he can't wait for the next time he's in town, so we can "fucking boo him some more" to a POP. Then as the jobber was leaving he gets a loud "JOBBER" chant.

Homicide (w/J-Train) vs Josh Daniels

I was hoping for another match like Homicide had with Nigel, which is vastly underrated but it kind of let me down. It was a decent enough match but I was too distracted by J-Train's antics to really watch the whole match but from what I saw, Daniels was pulling out some good moves.. I hope he does better with his next match.

Homicide gets the win with an armlock-esque submission hold, as he worked over Daniels arm through the match.

Pure Title Match: John Walters vs Jimmy Rave (w/Nana & The OCK)

Everyone started shitting on the match, well on Walters, before we even began and I have no idea why. I find Walters to be a pretty damn good wrestler but most ROH fans treat him like Matt Stryker. It was a pretty basic match with some spots being rough but everyone uses up their three rope breaks after awhile. I though Rave might win coming in but then I guessed a Walters heel turn finish..

Walters picks up the win narrowly as he had a tree of woe/headlock submission on the outside and Rave taps before the ref reaches a 20 count for Walters being on the outside. Which leads to Nana fucking up on the mic and basically offers Walters some cash to join the Embassy. As I called the heel turn, I was right and even shouted out Walters' answer to "YOU THINK YOU CAN BUY ME" before he even said it. Walters joining the Embassy is meh to me.. I guess they figure if it got Rave over it will get Walters over.

Fight Without Honor: BJ Whitmer & Dan Maff vs The Carnage Crew

Going into the match, I wasn't expecting something to blow the roof off the place and as expected, they didn't but it was still an good match. They brawl around and outside of the ring for along time and Danger comes down to do absolutely nothing but run around and freak out. DeVito was blading like crazy and did it in PLAIN VIEW OF EVERYONE IN THE ARENA LIKE 20 TIMES. Then MICK FOLEY comes down and adds some "Christmas Cheer" of thumbtacks in the ring. Then we get guys trying to put someone in the tacks for five minutes.

Whitmer & Maff score the win when Whitmer hits an awesome Wrist Clutch Exploder into the thumbtacks. It wasn't a great match but it was a good one. This lead right into the meeting between Foley & Steamboat.

Ring of Hardcore vs Pure Wrestling

This basically lead to Foley saying that he knows ROH was built on Pure Wrestling but Hardcore Wrestling can be in any promotion for "dessert" as he put it and told people not to make fun of his weight. Foley then takes some shots at WWE saying that Steamboat could help all the guys in WWE except for Heidenreich, Snitsky & Luther Reigns. Foley then talks about how the Flair incident at RAW and he said that they were both in the wrong and he disrespected a legend, and he's sorry. This leads to Foley calling Joe out and tells him that he should show Foley some respect. Joe shakes his hand and does but then nails Foley with the microphone and Steamboat seperates Foley/Joe. Joe then leaves and Steamboat says "I'm sorry about that Mick but you gotta admit, that was HARDCORE" to a smirk from Foley.

And we get to intermission, where I scope out some babes around the Armory until I see a Becky and Jacobs hanging out by the food table. I do a loud "HUSS" to which Jacobs laughs and does it back. I stand around there for a few minutes and talked to some kid (ROH worker) by the table, then Becky comes over to talk to him and I manage to score a HUG.

Jay Lethal vs Weapon of MASK Destruction #2 (w/Nana & The OCK)

I was hoping that the WOMD #2 wouldn't be Acid or Stryker in a mask and I was right. People were saying it was El Generico but I doubt it. He was wearing a Green Phantom mask and was actually pretty good from what I saw. Lethal & WOMD #2 have a nice little match but nothing breath-taking.

Lethal hits the Lethal Injection to score the win. He then tells Nana that he wants Rave again but Nana laughs, heading to the back.

Alex Shelley & Roderick Strong vs CM Punk & Steve Corino (w/Brian T Reigal, Corino's Students, Punk's Students & Tracy Brooks)

I was looking forward to this match second most (behind Aries/Joe) because it has four of my favorite wrestlers involved plus Tracy Brooks' BOOBIES. Everyone comes down to the ring and it's time for the STEVE CORINO RING ANNOUNCEMENT SPECTACULAR.

