Retrospective: Hall Of Pain- Mark Henry's Dominance

By @MeenHendrix

Every once in a while I catch myself reminiscing on some of my favorite moments in wrestling. Another one of my favorites is the critically acclaimed Hall of Pain run in 2011 by the World's Strongest Man, Mark Henry.

For the early portion of 2011 Mark Henry drifted through the midcard as apart of the Tag Team Division, teaming with Yoshi Tatsu after his team with MVP ended in 2010. Henry would return to being a singles competitor after Wrestlemania 27.

During the 2011 Draft, Mark Henry was traded to the Smackdown brand after Smackdown's Randy Orton defeated Raw's Dolph Ziggler in the fourth match of the night. Henry would later turn heel at the end of the night turning on Smackdown teammates John Cena and Christian during a 6 Man Tag Team Match (which ironically sent John Cena back to Raw after being drafted to Smackdown during the first match of the night.)

Intially, I thought this was just another turn in the career of Henry. He had been with the company for a decade plus and hadn't been given much to work with outside of comedy angles in the Attitude Era, a run with the ECW title and a short feud with Batista in his 2006 run. However, I was admittedly(and thankfully) wrong.

Fast forward to the June 17th episode of Smackdown, Mark Henry was scheduled to face the Big Show (going through a gimmick where he was unable to control his temper and emotions). Big Show told Henry not to enter the ring and when Henry did the Big Show proceeded to destroy Henry before the match began. Henry would proceed to attack Big Show both backstage and during his matches as an act of revenge. Big Show would then cost Henry a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship, which set the stage for a match at Money In The Bank 2011 between the two massive stars. Henry went on to defeat Show and crush his ankle in between a steel chair.

This post match assult would launch what is now known as the Hall of Pain.

Henry would go on to repeat the post match assult on Kane, Vladimir Kozlov and The Great Khali. These vicious attacks would (kayfabe) intimidate other superstars into not challenging Henry to a match. Sheamus would later answer Henry's challenge and the two would face off in a match at SummerSlam which Henry won by countout after tackling Sheamus through the barricade.

Fast forward again and Henry would turn his eyes back to the World Heavyweight Championship and its holder Randy Orton. (ironically the same man that helped bring Henry back to Smackdown would lead to his own downfall). Henry would go on to win a 20 Man Battle Royal on Smackdown giving him a shot at Orton at Night of Champions. Henry would attack Orton multiple times before their match and defeat him for the World Heavyweight Championship.

After the match, Henry gave a speech directed at his doubters and haters and one line in particular stood out for me.

"I would like to welcome you all to the Hall Of Pain. This is my moment and I'm not sharing it with none of you."

Henry would continue his dominance by defeating Orton again in a Hell in a Cell match at the Pay Per View of the same name. The Big Show (who Henry put out of action a few months back) would return and chokeslam Mark Henry through an announce table, making his title intentions known. At Vengeance, Big Show and Henry would re-enact the Superplex that made the ring implode. (A move Big Show and Brock Lesnar had done 8 years earlier).

Henry would then engage in a side feud with Daniel Bryan. Henry defeated Bryan twice. Once by disqualification and once by pinfall in a Steel Cage match.

Henry would lose to Big Show at Survivor Series by DQ after a blatant low blow, helping him retain his title. After the match Big Show crushed Henry's ankle with a steel chair the same way Henry had done to him at Money in the Bank. This would also affect his side feud with Bryan, as Bryan would cash in his Money In the Bank contract after Big Show knocked Henry out. However, Mark Henry was not cleared to compete by doctors and the match was voided by Smackdown GM Theodore Long. Bryan would later win a #1 Contenders match to face Henry in the previously mentioned steel cage match which Henry won. At the Tables, Ladders and Chairs Pay Per View, Henry would drop the World Heavyweight Championship to the Big Show in a chairs match(before Daniel Bryan cashed in on him).

