One summer, CM Punk became an underdog champion whose fan support was divided between those who recognized his talent and those who saw him as a turncoat. Truth be told, Punk did betray many of his supporters when he proclaimed that he would hold the title hostage and take it with him when he left the company. Oddly enough, I’m not talking about the events leading into last year’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view, where Punk defeated John Cena for the WWE Championship, only to walk out the front door of the arena with the belt, as his contract expired that same night. I’m actually referring to a very similar series of events that took place in 2005, when Punk became the Ring of Honor Champion, then proclaimed that he would take that title with him as he left the smaller promotion for WWE‘s grander stage.

While WWE’s highly anticipated CM Punk: Best in the World DVD set comes out Oct. 9, ROH chronicled Punk’s 2005 departure months earlier with The Summer of Punk, a two-disc set featuring matches that took place during his final months with the company. And it’s strange how similar that summer was to the summer of 2011, when Punk revealed that his WWE contract expired the same night he battled Cena for the WWE Championship (in Punk’s hometown of Chicago, no less).

The Summer of Punk begins with Punk, a fan favorite, defeating Austin Aries (himself on his way out for his first stint with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) for the ROH Championship. As his victory speech progresses, he gradually becomes more and more arrogant, stating that a microphone in his hand is like a pipe bomb, saying he is “the devil himself,” referring to himself as the “greatest pro wrestler walking the Earth today,” calling the fans his puppets and generally foreshadowing everything from the inception of his Straight Edge Society to his current WWE title reign.

The Summer of Punk includes some of the most memorable matches and promos from the summer of 2005, including the moment that he signs his WWE contract on the ROH title belt. But just as he has done over the past year or so in WWE, Punk is able to back up everything he says by defeating several of ROH’s top wrestling talents, including Jay Lethal, Roderick Strong, Christopher Daniels and longtime ROH rival Samoa Joe. Though Punk had previously had some great matches with many of these people, he truly brings out the best in them with his threats of leaving with the title. But for those three months, he is unbeatable and it really does look like he will cripple ROH by taking its top prize to another wrestling promotion.

From his numerous battles with an unlikely savior in James Gibson (this DVD is almost as much about Gibson’s quest for the title as it is about Punk’s determination to retain it) to his infamous confrontations with Mick Foley (yet another instance of history repeating itself in recent weeks in WWE), Punk’s ability to play with the emotions of his competitors and the ROH fans is phenomenal. But even after his tyrannically turbulent final months in ROH come to an end, as Punk wrestles his longtime friend Colt Cabana in his farewell match in the Chicago suburb of Chicago Ridge, he is visibly emotional as the fans chant his name and shower him with streamers (a common show of respect for ROH fans). And when the locker room empties and the ROH roster shows its respect to a man that helped elevate ROH to greater recognition, it’s clear that The Summer of Punk is a bittersweet chapter in the story of a man whose potential in WWE has only become popularly apparent in the past few years.

www.rohwrestling.com

Before he was winning Superstar of the Week honors as Kassius Ohno in Florida Championship Wrestling, Chris Hero was one of Ring of Honor‘s most intriguing wrestlers, both in singles and tag team competition. And in one of the latest in a recent surge of releases spotlighting current and former ROH talents, Chris Hero: Ring of Hero features two discs with more than a dozen of his best ROH matches against the likes of Kenta, El Generico, Kenny Omega and Eddie Kingston.

Perhaps best known as one half of ROH’s longest reigning World Tag Team Champions the Kings of Wrestling  with Claudio Castagnoli (who made his WWE television debut as Antonio Cesaro on the April 27 edition of SmackDown), Hero arrives in ROH as anything but a hero on Jan. 14, 2006, taking on then-ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson as part of a Combat Zone Wrestling invasion. Though he fails to win the title, and is clearly not a favorite of the ROH fans, Hero proves that he’s capable of hanging with the best ROH has to offer. In fact, after several months of disrupting ROH shows while still part of the CZW roster and engaging in chaotic and bloody feuds with ROH stars like Samoa Joe and Adam Pearce, Hero inadvertently earns a spot on the ROH roster when he and Castagnoli defeat Austin Aries and Roderick Strong at Glory by Honor V on Sept. 16 to become the ROH Tag Team Champions.