Brian T. Reigal comes down to announce for Corino and the theme is "Famous Philly Wrestlers" and we run down a list of good and oddball names that include: Johnny Hotbody, Don E. Allen, Spider, JT Smith (HUGE POP) and random other names until we get to a SHOOT COMMENT with "The recently released from jail, James "Sandman" Fullington" and the crowd cheers & boo's. Then we get two FUCKING GREAT COMMENTs of Reigal saying "CM Punk, a man without Corino's help would probably be opening the show right now" and "Weighing in at 110 kilos.. or 242 lbs. for the virgin in the Green Lantern jersey" to a loud POP from the crowd and "YOU GOT PUNKED" chants.

The match begins with alot of comedy spots between Corino & Punk, including shouting out "STEAMBOAT" as they armdraged Shelley and/or Strong. We then get Punk tagging in & out with Corino, who's getting frustrated. It goes along slow for awhile until the match picks up with Shelley & Strong hanging with Corino & Punk pretty well. It breaks down into a RUCKUS with people going in & out. Shelley nails a Shellshock on Punk but only gets two. Punk nails Welcome to Chicago, Motherfucker but only a two count. Strong breaks out some wicked Backbreakers but only gets a two count.

I don't remember the finish of the match.. SORRY. But I know Punk & Corino pick up the win and they celebrate inside the ring but a long handshake takes place between Punk/Corino.. so something might be up there.This leads to..

Austin Aries/Alex Shelley/Roderick Strong confrontation

Austin Aries making his way down to the ring and tells Shelley that they made a promise three months ago to go after the ROH Title and then Shelley told him to remember where his loyalty lies. But Aries calls Shelley out for missing the shows because of more "important" business and "FUCK TNA" chants come out. Aries then tells Shelley that he wants to take his spot as the Generation Next leader and says Shelley has five seconds to step down or get beat down. Shelley takes the mic but Aries jumps him right off the bat but Strong breaks it up. Aries then stares down both men until Strong attacks Shelley with a WICKED BACKBREAKER and sends Shelley from the ring. Aries then grabs the mic and tells Shelley "You may have Talent on Loan from God but I'm YOUR Personal Jesus" to a huge mark out from me and cheers from the crowd.

Grudge Match: Bryan Danielson vs Low Ki

I was expecting these two to deliver in the match and boy did they ever. It starts out with both men in the ring and Low Ki takes his pants off, showing that he has on black tights (just like Daniels) and we get a "mirror" match with the outfits. This was a great mat-based and technical wrestling match for the first fifteen or so minutes until they take out to the crowd and start brawling around the Armory. The ROH staff guys kept shouting and pushing everyone to get back but more people kept coming. Then Homicide & J-Train come out of nowhere to start beating down Danielson with chairshots and we get a No Contest.

The match ends in a No Contest when the faces come out to get Homicide & J-Train away from the two. This sends Low Ki into a fit, as he hits the ring and starts choking out THE WHOLE REFFIN' SHOW Sean Hanson and Homicide & J-Train come down to help out. Homicide wants Low Ki to KILL Hanson but he just chokes him out with a belt and NO HELP FROM ANYONE FOR THE REFEREE. Everyone boo's as The Rottweilers head to the back and refs come out to help Hanson.

ROH World Title Match: Austin Aries (w/Roderick Strong) vs Samoa Joe (w/Jay Lethal)

And we come down to the match of the fucking night and I strap myself into someone else's fourth row seat for one hell of a ride. My Aries shirt worn proudly as everyone makes their way down to the ring and the bell sounds with Aries pummeling the fuck out of Joe right from the beginning. Stiff shots exchanged from the start as they go back & forth until Joe starts to get the advantage, working over the smaller man in Aries. Toying with Aries for a few minutes until Aries starts to come back and he begins to weaken the big man down with forearms and kawada kicks, along with working on Joe's right knee. They continue to go back & forth until Joe & Aries go to the outside and we get geared up for some OLE MOTHERFUCKING OLE kicks. Joe proceeds to beat the fuck out of Aries with 3 Ole Kicks but then Aries turns the tide, getting some a ARIES RUNNING OLE DROPKICK OF DOOM to a nice pop.