The Hall of Pain was Mark Henry's greatest work. Creative finally got behind him after 15 years of service and allowed him to take the ball and roll with it. Henry showed off superb skills as the top heel of the blue brand. However, Henry's run as the top guy was lackluster in the ring. In the Pro Wrestling data base Henry only registered a three star rating out of five just once during his title reign. The match I mentioned was Vengeance, but I believe it got a boost from the finish as opposed to the regular match. Henry also failed to register the average rating of 2 stars, 3 times during his reign. 3 months of lack luster matches. His feud with Big Show was unnecessarily long and he should have finished the feud coming out on top. Mark Henry made up for his in ring struggles with good mic skills. His vow to fight any and everyone rang true especially during his side feud with Daniel Bryan, which I loved. Henry embraced his role as the bully, deeming Bryan to be inferior to him. Although the WWE 2K15 video game's coverage of the Hall of Pain storyline lasted until Wrestlemania 29, I ended it prematurely at him dropping the World Title at TLC, because the title loss led to a huge drop in momentum and Henry was left off the Wrestlemania 28 card after injuring himself in a WWE Championship match with CM Punk.

-Ameen Purdie
Feedback? Twitter: @MeenHendrix

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Eyes on the Ring 11:49 AM  No comment

Wrestling: Real And Fake

By @Cool_Calm_Chris(Christopher Evans)

“You watch wrestling? You know its fake right??"

The question that every pro wrestling fan encounters at some point in their lives. Most fans and wrestlers all seem to take offense to this question whenever asked. It seems very demeaning to ask the question, as it is a way for non pro wrestling fans to question the intelligence of those that enjoy the product. How could one knowingly enjoy a product that they know is not as legitimately competitive of a sport as something like Mixed Martial Arts or Boxing?

While the answer might not be satisfying to either side, when explained in detail both parties should be able to come to a satisfying conclusion, because while neither side is completely right, neither side is completely wrong. Pro Wrestling, you could sum up as being just as real as it is fake, and when broken down, you can easily explain why. Let’s look at the reasoning for why pro wrestling is real first, as pro wrestling is probably the most physically demanding form of physical competition. Just look at what the wrestling rings are made of, with elevated steel beams, wired ropes, metal turnbuckles and foam padding and a canvas mat covering the wood plank stage, not to mention all the weapons that surround the ring.

Being a pro wrestler is an unforgiving job, and on many different occasions, wrestling legend Diamond Dallas Page has been quoted in regards to pro wrestling as saying “You can’t fake gravity”, which says a lot. Pro wrestlers work an unbelievable schedule, as most work over 300 days a year with few breaks in between. Their bodies have very little time to recover and most work injured, to the point that they either get used to the pain or it just becomes overwhelming. For example, former WWE superstar and current TNA superstar Kurt Angle has been dealing with recurring neck injuries since his time as an Olympic wrestler. While having dealt with a number of other injuries in his career, Angle has been dealing with neck injuries for his entire career, and just recently he underwent successful surgery to remove a benign tumor in his neck. While pro wrestlers run the risk of dealing with injury, they are surprisingly still able to perform at a high risk when the bell rings.

As much as people are tired of him at this point (and rightfully so), it is hard to argue that John Cena has worked without question the hardest schedule of any man in his position. As the top superstar in the WWE, John Cena is on the road 24/7 and constantly having to work as the face of the company. Nobody has since been able to work the schedule Cena has been able to endure for this long, just look at WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin was for the most part the face of WWE for a solid five or six years, John Cena has been the man in WWE for the better part of a decade. It is difficult for WWE superstars to maintain a high level of athleticism for long periods, just imagine how difficult it is for the pro wrestler on the independent level to work. These athletes have a lot less means of safety at their disposal than WWE superstars have and yet they work at a way more dangerous pace. Just look at some of the current talent in the company that worked for Ring of Honor, such as Sami Zayn and Cesaro. These athletes threw themselves around the ring with very little regard for their safety just to give an amazing show, and more often than not they accomplished that goal at the expense of their body.

So yes, in that aspect, wrestling is very real, but there is just as good of a reason for those that consider pro wrestling to be fake. While pro wrestling is very physical, it is scripted. The matches are pre-determined and in most cases are worked out between the wrestlers and an agent beforehand. The moves are done in a way so that they look very physical, but a great talent will be able to do them as safely as possible. Take a guy like Brock Lesnar, the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion looks like he is delivering the worst possible beating to his opponents, but he knows exactly what he is doing in that ring. Brock Lesnar does work a very brutal style, but can most likely assure that his opponent will be safe in the ring. This leads to my next point, selling and taking bumps.