The seeds are planted for a Kings of Wrestling/Briscoe Brothers feud as the two tag teams do battle at International Challenge on Dec. 22 and Final Battle on Dec. 23, with new manager Larry Sweeney assisting the Kings. But not long after their loss to the Briscoes at Final Battle, Hero rises to the top of Sweeney’s Sweet & Sour, Inc. faction, leaving Castagnoli behind in favor of singles action. Sweeney and his stable (Sara Del Rey, Tank Toland and Bobby Dempsey) become instrumental in Hero’s singles success, including a tap-out victory over Nigel McGuninness (considered by many to be the best wrestler in the world at the time) at Death Before Dishonor V on Aug. 10, 2007). But it’s at Survival of the Fittest 2007 two months later that Hero truly proves his worth by defeating Aries, Castagnoli, Strong, Rocky Romero and the Human Tornado to become “the fittest man in all of Ring of Honor” (as he states in a post-match Las Vegas celebration, where he and Sweeney also start a “Chris is awesome” chant). And Hero wins by using both wrestling skill (he makes Castagnoli pass out from the hangman’s clutch to win the match) and ring psychology (after Strong is paid off by Sweeney to help Hero, Hero pins Strong and takes the money back).

When watching Ring of Hero, it becomes clear just how much the ROH fans come to respect Heros work, even though he often resorts to dirty tactics to win. And just a month after his Survival win, he gets another shot at the ROH Championship at Glory by Honor VI. Hero once again makes McGuinness tap out, but the referee restarts the match because McGuinness’ foot was on the ropes and McGuinness goes on to make Hero tap out. Hero’s momentum carries over into 2008 as he and McGuinness whip the Breakout crowd into a frenzy as they battle inside a steel cage on Jan. 25. Hero proves yet again how innovative he can be as he puts McGuinness in a half crab while sitting in a steel chair for leverage. A bloody Hero almost wins the title yet again as he exits the cage door as McGuinness climbs the other side of the cage and makes it to the floor for the win.

From there we see another phenomenal display as Hero defeats Full Impact Pro Champion Strong at Battle for Supremacy on June 27 in a non-title match that sees Hero employing his signature rolling elbow, eventually earning him the moniker of “That Young Knockout Kid.” Hero also shows how agile he is when he’s Irish whipped into the barricade outside the ring, only to jump onto the barricade and hit Strong with a back elbow.

Courtesy Ring of Honor

Hero goes on to prove his worth against veterans like then-ROH Champion Jerry Lynn at Never Say Die on May 8, 2009 (where he comes up just short despite using his infamous loaded elbow pad) and with a victory over Lance Storm at Death Before Dishonor VII on July 25. Ring of Hero brings things full circle as Hero takes on Danielson in Danielson’s last ROH main event before heading to WWE on Sept. 18. The DVD includes Hero’s boxing training leading up to this big match, and after all these two men have been through since Hero’s ROH debut almost four years earlier, Hero is finally able to defeat Danielson.

Aside from showing exactly why Hero has earned his spot  as a future WWE star in the ring, Ring of Hero also includes several vignettes proving that Hero is just as astute when it comes to getting himself over on the mic (including some pretty funny stuff where Sweet & Sour tries to inspire the rotund Dempsey to get in better shape). Considering that Hero’s last ROH match was in January of this year, and none of the Kings of Wrestling’s most recent ROH success is included here,  there’s still plenty of great Hero footage to be seen. But with Castagnoli already on WWE TV, I can only speculate that ROH is saving some of these matches for a future Castagnoli or Kings of Wrestling release.

For more information, go to www.rohwrestling.com.

As was noted in my review of Ring of Honor’s Gateway to Honor DVD, it seems that Ring of Honor has been making some subtle changes to appeal to a broader fan base  since its association with Sinclair Broadcast Group began a few months ago. This trend continues on the DVD release of one of the company’s marquee annual events, Survival of the Fittest 2011.

Held in Dayton, Ohio less than two weeks after Gateway to Honor, Survival of the Fittest features most of the company’s top talents competing in an elimination tournament that is somewhat like a cross between WWE‘s King of the Ring and Survivor Series concepts. Most of the matches on the DVD are qualifying matches in this Darwinian dance, with no two matches being the same.

