Hollywood Cibernetico

I really hope Daniel Bryan changes his style because when he does the diving headbutt and the flat-back drop kick from the 3rd buckle- I keep thinking of what could possibly happen years from now as Daniel is already 'grandfathered-in' when it comes to concussions.

Maven was busted on coke recently right? Maven definitely had potential. The problem with him is that WWE never really gave him any new music or anything outside of 'Hey Everyone! Remember Maven from Tough Enough?!". Towards the end I remember his promos being really good and he looked like a star, but when it came match time- it was all very paint-by-the-numbers. I am not sure if it was Maven not finding his second gear, WWE purposely telling him that 'rookie' is his wrestling style, or a combination of both. Of all the people they should have kept around for a commentary/backstage announcer gig- its that man.

The entire point is the Ascension are claiming to be so great, but facing a bunch of jobbers instead of real tag teams like the Dusts and Usos. I get the point, but the presentation can be different. WWE has done this for years with guys. New guy comes in, get paired with jobbers and nobodies for a bit, dominate, and then move on to real challenges. The commentators can easily put over the fact of how strong the new team is and how they are simply sending a message to the WWE tag teams. The commentators can talk about the long title reign in NXT and how the team was THE TEAM in NXT and pimp the fact that they already have wins against The Usos and the former WWE tag team champions The Miz and Damien Mizdow. The commentators jobbing those guys out on commentary is pretty damning as people like to repeat what the commentators say and take it from there. Look at the team's Facebook page WWE created last week (?). It's like JBL and the team made 3,000 accounts just to troll the guys. For the record: I think they completely suck and I am not a fan.

Not even Battleground 2013?

Lana was so yucky tonight! Ewww girls!

I'm with you! It's more comfortable, you don't have to turn the light on at night, and you get to read.You know what Winston Churchill said? Why stand when you can sit?

"Please change the channel every so often during the National Championship game to see if we talk about Randy Savage." Didn't the "official" announcement actually fall during halftime? I didn't/am not watching the game, but I seem to remember someone on my Facebook saying that. I am not a football fan so I have no idea. If that was the internal thinking, it sure was stupid. Everything moves so fast today that even IF WWE decided to announce the induction 2 minutes into the second quarter- anyone connected to social media who really cared about the induction would have been notified of it within 30 seconds. I was sitting at home watching the fucking thing and I got 3 texts, 2 Facebook messages, and a Whatsapp message with people letting me know and offering brief thoughts. After typing all of this out, this sounds like this idea was cooked up by someone who is out-of-touch and who thinks this is perhaps 1982 and not 2015. Probably the same person who is running The Network like a cable channel. I wonder who that could be?

The Randy Savage stuff was killing me and not in a "OMG I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT!". WWE handling this as if they are some 3rd party source to its own company was weird. People say that Raw goes through a bunch of re-writes and Vince can't make up his mind- was this one of those cases? Was Vince really like "Tonight is the night! Yes! Wait...no! Wait...YES!...wait..." all the up to about 10:30pm?

I agree. What the fuck was that!? I would even go one step further and ask that ALL APARTMENT/BASEMENT/CREEPY EMPTY ARENA WRESTLING PHOTOS are kept out-of-this thread. But....that's just me.