A great pro wrestler can make others look amazing in the ring. Guys like Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan, and Cody Rhodes are often praised for the way they are able to make their opponents look great in the ring just by how well they are able to take bumps off a wide array of moves. While taking bumps may look rather impressive, it is the selling of the match that makes a great pro wrestler. Take a match with Brock Lesnar for example, his opponent is supposed to sell the beating he is taking as if he is taking the beating of a lifetime. Why? Because this helps add to the story that is being told in the ring that Lesnar is an unstoppable force and anyone that steps in his path will be annihilated. If anyone were to not sell his moves, it would make Lesnar look weak, which is not something you want to do, especially considering that he is one of the biggest stars in the company.

So yes, in that aspect, pro wrestling is very fake, but there is a more obvious reason as to why people consider pro wrestling to be fake. Just look at the WWE, the WWE is the hood ornament of pro wrestling and it is the one product that people generally look to when describing pro wrestling. So what they see on WWE programing is what they believe pro wrestling is, and in most cases that can be a bad thing. WWE is filled with over-the-top gimmick characters, as if they were pulled right out of a comic book. You’ve got a deadman (The Undertaker), a cult leader (Bray Wyatt), a vibrant comic book villain (Stardust), a king (King Barrett), and a demon (Finn Balor). The older you look into WWE’s history, the characters get even worse. Earthquake, Bastian Booger, Big Boss Man, Kamala, Papa Shango, Mankind, Max Moon, the Brooklyn Brawler, King Cong Bundy, Ultimate Warrior, Hulk Hogan, the Mountie, Duke the Dumpster, Junkyard Dog, and yes the Gobbledy Gooker.

Another major reason why people will call wrestling fake would have to be the storylines. Just look at one of the big storylines in WWE today, the relationship issues between Dolph Ziggler, Lana, Rusev, and Summer Rae. This and a number of other storylines like it have a soap opera-like feel to them and are more based on drama then they are about pro wrestling. Very often in pro wrestling you'll see stories like this or stories that will get even more dramatic. Let's not forget that awful Katie Vick storyline involving Kane and Triple H.

Vince McMahon is an evil genius to say the least. He has given us fans some unforgettable rivalries, such as The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin, however he has given us fans some moments that we would like to forget. Moments like Vince McMahon and his son Shane wrestling Shawn Michaels and, I can't believe I am writing this, God, are moments that have devalued pro wrestling in the eyes of most people. The fact that he would rather call pro wrestling "Sports Entertainment" just shows how he feels about the sport.

So yes, while there is a legitimate reason why pro wrestling should be considered as real, there is just as much of a reason for why someone would call it fake. Personally, I do not care, I am still going to enjoy the product, but for those that needed an answer to the ever debated question, I hope that was a solid enough answer.

-Chris

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Eyes on the Ring 12:25 PM  19 comments

Retrospective: The Age Of Orton

By @MeenHendrix

"I don't just beat people. I end careers."- Randy Orton in 2007

The Age of Orton is one of my personal favorite storylines. It tells a story of redemption, hunger and ruthless aggression unseen from the man they now call The Viper.

2007 was an eventful year for Randy Orton. He would go on to compete in many high profile matches before securing his first WWE Championship at No Mercy in Rosemont, Illinois. But before I dive into the Orton's run on top, I want to look a little further into the events leading up to the beginning of the Age of Orton.

The beginning of the year started with a collection of solid in ring performances from New Years Revolution in January till Backlash in April. At Backlash, Orton was granted his first shot at the WWE Title that year in a Fatal-4-Way involving former Rated RKO tag team partner Edge, Shawn Michaels and WWE Champion John Cena. Orton came up short in the match, but what followed would soon put the Legend Killer onto a new path of destruction.

Orton began to target Shawn Michaels shortly after Backlash. In subsequent weeks, Orton would ambush Michaels multiple times after matches, including the debut of his new punt kick attack. Michaels and Orton would be placed in a match at Judgement Day. At the event, Orton attacked Michaels before the match injuring him and defeating Michaels by referee stoppage. But Orton didn't stop there. He would continue to display his new aggression and punish multiple stars and legends including Ric Flair, Sgt. Slaughter, Rob Van Dam (whom he defeated in a Stretcher Match at One Night Stand), and Dusty Rhodes (whom he also defeated in a Texas Bull Rope Match at The Great American Bash.)

