Ring of Honor: From the beginning

[FireDoughnut]

In April 2001, professional wrestling video distribution company RF Video was in need of a new promotion to lead its video sales after Extreme Championship Wrestling, their best seller, went out of business. At the time, RF Video also filmed events held by other less popular regional wrestling promotions and sold them through their catalogue and website. RF Video owner Rob Feinstein decided he would fill the void left by ECW by starting his own promotion and distributing the DVD and VHS productions exclusively through RF Video. The first event, title The Era of Honor Begins, was held on February 23, 2002...

And this is how it went.

Ring of Honor. From the beginning.

Show Archive

Philadelphia, PA 2/23/02 - /forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=54624&view=findpost&p=1175584">The Era of Honor Begins

Philadelphia, PA 3/30/02 - /forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=54624&view=findpost&p=1176209">The Round Robin Challenge

Philadelphia, PA 4/20/02 - /forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=54624&view=findpost&p=1176384">Night of Appreciation

Philadelphia, PA 5/25/02 - /forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=54624&view=findpost&p=1179217">Road To The Title

Philadelphia, PA 6/22/02 - /forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=54624&view=findpost&p=1179500">Crowning A Champion

Wakefield, MA 7/27/02 - /forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=54624&view=findpost&p=1179870">Honor Invades Boston

Wakefield, MA 8/24/02 - /forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=54624&view=findpost&p=1180301">Honor Invades Boston II

Philadelphia, PA 9/21/02 - /forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=54624&view=findpost&p=1180654">In The Name of Honor

Philadelphia, PA 10/25/02 - /forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=54624&view=findpost&p=1181383">Glory By Honor Night #1

Philadelphia, PA 10/26/02 - /forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=54624&view=findpost&p=1182166">Glory By Honor Night #2

Wakefield, MA 11/30/02 - /forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=54624&view=findpost&p=1183112">All-Star Challenge (ROH vs. NJPW)

Philadelphia, PA, 12/07/02 - /forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=54624&view=findpost&p=1183358">Frozen Battle

2003

/forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=54624&view=findpost&p=1186229">ROH Showdown - West Mifflin, PA, 01/19/03

/forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=54624&view=findpost&p=1187280">The Anniversary Triple Shot Weekend Night #1 - Philadelphia, PA 02/21/03

/forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=54624&view=findpost&p=1187337">The Anniversary Triple Shot Weekend Night #2 - Philadelphia, PA 02/22/03

The Anniversary Triple Shot Weekend Night #3 - Philadelphia, PA 02/23/03

The Round Robin Challenge II - West Mifflin, PA 03/30/03

Great British Honor Night #1 - Manchester, England 04/19/03

Great British Honor Night #2 - Liverpool, England 04/20/03

Epic Evening - Philadelphia, PA 05/17/03

The Gauntlet - Queens, NY 06/22/03

Edited July 9, 2007 by FlatDavey Richards

[FireDoughnut]

Wrestling Newswire - February 2002

- February was marked by most federations as they released some of their biggest stars. World Wrestling All-Stars released Jeff Jarrett, Buff Bagwell, Scott Steiner, Sabu and Nathan Jones as well as Bret Hart.

- X-Wrestling Federation released Hulk Hogan, Terry Funk, Johnny B. Badd, Rena Mero, Roddy Piper and Curt Henning.

- While the World Wrestling Federation joined in the fun by getting rid of Matt Morgan, Payne, Mr. Black, Synn, Ron Waterman, Seven, Rob Conway, Kenny Bolin, Chad Collyer, The Damaja, Nick Dinsmore, Doug Basham, Damian, Linda Miles, Redd Dogg, Jackie Gayda, Eric Angle, Sharmell Sullivan, Queen Victoria, Haku, Mark Jindrak, Mark Henry, Bull Buchanan, David Flair, Leviathan, O.G. Ekmo, Johnny The Bull, Kimo, Steve Bradley, Charlie Haas, Shelton Benjamin, Shannon Moore, The Prototype, Jacqueline, Debra, Hugh Morrus, Jazz, Ivory, Hardcore Holly, Bossman, Terri, Planet Stasiak, Justin Credible, Crash Holly, Spike Dudley, Stevie Richards, Steve Blackman, Billy Kidman and Nidia. Phew. Quite the list.

- However it wasn’t all bad news this month for the wrestlers as a number secured some new contracts. X-Treme Professional Wrestling signed up Ultimo Dragon, Beulah McGuillicutty, Daffney, Super Crazy, Kaz Hayashi, Simon Diamond and Midajah.

- While the WWA signed up Chris Chetti, Anthony Durante, April Hunter, Kimberley Paige, Tylene Buck, Ultimo Dragon, Tori, Super Crazy, Francine and Taylor Vaughan.

- The XWF picked up Disco Inferno, Kaos, Roadkill, Ricky Steamboat, Juventud Guerrera, K-Kwik, Norman Smiley, Chris Candido, The Sandman, Super Crazy, Johnny Smith, Bam Bam Bigelow and Harry Smith.

- XPW TV has received ratings of 0.09, 0.01, 0.08 and 0.03 for the previous weeks.

- The WWF’s Jakked has received ratings of 1.74, 1.74 and 1.67.

- Heat scored 1.18 and 1.23 for its two showings.

- RAW scored 6.50, 6.81 and 6.90.

- Smackdown performed consistently well scoring 5.88, 5.89 and 5.83.

- The “No Way Out” Pay-Per-View got a 1.64 buy-rate with the main event seeing The Rock defeating Kurt Angle to capture the WWF Championship and book a showdown with Steve Austin for Wrestlemania.

- WWA's 'Revolution' show was attended by over 700 people which featured Disco Inferno capturing the WWA Championship pinning Brian Christopher to do so in a triple threat that also featured Norman Smiley.

- Up-star promotion Ring of Honor has been rather quiet in comparison with the only news being that they have opened up the ROH Wrestling School. Owner Rob Feinstein said that the ROW Wrestling School would supply the RoH with a number “of excellent future prospects that they could watch grow.” Feinstein backed up his bold claim’s that Ring of Honor was all about wrestling before adding that recognition would count for nothing in the new federation.

Ring of Honor presents…

The Era of Honor Begins - Philadelphia, PA 2/23/02

Confirmed Matches

Mikey Whipwreck & Steve Corino vs. Low Ki & Scoot Andrews

Amazing Red, Jose Maximo & Joel Maximo vs. Brian XL, Chris Divine & Quiet Storm

Prince Nana vs. Paul London

Xavier vs. Elax vs. Danny Drake

Jay Briscoe vs. Spanky

Bryan Danielson & Michael Shane vs. Da Hit Squad vs. The Natural Born Sinners

The Round Robin Challenge - Philadelphia, PA 3/30/02

Confirmed Matches

The Round Robin Trio: CW Anderson, ???, ???

Mike Tobin vs. James Maritato

Jay Briscoe vs. Prince Nana

Scoot Andrews vs. Mikey Whipwreck vs. Xavier vs. Paul London

Spanky Amazing Red vs. Chris Divine & Quiet Storm

[FireDoughnut]

Ring of Honor presents...

The Era of Honor Begins

Philadelphia, PA 2/23/02

The Era of Honor began with the flamboyant duo of Buff E and Mase strolling out from the backstage area. The pure wrestling fans that were in attendance didn’t take too kindly to the brightly dressed pair as they “swaggered” to the ring but the booing quickly turned to cheers as Christian York and Joey Matthews burst into the arena. The former ECW tag team tossed Buff E and Mase into the ring before starting things off in the very-first Ring of Honor match. The match was totally one-sided as Buff E and Mase seemed more interesting in their golf visors and feather boas as York and Matthews made light-work of the pair much to the delight of Rob Feinstein.

The Ring of Honor owner made his way to the ring following the match and congratulated the victors before reminding the fans that in the Ring of Honor, wrestling comes first. Feinstein said there would be no time for gimmicks or soap-opera storylines; everything in the Ring of Honor would be about the wrestling. Feinstein left the ring to a huge ovation from the crowd inside the arena.

Jay Briscoe was accompanied by his younger brother Mark for his match with Spanky. The younger Briscoe, who is too young to compete in the state was a constant thorn in the side of Spanky during the match as his loud encouragement put the young high-flyer off his game. Spanky tried to imply to referee John Finnegan that Mark was in violation of rule 2 of the Code of the Honor but Finnegan was having none of it and in the end, Spanky’s lack of concentration paid dearly as he was finished off by the brutal J-Driller to give Jay his first victory in his debut match.

And they were followed to the ring for the third match of the night as “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson and “The Showstopper” Michael Shane combined to win the first ever Scramble Tag Team Match. Under the rules of the match, when a wrestler left the ring anyone could enter to replace him without being tagged the action was fast and furious with no let-up for anybody that was in the ring. The match saw Shane and Danielson working well together to defeat the established teams of Da Hit Squad of Mafia and Monsta Mack and The Natural Born Sinner pairing of Homicide and Boogalou. Danielson showcased any amazing array of technical holds and after locking in what he calls the Arms Across America on Mafia, secured a well-fought victory for his team.