Here is a list of Meltzer's ROH matches that he rated over 4 stars: 2/23/02 Low Ki vs. Christopher Daniels vs. American Dragon (4.5) 4/27/02 Low Ki vs. AJ Styles (4.5) 10/16/04 ROH Champion Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk (5) 6/18/05 ROH Champion Austin Aries vs. CM Punk (4.5) 10/1/05 Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi (5) 12/17/05 GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion KENTA vs. Low Ki (4.5) 3/31/06 Blood Generation (Cima, Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino) vs. Do Fixer (Genki Horiguchi, Ryo Saito & Dragon Kid) (5) 8/12/06 Unification Match: ROH Champion Bryan Danielson vs. Pure Champion Nigel McGuinness (4.75) 9/16/06 ROH Champion Bryan Danielson vs. KENTA (4.75) 2/16/07 Samoa Joe vs. Takeshi Morishima (4.5) 6/9/07 Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson (4.5) 8/25/07 ROH Champion Takeshi Morishima vs. Bryan Danielson (4.75) 12/29/07 ROH Champion Nigel McGuinness vs. Austin Aries (4.75) 3/16/08 ROH Champion Nigel McGuinness vs. Tyler Black (4.5) 7/26/08 Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black (4.5) 11/22/08 ROH Champion Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson (4.5) 9/11/09 The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) vs. The Young Bucks (Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson) (4.5) 4/3/10 Tag Team Champions The Briscoe Brothers (Jay & Mark Briscoe) vs. The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli w/ Shane Hagadorn) (not far behind 4.5) 4/3/10 Elimination Match: ROH Champion Tyler Black vs. Austin Aries vs. Roderick Strong (in the 4.5 range) 6/19/10 ROH Champion Tyler Black vs. Davey Richards (probably in the 4.75 range) 6/26/11 Davey Richards vs. ROH Champion Eddie Edwards (4.75) 3/31/12 ROH Champion Davey Richards vs. Michael Elgin (w/ Truth Martini) (5) 10/13/12 Jay Lethal vs. Davey Richards (4.5) 10/13/12 ROH Champion Kevin Steen vs. Michael Elgin (4.5) 4/5/13 Tag Team Champions reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly) vs. The American Wolves (Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards) (4.5) 5/10/14 IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks (Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson) vs. Forever Hooligans (Rocky Romero & Alex Koslov) vs. The Time Splitters (Alex Shelley & KUSHIDA) (4.5)

Yeah. EC3 is the only one of a handful of TNA acts that comes off like a star. I hope to see big things for him and an eventual return to WWE.

If the god damn New Age Outlaws can get 'one final run' in WWE, I want my Harlem Heat 2015 run.

WWE hasn't announced any. For some reason WWE Network updates are kept close to the chest, because you know- its not advertising new Network content will get someone to purchase for the first time or have a current Network subscriber renew. Nope. Got to keep it close to the chest.

I've been watching a lot of 2007 Bobby Lashley the past few weeks and this guy could go. Does anyone know if WWE has made any plays to get him to return?

Jeff Hardy is out to kill himself on national TV. I know TNA is depressing but FUCK! First it was the Swanton on the steel steps and now this?

Out of those guys I would definitely say its Robbie. Notice TNA mentioned that Jessie signed a multi-year contract with TNA and not Robbie. Why not announce The Bromans just like The Wolves. I would say Robbie is on his way out.

3 in-ring MVP promos, Low-Ki winning the title back after losing it the previous week (night), and the return of Feast of Fired - no buys. If TNA does a Lethal Lockdown this year, I think it will be: King/MVP/Ki/Joe vs. Angle/Lashley/Aries/ and a returning Ken Anderson. Roode vs. EY will be a separate match.

Please let me know if you find out anything else. You can check out more of his work and tattoos on instagram @dannymateo facebook dot com/Itscalledart86

Matthews did a good job and Tenay sound so relax and casual as he talked about his new role. Both did a good job. Tenay off the headsets is something I have been asking for for years. The guy is much better in the role they placed him in. Taz continued to be terrible and started off the year with a bad performance. The brawl to start the show was interesting, but made no sense on a ton of levels. The brawl also had no urgency. Also the rap-rock stuff has to go. I can understand if it was Yelawolf and Outlaw Rap, but fuck. This is worse then the I BE DOING WHAT I BE DOING~! song TNA had in 2006. I don't want to shit on TNA, but Jesus Christ on a Tricycle! Samoa Joe, Low Ki, and Eric Young all turn heel on Roode to join King, MVP, and Lashley? Looks like another heel stable threatening to take over TNA~! The motives are only not clear, but completely un-interesting. TNA already has one random stable with The Revolution, why another? The Kong return was good, but much like Sting's -- could have have been handled differently to get a better arena reaction. The KO Battle Royal was terrible, Taryn looked 'different' (and not in a good way), and Brooke not being involved (yet attacking Robbie) was questionable. So the new TNA got us Angle wrestling in business casual, the reunion of WWE's Sunday Night Heat broadcasting team, shots of Gorilla and random areas of the lockeroom, and JB getting his head shaved? THIS IS HOW TNA START 2015?

