Die groessten ROH Momente der Geschichte

[Nefercheperur]

Derek Burgan vom Wrestling Observer hat seine Top Ten ROH Momente der Geschichte mal aufgeschrieben, das ganze auch mit den Kommentaren von Gabe Sabolsky dazu was interessant ist. Hier ist der Link:

http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/wo/news...?aID=15506


Top Ten Moments in Ring Of Honor history

1) Three Way Match from Era of Honor Begins
"The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson, Low Ki, and "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels worked the main event on ROH's first show, having a match that everyone in attendance was buzzing about. At the time, all three were relatively unknown but their work during this incredible match set the standard for what is possible in a three way dance. Here is my actual review of said match from way back in the day:

Main Event: Low Ki beat The Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels and The American Dragon in a Triple Threat Match. Between ECW and WWE I have seen a lot of Triple Threat matches but I have never seen anything quite like this. It would be impossible to describe every great thing about this match, but here's some spots that really stood out. At one point Christopher Daniels had a combination Boston Crab/Camel Clutch on both of his opponents simultaneously! This was also probably one of the best matches to see exactly how intense Low Ki is as he delivered psychotically stiff boots to Dragon's face that were painful to watch. Later on, Ki gave one of his stiff kicks to Daniel's back and Dragon said, "That's not how you do it!" and proceeded to nail Daniels with a stiff kick of his own. Low Ki took this as a challenge and kicked Daniels again! This went back and forth, eventually getting to the point where Ki kicked Daniel's back while Dragon nailed him from the front at the same time. Even straight edge CM Punk would be popping pain killers like tic tacs after this match. Ki and Dragon went for a double suplex on Daniels, but the Fallen Angel slipped out of it and hit his two opponents with a combination neckbreaker and DDT! Get this, Daniels attempted a flying headscissors on Low Ki but was thrown from Ki's head straight into Dragon, who proceeded to kill Daniels with a Tornado DDT. I don't know if that even makes sense to read but it was F---ING AMAZING to watch. Low Ki might have officially became my favorite wrestler in the world here as late in the match he applied this awesome move which combined his Dragon Clutch with Tajiri's Tarantula, came flying across the ring with his incredible Tidal Wave and then finished the match by hitting the greatest move in wrestling - The Twisting Phoenix Splash - onto Dragon as Dragon was applying the Cattle Mutilation on Christopher Daniels! Was Low Ki done yet? No. He picked up Daniels and nails the Ki Krusher! WHHHOOOOOOOO! This match completely shatters wrestling's prestigious 5 star scale.

In fact, his was without a doubt The Greatest Triple Threat Match
in Wrestling History.

And before you even go there, yes, I watched WrestleMania XX and thought the Main Event (with Benoit vs. HHH vs. Shawn Michaels) will probably be my favorite match of the year. Here's the difference of why it's not the greatest in history though. The WrestleMania Triple Threat Match blew the Era of Honor Begins main event away in the area of atmosphere. You had a sold out Madison Square Garden during the biggest Pay Per View of my lifetime with maybe the best fan reactions since the Canadian Stampede PPV. You had three of the biggest names in wrestling, from a "mark" standpoint (Triple H), to a "smart" standpoint (Benoit) to a person who grew up with the WWE (Michaels). You had a finish in which fans have been dying to see, some for over a decade. However, in terms of the match itself, the Low Ki/Dragon/Daniels match beats the WrestleMania one. The WWE still doesn't fully understand how to get the third man more involved whereas this particular ROH match was like a how-to book triple threats 101 class.

ROH Booker Gabe Sapolsky says: "I still consider putting this on as the main event of the first show as the most important decision in ROH history. I was endlessly debating whether to go with this match or the obvious Eddie Guerrero vs. Super Crazy choice since they were the two marquee names at the time. The idea of ROH was to push the new breed of talent and put all the emphasis on them. In order to do that they needed the top spot on the card. Having this match as the main event sent a message to all the fans and critics that ROH was about featuring new stars like Low Ki, Bryan Danielson and Christopher Daniels. Those three also came through with the match that put us on the map because they knew that they had to really do something special to follow Eddie Guerrero and Super Crazy. Would they have had the same kind of match as the semi-main event? I don't know. What I do know is that this match and the fact it was the main event set the whole tone for the promotion."


