5 Free Ring Of Honor Favorites
New contributor Steven Jackson recommends some ROH classics.
It is difficult to know how to introduce myself to you, the readers of The Wrestling Estate, but I shall try my best in this first of hopefully many articles. My name is Steven Jackson, a 26-year-old from West Yorkshire in the United Kingdom, and I have been a pro-wrestling fan for 19 (nearly 20) years.
Thanks to my older cousins being wrestling fans, as well as TV and poster advertisements, pro wrestling has always been an interest of mine. My earliest memories are seeing WrestleMania XIV adverts in shops, and watching WCW Worldwide on U.K. terrestrial channel, Channel 5, on Friday evenings.
I began watching pro wrestling regularly, specifically WCW, in 1999. However, my family did not have cable or satellite TV, or even a computer in the house (do not ask me why as we are not part of some weird religious sect that banned all modern technology – it was probably due to finances but who knows?!). Therefore, once WCW closed its doors in 2001, and WWF became exclusively a SKY TV entity, my pro wrestling fandom was pocketed to video games, VHS tapes, wrestling magazines and watching at my friends’ houses.
Finally, in 2002, my family took two massive steps in not only getting a computer, but also satellite TV. I was over the moon with these new gadgets and soon I was making up for lost time, catching up with all current WWF (soon to become WWE) matches, wrestlers and storylines. Then one day in 2004, when I was sifting through the hundreds of SKY TV channels, I came across something in the sports section I’d dreamed about, but never expected to see. It was simply called “The Wrestling Channel” and it would open up a whole new dimension to my life. So curious me flicked onto the channel and what was the first thing I saw: Ring of Honor.
Now this may seem an extremely long-winded introduction to my article, but I want everyone to understand that up until this moment, I thought the only wrestling that existed at the time was WWF/E. I had never encountered independent wrestling before, and because of this, I was immediately drawn to ROH’s simple aesthetics and advanced in-ring product. What I was also immediately drawn to was the terrible picture quality, so much so that I had to close the curtains and put the brightness on the TV up to clearly work out what the heck was going on! (I think the show was the now infamous Midnight Express Reunion from 2004, but do not hold me to that). But even with this minor blip, ROH was a complete revelation. And from that fateful day, I have followed ROH ever since, and in the process, experienced some of the best professional wrestling.
What I intend to do is present to you five of my favorite ROH matches, that are available on their official Youtube channel. Whether you are a long-time ROH smart mark or a Ring of Honor newbie, I want to share with everyone five matches I think present the best ROH has to offer and hopefully, open some more wrestling fans eyes to its greatness.
Nigel McGuinness vs. Kevin Steen, Northern Navigation 2008
The first match I have chosen is from a very significant show in ROH history. Northern Navigation was the name given to Ring of Honor’s debut show in Canada, and after a stacked card, it was time for the main-event. Ring of Honor World Champion Nigel McGuinness took on “Mr. Wrestling” Kevin Steen (now Kevin Owens in WWE) in a classic title bout, showcasing everything they had for the ROH faithful. The passion of the crowd, coupled with the daring nature of both wrestler’s move sets, made this one of the best ROH matches of 2008, and one of my all-time favourite ROH title bouts.
Kevin Steen and El Generico vs. Tyler Black and Jimmy Jacobs, Driven 2008
Tag team wrestling has always been a passion of mine, so watching ROH has allowed me the chance to see some of the best duos of the past decade. This is why my next choice is a classic ROH World Tag Team Title affair, featuring Kevin Steen with long-time partner/rival El Generico against Tyler Black and Jimmy Jacobs, members of heel stable, The Age of the Fall. Much like Northern Navigation, Driven 2008 had an incredibly electric and passionate crowd, and featured some of the most exciting tag team spots you may ever see. It follows the classic tag team formula of gradually building up the tension as the match progresses and has a fantastic finishing stretch, as all tag matches should have.
Bryan Danielson vs. Takeshi Morishima, Manhattan Mayhem II
Bryan Danielson: ROH forefather, technical wrestling wizard and the “Best in the World.” Takeshi Morishima: NOAH mainstay, brutal brawler and ROH World Champion. The stage was set: Manhattan Mayhem II at the Manhattan Center in New York City for the Ring of Honor World Championship. All the classic ingredients of a world title battle, and what a battle it was! Words cannot do justice to how good this match is. While you may skip the other four matches on this list, do me (and Bryan Danielson and Takeshi Morishima) a favor; make sure you watch this one!
All Night Express vs. Briscoe Brothers, Honor Takes Center Stage: Chapter 2
Given their lengthy tenures in Ring of Honor, it is no surprise that I am a huge fan of the Briscoe Brothers. While their matches against The Young Bucks, Steen & Generico and the Kings of Wrestling may be more widely remembered, their feud against The All Night Express was as violent and bloody as any of them. And in this match, the Briscoe Brothers and the All Night Express stole, not only the show, but the entire 2011 WrestleMania weekend in a classic tag team slugfest straight out of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling. A word of warning…this match contains blood…a lot of blood!
Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness, 6th Anniversary Show
My choice to close this article comes from my favorite feud in ROH history. While CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe may be the most iconic feud, Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness was/is (I believe) the greatest feud in ROH history. The matches Nigel and Bryan had are a masterclass in professional wrestling technique, psychology and chemistry. It was a given that I would choose a Bryan vs. Nigel match for this list and the match I have chosen is, currently, the only match uploaded between the two rivals on ROH’s Youtube channel. Wrestling for Nigel’s ROH World Championship, this match took place in the legendary Manhattan Center, and is a back-and-forth game of chess between two men at the top of their game.
I will try and write articles as regularly as I can, but in the gaps between articles, you are more than welcome to follow me on Twitter @stejay215 where I tweet about pro wrestling matters, along with the other passions in my life.
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