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RING OF HONOR 041908 HOUSE SHOW REVIEW

EVENT:
RING OF HONOR HOUSE SHOW-041908

EVENT REVIEW BY:
Andrew Schumann

EVENT DATE:
Saturday, April 19th, 2008

LOCATION:
Chicago Ridge Frontier Fieldhouse, Chicago Ridge, Illinois
"If the WWE wants to get the tag team division moving again Ring Of Honor has the blueprint of success."
MATCH 1:
Austin Aries vs. Silas Young
This was the opening match of the night. This match had a basic beginning with each wrestler trying to get the advantage first. Aries gained control first by sending Young to the outside and following up with a suicide dive through the ropes. Silas regained control of match and nailed several moves to put Aries on the ropes. Aries was looking for the brain buster and Silas blocked several attempts. Silas tried to hit his springboard Hindu press but Aries got his knees up. Aries than kicked him in the head that allowed him to finally land the brain buster. Aries finally got the pin with a submission maneuver. After the match Jimmy Jacobs came down to welcome Aries into the Age of the Fall. For the last few months Jacobs has been recruiting Aries into the group. Aries declined the offer and said that Lacey would be leaving with him.

Star Rating: 2 Stars. This was basically an energetic match that got the whole crowd pumped up for the night. Aries is a guy who has been on top of the card but is okay working at any spot. Silas Young has shown that he can work their style. This match was a great opener full of energy.
MATCH 2:
Alex Payne versus Mitch Franklin
This match only lasted a couple of minutes before Jacobs sent Necro Butcher down to the ring. The Necro Butcher just destroyed the two guys within seconds. Necro Butcher busted both guys open with barbed wire. Necro finally picked up the pin after a slam.

Star Rating: N/A. The one thing that was bad is that most of the time when we see a student. That unfortunately means that they are going to get crushed. Necro Butcher is someone that works a very stiff style that only a few guys on their roster who could handle it.
MATCH 3:
Pearce& Albright vs. Castagnolli & Primeau
Pelle Primeau started of the match against Adam Pearce. Pearce and Albright used their strength and size advantage to control Primeau. Claudio Castagnolli at times would sneak in and inflict damage. Albright nailed Primeau with several suplexes. Pearce tagged in and came of the top rope with a huge splash onto Primeau. Primeau finally got the hot tag onto Claudio. Claudio proceeded to nail both Pearce and Albright with several European Uppercuts. Claudio nailed Albright with a giant swing for several seconds. Primeau vaulted into the ring and nailed Pearce with a Lou Thesz press and followed up with a foot stomp. Pearce rolled out to ringside and Primeau came off the apron and landed a running dropkick. Pearce recoiled back into the barricades. Albright got a firm grip on Claudio and Shane Hagadorn tried to hit Claudio with the briefcase and nailed Albright instead. Claudio than got the victory with the Ricolla Bomb.

Star Rating: 3 stars. Brent Albright last summer was someone that Ring Of Honor I do believe prepping for a title run. Brent matches what a typical champion is for them a good worker that meshes with other styles. Claudio Castagnolli is another wrestler that is right on the cusp of being a true superstar. Pelle Primeau is the further along of the school. Pearce plays the perfect bully character.
MATCH 4:
MsChif vs. Daizee Haze vs. Lacey vs. Ashley Lane
This match showcased several roster members of Shimmer wrestling. Shimmer wrestling is the sister promotion of Ring of Honor. The match began with MsChif and Ashley in the ring exchanging several basic holds. Daizee was the first one tagged into the match. The first time Daizee was down Lacey tagged her in to focus on Daizee. After a couple of minutes MsChif tagged backed into the match. MsChif flipped Ashley over with a reverse body lock and picked up a near fall. Daizee followed up and hit MsChif with the heart punch and yakuza kick. MsChif picked up the victory over Ashley Lane with her desecrator DDT.

Star rating: 3 stars. Three of the four wrestlers have wrestled each other multiple times and knew how to make each other look good. Unfortunately Ashley Lane’s sloppiness in the ring brought down the match. Daizee Haze and Lacey have had a long running feud with each other for years. This was a great match to show what women can truly do in the ring.
MATCH 5:
Delirious vs. Chris Hero
This match featured the two guys currently on the roster get the best crowd reactions. Delirious started out by mocking Hero doing his usual athletic routine. Hero and Delirious exchanged several basic moves. Delirious used several chain wrestling moves and picked up several near falls. Hero was trying to use several strikes and abandon his wrestling move. Delirious landed several head scissors. Delirious nailed the heart punch and yakuza kick onto Hero for a near fall. Hero picked up the victory after a couple roaring elbows.

