What a ride it’s been.  What a ride.

Presented weekly by myself, Rick Finch, and my co-host Cal Burnside, Up North Radio is a podcast about TNA wrestling.  We try our best to keep it fun, and usually TNA’s quality makes that an easy task.

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This week we cover the changes to the TNA booking structure and review the 200th episode of Impact, with a few special extras thrown in.

the article and comments

Memories of the first 100 ROH shows, should WWE wrestlers be allowed to smoke weed, Kurt Angle’s health problems become scary in WWE, and remember when Joey Styles and ECW mattered? It’s all here in this archived version of the 5.4.06 Four For The Road

My first look at Mistico and his possibilities in America, WWE pisses off the wrong state athletic commission (and nothing ever happened), UFC scores big with Tito/Shamrock season of Ultimate Fighter, and some momentary sympathy for TNA. All this in the 5.10.06 version of Four For The Road

A letter from Staff writer Brian Hansley before he wrote his own stuff (or we had the site up), TNA does right by Samoa Joe (what was I thinking?), and some praise for a well decorated lucha tag team in this Monday May 15, 2006 edition of Four For The Road.

I try to sit through a whole RAW (while actually being excited about the product, and fail, and the ROH/CZW angle goes to the next level as Homicide joins in. It’s fun to look back in this Tuesday May 16, 2006 edition of Four For The Road.

An amusing Four for the Road from May 17, 2006 on why God must hate the Jarretts, the Carters, and TNA more then Vince McMahon. And this was before Vinny Russo was back in the picture.

An interesting Four For the Road as I look at why Kenny Doane and Kid Yamamoto might be the future of their chosen professions. Well, there’s still time. This is the 5.18.06 Four For The Road.

My disgust for the WWE’s revival of the ECW name continues on the 5.19.06 edition of Four for The Road as they land their newest “hot project” on the Sci-Fi Channel. that worked out well.

Thoughts on WWE’s Judgement Day PPV (more like questions) for this 5.29.06 Four For the Road.

Matt Hughes destroys Royce Gracie and a UFC 60 review. The Boom has landed!

The first time I saw Samoa Joe live, or anywhere for that matter, was his ROH debut
match against Low Ki back in the fall of 2002. I remember thinking to myself very clearly at the time, “this is the guy? This fat Guy is Samoa Joe? What indy hype! This is gonna be Mike Modest all over again.”

I’d read about Joe in the Observer. I knew he was getting booked in Zero One as King Joe. But I was expecting a little more, um – aesthetic value (you can smirk, I am). I don’t know why. It’s pretty silly when I think about it rationally. After all, I live in Allentown. I’ve met the Samoans. They aren’t beauty contestants with thin wastes or GHG-assisted bodies either. But I wondered why the all star indy promotion I’d already fallen in love with would book the chubby guy all the way from California to face the promotion’s first cover boy. Then the bell rang, and we all found out. My god, did we all find out.

After that legendary stiff match, Joe went on to have some of the most entertaining and well worked matches I’ve ever seen from a “chubby guy” who isn’t even really Samoan (If memory serves me he’s Polynesian). Granted he was over in the Murphy Rec Center the minute his first match had ended, but the true road he took was filled with even more amazing moments and memories. I’d like to take the time to recount just a few, live or otherwise, as a fan:

-First match with Low Ki. God was this stiff. To this day I watch this and love it. This was the wrestling I was waiting to come to America. These were the new stars I was talking about with friends who’d lost interest. I still remember the crowd cringing at the stiffness of the shots, or the pop when they loosened their ring gear in a “time to go to the next level” moment. Unbelievable.

-The First Anniversary Riot. I was half drunk and totally thought this was real at the venue. i was in the balcony, didn’t know the indy workers trained by Homicide or any NYC people, and just remember really buying into Joe marching around killing people, especially some over-sized guy. What’s sadly forgotten, and didn’t get a good reaction thanks to poor card placement, was the Brian Danielson vs Joe match itself. Go find a tape. Very good match. These two would rarely miss as a “duet”.

– Joe wins the belt from Xaiver. You can actually see the delayed reaction of jubilation from the fans in South Philly when Joe Choked out Xaiver for the ROH championship.My old friend Stevie and I can be seen on the hardcam jumping up out of our “Xaiver comas”, happy and excited. The match plays much better on DVD now then it did in the building that night, but I remember people being happy it was off Xaiver.