Prince Nana was the next man to add a “1” in his win column after coming through against Paul London. Nana took his time getting to the ring and he walked down wearing a bright robe, and that seemed to turn the fans slightly against him, until he and London started to wrestle. The two men were lightening fast and flipped in every possible direction as they looked to do their opponent. At one stage, Nana retreated to the outside of the ring to catch a breath only for London to run up the ring-post and spring-board into a shooting star press onto Nana that caused the crowd to almost blow the roof off. But as much as London fought and put everything into the match, Nana was able to come away with the win hitting the Royal DDT for the victory.

And that was followed by Xavier securing a debut victory pinning Elax in a triangle match featuring Danny Drake. Xavier seemed head and shoulders above his two opponents as he dominated the match from start to finish, tossing Drake from the ring before hitting Elax with the “Kiss Your X Goodbye” to secure the pinfall.

The related-trio of Amazing Red and the Spanish Aerial Team combined well next as they took out Brian XL and the Divine Storm duo. Red, Jose and Joel were simply unstoppable as they used quick tags, lightning fast reflexes and a willingness to put their bodies on the line for victory as Joel picked up the win in quick-time; pinning Quiet Storm following the duo’s combined Maximo Impact.

And then it was time for the main event as Mikey Whipwreck and Steve Corino awaited Scoot Andrews and Low Ki; however when the young pair arrived they weren’t alone. They were followed by Christopher Daniels who coached the pair throughout and looked on with glee as Low Ki and Scoot too the early control of the match. Andrews and Low Ki seemed hungrier in the opening exchanges and that allowed Low Ki to isolate Whipwreck’s lower back with some devastating kicks that even had the fans in the first few rows flinching. Whipwreck tired to battle back but Low Ki showed experience beyond his years, keeping Mikey away from his partner before tagging to “The Black Nature Boy.” Scott sprang into action and following some direction from Daniels, looked controlled and steady in the ring, keeping Whipwreck on the ground and continuing Low Ki’s good-work and focusing on Whipwreck’s back. Andrews managed to tag in Low Ki but as the team were exchanging tactics, Mikey sprang to life. Still feeling the pain in his back, Whipwreck managed to crawl across the ring and unleash Steve Corino into the match and as Low Ki turned around he received a right hand, specially delivered by Steve. Corino seemed like an animal unleashed as he set about attacking Low Ki but after missing a routine clothesline Corino became the victim to a very opportunistic Ki Krusher. The match came out of absolutely no-where and the three young wrestlers immediately began to celebrate as Christopher Daniels took a microphone.

Daniels introduced himself as “The Man of Honor,” the beacon of light and wonderment that would Ring of Honor and wrestling into a new dawning. Christopher continued by telling fans that they had witnessed the start of something very special in that very ring, and Daniels was going to take it upon himself to make sure that the new breed of WRESTLING superstars live long in the memory of every wrestling fan in the world, but as Daniels was set to continue he was interrupted by some strange music and then the appearance of Eddie Guerrero.

Daniels was speechless as Guerrero strolled to the ring before taking the microphone from “The Man of Honor.” Guerrero warned Daniels things were not going to be easy, and promised to make sure the new breed of wrestlers worked for any success they received, just like he had and then challenged Daniels to a match. Christopher accepted straight away and John Finnegan raced to the ring to oversee the pair shaking hands, before the bell rang. And the impromptu main event was a real delight for the fans as Daniels and Guerrero went back and forth with the four men from the previous tag team match cheering the men on. Guerrero looked in control from the start as he seemed the more ready of the men for the match but “The Man of Honor” roared back strong and pushed Eddie every step of the way, rolling away from the Frog Splash on two occasions. And as Eddie missed his third Frog Splash attempt, many in the crowd realised that it wasn’t to be his night as Daniels took his time setting himself before planting Guerrero with the Angel’s Wings for the shock victory to cap-off the first-ever Ring of Honor show.

Show Rating: 64%

Attendance: 1234

[FireDoughnut]

Wrestling Newswire - March 2002

- World Wrestling Federation’s Ric Flair announced his retirement from wrestling at the end of February. “The Nature Boy” said he would be hanging up his tights following Wrestlemania for the last time. But the huge blow to the WWF was softened by the signings of Jeff Jarrett, Scott Hall and Sting. The three superstars were signed in separate deals and debuted immediately on screen.

- XPW TV was dropped by all it’s carriers at the end of the month.

- Ring of Honor’s first show “The Era of Honor” was attended by just over 1200 people. The fans were said to have enjoyed the pure wrestling ability of the numerous workers although some struggled to recognize the stars, except in the main event as Eddie Guerrero debuted to take on and lose to Christopher Daniels. The results were as follows:

• York & Matthews (Christian York & Joey Matthews) defeated The Christopher Street Connection (Buff E & Mase)
• Jay Briscoe w/Mark Briscoe defeated Spanky
• Bryan Danielson & Michael Shane defeated DA Hit Squad (Mafia & Monsta Mack) and The Natural Born Sinners (Homicide & Boogalou)
• Prince Nana defeated Paul London
• Xavier defeated Elax and Danny Drake
• The Spanish Aerial Team (Joel Maximo & Jose Maximo) and Amazing Red defeated Divine Storm (Chris Divine & Quiet Storm) and Brian XL
• Low Ki and Scoot Andrews w/Christopher Daniels defeated Mikey Whipwreck and Steve Corino
• Christopher Daniels defeated Eddie Guerrero

- Dave Taylor has also announced his retirement this month.

- Combat Zone Wrestling has risen in size brining in Steve Blackman, Satoshi Kojima and Chris Harris for their most recent “Fake You TV.”

- AJ Styles, Chris Candido, Christopher Daniels, Eddie Guerrero, Frank Shamrock, Juventud Guerrera, Kid Krash, M-Dogg 20, Rey Misterio Jr., Ruckus, Spanky, Super Crazy and Ultimo Dragon will join NJPW veterans Jinsei Shinzaki and Jushin Thunder Liger on the New Japan Pro Wrestling tour for the coming year.

Ring of Honor presents…

The Round Robin Challenge - Philadelphia, PA 3/30/02

Confirmed Matches

The Round Robin: CW Anderson, Eddie Guerrero, Christopher Daniels

Mike Tobin vs. James Maritato

Jay Briscoe vs. Prince Nana

Scoot Andrews vs. Mikey Whipwreck vs. Xavier vs. Paul London

Spanky & Amazing Red vs. Divine Storm

Steve Corino vs. Low Ki

The Natural Born Sinners vs. York & Matthews

Bryan Danielson & Michael Shane vs. The Spanish Aerial Team

Night of Appreciation - Philadelphia, PA 4/20/02

Confirmed Matches

Mikey Whipwreck & Steve Corino vs. Bryan Danielson & Michael Shane vs. ??? & ??? vs. ??? & ???

Mike Tobin vs. CW Anderson

Divine Storm vs. The Hit Squad

Brian XL & Prince Nana vs. Paul London & Jay Briscoe

TBC - Philadelphia, PA 5/25/02

Confirmed Matches

The Spanish Aerial Team vs. York & Matthews

Danny Drake and Mike Tobin vs. Brian XL & Elax

[FireDoughnut]

Ring of Honor Presents...

The Round Robin Challenge

Philadelphia, PA 3/30/02

The second show in Ring of Honor history got underway as “The Old-School Representative” Eddie Guerrero battled “The Management Representative” CW Anderson in the first of three Round Robin matches. Guerrero seemed the more pumped-up of the two men in the early action as the Mexican-American wrestler dominated Anderson but CW was not going down without a fight and managed to battler his way back into the match with some stiff right hands, and quick suplexes however it wasn’t to be for the debuting Anderson as he suffered the Three Amigos before Eddie Scaled to the top rope and finally landed his Frog Splash in the Ring of Honor, at the fourth time of asking.

Following Eddie’s victory, Bryan Danielson and “The Showstopper” Michael Shane headed for the ring to take on Jose and Joel Maximo in tag team action. The Spanish Aerial Team ran to the ring and sprang to life as the match began, isolating Michael Shane with the early action. Jose and Joel used quick tags and flashy moves to stop Shane from mounting any comeback until they got too flashy. Trying a top rope hurricanrana on the dazed and confused Shane, Joel Maximo found himself being caught in mid-air by Shane before being tossed behind him to the mat; before Shane managed to tag in Danielson. “The American Dragon” roared into the ring, removing Jose from the ring apron before setting about dismantling Joel Maximo. The young SAT member was helpless as Danielson focused his attention on his shoulder, throwing him from the second rope on three separate occasions before locking in the Arms across America to secure the victory. Joel Maximo was forced to tap-out as Michael Shane made sure Jose Maximo got no-where near the fall.