I'll hit Fast forward to the good parts, as Aries continued to work Joe's leg over but then Joe comes back strong with a FURY OF SAMOAN POWER. Slaps and punches to Aries before he sets him on the top rope, looking for his Muscle Buster but Aries shoves him off and hits a 450 Splash to a huge pop. Cover on JOE FOR FALSE FINISH #1. We then get some more brawling until Aries goes for a Brainbuster but it's blocked. Aries gets Joe in the FISH HOOK SUBMISSION HOLD for FALSE FINISH #2. Joe then gets to take control, as he hits an Island Driver for FALSE FINISH #3. By now, the whole crowd is going crazy and more & more people want Aries to win. We then get more SAMOAN POWER as Joe stiffs Aries and goes for a LARIAAAAAAOOOOTOOOOO but Aries ducks it. Tries a Brainbuster but then gets thrown over the ropes but he lands on the apron. Joe comes charging but Aries hits a shoulder and SUNSET FLIP for FALSE FINISH #4! But then Aries pulls Joe right over into a modified Boston Crab for FALSE FINISH #5! They then begin to brawl back & forth until Joe goes for another Lariat but Aries hits him with four charging attacks in the corner. Joe then catches Aries on the fifth try and goes for the Muscle Buster but Aries gets him in a Crucifix Cradle position but turns it into some kind of slam! Aries pumps up and gets Joe to his feet and he FINALLY hits a BRAINBUSTER! The fans are going fucking nuts and I'm losing my voice. Aries makes it up to the top rope and hits a SECOND FOUR FIFTY SPLASH AND GETS THE WIN!!! MARK OUT CITY!!!!

AUSTIN ARIES IS THE NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW ROH WORLD CHAMPION AND EVERYONE IS LOVING IT!!! BAH GAWD! This leads to massive "Aries" to "Joe" to "ROH" to "THANK YOU JOE" TO "ARIES" chants all around and I lose my voice from all of this.

.. Yeah, it's all jumbled with various shit. Read through it if you DAAAAARE.

All-in-all it wasn't a GREAT show and certainly not the best that I've been too. Some of the matches were off but the atmosphere was electric and you couldn't NOT get into Ki/Danielson and Aries/Joe, especially with all the build up. I definately recommend you get the tape/DVD because I'm gonna snap that shit up quick when it comes out.

[punky]

Ring of Honor

Newswire Report

December 27th: New ROH World Champion Austin Aries realizes that he has big shoes to fill and a huge legacy to follow after Samoa Joe's 21 month World Title reign. Aries has stated that he will be an honorable champion but he will do anything to keep the title. We aren't quite sure what he means by that with his history in RoH. Aries has already offered Samoa Joe a rematch. We'll have more on this later in the week.

December 27th: Aries has agreed to put the RoH World Title on the line vs. Colt Cabana on 1/15 in Cambridge, MA. Aries has stated he won't back down from any challengers.

December 27th: Mick Foley has challenged Samoa Joe to meet him in the ring on 1/15 in Cambridge, MA. Foley is irate that Joe punched him in the face last Sunday. We will have word from the former RoH World Champion later this week.

December 27th: Prince Nana told RoHwrestling.com that he is sending Pure Champion John Walters on a month long vacation to one of his palaces in Ghana, West Africa so Walters will be unavailable to defend the Pure Title on 1/15 in his hometown of Boston. Walters stated that he would rather be in sunny Africa than cold Boston in January anyway.

December 27th: Low Ki of The Rottweilers has been suspended indefinitely from RoH for hitting referee Sean Hanson at "Final Battle 2004." This kind of abuse of RoH officials will not be tolerated.

December 27th: Jimmy Rave has officially signed the contract to face AJ Styles on 2/25 in Dayton, Ohio.

- - - - - -

December 28th: RoH officials have decided to drop the Contender's Ring. The Contender's Ring was similar to the Top Five Rankings and #1 Contender's Trophy in that it was a good idea on paper, but didn't work for a promotion with an average of two shows a month with an inconsistent talent roster. RoH will consider bringing these concepts back one day if the promotion is in a position to really make the most out of the concepts.

December 28th: The challengers for all titles will now have to petition RoH officials for a shot at the belts. RoH officials will then look at recent won/lost record, strength of opposition and respect shown towards the Code Of Honor to decide who will get the title shots. This will also create some new booking scenarios that will become clear in the upcoming months and lead to more intense in ring competition.