-Joe’s first two title defenses – one the same night. Joe first beat Hotstuff Hernandez, in an odd note of trivia, who is now part of the successful LAX promotion in TNA. Then he stayed for another match featuring a favorite in my teen years, Tom Carter (Reckless Youth), Colt Cabana, and another person I can’t remember. I can’t remember because my car died on the highway while enroute to the show. A friend texted me the results as they happened. I remember him saying people were really starting to get into Joe.

-Joe and Paul London’s farewell match. Fun match, great crowd, and a respectful vibe that has lasted the entire ROH run so far. If you haven’t seen Punk’s goodbye, or Joe’s U.S. ROH finale, go out of your way to see them both. This was the first, and the tradition of kissing the ROH emblem on the mat was born. Joe’s goodbye is on the 3.3.07 Video Wire located on on main page, by the way. It gets emotional, much like Malenko and Guerrero when ECW and it’s home fans still mattered. For all the knocks of ROH fans and their chants, I’m proud to call myself one when these groups brought back chants of “please don’t go.” That’s a far cry from the pathetic endings of ECW and “You sold out”. I was in the stands in Philly for those embarrassing moments too.

Joe defends against Daniels at the second Glory By Honor. The last Murphy Rec. Center show (overflow crowd), and the night many realized the Joe title run was picking up steam. Some may disagree, but I think each fact is related in some way to the other. The match itself was very entertaining, I watched it again last month. I sat third row and during a Daniels false finish noticed myself and everyone I was with jump up or cover our mouths thinking Daniels had pinned Joe for the belt. He would not pin Joe in an ROH singles match for another three and a half years. Shades of the greatness of Baba booking.

Somewhere in that first year the Ole Ole kick became a staple. i remember watching it slowly get over, with just a few fans doing it at first, and finding it such a unique way for an indy star to connect with the fans. It became a staple, and one of my favorite few seconds of any Joe match.

-I always liked the Briscoe Brothers from the moment i saw there break out match against each other at CZW’s 2001 Best of the Best. But at At Our Best, I saw Joe make these two kids grow up. It was always fun in late ’03/early ’04 to watch Joe beat down the brothers and then Mark and Jay come back, but in a steel cage, with a gusher the likes of which you’ll rarely see, Joe took Jay Briscoe to the limit and MADE him. Even in the bleacher seats, far away from the front row, you could see the gash and hear the gasps. When Jay almost escaped through the bottom of the broken cage, his brother pulling, and a possessed Joe grabbing hold of him, it’s an image I won’t soon forget.

-The Series with Homicide. A legendary feud in ROH and matches that were filled with intense work. Probably Joe’s second best ROH feud, which of course had something to do with working with a friend. I was there live for the match in the tent in Philly, but the one that sticks in my head is the St. Paul match. All were good, and keeping joe going over for years was great too.

-Speaking of great friends making great feuds. not only one of the greatest trilogies in ROH, but in wrestling history. Joe vs CM Punk. The first match came out of nowhere. It was almost by mistake that it worked out like it did. and then the second match, possibly my favorite, happened in Chicago months later. Steve Corino canceled his booking, and we got one of the matches of the year. The finale, heavily influenced by Ricky Steamboat and Mick Foley (and by proxy, Ric Flair), both in and out of the ring, was a beautiful ending. Each match told an isolated story, and was part of building to the finish of the third. Brilliant and fun.

-Joe ended his great run dropping the title to a hot up-and-coming Austin Aries in a good match with a VERY hot finish that completed the making of Aries. I found out at 3am on a boat in the Carribean spending 3 bucks a minute for Internet access. Imagine being on a dream Christmas vacation and wanting nothing more then to have been in an ugly armory in Northeast Philly. At least it played well on DVD.

-The Foley feud might have never culminated in a match, but it was great for Joe’s character coming off the huge title run to be able to get in a legends face and have an angle. Foley liked it enough to personally recommend Punk and Joe to WWE.

Joe’s run as a mentor for Jay Lethal was fun, something not seen enough in U.S. wrestling, and developed over time. When Joe did win the Pure Title from his young charge the pop for “the champ is here” was great, as was his attempt to elevate that title.

Feuding again that summer with Homicide, we got glimpses of the title fued that never was. Low Ki and Joe. Great interactions and one very memorable tag match between the teams from Chicago.

All Joe’s matches with American Dragon are must see if you are a true ROH fan or want to be. His title defense from Oct. ’04 is a forgotten classic in ROH, and a well layed-out different match. The matches they’d have, brilliantly woven over the entire year of 2006, from the first angle Wrestlemania weekend, until the cage match in Chicago in December, is the reason people make personal compilation DVDs. The city of Chicago lucked out in getting the bulk of this feud, though New Jersey may have received their greatest match, the Fight of the Century 60 minute draw. Yes, the big man can go long.