Here are just a few of my favorite ROH matches that are in my top 25: McGuinness vs. Morishima: Undeniable 10/6/07 McGuinness vs. Aries: Rising Above 12/29/07 McGuinness vs. Danielson: Rising Above 11/22/08 McGuinness vs. Morishima 7/16/07 Briscoes vs. Generico/Steen Man UP 9/15/07 Morishima vs. Daniels Man Up 9/15/07 Danielson vs. McGuiness Driven 6/23/07 Generico vs. Steen Ladder War IV Final Battle 2012 I use to love the Strong/Aries tag team so I need to track some of their stuff down. The Kenta/Davey Richards Team was okay for about 2 shows (not sure if they did more after that) but I quickly soured on Davey's "Kenta's Protege" gimmick. How many times does Davey Richards break into the top 20 of the DVDVR BEST OF ROH LIST~! Surely Davey has to be in the top 50 for at least 5 matches? We shall see...

CM Punk vs. AJ Styles - Pure Title Tournament Finals - Second Anniversary Show - Braintree, MA 2/14/04 The Pure title. A very interesting title in concept and execution, but its mere existence shows how much the ROH guys backstage were marking for their own product. Post ECW, ROH was meta before meta drew money. A quick recap of Pure title rules via Wikipedia: Matches for the ROH Pure Championship were conducted under Pure Wrestling Rules. The three Pure Wrestling Rules are: Each wrestler has three rope breaks to stop submission holds and pinfalls during the match. After a wrestler exhausts his rope breaks, submission and pin attempts under the ropes by the opponent are considered legal. There are no closed-fist punches to the face allowed in a Pure match, only open-handed slaps or chops to the face are allowed. Punches to other parts of the body (save for low-blows) are permitted. The first use of a closed fist will get a warning, and the second will cause the wrestler to be penalized a rope break. If he is already out of rope breaks, he will be disqualified. A wrestler is subject to a twenty count by the referee if the wrestler goes to the floor. While not a rule itself, it is worth noting that unlike other championships, the ROH Pure Championship could change hands on a disqualification or count out. and with that said... The match begins with a staredown. Both guys jaw-jacking each other. The commentators spend nearly the first two minutes to explain the rules. Styles soon finds himself in a good position to hit The Styles Clash, but Punk is able to grab AJ's right leg and slide out of it. The action spills to the floor and soon both guys find themselves in a tie up position that makes Shawn Jordan and Cheick Kongo's 149 exchange look like a TSA pat down. Both guys soon realize that the ref is at 13 (they have until 20) and scurry back into the ring to the delight of the fans. Some Ultimate Warrior/Hogan Hulk ring rope cross happens until AJ decides he is done with the tomfoolery and slides out-of-the-ring. Traci Brooks is outside the ring and AJ begins to choke her in order to 'neutralize' her. Now I am all for heels getting what is coming to them regardless of sex, race, religion, etc. but this seemed a tag excessive. CM Punk follows up with a tope and takes control. A failed Irish whip is stopped by Punk and AJ hits a DROP KICK and lands on the concrete knees first. Both men get back to their feet and Punk whips AJ into the guard rail, but Styles jumps over-the-rail to avoid contact. Punk follows up with a dive into the blackness. This isn't a Star Trek reference or anything racist, ROH's production values were so bad back then that is literally looks like Punk jumped into a black hole never to be seen again. The wrestlers are soon back in the ring and Punk takes control. The commentators are doing a DAMN GOOD JOB in making sure everyone is still up-to-snuff with the rules. Pure Rules are a lot to take in and these guys are making sure Joe Dumbass sitting at home watching his DVD is able to follow this with no issue. 2015 WWE commentators have problems doing this, so its definitely worth pointing out and giving kudos when/where kudos are deserved. Nearly 10 minutes into the match, AJ Styles has run out of rope breaks and his knees are really acting up. AJ manages to rally back and now Punk has used his last rope break. The guys exchange moves and finally head to the top rope where Styles is able to reversal a suplex attempt and plant Punk's face into the mat. Styles continues to gain momentum which leads to a HARD discus clothesline that is similar to the one that broke Jimmy Rave's jaw. That move produces a loud POP from Punk's jaw. Punk sells this life death and is somehow able to roll into the ring and break the count at 14. Punk is able to quickly get himself together to his a Shining Wizard to win the match-- but only gets a 2 count. The guys exchange a few more moves until Punk is ready to finish Styles off with another Shining Wizard, but this time it misses and Styles is able to turn it into a Styles Clash. The Styles Clash is only able to get a 2 count. Styles rallies for another discus lariat and misses as Punk is able to turn that opportunity into an unprotected DDT. Punk tosses AJ into the corner and sets him up for The Pepsi Plunge, but Styles is able to fight him off, hit a pele kick out-of-nowhere, and then head to the second corner rope to put the Styles Clash on a dangling Punk. Styles hits it and becomes the first ROH Pure Champion. I can't put this in the top 25 for me. For historical reasons (first ROH Pure title) and based off who these guys would become- its definitely worth a watch and a position in the top 100 mainly for those two reasons and not really the match itself. Which brings up a question: How much of this list should consist of historical occurrences? Are we going PURELY off of workrate or are we factoring back-story, historical significance, and other factors? The Cage of Death match at Death before Dishonor IV positioning should be interesting.