In a match between two debutants, Mike Tobin secured a victory over James Maritato in a hard-fought affair. Maritato gave up a couple of inches to Tobin in the match and was always up against it before Tobin finished off it off with a Shining Wizard for the match victory.

Spanky and The Amazing Red combined in the fourth match of the night to win the second Scramble Tag Match in ROH history beating Da Hit Squad and Divine Storm. Chris Divine and Quiet Storm will feel slightly aggrieved by the result as they controlled for much of the match but it was Spanky who capitalised on the Scramble Rules to take Divine’s place and plant Monsta Mack with Sliced Bread #2 for the match victory.

Following the three team match, Christopher Daniels eliminated CW Anderson from the Round Robin Challenge, taking the match and securing a showdown with Eddie Guerrero in the main event. Anderson looked desperate for the victory and was taking some strange risks that Daniels capitalised on. “The Man of Honor” finished Anderson off with his Angel’s Wings after Anderson had tired to go to the top rope.

Jay Briscoe was once again joined by his brother, Mark Briscoe for his match as he fought to a time-limit draw with Prince Nana. The two men went back and forth over again but neither could pull off a victory in an amazing match. Jay planted Nana with the J-Driller but the Prince managed to kick-out to keep himself in the match and the two men shared an embrace as the match was called a draw to huge applause from the fans.

The heat between the “New Age of Superstars” and the old guard continued as Scott Andrews secured another fall over Mikey Whipwreck in a four man scramble match. Xavier and Paul London were also involved but the main tension of the match was between Whipwreck and Andrews as both men really went for each other. Whipwreck was obviously still hurting from the previous month’s defeat but it was Andrews that pulled through, planting Whipwreck with the Natural Disaster Neckbreaker for the match victory.

And that was followed by a rather exciting tag team match that saw Homicide and Boogalou combining to beat Christian York and Joey Matthews who had previously had the pleasure of winning the first-ever Ring of Honor match. The Natural Born Sinners stuck to their initial game plan and seemed to have too much in the tank as Homicide finished Joey Matthews off with Da Cop Killa to secure the victory.

Steve Corino got one back for the old guard as he secured a victory over Low Ki in the semi-mina event. The tension between the two men was evident from the opening as Low Ki produced his stiff, hard kicks early on to try and surprise Corino but the “The King of Old-School” refused to put off as he rallied well hitting Low Ki with no less than three Old School Expulsions in a row to guarantee his victory and some dignity for the old guard.

But that was all the enjoyment the old guard had in the night as Christopher Daniels managed to steal a victory against Eddie Guerrero to win the Round Robin Challenge with a record of 2-0. “The Man of Honor” however did not compete like someone that was out there representing the straight-up wrestling mantra as he tried to bend the rules as much as possible, usually without the referee being able to see. Daniels began to cheat throughout the match against the man that made cheating cool, and pulled off the victory, using a handful of Guerrero’s tights to secure the victory much to the disgust of the Ring of Honor fans.

And as Daniels tried to plead his case, Rob Feinstein strolled to the stage. The Ring of Honor owner informed Christopher Daniels that he was the furthest thing from a “Man of Honor” and was going to give Eddie Guerrero a third chance at beating him. Feinstein announced that Daniels versus Eddie Guerrero would open the Night of Appreciation in a match to finally settle their differences.

And as the crowd cheered the first announcement, Feinstein informed the fans that in two month’s time they would began to crown the first Ring of Honor Champion. The owner informed fans that sixteen men would compete, to get things down to four before the final four men would meet in an elimination match for the Ring of Honor Championship. The arena absolutely erupted with cheers as the second Ring of Honor show drew to a close.

Show Rating: 67%

Attendance: 1245

[FireDoughnut]

Wrestling Newswire - April 2002

- World Japan has welcomed Dustin Rhodes, Johnny Smith, Ken Shamrock, Sabu and Tito Ortiz on board for their 02/03 tours.

- “Fake You TV” was dropped by America One. CZW are said to be thinking about consolidating their position in the market, although no cost-cutting measures have been released as of now.

- The XWF have a new show on Tuesdays called “Turmoil.” The show will run in the graveyard slot on the USA network.

- Ring of Honor’s second show which featured the re-match between Christopher Daniels and Eddie Guerrero drew 1245 fans. The show saw Daniels breaking the Code of Honor by cheating to win before Rob Feinstein announced that the pair will open the third show in a final match to settle their differences, on April 20th. It is rumored that some America One officials were backstage at "The Round Robin Challenge" however, ROH refused to comment. The results were as follows:

• Eddie Guerrero beat CW Anderson to go 1-0 in the Round Robin Challenge
• Bryan Danielson and Michael Shane beat The Spanish Aerial Team (Jose Maximo & Joel Maximo)
• Mike Tobin pinned James Maritato
• The Amazing Red and Spanky beat Da Hit Squad (Mafia & Monsta Mack) and Divine Storm (Chris Divine & Quiet Storm)
• Christopher Daniels beat CW Anderson in the Round Robin Challenge to leave Anderson 0-2
• Jay Briscoe w/Mark Briscoe and Prince Nana fought to a time limit draw
• Scoot Andrews pinned Mikey Whipwreck in a Scramble Match featuring Paul London and Xavier
• The Natural Born Sinners (Homicide & Boogalou) beat York & Matthews (Christian York & Joey Matthews)
• Steve Corino pinned Low Ki
• Christopher Daniels pinned Eddie Guerrero to win the Round Robin Challenge with a record of 2-0, while Eddie finished 1-1

- The WWF have signed Bret Hart to a written deal. Yeah, I know; pretty unbelievable but as the only decent outlet for wrestling in America it seems that Bret has decided to bite the bullet and go back.

Ring of Honor presents…

Night of Appreciation - Philadelphia, PA 4/20/02

Confirmed Matches

Mikey Whipwreck & Steve Corino vs. Bryan Danielson & Michael Shane vs. Spanky & The Amazing Red vs. The Natural Born Sinners

Mike Tobin vs. CW Anderson

Divine Storm vs. The Hit Squad

Brian XL & Prince Nana vs. Paul London & Jay Briscoe

Christopher Daniels vs. Eddie Guerrero

Danny Drake vs. HC Loc vs. Joel Maximo

Scoot Andrews vs. Elax vs. James Maritato vs. Jose Maximo

Road To The Title - Philadelphia, PA 5/25/02

Confirmed Matches

Block A Semi-Finals: The Amazing Red vs. ??? - Mikey Whipwreck vs. ???

Block B Semi-Finals: Michael Shane vs. ??? - Christopher Daniels vs. Paul London

Block C Semi-Finals: Steve Corino vs. ??? - Homicide vs. ???

Block D Semi-Finals: Bryan Danielson vs. ??? - Eddie Guerrero vs. Prince Nana

The Spanish Aerial Team vs. York & Matthews

Danny Drake and Mike Tobin vs. Brian XL & Elax

HC Loc vs. Boogalou

Crowning A Champion - Philadelphia, PA 6/22/02

Confirmed Matches

Ring of Honor Championship: ??? vs. ??? vs. ??? vs. ???

Mike Tobin vs. Brian XL

James Maritato vs. Danny Drake vs. Elax vs. HC Loc

Honor Invades Boston - Wakefield, MA 7/27/02

Confirmed Matches

Ring of Honor Championship: ??? © vs. Joel Maximo

Honor Invades Boston II - Wakefield, MA 8/24/02

Confirmed Matches

Ring of Honor Championship: ??? © vs. Jose Maximo

Edited July 1, 2007 by FlatDoughnut

[FireDoughnut]

Ring of Honor Presents...

Night of Appreciation

Philadelphia, PA 4/20/02

The Night of Appreciation began with Eddie Guerrero finally getting to pin Christopher Daniels and take the victory in their third meeting. “The Man of Honor” was up to the same tricks as the previous month as Daniels tried to cheat his way to victory continually only for Eddie to rally well. The American-Mexican wrestler seemed to have an answer for all of Daniels’ tricks and was able to finish things off by planting the Frog Splash for the memorable victory.

And that was followed by Scoot Andrews continuing his recent streak by picking up the victory in Four-Corners Match. “The Black Nature Boy” forced Elax to submit to his Figure-Four Leg-Lock in a match that saw Jose Maximo looking nervous and James Maritato struggling to impose himself on things. Scoot had an easy time of it for the majority of the match and looked good for his victory as he celebrated in the centre of the ring.

Chris Divine and Quiet Storm looked like they had won the lottery when they pinned Mafia to secure their first win in the Ring of Honor. The Divine Storm duo took on Da Hit Squad and after two really strong performances in previous months, Divine managed to hit his Divine Driver on Mafia to secure the first taster of Ring of Honor glory for his team and the two men were over the moon.