I can not finish this without making reference to one of the other greatest matches (and the best selling DVD in ROH history by far), Joe Vs. Kobashi. It seems that Joe was part of probably 25 of the top 40 ROH matches all time, and if you go top ten, the percentage probably holds up. When a legend was brought in, Samoa Joe was the only guy it made sense to match Kobashi up with. I got a ticket to this show, went up on a bus, and took a female friend of mine who was an actress and a dancer. I’ve never seen someone take to a wrestling match like Joe-Kobashi sold this women. It’s one of my favorite live memories as a fan, and one of the best layed out and worked matches I’ve ever seen. Joe became the physical embodiment of Kobashi’s greatest rivals – Kawada and Misawa – while maintaining the John Wayne last cowboy standing dynamic, and the young new hybrid wrestler versus the man who helped change the style in non-WWE U.S. wrestling. I lost myself in this moment, one of roughly 725 people in a ballroom in Manhattan that can say they saw wrestling euphoria.

Joe was the glue and the man in charge during the feud and angle of the year in 2006, the ROH captain in the ROH/CZW fued. Probably the closest wrestling will come in simpler terms to having a well told story with depth and an ensemble cast that, taken out of wrestling context, could be a classic novel if you changed the names and setting. Joe’s face after the reversal at the 100th Show, or his efforts as the summer wore on, helped play a key component in the overall story. His “injury” at the hands of Danielson in Cage of Death was one of the compelling twists, and well done. He was, for a time, ROH’s version of what TAZ was the night Jerry Lawler invaded the ECW Arena.

I saw my last Joe match in NYC on February 16th. He beat Morishima in the best match I’ve seen so far this year. It was what big man wrestling should be, and once was. not WWE big man style, but hard gritty Terry Gordy, Jumbo Tsuruta, Doc Williams, Bruiser Brody type hard effort. One last ole ole. One last Muscle Buster. One last “Joe Joe Joe” chant. It was everything I wanted as a fan. Satisfaction.

I will finish this tribute by telling everyone to watch the 3.1.07 and 3.16.07 ROH VideoWires. The first one, shot in Chicago, encompasses all the REAL emotion and bonds that develop between a young wrestler who helps carry a company, and adoring fans who have followed and appreciated that effort. Anytime I see genuine tears in wrestling it validates the passion that I feel as a fan. Thanks for everything Joe, and if we never see you in ROH again, it was the best run anyone could ever hope for.

- 2006 end of the year awards are come and gone, but we here at Wrestling chronicle.com have only begun to start arguing over such nonsense and where it will be placed years from no (My pick was Danielson vs KENTA, Paul’s was Danielson vs McGuinness from Unified, there was alot of talk as to how we felt about eventual winner the Dragon’s Gate 6-man, and who the hell knows what Brian Hansley likes!).

I’ve just received a compilation of the 50-60 consensus top matches of 2006, and we’ll be doing some Steal This Match reviews for the site. One that got left off the list – and I was reminded of thanks to a patron of a message board – sparked a rant in me on one match which gets little credit. It goes as follows:

Danielson vs Alex Shelly was a GREAT (completely underrated) match live that went 52 minutes between mic work and actual wrestling. They HAD to stall for Samoa Joe, who was in the main event but still getting from the airport to the building thanks to being booked in Mexico the night before. Not only did they have to stall, but the crowd was hostile, seeing Danielson as the epitome of ROH (the event was held in CZW’s main building, the ECW Arena, though that’s like saying if I rented out MSG it would be “my building”) and Shelly as a “traitor” for having been in CZW and left earlier in his career.

Then you have the fact it’s heel vs heel. People like Brian Alverez who do everything by the book would say this match was destined to fail (and I enjoy his shows at times, but there is more then one way to do a freakin’ tag match!, among other things).

This was honestly a match that not only didn’t fail, it got a standing ovation at the end, and it was Dragon who got it. Not only that, it did have some intrigue and drama, since none of us at the building knew they were stalling for anything (I’ve read one to many smart mark comments about stalling and the story why in DVD reviews, like the audience, or half the people watching the DVD are aware of this during the match and terribly affected by it).

