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RADICAN'S TAKE
VIP - RADICAN: ROH sets the pace for filling gaps left by departing talent (PWTorch Newsletter #997) Nov 12, 2007 - 11:30:13 AM
Radican's Focus
By Sean Radican, Torch columnist
Headline: ROH sets the pace for filling gaps left by departing talent
Originally Published: November 12, 2007
PWTorch Newsletter #997
Over two years ago, I attended ROH's "Fate of an Angel" in Woodbridge, Conn. The big draw that night was Matt Hardy making his ROH debut in a match against Christopher Daniels. James Gibson, who had an incredible showing in ROH in 2005 before heading back to WWE, was set to face heel champion C.M. Punk in the main event as he continued his chase for the title. I didn't think much of it at the time, but on the undercard on that night making his debut was Claudio Castagnoli. At the time, El Generico and Kevin Steen were also being brought in for occasional dates. In Woodbridge, Steen and Generico made separate appearances on the undercard.
If first impressions mean something in wrestling, I was taken in by Castagnoli's gimmick. He wore a flashy suite to the ring and seemed to be a European version of Ted Dibiase's Million Dollar Man gimmick. I don't remember much about the performance of Steen and Generico that night, although they had made some noise with their performances in IWS, PWG, and CZW. They didn't do much to set themselves apart from what was a strong ROH roster at the time.
Claudio Castagnoli [photo by Wade Keller (c) PWTorch]
Castagnoli hung on and eventually became a permanent part of most ROH DVD tapings later on in 2005, but Generico and Steen weren't brought back after getting several shots at sticking on the roster.
At the end of 2006, it didn't look like any of these men would be in ROH. Castagnoli signed with the WWE, but was subsequently dropped, and returned to ROH. Castagnoli had been a good mid-card act, but hadn't done much to show he had main event potential, although he did put in some good performances teaming with Chris Hero, as they teamed to end Roderick Strong & Austin Aries long ROH World Tag Team Title reign.
Steen and Generico continued to wrestle elsewhere on the independent scene. Generico was given a couple of dates at the end of 2006, but still didn't impress with his performances.
Things changed for all three men over the course of several months. Steen & Generico were brought into ROH as a tag team to take on the Briscoes at "Fifth Year Festival: Philly" on Feb. 17. They immediately made an impression by taking the Briscoes to the limit in an excellent match that stole the show. Generico and Steen had earned more dates in ROH, but it didn't seem like they would be main event talent in less than six months.
So how did Generico and Steen take ROH by storm in 2007?
All it took was some personality. Generico & Steen were set to face the Briscoes again at "Fighting Spirit" on Apr. 14, but Mark had suffered a concussion and was replaced in the match by Erick Stevens. What transpired during that match was great to watch, as Steen put on a memorable heel performance and drew legit heat, which is an extremely hard thing for a heel to do in ROH. Without speaking, Generico also established his character at "Fighting Spirit."
Mark Briscoe eventually came down to ringside to tag with his brother, Jay, despite the injury to his head. Mark's appearance drew a huge reaction, in part due to Steen shadow boxing Jay's corner after his partner Erick Stevens had been taken out by the NRC. Steen targeted Mark's injured head with power moves, which was something Generico didn't want to take part in. The interplay between Steen & Generico continued after that night, as Steen was willing to do anything for a victory over the Briscoes, but Generico was less willing to take things to that level.
Over the course of their long feud, Steen & Generico and The Briscoes have brought the best out of each other in what should go down as the feud of the year for 2007. I wrote in an article late last year that the Briscoes weren't getting enough time on the mic, but as their feud has played out with Steen & Generico, the Briscoes have improved behind the mic and carry themselves during interviews in a way they never did in the past.
At "Death Before Dishonor V: Night 1" on Aug. 10, both teams were given mic time prior to their main event match. Both teams promised to cripple the other team in the main event, which was a Non-Title Boston Street Fight. It wasn't just the in-ring action carrying this feud, but also the mic work and charisma both teams were exuding on camera. Steen & Generico won a brutal match that was one of the better brawling matches I've seen this year. After the match, Steen cut a passionate promo setting up their next match in Hartford, Conn. at "Caged Rage" on Aug. 24, as he promised that he and Generico would leave the Briscoes in a heap once again after their Steel Cage match.
Not only were fans of ROH's brand of wrestling likely satisfied with this match, but the outcome and Steen's post-match promo likely left DVD purchasing customers wanting more. A big sign of the success of the
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