December 28th: Homicide was the first man to petition RoH officials for a title shot.

December 28th: Samoa Joe has accepted Mick Foley's challenge and said that he will meet him in the ring on 1/15 in Cambridge, MA. There is no telling what will happen or what kind of mood Joe will be in. After relaying this short message to RoH officials, Joe said he was taking a vacation and then going into intense training and would not be in contact with the offices until the 1/15 show. We don't know what is going through Joe's head or how he is handling the title loss, we just know he's coming to Boston to wrestle Nigel McGuinness and confront Mick Foley.

December 28th: Alex Shelley has been trying to contact Jack Evans to see where he stands in the split of Generation Next. So far Shelley has been unsuccessful in reaching him. Evans has been on tour in Japan. We'll have more later this week.

December 28th: Steve Corino is petitioning RoH officials to give him and CM Punk a Tag Title shot based off their victory on 12/26. Corino wants the shot on 1/15 in Boston. Meanwhile, Jack Evans & Roderick Strong are demanding to get the 1/15 title shot since they feel they were ripped off of the Tag Titles last time in the Boston area. RoH officials have also declared that both The Carnage Crew and Dan Maff & BJ Whitmer will be awarded future Tag Title shots since both teams went above the call of duty in the brutal Fight Without Honor on 12/26. We will have news on who gets this Tag Title shot next week.

December 28th: BJ Whitmer will undergo elbow surgery as a result of injuries suffered in the Fight Without Honor and will be out of action until 2/19 in Elizabeth, NJ.

December 28th: Bryan Danielson suffered an arm injury to his left arm, but will be ready to go in the Tap Out match on 1/15 vs. The leader of The Rottweilers, Homicide. The Rottweilers first attacked Danielson's left arm on 12/4. The injury was further agitated when Low Ki worked on the arm on 12/26 and then Homicide smashed it with a chair. Danielson is more pissed off than ever and is coming for a fight on 1/15.

- - - - - -

December 29th: As we announced yesterday, RoH has dropped the Contender's Ring with wrestlers having to petition for their titles shots and today we have another change involving the Newswire. RoH officials feel that too much time is spent on updating the Newswire constantly that they can save time in doing by changing it to a weekly/bi-weekly system. This will give everyone in the company more time to focus on getting out merchandise, tapes, dvd's and everything in general alot faster. However, if there are any breaking news stories we will update our fans ASAP.

December 29th: RoH has now opened up websites for our Japanese and spanish speaking fans. Check it out at http://www.japan.rohwrestling.com/ and http://www.pr.rohwrestling.com/.

December 29th: Mick Foley has signed to be at the 2/19 event at the RexPlex in Elizabeth, NJ. Also signed for the 2/19 night show are: RoH World Champion Austin Aries, CM Punk, Colt Cabana, Steve Corino, Samoa Joe, Homicide with Julius Smokes, Dan Maff, BJ Whitmer, Jay Lethal, Jimmy Rave & The Embassy led by Prince Nana, Alex Shelley, Special K and more to be announced.

December 29th: The Homicide vs. Bryan Danielson series will continue on 2/26 in Chicago with the stipulation to be announced.

December 29th: CM Punk has officially signed for 2/25 in Dayton and 2/26 in his hometown of Chicago.

We will be back with lots of news about all upcoming shows on January 3rd. Have a great and safe New Year!!!

Edited January 10, 2005 by CM Punk

[thuganomic]

Very interesting stuff.

I'm most interested to see how you handle the Walters issue. Is he going to be full-fledged heel, or will he still have some face tendencies despite his "selling out?"

Good luck.

[LL!]

I'm sure Walters wants to be in Africa after the tsunami hit. Just teasin'. Have Aries hold on to the title for 22 months. THAT'LL show Joe!

[Guest mroniimusha]

Am Drag for champion! Put him up against Aries in another 2/3 Falls and feel thems ratings!

[deanitude]

I think it's pretty obvious that the first challenger for the World Title should be Alex Shelley... I mean, come on people... he's in TNA so you gotta know he's just plain BETTER than Austin Aries... ... right? lol

Anyways great diary... good luck with it

oh and push Alex Shelley... TO THE MOON!