2) Samoa Joe loses ROH title to Austin Aries at Final Battle 2004
I was actually at this show as I made a trip down to Philadelphia on a blistering cold Christmas weekend. What I witnessed was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had at a live wrestling show. Going into the match I don't think a single person in the audience felt Austin Aries had a chance to win the match, but once the bell rang the heat for a possible title change began to build
and build.
Joe had held the strap for a record 21 months and cemented the belt as being the
title in indy wrestling. Everything was done so well that when Aries hit Joe with a brainbuster and 450 Splash, I found myself jumping out of my seat even though I wanted Joe to win! We were all witnessing something special that no one there would ever be able to forget.

ROH Booker Gabe Sapolsky says: "This was one of those rare, truly special moments that are hard to come by. It was a moment that can only happen after 21 months of perfect build up and execution. This is yet another example of the greatness of Joe and it was the true breakout match for Austin Aries as they just put together a perfect match for this situation. The energy in the building on the last couple of moves when everyone could feel the title change coming was something that you might not ever be able to duplicate. It is such a great feeling when something like this comes together just because it takes so long and everything has to go right during that period of time for this kind of atmosphere and reaction to happen. It was a real tribute to what Samoa Joe did with the belt and the rise to stardom of Austin Aries."


3) Joe vs. Kobashi
- I don't care how many wrestling shows you have seen, the type of atmosphere that existed for the main event match for Joe vs. Kobashi ranks up there in top five. While it was obvious that many in the building that night had seen many
Kenta Kobashi matches via tapes, DVDs, or online files, watching this match was the first time I had ever seen Kobashi. I had read about Kenta all the time in the Wrestling Observer and dismissing all the annual awards Kobashi would win. However, fter watching his match against Samoa Joe, I couldn't wait to see more Kenta Kobashi, a thirst that was thankfully quenched a little with the Best of Japan volume one DVD. An electric crowd combined with two of the hardest hitting wrestlers - doing exactly what they do best - produced a match that easily won the Best Match of the Year award from The Wrestling Observer.

ROH Booker Gabe Sapolksy says: "This was definitely one of the most important matches in ROH history in that it was such a high profile match. In fact, this will be the most watched match in ROH history. We also received an enormous amount of international coverage due to this match. Of course it was a huge honor to have a true legend like Kenta Kobashi in ROH. I think where this match is really important is that it solidified Samoa Joe as one, if not the, best pro wrestling on earth today. This match shut up any Joe critics. Joe was the star of this match for taking all those chops and the headdrop suplexes and that lariat to the face. What really made this match was the timing and the build and the facial expressions. Those are the things that really separate Joe as one of the elite guys going today and he was right there with Kobashi on all those things. It was just a great match that did a lot of business for us."


4) CM Punk's Farewell in Chicago at Punk: the Final Chapter
It is rare that anyone in wrestling can pull off a legitimate surprise, but Punk winning the ROH title (#15 on our list) after everyone knew Punk had signed a WWE contract threw the wrestling world for a loop. Punk's title matches and especially his promos during his period as champion are worth going out of your way to see. It wasn't until after he lost the title that Punk got a going-away present that very few wrestlers ever get to have. Punk was able to have his last ROH match in front of his hometown fans in Chicago and they gave him a sendoff that will rival anyone in wrestling's storied history.

It started off with Punk coming to the ring and nearly breaking down emotionally from the tremendous crowd response. Once inside the ring, Punk was covered by a sea of streamers, a visual that made a lasting impression on me. After his match against Colt Cabana, the same man Punk wrestled in his first match in ROH, Punk was able to celebrate in the ring with the entire locker room and his family. With Pepsi in a champagne glass, Punk also was able to make a toast to Jimmy Rave, Low Ki and Homicide, ROH's top heels, who came out to show their respect for one of the company's true icons.