CW Anderson has a rotten time of it so far in his ROH career, and Mike Tobin was not in a nice mood as he disposed of the Round Robin Challenge Loser in the fourth match of the night. Anderson tried his best to fight but just didn’t have the tool required to resist Tobin who finished things off with his Shining Wizard for what was in all honesty a comfortable win.

The tag team of Christian York and Joey Matthews were the next men to the ring as they awaited a pair of mystery opponents. Management had informed the pair of their match and as they stood in the ring, new music hit the speakers but it was familiar faces as Buff E and Mase walked onto the stage. The Christopher St. Connection were in new attire and took a microphone to explain that they realised Ring of Honor was all about the wrestling and they promised to be all about the wrestling too. However, their words were in vain as York and Matthews wasted little time in winning the match. The duo hit The Full Effect on both members of the CSC to secure double pins on the “reformed” pairing.

Danny Drake was the next victor as he managed to steal a victory from right under the nose of Joel Maximo. Drake used the scramble rules to full advantage as he pinned HC Loc after Maximo had left the ring to put Loc back in. Maximo was far from happy and set on Drake straight away before being chased off by Drake’s tag team partner Mike Tobin.

In the semi-main event, Prince Nana recruited Brian XL to help him see off Paul London and Jay Briscoe in tag team action. Both team’s struggled with an understanding of each other and that seemed to drag the match down but in all it was an entertaining affair with Brian XL hitting his X-Clamation Point on Paul London for the win.

There was an extra stipulation added to the main event as the four teams made their way to the ring. It was announced that the victors would be allowed to choose their first round opponents for the Ring of Honor Championship Tournament so all four teams were on their A-Game throughout but it was Mikey Whipwreck and Steve Corino who finally had something to cheer about they secured the victory with Steve pinning Boogalou. Bryan Danielson found himself exchanging holds with Homicide for much of the match but with the scramble rules intact a number of wrestlers slide to the outside allowing others to jump straight and disrupt any momentum that was brewing. Spanky and Amazing Red had some issues with each other throughout so struggled while Michael Shane found himself targeted at the start of the match by The Natural Born Sinners and couldn’t recover to be any help to “The American Dragon.”

Show Rating: 66%

Attendance: 2825

[FireDoughnut]

Wrestling Newswire - May 2002

- Ring of Honor’s Night of Appreciation was attended by 2825 people. The show was said to be a huge success by all involved and the federation was buzzing about the 16-man tournament to crown the first Ring of Honor Champion. Rumors continue to circulate about meetings between ROH and America One officials as they seen backstage again. The results were as follows:

• Eddie Guerrero defeated Christopher Daniels
• Scoot Andrews submitted Elax in a four-corners match also featuring Jose Maximo and James Maritato
• Divine Storm (Chris Divine & Quiet Storm) defeated DA Hit Squad (Mafia & Monsta Mack)
• Mike Tobin defeated CW Anderson
• York & Matthews (Christian York & Joey Matthews) defeated the returning Christopher Street Connection (Buff E & Mase)
• Danny Drake pinned Joel Maximo
• Prince Nana & Brian XL defeated Paul London & Jay Briscoe w/Mark Briscoe
• Mikey Whipwreck & Steve Corino defeated Spanky & The Amazing Red, Bryan Danielson & Michael Shane and The Natural Born Sinners (Homicide & Boogalou) for the oppurtunity to choose their first round opponents in the ROH Championship Tournament

- The great JJ Dillon has announced he will retire in the coming weeks.

- Norman Smiley, Harry Smith and Psicosis have all agreed deals to work with the X Wrestling Federation.

Ring of Honor Presents...

Road To The Title - Philadelphia, PA 5/25/02

Confirmed Matches

Block A Semi-Finals: The Amazing Red vs. CW Anderson - Mikey Whipwreck vs. Low Ki

Block B Semi-Finals: Michael Shane vs. James Maritato - Christopher Daniels vs. Paul London

Block C Semi-Finals: Steve Corino vs. Scoot Andrews - Homicide vs. Spanky

Block D Semi-Finals: Bryan Danielson vs. Jay Briscoe - Eddie Guerrero vs. Prince Nana

The Spanish Aerial Team vs. York & Matthews

Danny Drake and Mike Tobin vs. Brian XL & Elax

HC Loc vs. Boogalou

Crowning A Champion - Philadelphia, PA 6/22/02

Confirmed Matches

Ring of Honor Championship: ??? vs. ??? vs. ??? vs. ???

Mike Tobin vs. Brian XL

James Maritato vs. Danny Drake vs. Elax vs. HC Loc

Honor Invades Boston - Wakefield, MA 7/27/02

Confirmed Matches

Ring of Honor Championship: Champion © vs. Joel Maximo

Honor Invades Boston II - Wakefield, MA 8/24/02

Confirmed Matches

Ring of Honor Championship: Champion © vs. Jose Maximo

In The Name of Honor - Philadelphia, PA 9/21/02

Confirmed Matches

Paul London vs. HC Loc

CW Anderson vs. Eddie Guerrero

Glory By Honor Night 1 - Philadelphia, PA 10/25/02

Glory By Honor Night 2 - Philadelphia, PA 10/26/02

All-Star Challenge (ROH vs. NJPW) - Wakefield, MA 11/30/02

Frozen Battle - TBC, December 2002

Edited July 1, 2007 by FlatDoughnut

[FireDoughnut]

Ring of Honor Presents...

Road to the Title

Philadelphia, PA 5/25/02

The Road To The Title opened with Amazing Red beating CW Anderson to advance to the finals of Block A. The terrible start that Anderson has made in the Ring of Honor continued as he came up against a very focused Red who finished things off with the Red alert for the pinfall win.

And he was followed into the next round by Michael Shane. “The Showstopper” pinned James Maritato in a routine match that saw him comfortably into the Black B final against either Christopher Daniels or Paul London.

The third match in the ring saw Mikey Whipwreck facing his own personal choice of opponent Low Ki. The match was a lot more intensified than the previous two matches but it was the Master of the Ki Krusher that won through in the end as he upset Whipwreck to dump him out of the ROH Tournament.

The finals of Block B was rounded off next as Christopher Daniels planted Paul London with the Angel’s Wings to book his showdown with Michael Shane later. The match could have been a classic if it was allowed to go on longer but Daniels say himself through, bending the rules slightly once again to seal his fate.

In the first of only three non-tournament matches, Homicide’s tag team partner Boogalou went down in a match against HC Loc. Loc finished Boogalou off with the R.E.F. in a short, brawling match.

The second half of the ROH Championship Tournament got underway following the brief intermission as “The Black Nature Boy” Scoot Andrews was taken out by “The King of Old-School.” Steve Corino selected his young nemesis as his first-round opponent and it paid off as he dumped him out of the Tournament with the Old School Expulsion.

And he was followed into the finals by Bryan Danielson. “The American Dragon” was hardly pushed in his match with Jay Briscoe and finished things off with Arms Across America.

“The Latin Terror” Homicide booked his match with Steve Corino for later in the show as he came through against Spanky. The match was a fast, high-paced affiar but after reversing a lariat, Homicide was able to plant Da Cop Killa on Spanky for the win.

And Eddie Guerrero rounded out the final eight competitors in the Tournament as he pinned Prince Nana following the Frog Splash. Guerrero was a focused machine in the match and gave Nana little or no chance of victory, earning a showdown with Bryan Danielson for later in the show.

The second of three non-tournament matches saw Danny Drake and Mike Tobin taking on the mismatched team of Elax and Brian XL. Drake and Tobin appeared as a well-oiled machine as they dismantled Elax and Brian XL in super quick time, with Tobin thumping his Shining Wizard on Elax’s cranium to secure the victory.

Low Ki was the first man through to the Ring of Honor Championship match as he submitted The Amazing Red in the centre of the ring. The action went back and forth with both men having opportunities to claim victory only for Low Ki to capitalise on a rare Amazing Red mistake to hit the Ki Krusher before locking in the Dragon Clutch in the centre of the ring.

And he was joined in the ROH Championship match by “The Showstopper” Michael Shane as he “upset” Christopher Daniels in a tense affair. “The Man of Honor” was his usual sneaky self but Shane was able to resist his antics, sticking to his game plan and finishing Daniels off with the Sweet Shane Music.

There was brief interruption in the flow of the Championship Tournament as Jose and Joel Maximo beat Christian York and Joey Matthews. By sealing victory, The Spanish Aerial Team confirmed themselves as the first two men to challenge the first Ring of Honor Champion with victory as they hit both York and Matthews with the Maximo Impact for a double pin victory.

And the man the Spanish Aerial Team face could very well be “The Latin Terror” Homicide as he saw himself through against Steve Corino. “The King of Old School” looked good in the match but could nothing to resist Da Cop Killa as Homicide rolled into the Ring of Honor Championship match.