Edited December 30, 2004 by deanitude

[therockbox]

I think it's pretty obvious that the first challenger for the World Title should be Alex Shelley... I mean, come on people... he's in TNA so you gotta know he's just plain BETTER than Austin Aries...  ... right? lol

←

[Mysterio2000X]

.. Aries's first defense is against Cabana at 1/15. Not Shelley.

But yeah, I'm glad you decided to start an ROH diary, too. It's been a LONG time since there's been one here that I truly enjoyed. (The last one I seem to remember is Fitzy's from like a year ago..)

Edited December 30, 2004 by Mysterio2000X

[punky]

Ring of Honor

Newswire Report (1/3 thru 1/7)

This is a stacked Newswire report as we have lots of news, notes and new matches signed for 1/15 in Cambridge as well as 2/19 in Elizabeth, as part of the Third Year Anniversary show that will be spread over three shows: 2/19 in Elizabeth, 2/25 in Dayton & 2/26 in Chicago!

- RoH offices have been hectic over the past few days as many RoH wrestlers have petitioned for a World Title shot from Homicide to Bryan Danielson to Alex Shelley to The Outcast Killahs! RoH officials will take everyone under consideration that petitions for a title shot but as we stated before win/loss records, strength of opponent and respect shown towards the Code of Honor will be the key components to decide who gets a shot at the RoH World Champion, Austin Aries. We can announce as of right now, Bryan Danielson & Homicide will not be eligible for a shot at the title until their Best of Five series reaches it's conclusion. Meanwhile, discussions on the other candidates are still taking place.

- Upon hearing the news that he was not going to get a shot at the RoH World Title until his Best of Five series with Bryan Danielson was complete, Homicide flipped out at his training dojo. Homicide was seen throwing chairs, breaking eqiupment and even getting into an altercation with his best friend, Julius Smokes at one point! We've since been told that punches were thrown in the Homicide/Smokes fight but they have since made up. Homicide was heard shouting that he was going to make short work of Danielson by any means necessary. RoH officials have warned Homicide that if he goes "over the line" in ANY of his matches, he will not get a World Title match again until 2006!

- RoH World Champion Austin Aries has already been making claims that his RoH World Title reign will go down as the most prestigious reign in history. Aries has already stated that he will not back down from any challengers and will be a fighting champion unlike anyone that RoH has ever seen. Many people find this hard to believe because Low Ki and Samoa Joe were both fighting champions, taking on all comers. Aries will have his first test on 1/15 in Cambridge as he takes on Colt Cabana, who could very well end Aries' reign and make him the shortest reigning champion in RoH history.

- Samoa Joe was told about Aries' comments while at the LA Dojo and Joe said that Aries was a great wrestler but if he thought that he could top his reign without even defending the title once, that he had no idea what he was in for. Joe said that when you're the champ, everyone is gunning for you and that Aries will learn that the hard way. Joe was asked about his match against Nigel McGuinness on 1/15 and he said that he knows Nigel is a great athlete but he was coming to Cambridge to prove that he was still the man that RoH fans knew and loved as a 21 month long World Champion. Joe refused to comment on Mick Foley except that if Foley was there for a fight, he would be more than willing to oblige.

- Alex Shelley has continued to try to get ahold of Jack Evans to see where he stands but has still be unable to get in contact with him. Shelley told RoH officials that if Evans gets in touch with us that he wants to know. Going on to say that Aries & Strong turning their backs on him was the biggest mistake of their lives. RoH officials then informed Shelley of his opponent on 1/15, which will be a First Time Meeting in any promotion. As Alex Shelley will go one-on-one with none other than Spanky! This could be a match that could steal the show at 1/15.

- BJ Whitmer has informed RoH officials that he will be able to make the 1/15 show in Cambridge and will be putting off his elbow surgery. This came a little too late for BJ, as RoH officials were going to give Maff & Whitmer the Tag Title shots at 1/15 until Whitmer told them he was getting elbow surgery and officials awarded the Tag Title shots to The Carnage Crew, the team that Maff & Whitmer defeated at Final Battle! Upon hearing this Whitmer was irrate but officials told him that it was out of their hands.