This match was seriously 2 stars better then most DVD reviews if you were there live, and to me it’s one of those that wasn’t a match of the year (or over-pimped), but it was on the top 25 of last year, and top 10 for me from ROH specifically. Still, even on DVD the commentary and shooting of the match is quality, and it’s definitely 3 1/2 stars, but I could (I only said could) go as high as 4 stars). This is one that wouldn’t be MOTY from just workrate alone, but it’s the whole viewing experience that makes it must-see, like how Colt Cabana makes his Comedy matches 4 stars as a sub-genre.

Go out and see this match. I feel so strongly that this match gets less credit, you’ll all be punished with a Steal this Match review of this, and I’ll make Paul or Hansley do one to, just so you can get another perspective (And they’d love to tell me it sucks just for this rant, I’m sure). The Iron fist has slammed down. That is all!

-pwchronicle.com notes. As far as this column, you’ll be seeing four items twice a week in it, or four columns with expanded thoughts on two separate items in a week. Either way you’ll get content and opinions/analysis. Feel free to leave us all comments until we get the message board up and running. Expanded articles on a subject will be dealt with in my On Wrestling series, which will take a more serious look at the industry of Pro Wrestling and/or Mixed Martial Arts.

I wanna welcome and thank Brian Hansley, who is in charge of our TNA coverage, but like everyone here, can write about anything his heart desires. He’ll also have some great thoughts on WWE 24/7 programming and more then likely point/counterpoint stuff with me on live ROH experiences. Hansley did a hell of a job anchoring the site this week while we all dealt with our lives. I’ll have an ROH Apologist out soon, to um… apologize:)

Paul Siegrfried, who is now gaining more hype then Glacier circa 1996 NITRO, will be officially contributing new content this coming Monday (Paul swears this, not me), After computer trouble. I believe he’ll be doing a RAW Ramblings on Monday. He does have several old articles on the site. Search his name in categories or look for Sunday Morning Musings for his regular weekly column. Oh, and Paul wishes to thank Hansley for doing RAW coverage this week so you actually think we all get along. In reality, he’s disgusted by anyone who goes by their last name as a first name. Read his archives. You’ll get his tone.

And Finally, Gene Boyer swears to me he’ll be joining us soon enough. His TNA thoughts were completely derailed by the evil Corporation Comcast, who decided for his safety, his liver enzymes were too high to be watching anything with a Russo-booking content of 1 over 1000. That’s doctor talk. Gene has a great library of old tapes and DVDs and as often as he can, he’ll be giving us reviews and thoughts about wrestling and MMA over the last 25 years. And since I think he received the same best of 2006 compilation, perhaps I can get him to do some dueling reviews with me.

Thanks for reading. Come to the site often. We’re still getting our feet under us, but it’s all starting to come together.

Before we begin, here is my personal scale. Other members of this site may have different ways of looking at match ratings. This is onl;y the opinion of John Philapavage, and not the entire staff of Wrestling Chronicle.com:

To me ***3/4 is a great match but missing something to get it to the next level.

*** = Good
***1/2 = Very Good
***3/4 = Great
**** = Excellent
****1/2 = Amazing
****3/4 = Near Perfect
***** = Perfect

Styles make fights, much like in boxing or MMA. And workrate or match length does not necessarily dictate a better match. Just because a match goes 60 minutes, that does not make it at least 4 stars.

Also, just because ALOT of holds are demonstrated does not mean it was the best match. That indicates it has the potential to be a great technical match, but the holds could mean nothing five minutes later to the story, and therefore make the sequence irrelevant.

Moving along, sub-genres should have there own scale. A match that really is the setting for a large angle (like a double turn, regular turn, forwarding or starting a major story) does get boasted in my rating beyond workrate. Comedy matches are not penalized for being about humor, and lucha isn’t penalized for being dance-like. If it’s over with the audience, that must be taken into account. Sometimes NOAH matches run for 20 minutes before overkill of finishers, and sometimes it looks like that, but makes alot more sense.

We strive to be worldly here on the site, so we watch ALOT of different styles from ALOT of different eras. This year’s Dragon Gate 6-man might be looked upon as 1997s Michunoku Pro Six Man in ECW. That is to say, great at the time, but just solid or a good little match now. But that’s okay, as readjustment reviews years later are fun too, and everything must be taken in context. Sgt. Slaughter vs Pat Patterson from 1983 would probably seem pedestrian now. Then again, so would Lou Thesz or some of the great World Class six man matches. But they ARE great for there time, and I’ll take into account the surroundings of the Pro Wrestling landscape.

