Post by kylehynson on May 22, 2012 11:38:38 GMT -5
CROWNING A CHAMP
The heaviest promo I've ever seen in my life came after the main event. Low Ki collapsed in tears as soon as he got through the curtain. He expressed his love for the wrestling business calling it his "art" and then dedicated the match to Russ and Charlie Haas. It was just unreal and a fitting end to one of the most incredible, grueling matches I've ever seen. This was completely unplanned and unscripted.
I feel this was definitely the best show I booked. The undercard was meant to lead to the main event and it did that just perfectly. The undercard also added some new dimensions to ROH with the introduction of Alexis Laree as a kick ass chick and the bloody and brutal bunkhouse match. We also came a long way in storyline development and people are beginning to see that ROH is about more than just the tremendous workrate. You will always see the ROH product evolve as we incorporate new things into the shows. You really won't be able to tell what is going to come next. We always said since day one that ROH would have something of everything.
I thought the opener of Tony Mamaluke and Jeremy Lopez was just a great opening match. Mamaluke actually wrestled the first match of his career against Lopez. This was the first time up North for Lopez and he was really excited to show what he can do up here. He will return to ROH in the future. Both Mamaluke and Lopez love coming up to ROH where they can really show their wrestling skills and work a different style than on most shows.
Alexis Laree is a definite star and she really makes Joey Matthews & Christian York a complete act. We are going to really promote Alexis as a kick ass chick. I think they will have a nice, little program with The Christopher Street Connection and Allison Danger. Those three get such a tremendous pop coming out and they are just so entertaining in a bizarre way. The reaction they get from the crowd is just ridiculous. I think Prince Nana did a tremendous job with his promo and his new gimmick of not getting hit in the head as a result of the KO on June 22nd. I want to thank Jacobs Ladder for being a last minute replacement and I hope to have him back to give him more of a chance to show what he can do. Same for Black Gordman Jr
Michael Shane really came into his own as a heel and he just has so much natural heel charisma. He loves coming to ROH and is really motivated to shine here and we are going to give him that opportunity. Paul London is the break out star of the next year. Bio-Hazard is a top prospect and a future star and Don Juan did a great job doing exactly what was asked of him and looking good doing it. He will be back. I'm actually trying to find a spot for him in Boston. Don Juan busted his lip at one point in the match. I just can't believe how dedicated that Texas Wrestling Academy crew is under Rudy Boy Gonzalez. They drive 25-30 hours each way every month and don't complain and are actually thankful to be on the show. They are driving even longer to be in Wakefield next month. Rudy actually uses ROH as a reward for his students. If they do well, they get to drive 50-60 hours to come to ROH. That is paying your dues!!!
Da Hit Squad and Divine Storm were really anticipating their match and I feel they just delivered a great, high impact, action packed match that got both teams over. We are going to keep pushing the explosive, profanity yelling side of Quiet Storm. The finish didn't go exactly how it was supposed to, but that's life and I look forward to big things out of both these teams as the tag team division becomes more of an emphasis in ROH starting September 21st with the tag tourney in Philly.
James Maritato once again proved that he is the most underrated guy going today. You can put him in the ring with anyone and get a good match. Why this guy isn't in Japan or WWE is beyond me. He is professional and always works hard and makes his opponent look good. Jay Briscoe continued to show why he is a future star. They just had a real solid match that the crowd enjoyed and it heated up the issue between Jay and Mark. We are doing a gimmick with Mark now where Jay can't touch him in PA because the commission won't let him because Mark isn't 18 yet. There are lots of directions we can go with this.
What can you say about the bunkhouse match? Those four just tore into each other and held nothing back. The chairshots were unreal and the match proved that when these types of matches aren't done to the point of overkill, they can be really good. Loc in particular earned some respect from the crowd and came a long way to putting the extreme official gimmick behind him. Homicide suffered a deep cut on his head from a hubcap shot. When he got the back he told the doctor "you got stitches or glue? Just close the cut now. I don't care." He is one tough guy. His elbow was really swollen this week after hitting it on one of the posts that hold the guardrail up on his spectacular suicide dive. Homicide & Boogalou are really going to have a chance to show their wrestling side against Mamaluke and Maritato in Wakefield and we have just begun with character development with them. I think they are doing a tremendous job getting the angle with DHS over and Homicide just has a unique way of talking that is really cool. Loc & Devito will get a chance to tear things up with DHS in Wakefield in what should be another very violent match.