And the final four was rounded out by Eddie Guerrero as he came through a classic against Bryan Danielson. The match was real delight for the Ring of Honor fans as the two men threw everything into the match. Guerrero and Danielson were truly breath-taking in their selection of moves that they showcased and Guerrero even managed to break out of the Arms Across America by rolling back into a pinfall. The move caught “The American Dragon” completely off-guard and Eddie was able to celebrate a huge victory before embracing Danielson in the centre of the ring.

Show Rating: 68%

Attendance: 2481

[FireDoughnut]

Wrestling Newswire - June 2002

- All-Japan Pro Wrestling has signed Dan Severn, PJ Friedman, Samoa Joe, Simon Diamond and Vader to tour with them until the end of May 2003.

- Bobby Walker has announced his impending retirement at the end of the month.

- JJ Dillion has retired from all active wrestling commitments and said that he is interested in working as a road agent for the WWE. As of yet, the WWE have not made an approach for him.

- X Wrestling Federation have a new television show on Wednesday. The show, titled “Impact” will air on the USA Network in a graveyard slot much like their Turmoil program. Turmoil has had it’s contract extended for the next 30 weeks as the USA Network continue to show faith with the XWF.

- Combat Zone Wrestling has gone into administration. John Zandig declared himself bankrupt after gambling on the signings of Satoshi Kojima, Chris Harris and Steve Blackman in the past month. All of the wrestlers are said to be looking elsewhere for their next employment chance.

- World Wrestling All-Stars have issued a bankruptcy warning. The company are said to be interested in finding a new owner to give it some financial stability but as of yet, nothing has even been rumoured to be happening.

- Ring of Honor started on their quest to crown the first Ring of Honor Champion in a show that was attended by roughly 2500 people. Michael Shane, Low Ki, Homicide and Eddie Guerrero will battle for the right to become the first Ring of Honor Champion. The show results are as follows:

• Amazing Red beat CW Anderson to advance to the finals of Block A
• Michael Shane beat James Maritato to advance in Block B
• Low Ki beat Mikey Whipwreck to advance to the finals of Black A
• Christopher Daniels beat Paul London to advance to the finals of Block B
• HC Loc beat Boogalou
• Steve Corino beat Scoot Andrews to advance to the finals of Block C
• Bryan Danielson beat Jay Briscoe to advance to the finals of Block D
• Homicide beat Spanky to advance to the finals of Block C
• Eddie Guerrero beat Prince Nana to advance to the finals of Block D
• Danny Drake and Mike Tobin beat Elax and Brian XL
• Low Ki beat Amazing Red to enter the ROH Championship match
• Michael Shane beat Christopher Daniels to enter the ROH Championship match
• The Spanish Aerial Team (Jose Maximo & Joel Maximo) beat York and Matthews (Christian York & Joey Matthews)
• Homicide beat Steve Corino to enter the ROH Championship match
• Eddie Guerrero beat Bryan Danielson to enter the ROH Championship match

- Ring of Honor have announced their schedule for the rest of the year as well although they are yet to confirm the date of their December show, Frozen Battle.

Ring of Honor Presents...

Crowning A Champion - Philadelphia, PA 6/22/02

Confirmed Matches

Ring of Honor Championship: Michael Shane vs. Homicide vs. Low Ki vs. Eddie Guerrero

The Spanish Aerial Team vs. Spanky & Amazing Red

Prince Nana vs. Bryan Danielson

CW Anderson vs. Jay Briscoe vs. Scoot Andrews

Mike Tobin vs. Brian XL

James Maritato vs. Danny Drake vs. Elax vs. HC Loc

Christopher Daniels & Steve Corino vs. York & Matthews vs. Divine Storm

The Christopher Street Connection vs. Da Hit Squad

Honor Invades Boston - Wakefield, MA 7/27/02

Confirmed Matches

Ring of Honor Championship: Champion © vs. Joel Maximo

Bryan Danielson vs. Jose Maximo vs. James Maritato

The Christopher Street Connection vs. York & Matthews vs. Da Hit Squad

Paul London vs. Prince Nana

Mike Tobin vs. Brian XL vs. HC Loc

Honor Invades Boston II - Wakefield, MA 8/24/02

Confirmed Matches

Ring of Honor Championship: Champion © vs. Jose Maximo

HC Loc vs. Danny Drake

Mikey Whipwreck & Bryan Danielson vs. Scoot Andrews & Joel Maximo

Steve Corino vs. Spanky vs. Paul London

In The Name of Honor - Philadelphia, PA 9/21/02

Confirmed Matches

Paul London vs. HC Loc

CW Anderson vs. Eddie Guerrero

Glory By Honor Night 1 - Philadelphia, PA 10/25/02

Glory By Honor Night 2 - Philadelphia, PA 10/26/02

All-Star Challenge (ROH vs. NJPW) - Wakefield, MA 11/30/02

Frozen Battle - TBC, December 2002

ROH Showdown - TBC, January 2003

The Anniversary Triple Shot Weekend - Philadelphia, PA 02/21/03 - 01/23/03

[FireDoughnut]

Ring of Honor Presents...

Crowning A Champion

Philadelphia, PA 6/22/02

The fans of the Ring of Honor were totally pumped for the show as things kicked off with a Four-Corners Scramble Match. James Maritato came through in the match against Elax, HC Loc and Danny Drake as the show got underway. The action was quite fast as Loc and Maritato used their quickness to upset the bigger men in the match with Maritato recording the fall after planting Drake with a Tornado DDT from the top rope.

And that was followed by Buff E and Mase finally winning a match in the Ring of Honor. The Christopher Street Connection came through in a match against Da Hit Squad of Mafia and Monsta Mack. The match was one huge brawl between the four men but ended when Mase was able to hit Mafia with a low-blow behind the back of John Finnegan before thumping him with the Bi-Plex for the surprise victory.

In the third match of the night CW Anderson capitalised on an unwelcome visitor to roll Scoot Andrews up in a triple threat match that also featured Jay Briscoe. Briscoe struggled in the early moments of the match and received a lot of criticism from his brother Mark who was at ringside and this seemed to derail the Briscoe challenge as Andrews and CW dominated for most of the bout until Mikey Whipwreck appeared a the entranceway. His presence immediately caught the attention of Scoot Andrews and as “The Black Nature Boy” tried to beckon Whipwreck to the ring, CW Anderson slide behind him and rolled him up for a shock victory. And after the match, Scoot looked far from happy as he thumped the ring mat in disgust at his defeat.

Mike Tobin recorded yet another victory as he made light work of Brian XL in the next match. XL tired to impose on Tobin but after feeling the affects of the Shining Wizard, Brian was never going to answer the three count. However, strangely after the match Prince Nana came out to the ring and helped XL backstage.

And as Nana cleared the ring of the groggy Brian XL, Divine Storm and then York & Matthews headed for the ring. The two teams awaited the third team but as Steve Corino walked out, Christopher Daniels looked far from happy about the teams. “The Man of Honor” refused to stand with his “partner” and about two minutes into the match, hopped off the ring apron and left Corino, partner-less. Regardless, Corino was able to record the victory as he took advantage of the Scramble Tag Rules, hitting Joey Matthews with the Old School Expulsion for the three count to give he and Daniels the victory even if “The Man of Honor” was nowhere near the ring for the vast majority of the match.

The sixth match of the night saw Prince Nana powering his way through against “The American Dragon.” Bryan Danielson was the superior wrestler throughout the match and Nana was obviously struggling throughout by somehow managed to pull off a victory as he planted the Royal Suplex on Danielson for the victory… somehow.

The semi-main event was won by the two men set to challenge for the Ring of Honor Championship in the coming months as The Spanish Aerial Team beat Spanky and The Amazing Red in a fast and furious tag team match. The action was high-paced and really got the fans excited as Jose and Joel combined to plant Amazing Red with a Spiked Maximo Velocity for the victory as the fans prepared for the main event.

And the main event got underway to flurry of excitement as all four men got right down to action after the pre-match handshakes. Michael Shane and Low Ki were all action with each other as they traded blows that saw Low Ki showcasing his thundering kicks with Eddie Guerrero and Homicide exchanging holds in the opposite corner of the ring. The action took it’s toil on all four men as they swapped opponents frequently battling with each other constantly until Low Ki missed a roundhouse kick and got caught into a Fisherman Brainbuster. Low Ki was out cold as Alan Woody counted the pinfall for the first elimination and he was quickly followed by Eddie Guerrero. Guerrero dominated Homicide for long periods of the action but as Shane stood up from pinning Low Ki, he began to stalk Guerrero and Homicide. Neither man knew he was there as Guerrero tossed Homicide over the top rope with a backdrop but as Eddie stepped away to take a small rest he was thumped in the jaw by the Sweet Shane Music as “The Showstopper” secured his second elimination of the match. Both remaining men were exhausted as they took a few seconds to recuperate before meeting in the centre of the ring. Homicide took the early control of the encounter, forcing Shane backwards into the ropes with vicious right hands before whipping him across the ring but “The Showstopper” sprang into the air planting Homicide with a forearm smash to reassert himself in charge. And the match drove on with both trying moves that they wouldn’t normally try as Shane tried a Hurricanrana only for Homicide to reverse the move into a sit-out Powerbomb.