This entire scene was especially remarkable to a WWE fan like myself who never really got to say "goodbye" to all my favorite wrestlers as they just disappeared, or even worse, were completely buried when their time in the company was done.
And, unlike in ECW, there was not a single "You Sold Out" chant. The fans knew and respected that Punk had worked his way up the ROH ladder and was now ready
for the big time.

ROH Booker Gabe Sapolsky says: "This was definitely one of the most emotional nights in ROH history. CM Punk was a huge part of ROH behind the scenes and of course he was a bonafide main event star. It was definitely a hard thing to see him go. I do have to admit that I wasn't looking forward to this night in Chicago. All the tears you saw from everyone that night were as real as it gets."


5) Generation Next forms at the appropriately titled show, Generation Next
Talk about a show that could have been a complete disaster. About a week
before the May 22, 2004 event, ROH was told by the Pennsylvania National Guard
that the armory the show was booked in would be in use by the military. With no
time to book a new venue, ROH was able to get the Armory to allow them to set up
the ring outside, underneath a gigantic tent. On the day of the show, WWE was
also in Philly running a house show, the Philadelphia Phillies were playing a
home game, and the Philadelphia Flyers were in Tampa Bay, playing a
do-or-die seventh game in the never ending NHL playoffs against the Lightning.

[Nefercheperur]

Thankfully, the show drew surprisingly well despite all the obstacles and
started off with a bang when Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, Alex Shelley and
Jack Evans interrupted a scramble match the Christopher Street Connection, Dunn
& Marcos, and Special K were about to have. Aries, Strong, Shelley, and Evans were originally slated to be part of a series of matches "booked" by fans through voting at the show. In a scathing promo, Alex Shelley told the fans they would not be subjecting themselves to the whim of the ROH fanbase and instead would be proving themselves as the next generation of the company by taking the top spots. After a highspot filled match (and win) against Special K, the newly formed Generation Next faction would go on to win a second match later that show, an eight man tag match against a team made up of John Walters, Jimmy Rave, and the Briscoe Brothers that went over 40 minutes. In one show, four underused wrestlers immediately made themselves a force to be reckoned with and put some much need "buzz" back into ROH.

ROH Booker Gabe Sapolsky says: "This is one of the most important things to ever happen in ROH. There was a lot of negative stuff going on at the time and we just lost a lot of talent and big names that were in the middle of storylines. The talent roster was also stale as it was. We also lost our top feud of the year when we weren't able to finish Daniels vs. Punk and a new champion in AJ Styles. We needed new top players and we needed them in a hurry. We didn't have time to build them up slowly like we normally do in ROH. The whole idea was to create a faction that could be a main event group out of guys that were ready to breakthrough to the next level. Alex Shelley, Roderick Strong, Austin Aries and Jack Evans were perfect together and they all came through big time with this. If things didn't work out at that Generation Next show I don't know if ROH would be here today. Those four created a lot of excitement and gave ROH a fresh face when we were in need of not just top stars, but new stars because things were getting stale. Generation Next forming will always be one of the most important moments in ROH history and something I will always be very proud of."


6) Low Ki turns on Samoa Joe to conclude Reborn: Completion
Personally, this might be my favorite moment of all. Here is what I wrote about this particular moment in my overall thoughts of the show: I loved everything in the main event six man match up to the fireball ending. I'm not saying I disagree with the use of the fireball because it really would have tied into the Reborn: Stage 1 show in Minnesota a few months before, but the spot just didn't look good at all. Only one out of every ten fireballs look believable, and this wasn't one of those. Luckily, the post-match angle more than made up for the ending as the beat down of Samoa Joe and the Briscoes had
everything that is good about professional wrestling. It was believable by having Jay Briscoe taking his brother out of the ringside area, which allowed the heels to gang up on Joe. The crowd going absolutely crazy when Low Ki's music hit had me out of my chair as well. Here is a guy whose back the company rested itself on for its first year and just about defines the words respect and honor in how he presents himself at shows. Low Ki played his role to perfection while standing in front of the fallen Joe to the point where I thought he was going to kill one of the Havana Pitbulls if they made a wrong step. Low Ki takes realism in wrestling to a whole new level. Every fan in the crowd was waiting for Low Ki to kick Homicide's ass only to experience a true shock when Ki turned heel on Samoa Joe. In terms of shock value, this rivaled Hulk Hogan turning on Randy Savage at Bash at the Beach to form the New World Order in WCW. The closing shot of Homicide, the Havana Pitbulls, and Low Ki posing over Joe (now draped under an ROH flag) could not have been booked any better. This was an ending that makes people want to see Joe come back and get his revenge and that is what wrestling is all about.