Overall, I like to stress perspective in my reviews, make clear my tastes and how they do or don’t matter in the long run, and give details as to why I think and score the way I do. Lets move on to the matches…

This week I’m doing one of two that I think never get enough credit during the title run, the other being the 2.11.07 Alex Shelly vs Dragon match. But that’s next week, because this week we get one of the most bland promos in wrestling, and one of the greatest thinks and talkers on Figure Four Daily ever, Lance Storm. Oh yeah, and that American Dragon dude.

4.1.06 Dragon-Lance Storm: This match was the night after Danielson and Strong went 56 minutes, and it’s also the second night in Chicago in front of a huge crowd. Storm seems like time has been kind to him, both in his athletic ability and fan’s appreciation of his talents. I still remember going to see ECW shows in the late 90s and Storm having trouble breaking through. History has been good to him, and he’s the kind of guy that deserves it.
Build up for this match started in 12.3.05 in NYC when Storm met Danielson in the ring and they shook hands. Promos on DVDs from Storm came over the course of months, leading to this match. Very good build up and ROH fans were actually really excited to see Storm again (which is why you know it’s a niche product, and I say that as one of its big supporters).
The crowd is so firmly behind Lance Storm to the point that, for the most part, Danielson gets to be not only the heel in theory and presentation, but in practice. Storm coming out to his old ECW theme didn’t hurt. He gets the red and white streamer treatment from the Chicago faithful.
Danielson line of intro. Via Bobby Cruise: “… And really too good to wrestle in front of all these pricks.”
Danielson, it should be mentioned, is also carrying some heel heat from an in-ring confrontation earlier in the night with beloved ROH legend Samoa Joe (A feud which was carried out, mostly at the same building in Chicago, thru the rest of the year). In the body of the promo Danielson steals Storm’s tagline and remarks that he was trained by HBK while Storm was “dying up in Calgary”.
“Fuck you Dragon” chant. We start with the typical mat/hold variations exchange, this one being on the high end of those. Storm shows he’s scouted Dragon by side-stepping the dropkick at the end. Nice touch. More mat work and Lance really looks crisp. Danielson slaps him on a rope break for heat, and after another exchange Storm slaps him back. Danielson eventually gets the drop kick to take control.
Subtle strength: three pin attempts end up as one counts in the first seven or so minutes. A refreshing logical twist which has become a lost art in the false finish crazed era. During this, Danielson not hooking the leg is brought up by announcer Dave Prazak, which is a good point and enhances my viewing. Danielson sells well for Storm’s offense, which looked good, and he eventually takes the heel “powder to the floor”. Not only am I a fan of that routine, but he makes ref Todd Sinclair look at his teeth, which he claims are dislodged. Funny stuff.
The welts on Danielson’s chest from his match the night before with Rodrick Strong are put over on commentary, as well as Storm having “ten months” to train “specifically” for this match. ROH does a very good job of getting over details and how they influence a match from within their worked universe. It reminds me a lot of something I’d appreciate on a show like LOST, or takes fans back to a weekly TV presentation like 80s Mid South Wrestling. Act one, all seven minutes of it, is exactly what it needed to be.
Next, we get two minutes of crisp Danielson offense, and then a few equally solid minutes of “mid-match offense” from Storm. Nothing spectacular, just solid and well executed, which is what it needed to be. Danielson’s “I have till five, ref” is really over, and Storm’s brief tease of the half crab at 10 minutes in gets a big pop.
At this point, I feel it fair to say that it’s a little unfair to view a match just on workrate alone without considering the context of storylines or the total show. This match was sandwiched after a “state-of-the-art” (if not slightly overrated) Gen. Next – Blood Generation tag match, which was big move/no-sell heavy, and a main event street fight/blood feud culmination between Homicide and Cabana. Therefore, this match was layed out predominantly to avoid those things. For the most part, it’s a technical match, which I feel is to their strengths.
Storm takes it to Danielson for the short time they go to the floor, put over as “not letting Danielson dictate the pace of the match.” Again, I liked that, because earlier Danielson had collected himself on the outside while Storm waited. While Dave Prazak is good on commentary most matches, it’s Lenny Leonard who really adds to the action for me. Nothing crazy on the outside, but nothing bad either.
I like the layout of this match from the opening act to the pick up the pace back-and forth stuff. Storm is taking it to Danielson to the crowds delight before a big forearm smashes Storm off the top rope and down to the outside.
The second act really hits its stride with Danielson’s typical deliberate offensive display. Storm sells well, the crowds into the match, and I am too. The hope spots are more frequent, but well thought out, and add to the idea that Storm is a driven and focused man. The reversals and execution during these brief flurries might go under appreciated, but it’s really great stuff.