Soon Orton hungered for more. John Cena, left without an opponent for SummerSlam, was attacked on the July 23rd edition of Raw, after a Handicap Match with Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch by Randy Orton. Johnathan Coachman would then announce Orton as the number one contender for the WWE Title. Orton would then attack Cena multiple times before their title bout including a RKO on a steel chair at Saturday Night Main Event.

At SummerSlam, Cena and Orton would go on to deliver a match of the year candidate. One of my personal favorites of all time. Orton displayed intensity and aggression previously unseen in him, delivering hard strikes and doing whatever it took to put the champion away. Controlling the action most of the match, Orton fell victim to a F-U (now renamed Attitude Adjustment) and a loss to Cena.

Unhappy with the result, Orton demanded a rematch with Cena at Unforgiven, which he was denied. Angered by this, Randy would proceed to get personal and drag Cena's father into the feud by hitting him with a Punt Kick. Orton and Cena would then face off in a rematch at Unforgiven where Orton won by DQ ensuring the feud would continue. However an injury derailed Cena's reign and he would be forced to forfeit the WWE Championship before No Mercy.

Rosemont, Illinois. October 7, 2007. Mr. McMahon stood in the middle of the ring and named Randy Orton the new WWE Champion. Orton's celebration was cut short by The Game, Triple H who would then challenge Orton to a title match to start the show. After being taunted into accepting, Triple H defeated Orton to win the WWE Title by a roll up.

This in particular upset me. After months of build up, Randy Orton had finally reached the top and all of it would be undone in 11 minutes. Undone by the same man who stole the World Heavyweight Championship from him in 2004 after only holding the title for a mere 3 weeks. But I was rewarded for my patience.

Before the event ended Randy Orton decided to use his rematch clause to defeat Triple H. Orton and the Game went on to deliver a 20 minute near classic Last Man Standing match for the company's top prize. It would end with a RKO on the announce table and the Game being unable to answer the 10 count.

On the October 8th edition of Raw, a familiar foe would return to challenge Orton for his WWE Championship. Shawn Michaels, who had been put out of action months earlier by Orton, set his sights on the Champion. Michaels would be voted by the fans to face Randy for the title at Cyber Sunday, which he won by DQ when Orton hit him with a low blow. Orton and Michaels' rematch would happen at Survivor Series with the stipulation that Michaels was banned from using the Sweet Chin Music finisher. Orton would go on to defeat Michaels.

This is my least favorite part of The Age of Orton reign. Orton would be thrown into a feud with the returning Chris Jericho from a 2 year absence. He would defend the WWE Title against Jericho at Armageddon, which he lost by DQ when JBL attacked Chris Jericho. It felt like Orton had become an afterthought for this feud, as Jericho was the hot act and suddenly transitioned from Orton to JBL.

Orton then moved on to a short feud with Jeff Hardy which included a Swanton Bomb from Jeff onto Orton off the Raw set. At Royal Rumble 2008, Orton would defeat Hardy in a solid match, but he again felt like an afterthought when John Cena returned from injury early to win the Royal Rumble match.

Cena and Orton would rekindle their feud from last summer with Cena cashing in his Royal Rumble win at No Way Out instead of Wrestlemania 24. Orton would get himself disqualified and retain his title by champion's advantage. Triple H won an Elimination Chamber match that night making him the Number One contender to Orton's title.

A triple threat match between, Orton, Cena, and the Game had been set for Wrestlemania. The build up again left Orton feeling like an afterthought before taking the spotlight the Raw before Mania by laying out both opponents with an RKO. At Wrestlemania 24, Orton would go on to escape with a win and his WWE Title intact. However this would lead to the end of Orton's run on top.

Orton would lose the title a month later to Triple H in a fatal-4-way involving JBL and Cena as the other competitors. Orton would fail to regain the title, losing in rematches at Judgement Day and One Night Stand where broke his collarbone in a Last Man Standing match after being thrown over the top rope by Triple H.

The Age of Orton started off with excellent build. Although he felt like an afterthought late in his reign, Randy proved that he was capable of being the guy. The heel everyone hated. He unleashed a new level of aggression and took out multiple opponents with his vicious Punt Kick. His run on top lasted 6 months. Orton's hard work earned him 2 WWE Title reigns, and Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Most Hated Wrestler off the Year in 2007 and the #1 Singles Wrestler of the Year in 2008. Orton also graded out well including two 4 Star Matches (vs John Cena at SummerSlam 2007, a 4.5 vs Triple H at No Mercy 2007) and finishing the year with back to back 3.5 Star Matches with Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho. Orton would return later in the year more hungry and determined to be a Champion again, but the Age Of Orton launched him into the upper echelon of guys who could carry the company on their backs as a top Heel.