Following the Powerbomb, Homicide was definitely in control of the action and he set Michael Shane up for Da Cop Killa as the crowd swelled with excitement but as “The Latin Terror” looked to finish the match off, somehow Shane used his own body weight to reverse the move. Having been upside down, “The Showstopper” was able to drag Homicide to the mat before hitting a German Suplex for good measure; but the pinfall only got a two count. Both men dragged their tired bodies up before starting into another brawl and again, Homicide took advantage forcing Shane into the turnbuckle before raising him onto the top rope but Shane rallied. Michael was able to toss Homicide from the second rope and as “The Latin Terror” lay motionless on the mat, Shane raised himself up and landed the Picture Perfect Elbow for the first time in the Ring of Honor as the arena absolutely exploded with the three count.

Michael Shane could barely believe it as his heard his music playing as Rob Feinstein walked to the ring carrying the Ring of Honor Championship. “The Showstopper” looked close to tears as he clutched the Ring of Honor Championship close to his chest as he dropped to his knees with everyone in the arena congratulating the first Ring of Honor Champion.

Show Rating: 68%

Attendance: 3064

Edited July 1, 2007 by FlatDoughnut

[FireDoughnut]

Wrestling Newswire - July 2002

- The WWF have announced that the contract for RAW has been extended for a further 30 weeks.

- Jacques Rougeau Jr., Bruce Hart and Bill Dundee have all announced their plans to retire from the wrestling business. Ring of Honor have confirmed that Jacques' last wrestling match will be on their "Honor Invades Boston" card, where he will team with his brother to take on The Briscoe Brothers.

- Bobby Walker has bowed out of the wrestling world unceremoniously.

- World Wrestling All-Stars has gone bankrupt but in it’s place Pride Glory Honor Wrestling has opened it’s doors. Cassidy O’Reilly, Stevie Fabulous, CM Punk, Air Paris and Eddie Colon are among the first signings for PGHW.

- Blitzkrieg, Damien, Donovan Morgan, Doug Williams, Elix Skipper, Harry Smith, Jody Fleisch, Psicosis, Reckless Youth, Tommy Suede and Trent Acid have all agreed to commit the Pro Wrestling NOAH tour.

- Joel Maximo got married this month to long-term girlfriend and daughter of Rob Feinstein, Jessica. The two were said to be delighted on the big day that saw practically the whole Ring of Honor turn-up for the wedding. Jose Maximo served as best man. During the speeches it is believed that Feinstein promised Maximo a “job for life” having now married his daughter.

- Ring of Honor crowned it's first Champion this month as Michael Shane eliminated Low Ki, Homicide and Eddie Guerrero to become the first Champion. In moving scenes at the end of the show, Shane embraced ROH owner Rob Feinstein, who awarded him the belt, before clutching the belt close to his chest in the centre of the ring. The rest if the results went as follows:

• James Maritato pinned Danny Drake, in a match also featuring Elax and HC Loc
• The Christopher St Connection (Buff E & Mase) defeated Da Hit Squad (Mafia & Monsta Mack)
• CW Anderson pinned Scoot Andrews, in a match also featuring Jay Briscoe
• Mike Tobin defeated Brian XL
• Steve Corino, with minimal help from Christopher Daniels defeated Divine Storm (Chris Divine & Quiet Storm) and York & Matthews (Christian York & Joey Matthews)
• Prince Nana pinned Bryan Danielson
• The Spanish Aerial Team (Jose Maximo & Joel Maximo) defeated Spanky & The Amazing Red
• Michael Shane pinned Low Ki, Eddie Guerrero and then Homicide to eliminate all three men in a Four Corner's Match to become the first Ring of Honor Champion

Ring of Honor Presents...

Honor Invades Boston - Wakefield, MA 7/27/02

Confirmed Matches

Ring of Honor Championship: Michael Shane © vs. Joel Maximo

Bryan Danielson vs. Jose Maximo vs. James Maritato

The Christopher Street Connection vs. York & Matthews vs. Da Hit Squad

Paul London vs. Prince Nana

Mike Tobin vs. Brian XL vs. HC Loc

The Natural Born Sinners vs. Mikey Whipwreck & Steve Corino

The Briscoe Brothers vs. The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers

Amazing Red vs. Low Ki

Honor Invades Boston II - Wakefield, MA 8/24/02

Confirmed Matches

Ring of Honor Championship: Michael Shane or Joel Maximo © vs. Jose Maximo

HC Loc vs. Danny Drake

Mikey Whipwreck & Bryan Danielson vs. Scoot Andrews & Low Ki

Steve Corino vs. Spanky vs. Paul London

Christopher Daniels, ??? & ??? vs. Eddie Guerrero & The Briscoe Brothers

Homicide vs. Raymond Rougeau vs. Mike Tobin vs. Amazing Red

Da Hit Squad vs. The Christopher St Connection

??? & ??? vs. York & Matthews vs. Divine Storm

In The Name of Honor - Philadelphia, PA 9/21/02

Confirmed Matches

Paul London vs. HC Loc

CW Anderson vs. Eddie Guerrero

Glory By Honor Night 1 - Philadelphia, PA 10/25/02

Glory By Honor Night 2 - Philadelphia, PA 10/26/02

All-Star Challenge (ROH vs. NJPW) - Wakefield, MA 11/30/02

Frozen Battle - Philadelphia, PA, 12/07/02

ROH Showdown - West Mifflin, PA, 01/19/03

The Anniversary Triple Shot Weekend - Philadelphia, PA 02/21/03 - 01/23/03

Edited July 1, 2007 by FlatDoughnut

[Matt]

Just read through this and the diary so far has been good, however, rather than feedbacking each show, I felt it'd be best if I just analysed Crowning a Champion. First though, I just want to say that I like your format, you give just enough information to understand what is going on but it's still a quick read that should be able to keep the ADD readers around, besides no-one really cares about Danielson's facial expressions whilst he applies an arm lock to London. And if you keep your workrate up, you should be able to pick up a nice fan base like FUSE did through regular updates. It's nice to see some indy work on the board too

Ring of Honor Presents...

Crowning A Champion

Philadelphia, PA 6/22/02

Solid opening bout, even though I'm not sure who Elax is and why he's been jobbing on every show, nice to see Maritato coming out with the win, and it'd be nice to see him get a decent push.

Buff and Mase are looking like a really weak team, having to resort to low-blows to win, heels or not, they need clean wins otherwise they'll just become jobbers.

Not a fan of Scoot Andrews, so I'm glad he got pinned, seeing as I somewhat like the other two, particularly CW who picked up the win. Not keen on the promise of Scoot/Whipwreck, but if you can pull it off and make me care, kudos to you.

I had no preference as to who won going into this match, however Nana helping XL seemed awfully random, and I'm intrigued to see where you'll take that.

Corino mega-push is hopefully on with him single-handedly overcoming 4 other competitors, but it makes the others look somewhat weak in my opinion. Regardless, the prospect of Daniels/Corino is orgasmic, I hope you can pull it off well, and from the diary so far, nothing suggests you can't.

As much as I like Nana, I'd have prefered to see Danielson go over here, and no continuation on the Brian XL front?

Love the SAT, so I was delighted to see them go over, even if it was over 2 of my other favourites. Whilst we're on the SAT front, as much as I love that they're challenging for the belt, I find it somewhat strange that you've given away next month's main event ending because Joel is already booked in a match for the August show, ruling out the Maximo vs. Maximo possibility.

Not sure that I liked the idea of 2 eliminations so early on, and I have to say I was surprised that you picked Michael Shane to win the thing, then again he was seen as a great talent on the independent scene back then so I suppose it makes sense in a way. It'll be interesting to see how Shane's reign goes and how long he can keep the belt.

Show Rating: 68%

Attendance: 3064

[FullBloodedItalian]

I also wanted to add, from what I've read here, Christian York is due a title shot....

Honor Invades Boston II - Wakefield, MA 8/24/02

Confirmed Matches

Ring of Honor Championship: ??? © vs. Christian York

[FireDoughnut]

Ring of Honor Presents...

Honor Invades Boston

Wakefield, MA 7/27/02

The first Ring of Honor show outside of Philadelphia started with Mike Tobin continuing his impressive run with a routine victory over Brian XL and HC Loc in a triple threat. XL was accompanied by Prince Nana to the ring who tried his best to help out his new ally but couldn’t do anything once Tobin smashed XL in the jaw with his Shining Wizard for the victory.