7) At Our Best
I'm using this whole show as a moment because it was so important to the history of ROH. Just days after a highly publicized incident with owner Rob Feinstein, the entire company was in a state of flux. It wasn't known whether the fans would wash their hands of the company. It wasn't known if members of the roster might do exactly what Low Ki did, and outright quit or no-show the booking. The day of March 13, 2003 came and ROH ended up having one of the best shows of its entire existence. The crowd was rabid. The wrestlers put on one hell of a performance after another, including a must-see cage match between Samoa Joe and Jay Briscoe. Even Teddy Hart had a match without an incident! When it was all said and done, ROH had already taken steps to survive into the future and in less than a month would begin a new era with ROH: Reborn.


8) Great Muta in ROH at Final Battle 2003 Because ROH was originally an offshoot of RF Video, the company's fanbase was well versed in buying wrestling tapes. Back in 2003, just like today, wrestling in Japan was extremely popular
within the tape trading community. One of the major Japanese promotions, All
Japan, sent a contingent of men over to America that were able to match up
against ROH wrestlers in four inter-promotional matches. Homicide was able to
wrestle Satoshi Kojima in a match that was so important to Homicide that Low Ki
returned as an unadvertised "second" in Homicide's match. The ROH fans had come en masse to see the Great Muta, popping for every single thing the former WCW star did in the main event match. The green mist. The red mist. The shining wizard. All of Muta's trademark moves were displayed and the rabid fanbase ate up every second of it. While injuries throughout the years had taken their toll on Muta's body, he still had a charisma that very few men can match.


9) Paul London vs. Michael Shane street fight at Unscripted
You wouldn't know it if you had only watched WWE TV in the last two years, but Paul London is a tremendously talented worker. London got his spot in ROH the old fashioned way, he earned it. Brought into the company with several other
students from the Texas Wrestling Academy, London had a worst case scenario in his first match when his opponent's ankle broke less than two minutes after the bell rang. From that point on, London became a star in the eyes of every ROH fan through a series of off-the-charts matches filled with suicidal highspots. Now, the story behind the show Unscripted is a column in and of itself, but for Paul London it was supposed to a be a show where he and his partner Spanky would compete in the ROH Tag Team title tournament. Well, Unscripted started off with Paul London (in a Spider-Man shirt no less) being told that Spanky would not be at the show. London brought out The American Dragon as a replacement, but the shit hit the fan when Michael Shane came to the ring to stir the pot. After London and Shane got into it for a bit, London apologized to Dragon for having to back out of the Tag Team
tournament as London had his sights focused on kicking Michael Shane's ass.

Later, London and Shane tore down the house with a street fight that was so spectacular that it originated the soon-to-be popular "Please Don't Die" catchphrase. Here is the closing part of my review of that very match:

