**Official Review Thread**

[Wiseguy]

This is where you can post your even or show reviews of Indy Wrestling, Overseas Wrestling, Lucha Libre, and even backyard wrestling. Anything besides WWE and TNA, review inside of this thread!

Start Reviewing!

[The Kid]

This looks like an intresting idea. I'll start this thing off. I know you said show review but I'm original. Instead I did a review of a single match. I feel that this match alone was more entertaining than most whole shows. Another thing is if I do just matches than I'll be able to write more of these.

In my very first review, I'm going to review the main event of the first show in ROH's history. The match was a triple threat match pitting Low-Ki vs. "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels vs. "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson. The match had conflicting styles of wrestling but they meshed perfectly.Danielson is a master technical wrestler, Low Ki is very intense and is a great martial artist, and finally Christopher Daniels is a master of psychology and mind games. This was the match that was credited for setting the stage for ROH's reputation of having the finest talent not currently in the WWE facing off in competition that wasn't interupted by things such as 20 minute in ring promos or things like Diva Searches.

So I could sit around hyping it some more or I could get right into the review. I'll choose the latter. Here we go.

This matchup started off with all three wrestlers hitting each other with hard strikes. Throughtout the entire starting of the match the offence was spread around but in most situations Christopher Daniels came out on top as he was controlling the tempo of the match. One of the really cool spots in this encounter was when Daniels put Dragon on top of Low Ki, he then put on a boston crab on Dragon. At the same time, he put on a Camel Clutch on Low Ki. The fans gave a standing ovation for this move, which really helped set the fan's intrest level for the remainder of the match.

In the next few minutes, they all took turns leading the match, with Daniels delivering an array of suplexes, Ki hitting more of his stiff striking moves and Danielson using chops. This lead into a sequence where Dragon put on a bridging Indian Death Lock where he chicken wings the arms. Low Ki broke it up with a stiff kick to the hamstring. He then picked Dragon up and gave him 3 running kicks to the head. American Dragon reversed one of the kicks into a Northern Lights suplex. Oh yeah, did I mention all of this happened while Dragon still had Daniels in the Indian Deathlock that started off the whole sequence? Nice. Needless to say the crowd popped big time at this.

Throughout the remainder of the middle portion of the match it was more back and forth action. At one point Low Ki snap mared Daniels and for about 2 or 3 kicks each they tried to outdo each other yelling things like " It goes like this" or " This is how it's done". That was really funny stuff. It was good they could provide comedic relief without cheapening the match and portraying the worker's intensity. The rest of the middle of the match featured the wrestlers using alot of moves that in later time would come to be known as their signature moves. Such as Dragon's Dragon Suplex, Daniels Double Jump Moonsault and Low Ki's hanging Dragon Clutch.

The finishing sequence came when Bryan Danielson hit Christopher Daniels in the back of the head with a forearm the locked on the Cattle Mutilation ( double armed bridging chickenwing) on Daniels. As Danielson had this locked in, Low Ki scaled the ropes and hit the American Dragon with a Phoenix Splash, that brought every fan in attendance to their feet applauding such a display of athleticism. Low Ki then picked up Daniels and hit him with a Ki Krusher ( Sitout Fisherman's Buster) to pick up the victory. After the match American Dragon and Low Ki shook hands but Daniels refused to shake anyone's hand. Little did we know it at the time but that put the wheels in motion for the creation of The Prophecy.

All in all, this was one of the best matches that I have seen in quite a while. It has truely withstood the test of time as it is still widely considered by alot of ROH fans to be one of the better matches ever produced there. The fans were simply amazing. As we would go on to see throughout ROH's history that trend would only continue. To sum all of this up, I would suggest checking this match out if you're a wrestling fan. Hell, even if you're not a wrestling fan, buy the tape. I promise you, you'll become one.

Well that was my first ever review. Please all feedback is appreciated.

[unpossibl1]

Nice review Kid. I gotta agree with what you said at the end there man, I saw I beleive one and a half matches of a ring of honor tape before I considered myself a fan, then I watched a few more and was completely blown away. It's like in the Wizard of Oz when everything suddenly turns to color...there is a whole world beyond the WWE out there folks.

[The Kid]

For my next review, I have chosen to do the Cage Match between Samoa Joe and Jay Briscoe from the At Our Best show on March 13th, 2004. The match was for Samoa Joe's ROH Hevayweight title. This is one of the more brutal fueds in ROH's history. Jim Cornette turned on Joe and aligned himself with the Briscoes, which obviously intensified the fued. In addition to the Cornette turn, Samoa Joe tried to take the tag team titles from the Briscoes on many occasions with many different partners but was unsucessfull every time he tried to do so. Joe wanted to end the fued so he challanged Jay Briscoe to a steel cage match. Briscoe reluctantly accepted to the match but did he ever not know what he was getting himself into. This was one of the most brutal, viscious matches that has ever taken place within an ROH ring.