The NWA TNA X title match was just like a match you would see on NWA TNA PPV. You might see highlights of this match on NWA Wildside TV. AJ Styles is just incredibly over. He loves coming up here and wrestling this style. I just got off the phone with him and he called ROH his second home to NWA Wildside and said he can't stop talking ROH to everyone even at NWA TNA. Styles has gotten very good feedback about us from Jerry Jarrett, which is quite a compliment coming from a guy like that. David Young and Adam Jacobs both impressed and will be back at somepoint.
The six man was, well, a mess. I think we have some good undercard gimmicks going in that match. It was the popcorn match and those matches are meant to give everyone a chance to get back in their seats. I have big expectations for Brian XL, Dixie and Insane Dragon as Special K, a raver gimmick. Scoot Andrews and Xavier was a real solid match and put a good ending on their rivalry. The crowd was really just waiting for the main event during this one though and there was nothing they could do about that. They did really well in the segments they taped for the Travel Channel and that should be good exposure for both of them.
The one hour match was just incredible. All four guys put their heart and soul into that match. We rented the industrial strength fans, but as the crowd can attest they did nothing to cool the building. Low Ki, Spanky, Christopher Daniels and Doug Williams wrestled a flawless match, which is just so incredible considering they were drenched in sweat from the start. How they didn't slip on anything is beyond me. They were all so exhausted for the last ten minutes. Doug Williams said he was literally getting delirious. He will return to ROH this fall. I can't say enough about Low Ki's shoot promo after the match. Spanky looked like he was ready to go another hour. Christopher Daniels did one of the best jobs I've ever seen of turning himself heel in a match. Every upcoming wrestler should watch this tape to learn how to work heel. Daniels is such a pro and after working an hour in that heat he was backstage coming up with promos. I also can't thank Daniels and Spanky enough for delaying their Japan tours to work this match.
Simply put, the main event was art. Everyone in ROH looks at their craft as an artform and that main event was pure art. It was one of, if not the, most special match I've ever seen. Where will it rank among match of the year candidates? I really can't say. I'm sure very high if it does not win. Where will it rank as far as special matches and wrestling as an artform? At the top of any list. We are all so proud to have had this match crown our first Ring Of Honor champion.
The heaviest promo I've ever seen in my life came after the main event. Low Ki collapsed in tears as soon as he got through the curtain. He expressed his love for the wrestling business calling it his "art" and then dedicated the match to Russ and Charlie Haas. It was just unreal and a fitting end to one of the most incredible, grueling matches I've ever seen. This was completely unplanned and unscripted.
I feel this was definitely the best show I booked. The undercard was meant to lead to the main event and it did that just perfectly. The undercard also added some new dimensions to ROH with the introduction of Alexis Laree as a kick ass chick and the bloody and brutal bunkhouse match. We also came a long way in storyline development and people are beginning to see that ROH is about more than just the tremendous workrate. You will always see the ROH product evolve as we incorporate new things into the shows. You really won't be able to tell what is going to come next. We always said since day one that ROH would have something of everything.
I thought the opener of Tony Mamaluke and Jeremy Lopez was just a great opening match. Mamaluke actually wrestled the first match of his career against Lopez. This was the first time up North for Lopez and he was really excited to show what he can do up here. He will return to ROH in the future. Both Mamaluke and Lopez love coming up to ROH where they can really show their wrestling skills and work a different style than on most shows.
Alexis Laree is a definite star and she really makes Joey Matthews & Christian York a complete act. We are going to really promote Alexis as a kick ass chick. I think they will have a nice, little program with The Christopher Street Connection and Allison Danger. Those three get such a tremendous pop coming out and they are just so entertaining in a bizarre way. The reaction they get from the crowd is just ridiculous. I think Prince Nana did a tremendous job with his promo and his new gimmick of not getting hit in the head as a result of the KO on June 22nd. I want to thank Jacobs Ladder for being a last minute replacement and I hope to have him back to give him more of a chance to show what he can do. Same for Black Gordman Jr
Michael Shane really came into his own as a heel and he just has so much natural heel charisma. He loves coming to ROH and is really motivated to shine here and we are going to give him that opportunity. Paul London is the break out star of the next year. Bio-Hazard is a top prospect and a future star and Don Juan did a great job doing exactly what was asked of him and looking good doing it. He will be back. I'm actually trying to find a spot for him in Boston. Don Juan busted his lip at one point in the match. I just can't believe how dedicated that Texas Wrestling Academy crew is under Rudy Boy Gonzalez. They drive 25-30 hours each way every month and don't complain and are actually thankful to be on the show. They are driving even longer to be in Wakefield next month. Rudy actually uses ROH as a reward for his students. If they do well, they get to drive 50-60 hours to come to ROH. That is paying your dues!!!