For instance, the first match is a tag team match between ROH’s resident bad boys the Briscoes and the young up-and-comers the Bravado Brothers that includes, among other entertaining antics, a series of Bushwackers-like headbutts on the part of Jay and Mark Briscoe.

The next match pits Davey Richards‘ trainee Kyle O’Reilly against Andy “Right Leg” Ridge (who won his spot in the tournament by defeating Grizzly Redwood two months earlier in a match included as a bonus feature on this DVD). This is a great, fast-paced match with lots of big moves, such as a cradle suplex and an over-the-top-rope diamond cutter. You can definitely see Richards‘ influence on O’Reilly, who locks in a guillotine choke on Ridge to advance to the Survival of the Fittest main event.

“The Prodigy” Mike Bennett and “Die Hard” Eddie Edwards put on another great match that ends when Edwards locks in the dragon sleeper hold (foreshadowing Edwards‘ future conflicts with Richards and O’Reilly). This match is followed by something we don’t often see during ROH pay-per-views – backstage promos from Richards and O’Reilly, Tommaso Ciampa and the Embassy (that just further proves that Prince Nana is one of the best talkers in ROH) and the All Night Express.

The next qualifying match is a four-way match between Kenny King, Adam Cole, “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin and Ciampa. For some reason the match starts out as a sort of tag team bout, but eventually the action expands to include all four participants as well as various people outside the ring. Elgin is the most impressive part of this match with power moves such as simultaneously carrying Cole in the front and King on his back before dropping both men to the mat in a combination Samoan drop/fallaway slam. Ciampo also hits an impressive suplex on King off the top rope while his own legs are tangled in a tree of woe. Elgin eventually picks up the win after planting Cole with a spinout powerbomb.

We then see Edwards cutting a promo about how he won the previous Survival of the Fittest tournament and will win it once again. Then we go into one of only two matches on the card that is not a qualifying match. Having been involved in a vicious feud for almost two years, El Generico and Steve Corino clash one last time. And since his recent partnership with Jimmy Jacobs, Corino seems to be a changed man who just wants to atone for his sins against Generico. This match does something ROH isn’t particularly known for, which is telling a great story with little in-ring action. In an effort to prove that he has changed his ways, Corino refuses to fight. This truly is a change of character for Corino, whose determination against Elgin just a few months earlier at Best in the World showed him kicking out of multiple power moves, only to eventually lose the match despite his diligence. But here Corino seems almost defeated, refusing even to apply his infamous thumb in the bum on Generico (while wearing trunks with that phrase emblazoned across his own bum). Despite his refusal to fight, both men push each other to the limit, but in a much different manner than we’ve seen them do before. And this match is one of the most entertaining on the card despite its lack of typical ROH style athleticism and antics.

From there, we return to qualifying action as Roderick Strong faces Rhett Titus. This is another hard fought battle and Strong’s manager Truth Martini proves to be a valuable asset as his interference is detrimental to the outcome of the match with less than 30 seconds remaining. Before we see the winners of all the qualifying matches face off in an elimination style main event, we’re treated to yet another special match that is not part of the tournament. In this champions challenge we see ROH Champion Richards team up with World Television Champion Jay Lethal to take on World Tag Team Champions Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas, Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team. This match has everything ROH fans have come to love, and showcases just why these four guys are at the top of the proverbial food chain. From some serious chain wrestling to start the match to a great cartoon-like moment between Richards and Benjamin where they both go for kicks at the same time only to catch each others legs and stand awkwardly in anticipation, this match has plenty of hard-hitting action with doses of comic relief.

The match is dominated by one impressive display of athleticism after another that includes a double leap of faith from Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team that evokes a chant of “This is awesome!” from the audience as all four men get back to their feet. Despite their lack of experience together, Richards and Lethal put together some great teamwork, including a tandem Chris Benoit-like headbutt off the top rope by Richards and a Randy Savage-like elbow drop by Lethal. Though Lethal eventually taps out to the Haas of Pain while Benjamin prevents Richards from making the save, all four men have reason to celebrate after the show they’ve just put on.

