Em Smith of Redding, CA. (9 out of 10) Best Match: (Do I have to pick just one?) "The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness. Worst Match: If I have to pick one, it would be Brent Albright vs. Pelle Primeau just because it was just a complete squash. If I'm coming off as an overexcited fanboy, it's probably because I've become one of ROH. I ordered this PPV off Dish Network the other day ago because I've had enough of the mainstream product (I've mentioned such in previous feedbacks). I figured, it's ten bucks, I've heard a ton of good things and the Youtube videos impressed me with what they had so far so I'd give it a shot and damn, am I glad I did. Top to bottom, it was wrestling. I didn't need to know who most of these performers were or much about the rest to enjoy everything they put in the ring. Even the backstage segments felt the same, with Larry Sweeney giving me a nostalgic feeling of those over the top managers I used to see. The matches were awesome with the first exhibiting so much energy and excitement. Some people might call it a spotfest, but damn if it wasn't ten times more entertaining than most of what I've seen from the WWE and the athleticism by these guys is just unbelievable. And the last match of the card between Nigel and Dragon topped the show with that classic,build-up style match. I have tons more to say but it'd take up toomuch room. The only reason I didn't give it a 10 out of 10 was because I wanted MORE than two hours, but rest assured, it was thebest ten bucks I've spent in a long time and I'll be getting the November PPV to be sure. By the end of this show I realized that wrestling isn't dead, after all.
Mike Hiscoe of Ottawa, Ontario (6.5) - This second Ring of Honor PPV was not as exciting or eventful as the first. The production was still embarassingly poor. Ring of Honor takes such pride in the detail of their wrestling and storytelling, they should take a fraction of that effort and apply it to learning some production and editing techniques. The closing match of the show was excellent but the context of it within the show was unclear. They went from the main event of the show to "Philedelphia". Were we supposed to believe that ROH was running two shows live concurrently or were we supposed to believe that this was a pre-taped match that was added on at the last minute because the main show ended early. TNA would certainly be called out for a similar situation so ROH should be held to the same standard. Maybe it's because there has been so much UFC on TV lately and fans know better these days, but Brian Danielson's elbows at the end of his match looked completely ridiculous. Instead of getting wrapped up in the finish of the match, I could only roll my eyes and groan at those devastating elbows. To sum up, Ring of Honor puts on a great wrestling show, but needs a lot of help inpresenting a TV program.
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