Da Hit Squad and Divine Storm were really anticipating their match and I feel they just delivered a great, high impact, action packed match that got both teams over. We are going to keep pushing the explosive, profanity yelling side of Quiet Storm. The finish didn't go exactly how it was supposed to, but that's life and I look forward to big things out of both these teams as the tag team division becomes more of an emphasis in ROH starting September 21st with the tag tourney in Philly.
James Maritato once again proved that he is the most underrated guy going today. You can put him in the ring with anyone and get a good match. Why this guy isn't in Japan or WWE is beyond me. He is professional and always works hard and makes his opponent look good. Jay Briscoe continued to show why he is a future star. They just had a real solid match that the crowd enjoyed and it heated up the issue between Jay and Mark. We are doing a gimmick with Mark now where Jay can't touch him in PA because the commission won't let him because Mark isn't 18 yet. There are lots of directions we can go with this.
What can you say about the bunkhouse match? Those four just tore into each other and held nothing back. The chairshots were unreal and the match proved that when these types of matches aren't done to the point of overkill, they can be really good. Loc in particular earned some respect from the crowd and came a long way to putting the extreme official gimmick behind him. Homicide suffered a deep cut on his head from a hubcap shot. When he got the back he told the doctor "you got stitches or glue? Just close the cut now. I don't care." He is one tough guy. His elbow was really swollen this week after hitting it on one of the posts that hold the guardrail up on his spectacular suicide dive. Homicide & Boogalou are really going to have a chance to show their wrestling side against Mamaluke and Maritato in Wakefield and we have just begun with character development with them. I think they are doing a tremendous job getting the angle with DHS over and Homicide just has a unique way of talking that is really cool. Loc & Devito will get a chance to tear things up with DHS in Wakefield in what should be another very violent match.
The NWA TNA X title match was just like a match you would see on NWA TNA PPV. You might see highlights of this match on NWA Wildside TV. AJ Styles is just incredibly over. He loves coming up here and wrestling this style. I just got off the phone with him and he called ROH his second home to NWA Wildside and said he can't stop talking ROH to everyone even at NWA TNA. Styles has gotten very good feedback about us from Jerry Jarrett, which is quite a compliment coming from a guy like that. David Young and Adam Jacobs both impressed and will be back at somepoint.
The six man was, well, a mess. I think we have some good undercard gimmicks going in that match. It was the popcorn match and those matches are meant to give everyone a chance to get back in their seats. I have big expectations for Brian XL, Dixie and Insane Dragon as Special K, a raver gimmick. Scoot Andrews and Xavier was a real solid match and put a good ending on their rivalry. The crowd was really just waiting for the main event during this one though and there was nothing they could do about that. They did really well in the segments they taped for the Travel Channel and that should be good exposure for both of them.
The one hour match was just incredible. All four guys put their heart and soul into that match. We rented the industrial strength fans, but as the crowd can attest they did nothing to cool the building. Low Ki, Spanky, Christopher Daniels and Doug Williams wrestled a flawless match, which is just so incredible considering they were drenched in sweat from the start. How they didn't slip on anything is beyond me. They were all so exhausted for the last ten minutes. Doug Williams said he was literally getting delirious. He will return to ROH this fall. I can't say enough about Low Ki's shoot promo after the match. Spanky looked like he was ready to go another hour. Christopher Daniels did one of the best jobs I've ever seen of turning himself heel in a match. Every upcoming wrestler should watch this tape to learn how to work heel. Daniels is such a pro and after working an hour in that heat he was backstage coming up with promos. I also can't thank Daniels and Spanky enough for delaying their Japan tours to work this match.
Simply put, the main event was art. Everyone in ROH looks at their craft as an artform and that main event was pure art. It was one of, if not the, most special match I've ever seen. Where will it rank among match of the year candidates? I really can't say. I'm sure very high if it does not win. Where will it rank as far as special matches and wrestling as an artform? At the top of any list. We are all so proud to have had this match crown our first Ring Of Honor champion.