Totally agree. The car-wreck spots are truly heart-stopping. I didn't like the main event MITB 2014 match because of all the stupid risks Rollins and some of the other guys took (and the overall structure of the match was another problem- but there is another thread for those gripes). This match serves as a great explanation to some as to why/how ROH became relevant as WWE differently wasn't doing it. I know for a fact this match will not crack my top 25, but its somewhere (at the tail end) of my top 100 purely based off the We-Don't-Give-A-Fuck spectacle. Re: London He really lives the gimmick and is a travler. He does indy shows when he wants to but really wants to do acting. Him and ROH linked back-up together after some time apart and I believe he recently no-showed one or several shows and is now in the ROH dog-house. London is very come-and-go so I am not sure what's his next move. London in WWE didn't work out mainly due to his height and his 'attitude'. London smiling at Vince before Vince got blown up really pissed off McMahon.

PAUL LONDON vs MICHAEL SHANE - ROH STREET FIGHT 09/21/02 Back-in-the-day when Paul London and ROH were both 'new', this was one of the first matches on a "Best of Paul London" tape I watched. I believe Pete is right in that this is the first time the "Please Don't Die" chants were chanted un-ironically. Let's see how it holds up in a 2014 re-watch: This is a Fight Without Honor. It’s good this match didn't start up with a lock-up/feeling-out process/wrist locks, but it does not start off with Paul London being Paul London by hitting a dropsault, back-flip, and a spinning heel kick within the first minute. Both guys continue at a pretty face pace with London throwing very suspect elbows while Michael Shane throws some of the weakest punches I've seen amongst his contemporaries (foreshadowing things to come). London tries to skin-the-cat and gets dropped kicked for his efforts and takes a nasty SPLAT~! ON THE FLOOR. Michael Shane follows up with super-soft elbows and then tosses London into the chicken-wire barricade. I am not sure ROH's budget in 2002, but fuck! ROH couldn't even afford standard guardrails. Standard guardrails are at every school/rec center/every place ROH would have ran shows in 2002. I have some theories to way the rails in question were used: ROH didn't have the money, the local marching band needed it for the parade happening the same day, or someone in the ROH offices (Rob~! ) pissed the holder of the guardrails off so much that ROH staff had to call Jay Lethal's mom to whip up something quick for the ROH event. With a twinkle in his eye and Juicy Fruit in his mouth, Michael Shane begins talking shit to a fallen Paul London. MICHAEL SHANE sets up a table and tries to put Paul through it but Paul fights back and rolls MICHAEL SHANE into the ring. Paul grabs a chair from under the ring and begins holding the chair like Brittany Palmer for some reason which leads to a Michael Shane paying tribute to stupid WCW 2000 spots by doing a over-the-top rope senton onto the chair Paul is hold. This of course causes both men to spend some time on the floor. Shane is now in control, rolls London into the ring, and just tosses the steel chair at London's head. Reviewing old ROH will be a bit hard in seeing the way steel chairs are used. Knowing what we know now about concussions (and the concussions suffered during some of these shows), I wonder how that