Bah Gahd, That's Ring of Honor's Music!

March 23, 2020 7:25 AM

Ring of Honor Wrestling has cancelled all live events through May 31st. To fill that finisher-kickout-finisher-kickout loop shaped hole in your heart, the company has made several classic matches free on YouTube, featuring current and former stars like CM Punk, Daniel Bryan (nee Bryan Danielson), Samoa Joe, Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens (nee Steen), and even close friend of Sami Zayn, noted orphange operator, El Generico. Check below the fold for SO MUCH WRESTLING!

Each video is three matches in one, with:

CM Punk against Alex Shelley (ROH 3rd Anniversary, 2/25/05), Austin Aries (Death Before Dishonor, 6/18/05) and Roderick Strong (Escape From New York, 7/9/05).

Bryan Danielson against James Gibson (Glory By Honor IV, 9/17/05), Lance Storm (Better Than Our Best, 4/1/06), and Nigel McGuinness (Unified, 8/12/06).

AJ Styles against Matt Sydal (Hell Freezes Over, 1/14/2006), Adam Cole (All-Star Extravaganza VI, 9/6/14), and Jay Lethal (Final Battle 2015, 12/18/2015).

Kevin Steen against Davey Richards (Border Wars, 5/12/12), El Generico (Final Battle 2012, 12/16/12), and Shinsuke Nakamura (War of the Worlds, 5/17/14).

El Generico against Kota Ibushi (Return Engagement, 4/19/08), Kevin Steen (Final Battle 2010, 12/18/10), and Christopher Daniels (Best in the World, 6/26/11).

Tyler Black against Bryan Danielson and Kenny Omega in a three-way (11/8/2008), Austin Aries (8th Anniversary, 2/13/10), and Kevin Steen (Salvation, 7/24/10).

Samoa Joe against Kenta Kobashi (Joe vs Kobashi, 10/1/05), Kyle O’Reilly (ROH TV #184, 3/7/15), and Jay Briscoe (Supercard of Honor IX, 3/27/15). Of course, any mention of SmoaJo requires the obligatory discussion of mathematics from Professor Steiner

My unabashed fandom requires me to point out Steen/Generico, Steen/Nakamura, Generico/Ibushi, and Black/Danielson/Omega. That, and any chance to see the absolute murder machine that was young Samoa Joe.

posted by Ghidorah (8 comments total)

That El Generico essay is fantastic.
posted by xedrik at 7:42 AM on March 23, 2020 [3 favorites]

That El Generico essay is fantastic.

All of Spectacle of Excess is good, and as you read it, you realize that Steen/Owens and Sebei/Generico/Zayn have been writing the Great American Novel, live and in real time, for going on two decades now.
posted by Etrigan at 7:49 AM on March 23, 2020 [2 favorites]

It's not RoH, but over at AEW they're filming all their episodes of "Dynamite" in an empty venue in Jacksonville. WWE has been doing something pretty similar, but AEW has Cody Rhodes to lead off the first episode affected by the decision, and he's damn good at it. Bonus points to whoever decided to turn the camera to face the empty auditorium seats on the line "We all have to stand together...and for some of us, that will mean standing at a distance."
posted by Ipsifendus at 7:52 AM on March 23, 2020 [2 favorites]

Until that essay, I'd never heard about him doing the kneeling thing, or being called out for it, owning up to it, and accepting responsibility for it. It's easy for a 19 year old to do something stupid, and even easier for them to double down and refuse to accept that their actions were wrong, yet he didn't. I've had a ton of respect for him for a long time, but that just bumped that up a bit more.
posted by Ghidorah at 7:54 AM on March 23, 2020 [2 favorites]

Ipsifendus, AEW's no audience show was pretty great, especially in comparison to how awkward the WWE shows have been. Having the wrestlers in the stands, interacting with each other, advancing their own stories in the background is pretty much the perfect response to the situation (aside from, say, a SOCIAL DISTANCING CANDADIAN DESTROYER!!!). The more I see of AEW, the more impressed I am by Cody Rhodes and the people putting that show together.
posted by Ghidorah at 7:59 AM on March 23, 2020 [1 favorite]

SOCIAL DISTANCING CANDADIAN DESTROYER!!!

I don't know whether I should be proud or disappointed in myself that I called that as a Joey Janela link before I clicked on it.
posted by Etrigan at 8:05 AM on March 23, 2020 [2 favorites]

I just took the opportunity to read the El Generico essay, and it is indeed a fantastic piece of writing. I once mentioned to my brother, during a text conversation, that I think professional wrestling is the most vital form of live theater still extant in the world.

And I really do think that! I'm just not at all confident that I personally am up to the task of making a full blown rigorous argument championing the idea, or convincing people of it who are not fans. Essays like that one, though...that really captures the appeal. That's what I'd hand to a skeptic to sell them on the idea of giving the whole ridiculous enterprise a try.
posted by Ipsifendus at 8:41 AM on March 23, 2020 [2 favorites]

For a change of pace, GAEA Japan, one of the best women's wrestling promotions of the 90s has been putting up some matches for free on youtube to promote their (probably cancelled) 4/15 anniversary show at Korakuen hall.

For a modern take on joshi in Japan, Stardom has put up a few shows for free on youtube, notable their No People Gate show in full and their first half of this year's Cinderella Tournament.

For even more of a change of pace, here is wrestling clown's Kushinbo Kamen's channel.
posted by LostInUbe at 10:32 PM on March 25, 2020 [1 favorite]