A lot of what they do throughout can be seen as (and I’m making up a term) delayed back and forth wrestling, which isn’t inaccurate, but it’s important to point out it’s clear who has the advantage and why during most points. I see it as the evolution of the heel Flair NWA title matches of the 80s, and there’s probably a precedent before then. I’m personally a fan of the style and it works well for Danielson title matches. It also keeps the fans emotionally involved.
During this period Danielson tries several pins and wear-down submissions mostly focused on the back. Right here they start to pick up steam, and I can’t tell if it was preplanned or whether they felt out the audience.
Storm comeback at the nineteen minute mark and I can’t believe I’m actually getting into Storm as a “house of fire” babyface! In the past I’ve found him to be overly choreographed, but he’s hitting his spots with purpose here. Danielson hits a powerbomb into a float over nearfall to cap a GREAT sequence.
Danielson again works on the back, which becomes a focused match storyline here, but Storm does get appropriate comebacks. I like that Storm makes Danielson fight to execute moves like the Regal-plex or chicken wing. When Danielson misses the diving headbutt, Storm hits a cradle piledriver in a nice nod to Jerry Lynn and the ECW days. This also marks the point at which the false finishes and submission attempts start getting heated reactions.
The third and final act is in full swing, as you sense a finish is coming and the pace is picked up. Storm gets the half crab at the 25 minute mark, and Danielson sells it facially to where you might buy a tap out, including getting pulled back to the center of the ring. Danielson twists and counters into a roll up. Prasak points out that’s how Danielson beat Strong the night before (Stronghold into a twisting rollup). Kick out and a Regal-plex for a nearfall. Awesome false finish follows as Storm rolls over on Cattle Mutilation for a nearfall. This final sequence is great as Danielson won’t let go of the arms (going for Cattle Mutilation), Storm continues to struggle, and Danielson executes several moves off trying to get Cattle Mutilation locked in. He finally does and Storm taps out at 26 minutes. I liked they changed it up and didn’t have a bunch of rope breaks in the final 3 minutes.
Even as a Danielson booster, this is a forgotten and less-pimped gem. Not the best match you’ll ever see, but better then a lot of the matches that people will tell you are M.O.T.Y.C. To me, this is on the level of the first two McGuinness matches in 2006. 25-30 minutes seems to be Danielson’s sweet spot for storytelling, because I’ve liked his shorter matches, and I’m a fan of his 60 minute matches, but the three matches mentioned are just right.
This also presents the problem of match ratings. I love to do them and discuss them, but context, story, and taste factor in so much at times it leads to useless arguments. The first two McGuinness matches and this one, to me, are all anywhere from 3 ½ stars to 4 stars. I’d say they were all 3 ¾ stars. The Joe and McGuinness hour draws I had both at 4 stars, but I actually enjoyed the 3 ¾ star matches better in many cases. I’d say I could just swap the ratings, but that’s not necessarily true. The truth is sometimes star ratings just contradict themselves, and you like matches for entirely different reasons. The stars are a fun way to gauge the over worth, and it’s a ballpark figure, but they really serve as an indicator for taste and encourage you to discuss them. I love wrestling!

Final thoughts: Storm said later this was one of his longest matches ever, as the longest was right around a half hour with Candido (I believe), and it also ranks up there as one of his favorites, but he stated this only two months after the match. Time will tell how it’s viewed. I think Storm wrestles smarter then a lot of Danielson’s regular opponents (not a knock on them), and while perhaps still shaking off the WWE-style of work, I also think the guy is an under-rated veteran and the pace added to the match. He was a very good opponent style and pacing-wise for Dragon, and his experience made him a much more knowledgeable participant. They didn’t try anything to crazy, and they didn’t need to. They didn’t go to long, because they told the whole story in 26 minutes. Storm knowing not to do to much was a nice contrast to the “NOAH-West” knock sometimes put on ROH (big move overkill with delayed/accumulative damage selling). This is especially true when you realize the Dragons Gate guys were on this card, and the big six-man match was the night before. Not only that, Danielson’s 4 ½ star match with Strong was also the night before, and this match got lost on many fan’s radars.
I liked that the match story was presented as Storm as the respected veteran babyface who was well researched when it came to the cocky heel champion. Even in taking his beating, especially to the back, he refused to make it easy for Danielson, which is something I’d like to see more of. The finish was well worked out and performed, and the match as a whole came across well on DVD. (3 ¾ stars)