will impact some of the match ratings- if at all? Michael Shane soon continues to show why he will turn out to be a shitty wrestler by slapping on a headlock on London near the center of the ring. This of course happens while the commentators tell us that this match is NHB and that this is a blood feud. After setting up a chair in the corner, Michael Shane and Paul London begin a chop exchange that would make the slaps between Jenna Morsca and Sharmell seem like Kenta Kobashi and Samoa Joe trading blows. Paul at least has a striking game that works for his size and style, MICHAEL SHANE couldn't give a shit. MICHAEL SHANE is soon tossed into the ladder by London and is busted wide open. MICHAEL SHANE goes to the outside to regroup and grabs a ladder from under-the-ring. In a JCVD/RVD type move London, ducks under the ladder, jumps onto the ring apron, and hits Shane with a spinning back kick. Both men get back into the ring and MICHAEL SHANE continues to put a beating on London which includes a release suplex into the ladder. MICHAEL SHANE follows this up with HBK circa 2004 style chops (just the finger tips) to London while London sells death. Michael Shane is hell-bent on bringing this match to a crawl and then OUT-OF-NOWHERE Paul London hits a head scissors on Michael Shane that sends Michael Shane through the table on the outside. That was pretty damn sweet and if you happened to miss it (because you were taking a sip of your Coke Zero- like I was), ROH has a replay ready. Now London goes for his own ladder. There are now TWO ladders in the ring. Paul London has the 'Jeff Hardy' sized ladder and sets it up in the corner. He back-body drops MICHAEL SHANE into the ladder and then London uses the ladder as a launching pad to do a senton drive to the bloody Michael Shane who is outside the ring. The smack heard on the land may in part be contributed to London's skull. Some time passes and these guys are just in another gear. Both have something to prove. London kicks out of MICHAEL SHANE's finisher and MICHAEL SHANE kicks out of the SSP. Paul begins to climb up the ladder (facing away from Michael Shane), but Shane counters and puts London on his back. MICHAEL SHANE with an elbow from the top of the 'Jeff Hardy' ladder only gets a 'two'. Shane tries again but London jumps on the second rope and hits a moonsault with his feet catching Shane in the face. Amazing. PLEASE DON'T DIE! PLEASE DON'T DIE! This is what the fans are chanting as Paul London climbs the wobbly ladder. London hits a SSP off the 12 foot ladder and that's it! The crowd is jacked and there are some people chanting '5 star match' and then it breaks out into a 'Match of the Year!' chant. This match is definitely exciting and if you put aside some of the puzzling things done by Michael Shane and the gruesome unprotected shots to the head, it can be really enjoyable. This is one of the matches that got me into London, ROH, and had me thinking Michael Shane was the future. It's worth a watch. It’s worth being on this list. This match holds up in the car-wreck-both-guys-out-to-prove-something kind of way.

Who knew Jones was a coke head? First the DUI and now this?

I think its lack of personality in the booth. When everyone is doing his/her best NOT to get fired- there will be a lot of 'corporate commentary' and things falling flat. I wouldn't be surprised if the guys in the booth were seriously bored at points during the program.