Which brings us to the Survival of the Fittest final elimination match, featuring the winners of all the previous qualifying matches. Although it is every man for himself, this match starts out more like a three-way tag match with the House of Truth‘s Roderick Strong and Michael Elgin, both of the Briscoes and O’Reilly and Edwards (whose rivalry is still friendly at this point) forming their own alliances. But with only two legal men at any given time, any active wrestler can tag in any other wrestler, which leads to interesting scenarios.

Everyone is involved early on as multiple face-offs and tags keep things fresh. But after O’Reilly and Edwards find themselves facing each other, they square off with a back-and-forth of mixed martial arts style kicks. When a light bulb seems to go off in each competitor’s head simultaneously, both members of the Briscoes are suddenly tagged in. This really gets the crowd worked up as one commentator proclaims, “It’s not a party until the Briscoes show up.” The Briscoes are surprisingly one step ahead of their opponents, however, as they attack everyone else.

As one of the smaller and least experienced competitors, O’Reilly is the clear underdog in this match. And that’s made all the more apparent as he takes a beating from everyone else in the match. The fight eventually tumbles outside the ring and Elgin, who is clearly the powerhouse in the match, surprises everyone as he scales the ropes and hits a moonsault on all five of his opponents on the floor (followed by a “Holy shit!” chant from the crowd).

Eddie Edwards gets the first two eliminations, as he takes Jay and Mark Briscoe out consecutively. Strong is then eliminated by Edwards, only for Elgin to eliminate Edwards. So it comes down to the unlikely pairing of the “Unbreakable” Elgin and the broken and bruised O’Reilly. Richards makes his way to ringside to support his protege, who puts up a surprisingly good fight against his much larger foe. Though it seems likely that Elgin would make short work of O’Reilly, O’Reilly surprises everyone when he hits a DDT into a guillotine choke on Elgin. It looks as if Elgin might actually submit, but he powers out and goes for a pin on O’Reilly. O’Reilly kicks out , but Elgin finally hits a sitout powerbomb to become the ultimate survivor. Despite the outcome of the match, O’Reilly really proves his worth as a top competitor in ROH. And following the match, there is an intense stare down between Elgin and Richards, implying that we might see a title shot between these two men in the near future.

In addition to the aforementioned qualifying match between Ridge and Redwood, this DVD also includes the Nov. 28 edition of the ROH Video Wire, featuring post-Survival promos from Martini and Elgin, Lethal, Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team and the Young Bucks.

For more information, go to www.rohwrestling.com.

Since its inception nearly a decade ago, Ring of Honor has set itself apart from other wrestling organizations by offering hard-hitting matches that often last upwards of 30 minutes, leaving the performers physically and mentally drained. To die hard ROH fans, the focus on mixed martial arts and Japanese strong style athletic displays offers a more realistic alternative to mainstream wrestling, with every match feeling like it could be the main event. To critics, the lack of buildup from opening matches through midard conflicts to main event payoff cheapens the overall product, mentally exhausting fans well before the dramatic climax of the main event.

With Gateway to Honor, which took place in Collinsville, Ill. Nov. 6, 2011, ROH looks to be changing its formula up a little bit (perhaps to appeal to the Sinclair Broadcast Group, which now owns the company). From offering first time matches like Mark Briscoe vs. World Television Champion Jay Lethal and the American Wolves vs. the All Night Express to a surprisingly competitive match between the diminutive lumberjack Grizzly Redwood and the House of Truth‘s powerhouse Michael Elgin, Gateway to Honor really showcases many of ROH’s strong points without overdoing things. There’s even a women’s match between the Embassy’s Mia Yim (in her first ROH match) and MsChif that is better than some men’s matches (let alone female contests) in other promotions. And with women’s matches being such a rarity in ROH, that is one area where the company really makes it count (which is something the bigger promotions can’t say, despite having their own women’s divisions).