- There are three other viable contenders that could be in line for a Tag Team Title match down the line in Maff & Whitmer, CM Punk & Steve Corino and Jack Evans & Roderick Strong. Each of these teams have been impressive in all of their tag team matches with Maff/Whitmer & Punk/Corino scoring wins at Final Battle, while Evans & Strong have put on strong showings in all of their matches. Each team have a case for a title shot but they will have to earn it on 1/15 but not in a Tag Team match. RoH officials have decided to make it a Six Man Scramble match with the man that scores the decisive pin getting his team a title shot! It is believed with the diversity in the competitors and adding the scramble feel, it could make for one of the most unique matches in RoH history.

- 2/19 in Elizabeth is going to be a huge day for Ring of Honor as not only do we have a special afternoon "Do or Die!" card but the night show is going to showcase the return of the SCRAMBLE CAGE. This Scramble Cage will not be like "Scramble Cage Melee" in Boston, where you had to dive off the top onto someone to eliminate them. This Scramble Cage will just be like the first one back at "Main Event Spectacles" in November 2003. We can announce the first team that will represent the Second City Saints, Ace Steel & Colt Cabana! Even if Cabana should win the RoH World Title at 1/15, Cabana will still compete in the Scramble Cage.

- Some sad news to report, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan will not be returning to RoH in the forseeable future as his health has taken a turn for the worse. Everyone in the RoH family sends their prayers and best wishes to one of the greatest managers in professional wrestling.

- Angel Dust & Becky were very distraught at their loss to Deranged & Lacey of Special K at Final Battle. The Ring Crew Express of Dunn & Marcos, who saved Becky from being taken out by Special K at 12/26 tried to take them out to party but to no luck. However, RoH officials have told Angel Dust & Becky that they will get a chance at redemption on 1/15 in an Eight Man Tag Team match. Angel Dust will be teaming up with a returning Dixie, that was attacked by Special K backstage about two months ago and The Ring Crew Express to take on Special K.

- When Special K were informed that they'd have to face their former friends along with Dunn & Marcos, Lacey told officials on behalf of Special K that they didn't deserve to get in the ring with all of Special K. We were later contacted by Prince Nana, informing us that The Outcast Killahs were going to be apart of the Eight Man Tag Team match because he was paid top dollar to team with two of Special K's members. No word on who the two are as of yet.

- After Nana informed us about The Outcast Killahs being "rented" out for the night, he told us that he wants one more final shot at taking Jay Lethal out with another Weapon of MASK Destruction. Nana has told officials that with the check he got from Lacey's parents, he was able to go out and find a man that would finally destroy Jay Lethal on behalf of The Embassy. RoH has agreed to give Nana one more shot against Jay Lethal but if the Weapon of MASK Destruction loses this time, Jimmy Rave will take on Jay Lethal at 2/19 in Elizabeth!

- Jimmy Rave who Prince Nana calls the "Crown Jewel" of The Embassy will miss the 1/15 show, as he will be training for his match against "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles at 2/25 in Dayton. Some of you may remember that Styles was Rave's mentor for a short time in RoH until he left and Rave was left with no direction for himself. But Rave have told officials in Ring of Honor that he is more than willing to get in the ring with Styles because when AJ left, Rave found himself. Going on to say that Styles left because he knew that Rave was the real star and that AJ couldn't carry his jock strap.

Our next Newswire Report will be on 1/17 after the Cambridge show and we will have lots of information on upcoming RoH shows including Do or Die IV & the main show on 2/19 in Elizabeth with the return of the SCRAMBLE CAGE along with updates on 2/25, 2/26 and a huge announcement for the 3/5 show in Philadelphia!

Edited January 2, 2005 by CM Punk

[darrdor]

This looks very promising, already very realistic and in the hands of a good writer, this should be a great diary :thumbsup:

[Mysterio2000X]

This is scary.. I did an ROH game post-Final Battle, and with the exception of one or two matches, I did the exact same feuds/matches.

Anyways, I was kind of hoping for Joe to go full heel.. having him compliment others won't really achieve that.

[Guest Cheesegood]

W00T! GO CABANA! *marks out*

You have to push CM Punk. For reasons that I don't really need to explain.

[punky]

Ring of Honor

Live from the National Guard Armory in Cambridge, MA! (1/15)

Please note this event originally scheduled for Revere, MA will now take place at the National Guard Armory in Cambridge. All tickets for Revere will be honored at the new location.