Now that I got the backstory out of the way, on to the review.

Before the match during introductions the fasnt through streamers into the ring upon the announcing of Samoa Joe. They booed Jay Briscoe, who was accompanied by his brother Mark. The match started out with Jay Briscoe running and divng towards the cage door trying to get out. Samoa Joe spolied his attempts with a an overhand shot to the back. Joe brought him back into the middle of the ring and began to work on his arm. Jay hit a drop toehold on Joe and once again made a sprint for the door. But just like the first time, it was broken up by Samoa Joe. This time hitting a release german suplex that resulted in Jay Briscoe landing directly on his neck.

Jay did get in a little offence in ,however, in the opening few minutes of this match. Jay landed two kicks to the chest and followed it up with a running Yakuza kick to put Samoa Joe on the mat. Jay now had his oppertunity to escape the cage and become the new ROH Champion but instead he told his brother Mark ( who was holding the cage door open) that he has Joe. Briscoe than gives Joe a snap suplex and a few chops. This seems to piss Joe off as he chops back, whips Jay off the ropes and goes for a clothesline. Jay ducks under and again goes for the opened cage door and again is stopped by Samoa Joe.

As the match continues, Joe maintains his dominance. He uses Jay Briscoe as a battering ram as he throws him into the cage. Then Joe goes toward the cage door. Joe is going to win the match. Or is he? Joe goes to the corner and pulls out a chain. He then procedes to chain the door shut so that Briscoe can't use the door to escape the cage. Joe wants to punish Jay some more. As Samoa Joe goes to continue his assault on the fallen challenger, we realize that he is busted wide open. This makes Joe even more aggresive as he kicks and chops Jay and rubs his head up against the steel mesh, opening Jay Briscoe wound up even more. Joe procedes to pick Jay up and ram his head into the opposite side of the cage.

As the match continues the blood picks up even more. If you have a weak stomach don't watch this. Stay as far away as possible. Jay Briscoe goes to the ground and blood starts to pour out of his head in a steady stream. Briscoe is down in the corner as Joe starts to kick him in the face. We all know what's coming... The Olay kick. Joe runs off the ropes and hits Jay with such force that he knocks the blood off of Jay's face onto the floor. Joe picks him up and attempts to ram Jay into the cage once more. Jay however has other plans as he slips out of Joe's grasp and hits him with two superkicks that knock the champion down. Jay attempts to scale the cage and escape for the win. The blood loss prohibits him from being able to climb the cage at full speed, so Joe catches up with him and delievers a backdrop driver from the top rope. Both men are down. Joe rolls over to pin Briscoe, 1,2, no shoulder up.

Joe tries to continue his assault but Jay hits a huge backdrop driver on Joe. Both men are down. As they make it to their feet, Briscoe hits Joe with several forearms. Hit hits the ropes, Joe catches him in a full nelson but Jay gives him a low blow to escape. He follows it up with a huge lariat which turns the big man inside out. Jay tries to escape the cage again. Joe goes up to stop him and is pushed off the top rope. Jay is in a good position to win. But no, Jay loses his balance and falls between the cage and the ropes. Jay begins to get up and is met by an enziguri. Joe then gives him an Olay kick with so much force that the cage behind Jay gives way and he tries to get out of the hole created. Joe grabs his leg though stopping that.

Joe pulls him into the center of the ring and hits him with a POwerbomb. Joe holds on for the pin. He gets a two count when Jay kicks out and Joe turns it into an STF. Jay manages to get to the ropes however to break the hold. After he releases the hold we saw one of the most disgusting sites in wrestling history. Jay's blood starts to clot outside of his head. Joe hits him with more stiff blows but Jay counters with an enziguri and a Jay Driller ( Double Underhook Piledriver). Mark starts to climb the cage to encourage his brother. Then from the back comes AJ Styles who takes Mark off the cage and hits the Styles Clash on the floor. Jay starts to climb the cage but Joe meets him at the top. Top Rope Muscle Buster from Samoa Joe. He covers 1,2,3. The winner and still ROH Champion.... Samoa Joe.

After the match Joe got on the mic and said that alot of people questioned The Briscoes' heart and desire. He said he was one of those people but now he's a believer. Joe and Jay then shook hands as a sign of respect to end this fued. As Joe exited the cage, he hit AJ with the door which led to an intense staredown.

I thought that this was a great match because of the fact that it made a star out of Jay Briscoe and helped take Joe to yet another level. IMO this was one of the most vicious matches I've ever seen anywhere let alone ROH.

Once again, any feedback is appreciated.