However, following the victory, Nana entered the ring and took a microphone. The Prince informed that the crowd that despite Brian’s poor record in Ring of Honor so far, he believed in him and the pair were going to be striking up an unlikely duo as they looked to dominate the tag team ranks of ROH before Nana extended an invitation to Paul London to have their match, scheduled for later in the show; there and then.

London immediately responded, rushing from the back and getting the match underway. And despite Nana dominating throughout and using Brian XL’s presence outside the ring to the maximum it was Paul London who was victorious as Prince Nana became the first man in Ring of Honor history to be disqualified. Referee John Finnegan had enough of their scheming ways and after warning Nana twice for using closed fist, he was disqualified and booed out of the arena by the Ring of Honor fans, with even Brian XL looking a little disappointed in him.

After the disgraceful actions of Prince Nana, The Christopher Street Connection finally got a clean under their belts as Mase exploited the ROH scramble rules, stealing a pinfall on Mafia after York and Matthews had hit him with The Full Effect. Joey had just tagged in York and then pounced on the already limp Mafia to hit the move but then both retreated out of the ring so that their partner could make the pin and could stand in disbelief as they watched Mase pinning Mafia for the victory.

The fourth match of the night saw Amazing Red and Low Ki throw everything possible at each other in twenty minutes but to no avail. The two men fought a Ring of Honor classic as each tried to out do they opponent with Low Ki firing some painful looking kicks while The Amazing Red took to the air at every opportunity. Except nothing separated them; nothing at all and the two were forced to shake hands at the end knowing they were equal as the Ring of Honor erupted at the spectacle they had just witnessed.

Jacques Rougeau Jr. was given a standing ovation as he made his own way out to the ring for the fifth match of the night; and the last of his career. And he was soon joined by his brother Raymond and then the Briscoe Brothers, who boasted the debuting Mark Briscoe in their ranks. And the two teams went straight at it as the match got underway with Mark trying to showcase his talents early while Jacques was trying to prove he still had “it.” And as the match ended it was a slightly ironic ending as Mark Briscoe helped his brother hit a Spiked Jay-Driller before pinning Jacques Rougeau himself as the debuting high-flier pinned the retiring veteran. Although Jacques didn’t seem too bothered about the result and celebrated with the victorious Briscoe Brothers in the centre of the ring until they were interrupted by the Ring of Honor owner.

Rob Feinstein strolled to the ring and joined the four men from the previous match with a huge grin on his face. Rob started by thanking fans for joining everyone is thanking Jacques Rougeau Jr. for his wonderful services to wrestling before announcing that in two month’s time the Ring of Honor would start the journey of crowning Tag Team Champions. Rob admitted they were only getting the fact that they had a singles Champion but that didn’t matter so much as he felt tag team wrestling was just as important in ROH as singles wrestling before hoping to see the twelve teams that would take part giving it their all.

The crowd were still buzzing from the news of the Tag Team Gold when Jose Maximo appeared for his warm-up match ahead of his Championship opportunity next month although many in the crowd speculated that he only got the chance because Joel was newly married to the boss’ daughter. The match ended in defeat for Jose as he was pinned by Bryan Danielson following a stiff German Suplex but Jose looked comfortable by himself and seemed ready for the challenge of Michael Shane while James Maritato seemed to be apart of the match to simply make up numbers.

The semi-main event saw Homicide heading to the ring, followed close behind by Boogalou however when Homicide’s tag team partner was introduced, it was announced as CW Anderson. Boogalou looked disgusted but Homicide simply shrugged before taking the microphone to tell Boogalou that The Natural Born Sinners were over. Homicide reminded everyone that he was the last man standing before Michael Shane became the Ring of Honor Champion and from now on, Homicide promised to focus his attention of singles glory.

And Homicide’s selfish attitude saw him through in what supposed to be a tag team match. “The Latin Terror” refused to tag CW Anderson for the entire match, battling Mikey Whipwreck and Steve Corino by himself, finishing Whipwreck off with Da Cop Killa before Scoot Andrews and Low Ki attacked the defeated pair. Andrews and Ki were on top straight away and finished the two men off in unison with their patented finishers in the centre of the ring.

It was time for the main event as Michael Shane came through a gruelling match with Joel Maximo to retain his Ring of Honor Championship. Shane had to work harder for the victory against the tag team specialist than most people expected him to have to work but Joel was no match for the Sweet Shane Music, followed by the Picture Perfect Elbow as “The Showstopper” put on somewhat of a clinic in first defence of the belt. As Shane celebrated, Jose Maximo walked to the entrance-way and had a stare down with the man that had just defeated his brother, as a little teaser for the second event in Boston in a month’s time.

Show Rating: 71%

Attendance: 2817

[FireDoughnut]

I also wanted to add, from what I've read here, Christian York is due a title shot....

No explanation was given for why he didn't get his shot and was replaced with Joel Maximo

Typo. Sorry.

[FireDoughnut]

Wrestling Newswire - August 2002

- Ring of Honor have signed Carl Cash and Greg Quinn up and are expected to feature on the “Honor Invades Boston II” show. They are also said to be interested in Johnny Kashmere but as of yet, nothing has been confirmed or denied.

- Diamond Dust Wrestling has stated it’s intentions to run it’s first show this month. Onyx, Greg Pawluk, Yeyo and Ulf Hermann were the first names to sign-up to the new federation.

- Tito Ortiz and Vader have signed new deals with XWF while PHGW have recruited Super Dragon.

- The WWF fired Albert, on what is believed to be disciplinary grounds while XPW released Veronica Caine, XWF released Hail and PHGW got rid of Eddie Colon.

- The Ring of Honor ran it's first show outside of Philadelphia. The show was believed to be a success by many of the heads backstage with the big news being the announcement of the ROH Tag Team Championship Tournament to start in two month's time. Low Ki sprained his wrist at the show and will miss the next three weeks of action or so. The results are as follows:

• Mike Tobin pinned Brian XL, in a match also featuring HC Loc
• Paul London beat Prince Nana by disqualification
• The Christopher Street Connection (Buff E & Mase) defeated Da Hit Squad (Mafia & Monsta Mack) and York & Matthews (Christian York & Joey Matthews)
• Low Ki and The Amazing Red fought to a time limit draw
• The Briscoe Brothers (Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe) defeated The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers (Jacques Rougeau Jr. & Raymond Rougeau)
• Bryan Danielson pinned Jose Maximo, in a match also featuring James Maritato
• Homicide & CW Anderson, replacing Boogalou defeated Mikey Whipwreck & Steve Corino
• Michael Shane defeat Joel Maximo to retain the Ring of Honor Championship in his first defence

Ring of Honor Presents...

Honor Invades Boston II - Wakefield, MA 8/24/02

Confirmed Matches

Ring of Honor Championship: Michael Shane © vs. Jose Maximo

HC Loc vs. Danny Drake

Mikey Whipwreck & Bryan Danielson vs. Scoot Andrews & Joel Maximo

Steve Corino vs. Spanky vs. Paul London

Christopher Daniels, Carl Cash & Greg Quinn vs. Eddie Guerrero & The Briscoe Brothers

Homicide vs. Raymond Rougeau vs. Mike Tobin vs. Amazing Red

Da Hit Squad vs. The Christopher St Connection

Prince Nana & Brian XL vs. York & Matthews vs. Divine Storm

In The Name of Honor - Philadelphia, PA 9/21/02

Confirmed Matches

ROH Tag Team Match A: The Spanish Aerial Team vs. Divine Storm vs. Bryan Danielson & Michael Shane

Paul London vs. HC Loc

ROH Tag Team Match B: The Briscoe Brothers vs. York & Matthews vs. Da Hit Squad

CW Anderson vs. Eddie Guerrero

ROH Tag Team Match C: The Christopher Street Connection vs. Mike Tobin & Danny Drake vs. Prince Nana & Brian XL

Homicide vs. Raymond Rougeau

ROH Tag Team Match D: The Amazing Red & Spanky vs. Carl Cash & Greg Quinn vs. Mikey Whipwreck & Steve Corino

Glory By Honor Night 1 - Philadelphia, PA 10/25/02

Confirmed Matches

ROH Tag Team Match E: Winner of Match A vs. Winner of Match B

ROH Tag Team Match F: Winner of Match C vs. Winner of Match D

Glory By Honor Night 2 - Philadelphia, PA 10/26/02

Confirmed Matches

ROH Tag Team Championships: ??? & ??? vs. ??? & ???

All-Star Challenge (ROH vs. NJPW) - Wakefield, MA 11/30/02

Frozen Battle - Philadelphia, PA, 12/07/02

ROH Showdown - West Mifflin, PA, 01/19/03

The Anniversary Triple Shot Weekend - Philadelphia, PA 02/21/03 - 01/23/03

[FireDoughnut]

Ring of Honor Presents...