London then went under the ring and pulled out a ladder. Not just any ladder, a giant ladder. The El Gigante of ladders. This ladder was as tall as Keith Lipinski's TNA reviews are long. (Editor's Note: only 3-4 people on Earth are going to understand that reference and even I'm not one of them) Okay, enough hyperbole, I think you get the point. So Get This, London props the ladder up against the top turnbuckle and RUNS UP THE F---ING THING like a ramp to jump off the top and hit a sommersault plancha onto Michael Shane! UNREAL. Back in the ring, London set up a smaller ladder and jumped off it, intending to hit Shane with a hurracanrana, but Shane countered the attempt into a POWERBOMB! This match is surreal! Shane climbed the ropes and hit a Picture Perfect Elbow. Kickout! London fought back and hit a superkick followed by a London Star Press. Kickout! London sets up the El Gigante ladder and had to kick the cheap thing to straighten it out because it was so wobbly. This was just INSANE to watch and the crowd chanted "You Sick Fuck!" But London was laid out by Shane, who then climbed to the top of the ladder and hit a Picture Perfect Elbow. HOLY SHIT! KICKOUT!! Shane went to climb the ladder again but London got up, ran to the ropes and hit a Lionsault-like move that took out Shane! London climbed the ladder as the crowd chanted "Please Don't Die! Please Don't Die!" London then hit a London Star Press off the top of the ladder!

I don't believe I saw what I think I just f---ing saw!

London finally pinned Shane for the win. This match totally shattered the five star rating system. The crowd was doing the "we're not worthy" bow while chanting, "Match of the Year!" After the match Michael Shane shook London's hand, hugged London, and then handed out a vicious clothesline! Chris Lovey was outraged! "What an asshole!"


10) Bryan Danielson beats Austin Aries in a 2/3 falls match at Testing the Limit
This
was a match that realized what every big wrestling match should aspire to, get everyone involved over. Even in defeat, Austin Aries' stock rose by hanging with a man every ROH fan respected in Bryan Danielson. Despite losing, Aries proved he could keep up with one of ROH's icons, at times outworking and totally frustrating Danielson. The two men had a 75 minute epic match that had the crowd hanging on until the very end. A true step up for Aries during the 2004 progression of being on a Do or Die card, winning Survival of the Fittest, and beating Samoa Joe for the ROH Title. I also think that because the fans did not crap on the length of this match or CM Punk vs. Joe at World Title Classic (#18 on the list), ROH felt much more confident in having longer matches on the card. There are not enough times in wrestling when everyone does their role to perfection, and for two men to have a match well over an hour long that doesn't make me want to slit my wrists? That's an accomplishment and a half.

Runners up:
11) Corino vs. Homicide at War of the Wire
12) Low Ki defeats Spanky, Doug Williams, and Christopher Daniels in a four man Iron Man match and wins the ROH Title at Crowning a Champion
13) Punk gets beer poured down his throat by Raven at Death Before Dishonor I
14) Eddie Guerrero at A Night of Appreciation
15) CM Punk beats Austin Aries for ROH Title at Death Before Dishonor III
16) Mick Foley makes first ROH appearance at Glory By Honor III
17) Paul London's farewell at Death Before Dishonor I
18) Samoa Joe and CM Punk go for an hour at World Title Classic
19) The Rotweillers dominate at Manhattan Mayhem
20) The Riot in New York at the One Year Anniversary Show
21) James Gibson wins ROH Title at Redemption
22) The Second City Saints with the ROH Tag Team Titles in Chicgoo at Reborn: Stage II
23) Samoa Joe vs. Low Ki at Glory by Honor
24) Austin Aries beats Samoa Joe, Homicide, Mark Briscoe, Colt Cabana, and Bryan
Danielson at Survival of the Fittest
25) Bryan Danielson beats James Gibson to win ROH Title at Glory By Honor IV
26) Low Ki vs. Amazing Red at Road to the Title
27) Samoa Joe beats Xavier to win ROH Title at Night of Champions
28) KENTA beats Low Ki to retain GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title at Final Battle 2005
29) Jushin Liger appears in ROH at Weekend of Thunder
30) Jeff Hardy appears at Death Before Dishonor to a huge negative
reaction

[DiViNo]

Original von Nefercheperur
30) Jeff Hardy appears at Death Before Dishonor to a huge negative
reaction

Zu geil, das bei den 30 größten Momenten

Aber auch ansonsten recht interessant zu lesen.

Bryan Danielson, Christopher Daniels und Low Ki in einem Match würde ich auch mal gerne sehen.

Und das mit London ist auch gut in Richtung WWE geshootet ... aber wo sie Recht haben haben sie Recht