RoH World Title Match: Austin Aries © vs Colt Cabana

Austin Aries shocked many people when he picked up the win over Samoa Joe at Final Battle to become the new RoH World Champion. But while many were shocked, Aries never doubted himself for a second and even told Colt Cabana that he would have a title shot at 1/15 because he would walk out of Final Battle with the title. Aries will now get his first taste of what it's like to be the RoH World Champion, as he takes on a more than capable opponent in Cabana. Colt may be known for his comedic antics inside the ring but when it comes time to turn it on in the ring, he brings it every time. He will probably even have some extra fire because Aries & Generation Next took Colt out a few months ago, causing him to miss much alot of time in the last half of 2004. Cabana has stated that he would love to have the RoH World Title around his waist on the next Good Times, Great Memories but he will have to defeat Aries to do so. Can Aries make good on his promise to be the most successful RoH World Champion or will Cabana end Aries' reign before it even starts?

Special Challenge Match: Nigel McGuiness vs Samoa Joe

When Austin Aries defeated Samoa Joe for the RoH World Title, no one was effected more by the monumental moment besides Joe than Nigel McGuinness. Nigel was scheduled to challenge for the RoH World Title against Samoa Joe but now it will serve as a match that could either establish Nigel as a top contender for a title shot or put Samoa Joe back in line for a title shot of his own. Samoa Joe will definately be in Cambridge as a man on a mission to work his way back up the rankings but he will have his work cut out for him with Nigel, who is quickly becoming a rising star in RoH.

Tap Out Match: Bryan Danielson vs Homicide (w/Julius Smokes)

This will be the first match in a series of five matches with each match having a different stipulation. Bryan Danielson has laid down this challenge because he has vowed to take down each member of The Rottweilers personally because of their series of attacks against him, the most recent being at Final Battle during his match with Low Ki. Homicide accepted this best of five series because he knows that if he can one-up Danielson, he will put himself into position for a RoH World Title shot. This will be an intriguing match-up as Danielson is noted for being a very mat-based, technical master but he is coming in with an injured left shoulder because of attack at Final Battle. Whoever can take this match will be that much closer to ending the series of matches and establishing themselves as a clear contender for the RoH World Championship.

First Time Meeting: Alex Shelley vs Spanky

In a match that could certainly steal the show of this packed line-up, we have a 'dream' meeting between Alex Shelley and the returning Spanky. Spanky is notorious for his laid back attitude while Alex Shelley has always been one of the most serious wrestlers in RoH. Shelley has promised to bring his 'A' game in Cambridge, stating that Aries & Strong that they made the biggest mistake of their lives, when they turned their backs on him. He will have his hands full in Cambridge with Spanky who is no slough in the ring and will certainly put the man who claims to have "Talent on Loan from God" to the test.

RoH Tag Team Titles Match: The Carnage Crew vs The Rottweilers © (w/Julius Smokes)

Ricky Reyes & Rocky Romero have gone undefeated as a tag team since their debut in Ring of Honor and have been one of the most impressive teams in RoH history. As a part of The Rottweilers, they have captured the Tag Team titles and have yet to relinquish them. Loc & Devito, the Carnage Crew are one of the most brutal tag teams in wrestling, let alone Ring of Honor and have proven they can hang with various styles of wrestlers. Loc & Devito took BJ Whitmer & Dan Maff to the limit on Final Battle in a Fight Without Honor but couldn't pull out a win. However since they had put on so many hard fought matches with Maff & Whitmer, they awarded a shot at the belts after BJ informed RoH that he would miss the 1/15 show because of elbow surgery. Can The Rottweilers continue their impressive winning streak or will Loc & Devito end it and come out of the match with the belts around their waists?

Six Man Scramble Match: BJ Whitmer vs CM Punk vs Dan Maff vs Jack Evans vs Roderick Strong vs Steve Corino

These six men may seem like strange choices for a Six Man Scramble but this match will have Tag Team Title implications. The man that scores the win in this match will slingshot his team into Tag Title contention, putting them in line for a title shot. This may seem like a styles clash to many but with the toughness & brutality of Whitmer & Maff to the technical wrestling of Strong, Punk & Corino to Jack Evans' breath-taking aerial attack, this is sure to be one of the most insane Scrambles in RoH history.