Honor Invades Boston II

Wakefield, MA 8/24/02

Before the first match could underway Rob Feinstein was out to the ring. The ROH owner reminded the fans that last month Prince Nana became the first man to be disqualified in the Ring of Honor and would therefore be punished, much like anyone else that was to follow him by serving a six month suspension from the ROH ring. However when Nana appeared the Royal Prince had no problems with the sentence and instead informed the Ring of Honor that he would move into a role of guidance from now on.

Prince Nana then introduced his first two clients, Squire Brian XL and Knight Boogalou; his Royal Court and the Royal Court got off to a quick start as they won their first match with double pins on Chris Divine and Joey Matthews. Apparently Nana’s guidance was enough to take two men who have drifted since the inception of Ring of Honor and turn them into machines as Squire Brian and Knight Boogie operated like a well oiled machine to complete a comprehensive victory over the two teams of Divine Storm and York and Matthews.

HC Loc completed a pretty routine victory in the next match against Danny Drake, whose only real achievement in the match was to infuriate his tag team partner Mike Tobin at ringside by his complete lack of ability to take control of the match and remain in control.

The next match in the ring saw Da Hit Squad getting their revenge over The Christopher Street Connection for the past couple of defeats over the past couple of months. “Daniel” Mafia and Monsta Mack were focused from the moment the bell rang and picked Buff E and Mase to pieces as their tensions from the past two defeats were relieved with an impressive win against a strong performing Chris St Connection.

The Ring of Honor welcomed Homicide to the ring next and “The Latin Terror” explained why he had abandoned Boogalou; now Knight Boogie last month. Homicide explained that being so close to the Ring of Honor Championship had made him want success more, and he didn’t want to have to carry someone to that success so he was getting out while he still could.

The speech was followed by Mike Tobin, Amazing Red and Raymond Rougeau heading to the ring for their match and while Homicide’s ability in the ring was undeniable he just couldn’t get the victory he so desperately yearned for as Mike Tobin’s Shining Wizard once again did the damage. Tobin clattered Amazing Red and Homicide with the devastating knee to the head before pinning Red while Raymond Rougeau struggled on the outside.

And the match was followed by an argument so sorts between Christopher Daniels and Bryan Danielson. “The American Dragon” was on his way to the ring to partner Mikey Whipwreck when Daniels appeared to questions Danielson’s loyalties. Danielson seemed confused as to which loyalties he meant and then “The Man of Honor” said that he couldn’t believe Danielson was joining the old guard. Bryan immediately shrugged it off and went on to help Mikey Whipwreck beat Scoot Andrews and Joel Maximo, who replaced Low Ki in the tag match. Low Ki was reportedly late for the show but it didn’t matter as Whipwreck pinned Scoot following the Whipper-Snapper; but after the match “The Man of Honor” returned to attack Danielson but was quickly chased off by “The King of Old School” Steve Corino.

Corino made sure Daniels was gone before awaiting the opponents of his match as Spanky and Paul London headed for the ring, and the subsequent match was a real delight for the fans as Corino showed a high-flying ability that few knew he possessed to keep up with the sprightly London and Spanky and managed it as he capitalised on London’s missed London Calling to isolate Spanky and plant him with the Old School Expulsion for the victory.

As Corino was leaving, Christopher Daniels appeared again and “The Man of Honor” had some choice words for the Ring of Honor locker room. Daniels announced that he was disappointed with the entire locker room for allowing Mikey Whipwreck, Eddie Guerrero and Steve Corino to feel comfortable. The old guard were destroying their opportunities and apart from Scoot Andrews and Low Ki, there is no left to fight them. Well, until now…

Daniels introduced the fans to his two young students, Carl Cash and Greg Quinn who along with “The Man of Honor” would be known as The New School of Wrestling. Cash and Quinn bounded to the ring to join Christopher Daniels as their opponents appeared together, with Eddie Guerrero leading The Briscoe Brothers towards the ring. But despite Eddie, Mark and Jay throwing everything they had into the match it was the New School of Wrestling who celebrated victory as Daniels lead his debutants to victory hitting Mark Briscoe with The Angel’s Wings for the crucial win.

And that was followed by the Ring of Honor Championship match as Jose Maximo pushed Michael Shane every bit of the distance that Joel Maximo had pushed him but couldn’t deliver the goods. “The Showstopper” was the same dominant self that had won his first defence as he finished Maximo off with the Picture Perfect Elbow from the top rope to complete his second defence of the belt as the second show in Boston drew to a wonderful close.

Show Rating: 70%

Attendance: 2880

Edited July 2, 2007 by FlatDoughnut

[FireDoughnut]

Wrestling Newswire - September 2002

- Ring of Honor ran their second show in Boston and the feedback so far is good from the fans that were there. The results are as follows:

• The Royal Court (Squire Brian & The Boogie Knight w/Prince Nana) defeated Divine Storm (Chris Divine & Quiet Storm) and York & Matthews (Christian York & Joey Matthews)
• HC Loc pinned Danny Drake w/Mike Tobin
• Da Hit Squad (Daniel Mafia & Monsta Mack) defeated The Christopher Street Connection (Buff E & Mase)
• Mike Tobin w/Danny Drake pinned Amazing Red, in a Four-Corners Match also featuring Homicide and Raymond Rougeau
• Bryan Danielson & Mikey Whipwreck defeated Scoot Andrews & Joel Maximo
• Steve Corino poinned Spanky, in a match also featuring Paul London
• The New School of Wrestling (Christopher Daniels, Greg Quinn & Carl Cash) defeated Eddie Guerrero and The Briscoe Brothers (Mark Briscoe & Jay Briscoe)
• Michael Shane defeated Jose Maximo to retain the Ring of Honor Championship in his second defence

- Johnny Kashmere, Josh Prohibition and “Shark Boy” Rolo Baldwin have all agreed to work for the Ring of Honor. The three men will debut in a triple threat match at “In the Name of Honor.” Scoot Andrews has checked himself into rehab, citing a cocaine habit. Ring of Honor have promised to honor his current contract while he deals with his problem.

- NJPW and ROH today confirmed that the All-Star Challenge will feature a three match series between the two promotions with two tag team matches and a singles match. NJPW confirmed that Rey Misterio Jr. and Super Crazy will represent them in one tag match while Ultimo Dragon will be their singles representative. The rest of the entrants would be confirmed before the Glory By Honor weekend.

- Vince McMahon has announced he will step down from his role in the World Wrestling Federation as of October 1st 2002.

Ring of Honor Presents...

In The Name of Honor - Philadelphia, PA 9/21/02

Confirmed Matches

ROH Tag Team Match A: The Spanish Aerial Team vs. Divine Storm vs. Bryan Danielson & Michael Shane

Paul London vs. HC Loc

ROH Tag Team Match B: The Briscoe Brothers vs. York & Matthews vs. Da Hit Squad

CW Anderson vs. Eddie Guerrero

ROH Tag Team Match C: The Christopher Street Connection vs. Mike Tobin & Danny Drake vs. The Royal Court

Homicide vs. Raymond Rougeau

ROH Tag Team Match D: The Amazing Red & Spanky vs. The New School of Wrestling vs. Mikey Whipwreck & Steve Corino

Debutant's Triple Threat: Johnny Kashmere vs. Josh Prohibition vs. Rolo Baldwin

Glory By Honor Night #1 - Philadelphia, PA 10/25/02

Confirmed Matches

ROH Tag Team Match E: Winners of Match A vs. Winners of Match B

ROH Tag Team Match F: Winners of Match C vs. Winners of Match D

Ring of Honor Championship: Michael Shane © vs. Eddie Guerrero or CW Anderson

Glory By Honor Night #2 - Philadelphia, PA 10/26/02

Confirmed Matches

ROH Tag Team Championships: Winners of Match E vs. Winners of Match F

All-Star Challenge (ROH vs. NJPW) - Wakefield, MA 11/30/02

NJPW vs. ROH: Ultimo Dragon vs. ???

NJPW vs. ROH: Rey Misterio Jr. & Super Crazy vs. ??? & ???

NJPW vs. ROH: ??? & ??? vs. ??? & ???

Frozen Battle - Philadelphia, PA, 12/07/02

ROH Showdown - West Mifflin, PA, 01/19/03

The Anniversary Triple Shot Weekend - Philadelphia, PA 02/21/03 - 01/23/03

[new_era]

This is probz my favourite diary in the dome right now. It's very well written and the results seem to get better everytime you post them, i eagerly await updates lol.

I'd love to see a Mikey Whipwreck singles push, i'd mark for that lol, him and Corino would make a decent team though, so i'm interested to see where you go with Whipwreck.

With McMahon stepping down from WWF i wonder how this will have an effect on your diary? Will you lose some of your more popular staff due to a shake up, or will some decent talent become available for you? It could go either way and i look forward to reading it.

Keep it up bro... (Y)

Edited July 2, 2007 by new_era