Unlike most ROH events, Gateway to Honor actually treats the opening matches like an undercard, kicking things off with an exciting and quick (especially by ROH standards) conflict between the increasingly impressive Tommaso Ciampa and Andy “Right Leg” Ridge that includes plenty of interference from the Embassy and a comical save by Delirious that includes him laying a sloppy kiss on Yim. The second match, pitting Jay Briscoe against TJ Perkins, is another relatively short match that, despite being an entertaining bout with some good spots, mostly serves to show just how over the Briscoes are with the ROH crowd. The commentary (not typically one of ROH’s strong points) is dead on when one commentator (not sure if it was Kevin Kelly or Dave Prazak) says, “No matter where Ring of Honor goes, fans will always cheer for the Briscoes.”

Another thing that Gateway to Honor (and ROH in general) does well is showcase solid tag team wrestling. The always entertaining Bravado Brothers and the team of Jimmy Jacobs and Steve Corino offer a bit of comic relief while Future Shock (consisting of Adam Cole and Davey Richards‘ protege Kyle O’Reilly) puts up an impressive fight against World Tag Team Champions Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas, Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team (after which Benjamin commends the younger team by saying it’s only a matter of time before Future Shock is wearing the belts).

All of these matches (and more) build to the main event of Richards (who resides in nearby St. Louis and is honored in a pre-show homecoming that appears as a bonus on this DVD) and Eddie Edwards against Kenny King and Rhett Titus. Both the Wolves and the All Nighters pull off some great tandem teamwork, with King hitting some amazing moves outside the ring. The main event eventually builds to a typical ROH spotfest, with each man trading moves and punches with his opponent and giving his absolute best physical effort. And the conclusion of the match serves to establishthe  ANX as one of the company’s strongest tag teams while also furthering the growing rivalry between American Wolves partners Richards and Edwards as their impending match for the World Championship looms.

If Gateway to Honor is any indication of things to come for ROH (which it seems to be based on the events that have taken pace since then), then ROH is finding a great balance between what its loyal fans want to see and what might attract more casual wrestling fans who are used to an entirely different kind of product. And that’s something that past promotions such as Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling have been unable to do when trying to take the next step towards reaching larger audiences.

For more information, go to www.rohwrestling.com.

By Jonathan Williams

Following the release of Davey Richards: The American Wolf, Ring of Honor gives Richards‘ American Wolves tag team partner Eddie Edwards a similar  DVD treatment with Eddie Edwards: Road to the Triple Crown. Featuring 20 of Edwards ROH matches beginning with his 2006 debut against Austin Aries, Road to the Triple Crown shows just why Edwards deserves his nickname of “Die Hard.”

Though he often seems to be living in the shadow of his tag team partner, this two-disc set shows that Edwards is arguably just as deserving of being called the “best in the world” (a phrase often used to describe Richards). Of course it’s hard to deny the parallel career paths of Edwards and Richards, as well as the reciprocal benefits each  man has had since they started tag teaming three years ago. From their World Tag Team Title victory over Kevin Steen & El Generico in April 2008 to impressive battles with Bryan Danielson & Tyler Black, the Young Bucks and Colt Cabana & El Generico, Road to the Triple Crown acknowledges the in-ring chemistry that is apparent between the two Wolves.

But what it also points out is that despite Richards being regarded as not only Ring of Honor’s top talent, but also one of the world’s best wrestlers, Edwards has beaten him to the proverbial punch in virtually every sense. Edwards became the inaugural World Television Champion in March 2010 (by defeating Richards, no less). And during a time when fans were proclaiming Richards to be the “next world champ,” Edwards won that honor by defeating Roderick Strong in March 2011 at Manhattan Mayhem IV, making him the company’s first (and so far only) Triple Crown winner (having held its three current titles).

All of these matches are included on Road to the Triple Crown, as are many others such as an anything goes match against Kevin Steen and one-on-one matches against the likes of the Necro Butcher, Bryan Danielson, Tyler Black, Kenny King  and Christopher Daniels. Another interesting thing about watching these matches is the fact that Edwards has been a heel for most of his ROH career, with the American Wolves working under the guidance of manager Shane Hagadorn for much of their existence. But as is often the case in ROH, the fans know a good wrestler when they see one and it was only a matter of time before Edwards became a fan favorite. And regardless of where you think he stands in comparison to Richards or anyone else, Road to the Triple Crown is proof that Edwards is among wrestling’s best.

For more information, go to www.rohwrestling.com.