- Jay Lethal vs Weapon of MASK Destruction #3 (w/Prince Nana)

Prince Nana has been on a mission to destroy Jay Lethal ever since Night 2 of the Weekend of Thunder, when Lethal slapped every member of The Embassy after a loss to Jimmy Rave. Declaring war on Lethal, Nana built up a Weapon of MASK Destruction that was going to destroy Jay Lethal but Lethal took care of him in short order. Pissed off that his investment didn't work, Nana promised that a new Weapon of MASK Destruction was going to take out Lethal but again, Lethal beat Nana's WMD. Lethal then called for Jimmy Rave but Nana just laughed at him. Now, Jay Lethal will have to step into the ring with Nana's Weapon of MASK Destruction #3, that was bought with a check from Lacey's parents. Nana promises his WMD #3 will finally DESTROY Lethal once and for all but Lethal is fighting for a chance to avenge his loss to Jimmy Rave. Can Nana finally destroy Jay Lethal with his Weapon of MASK Destruction or will Lethal pick up another win and get a chance at redemption against Jimmy Rave?

Eight Man Tag Team Match: Angel Dust, Dixie and The Ring Crew Express (w/Becky Bayless) vs Special K and The OCK (w/Lacey & Prince Nana)

Angel Dust and Dixie have started to get serious about wrestling since they've been on a long losing streak but Special K still insist on partying it up, as they are set in their spoiled ways. Deranged & Lacey defeated Angel Dust & Lacey back at Final Battle and then tried to take Becky out but Dunn & Marcos came out & made the save! When Special K heard that they would have to fight Angel Dust & Dixie along with the Ring Crew Express, they went out and purchased The OCK for one night from Prince Nana. Nana says he invested that money into another Weapon of MASK Destruction that he promises will finally DESTROY Jay Lethal. Can Angel Dust & Dixie finally break the losing streak or will Special K get another win over their former friends?

Also, Mick Foley will be in Cambridge and Samoa Joe has agreed to meet him in the ring for a highly anticipated confrontation.

All of this action and more! Don't miss Ring of Honor in Cambridge, MA on 1/15 at the National Guard Armory with a 7:30 PM bell time. Tickets will be available at the door.

Edited January 2, 2005 by CM Punk

[Gabriel]

Awesome looking card dude. I'm definately looking forward to seeing how you handle the situation of Aries as Champion.

[kaya]

However since they had put on so many hard fought matches with Maff & Whitmer, they awarded a shot at the belts after BJ informed RoH that he would miss the 1/15 show because of elbow surgery.

[abundant]

However since they had put on so many hard fought matches with Maff & Whitmer, they awarded a shot at the belts after BJ informed RoH that he would miss the 1/15 show because of elbow surgery.

But... BJ is in the scramble match, so he's not missing the 1/15 show

Unless im missing something...

←

Edited January 2, 2005 by abundant

[punky]

It was supposed to be a way to make the Tag Teams prove themselves but doing so in a unique fashion especially with such diversity in the competitors (brawlers in Maff/Strong, technical works in Whitmer/Corino/Punk and an aerial assault in Evans). I actually meant to put that in the Newswire portion but when I was editing it, I must've removed it and didn't add it back.

Also, even though it's a Six Man Scramble, Tag Teams will work as a unit but it also shakes things up a bit to further some of the storylines that these three teams have with one another.

Edited January 2, 2005 by CM Punk

[TGC]

I'd be a liar if I said that I was a ROH fan in reality. I simply have not had any real access to them, and have as of yet not seen a tape or DVD. I would also be a liar if I said I had seriously read any former ROH diaries here. I was tempted to read the one Fitzy did some time ago, but my lack of knowledge of the promotion kept me from doing so. However, based upon my realization that you are indeed becoming one of the finest writers in The Dome today, I am giving this a chance. Obviously your work on the first show will help me to decide if this is a diary I can read or not, but so far you have added this thing with enough info that I feel somewhat confident that I can read and not be totally lost here, as well as providing serious entertainment in a recap and some news items. That is the mark of a good writer in my opinion.

I am seriously looking forward to the first show.

TRC

[Dingle]

Until a month ago, I didnt see anything of Ring of Honor except random matches, I've got around 10 dvd's right now and a lot of matches and full shows on my computer and can properly follow an RoH Diary. I look forward to seeing where you take this.