Star rating: 3 stars. Chris Hero is a wrestler that during a match you can start to hate and by the end loves. Delirious is a true fan favorite with the crowd. Right now Hero has the microphone skills and work ability to be an outstanding WWE superstar. Delirious has the gimmick that could work and move set for a bright future. They put on a great match with different styles and meshed well.
MATCH 6:
Motor City Machine Guns vs. The Briscoes Brothers
This was a rematch that was a year in the making. They faced each other last April here in Chicago and tore the house down. The pace of the match was faster than the last years. Motor City got the early advantage of the match. Sabin locked Jay Briscoe into a side headlock and Shelley came of the ropes and dropkicked Jay’s knee. Chris Sabin than floated over and left Jay’s head open for another dropkick. Briscoes regained control of the match and hit several of their trademark double team moves. Motor City Machine Guns locked in double submission maneuvers for a few seconds. Towards the end of the match the pace was amazing non- stop action. Mark had Alex Shelley on the top turnbuckle trying to execute his cut throat driller. Chris Sabin came back in and nailed a huge German suplex of the top rope. Jay came back in and Shelley nailed the sliced bread no. 2 of the top turnbuckle and picked up the victory. After the match Shelley and Sabin and the Briscoes showed mutual appreciation by hugging each other and giving respect to each other. After the match The Age of the Fall came down to the ring and attacked the Briscoes.

Star rating: 4 stars. Ring of Honor has embraced and put the emphasis on the tag team division. The series of matches between the 2 is tied at one apiece. If the WWE wants to get the tag team division moving again Ring Of Honor has the blueprint of success. This match showcased probably the two best tag teams on the independent scene. I’m hoping for a third match between these 2 teams.
MATCH 7:
Kota Ibushi vs. El Generico
Kota Ibushi is a top independent wrestler out of Japan. His home promotion is the DDT promotion and this was a one time tour for Ring Of Honor. They booked him with someone who was an excellent worker. The beginning part of the match was very slow as they felt each other out. El Generico and Kota traded several stiff kicks. Kota hit a double back spring knee drops onto Generico and knocked to the outside. Kota followed up by sprinting to the one corner and landing on the turnbuckle on the outside. Kota than hit a moonsault of the middle turnbuckle to the floor. El Generico nailed a strong lariat in the corner. Generico tried a couple of times to nail his brain buster on the top turnbuckle. Ibushi kept blocking the move and knocked down Generico. Ibushi one time attempted a back senton and landed on his feet and then proceeded to land the manuever. Ibushi than missed an kick and landed a senton. Generico finally connected on the brain buster for a near fall. Ibushi finally picked up the victory with a twisting 630 splash. After the match Ibushi and Generico hugged each other and gave each mutual appreciation.

Star Rating: 3 ½ stars. Kota Ibushi is the most natural aerialist I have seen in wrestling since the premiere of Rey Mysterio. Once the match took off nobody sat down. I hope that Ibushi would make semi regular trips and work for Ring of Honor. Ibushi and Generico worked well with each other.
MATCH 8:
The Vulture Squad vs. The Age of The Fall
The team of the Age of The Fall was Tyler Black, Joey Mercury and Zach Gowen. Joey Matthews and Jack Evans started out the match. The Vulture squad taken hold of the match early on with all three attacked a unit. Joey Matthews was the work horse of the team. Zach Gowen tagged in and hit a couple of moves using his natural agility. Tyler Black eventually picked up the victory with his small package driver.

Star Rating: 3 stars. Joey Matthews is someone that Ring Of Honor is lucky to have on there roster. He’s a good solid veteran of the ring who’s worked with a lot of different styles. Meanwhile Zach Gowen is someone who is a one trick pony. This match was fast paced and over before we noticed.
MATCH 9-World Title Match:
Kevin Steen vs. Nigel McGuiness
This was a rematch from the Edison event the previous week. Steen grabbed the early advantage by attacking Nigel before the bell. Nigel regained control of the match by kicking the rope as Steen was coming in. Nigel than targeted Steen’s shoulder by ramming it into the ring post. Steen regained control by reversing several of Nigel’s lariat attempts. Steen locked Nigel into the Sharpshooter a couple of times. Nigel than went back to work on Steens’ shoulder with several moves. Nigel locked in his new arm submission maneuver keep working it over. Nigel finally picked up the win with a massive rebound clothesline.

Star Rating: 3 stars. The matches between these two over the last week could build into a great feud. Steen seems to bring the best out of his opponents in every match. Which is odd for them they’re booking Nigel as a champion that will just try anything and everything to retain the title.
EVENT RATING:
Overall the show was outstanding. Kota Ibushi match had everyone standing and in awe just like the dragon gate six men match from the Chicago wrestle mania weekend shows. The rematch of Briscoes and Motor City Machine Gun lived up to the hype.

Photo © 2008 Ring of Honor
Article © 2008 Alternate Reality, Inc.

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