"It is my Destiny."- Randy Orton

-Ameen Purdie
Feedback on Twitter: @MeenHendrix

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Eyes on the Ring 12:59 PM  No comment

ROH Review 9/5/15

Ring Of Honor Wrestling Review 9/5/15
By Nathan Neumann Twitter @Headliner5

Hello once again and welcome to another one of my Ring Of Honor TV reviews for Eyes On The Ring.  I am Nathan in case you have somehow forgotten and we have a lot to talk about in an hour that featured just two matches.

The show began with Jay Lethal and Truth Martini, who kicked off this championship edition of ROH TV with a promo.  Lethal says that this is Roderick Strong’s final opportunity at the ROH World Title.  He then says that after tonight Cheeseburger will deserve a shot more than Strong provided that Strong doesn’t beat him for the belt later on tonight.

Cue an immediate response from Roderick Strong who says that this time there will be a clear-cut winner and his name will be Roderick Strong.

From there we go to the first match of the evening.

Match 1
The Young Bucks vs. The Addiction {C}
ROH World Tag Team Championship Match

Thoughts: Before the match begins we see clips of the Addictions attack on the Young Bucks from three weeks ago, included but not limited to a triple Indie Taker on Nick.  Bucks are more serious this time around during their introduction.  Before the bell even rings The Bucks nail The Addiction with super kicks.  Matt and Nick lay out Kazarian as soon as Cruise is done with the introductions. 

Bucks take early control and the match is taken to the outside, as Chris Sabin gets involved.  Sabin hits super kick #3 inadvertently to Kazarian who was holding Matt who avoided the attack and caused the miscue between the KRD members.  This involvement forced the referees hand and Sabin was sent back to the locker room for the remainder of the match.  Sabin tries to come back and the Bucks hit super kicks 4 and 5 as they lay out Sabin.  The Bucks Isolate Daniels in the ring while Kazarian tries to get in and stop what’s going on.  Nick hits the 6th Super kick on Kazarian to prevent him from crashing the party keeping him out of the ring.  Super kick #7 comes when Matt nails Daniels in the face.  Nick goes to the top rope but is pushed off by Kazarian.  Matt goes to the outside and Daniels hits a BME to both Bucks on the outside of the ring as we go to break with the champs in control.

Back from break and Daniels is in and The Addiction have cut off the ring while making quick frequent tags in and out.  Old school heel tactics by Daniels are used as he grabs Kazarian’s arm while having one of the Bucks in an abdominal stretch while the referee can’t see it.  Nick gets the tag and comes in giving everything he’s got, Senton on Kazarian by Nick while Matt has him draped up in the ropes which gets a near fall before Daniels is in to make the save before turning it around in the Addiction’s favor. 

Matt hits Super kick #8 on Kazarian, he goes for Daniels but Daniels ducks out of the ring and hits a suplex variation on Matt.  Daniels misses a BME attempt before Matt hits super kick #9 on Kazarian who tries to get into the ring.  All four guys are down in the ring as the fans all roar in unison with “This is Wrestling” chant’s (the worst chant in the history of wrestling I may add).

The Champions make it to their feet and take control Kazarian grabs Matt while the Kingdom are out to attack Daniels outside of the ring while Kazarian can’t see it.  This causes Kazarian to break the hold and stare them down.  Matt goes to take the advantage with another super kick but Kazarian sweeps the legs and goes for a pin to get a near fall.  Matt bridges out when Kazarian gets to his feet, followed by Nick hitting Super kick #10 on him.  Matt picks him up and hits a buckle bomb and then sets up for an indy taker but instead Nick takes out the Kingdom with a moonsault from the second rope to the outside and then goes to the ropes again to hit the Indy Taker to pick up a near fall.  Daniels pulls the referee out of the ring before a three count and a decision can be reached. 

Kazarian finds himself in the ring alone with the Young Bucks while the referee is distracted with everyone on the outside of the ring.  Daniels grabs a tag team championship belt and nails Nick with it, which prompts Matt to hit Super kick #11 on Daniels.  He then hits Daniels with a Belt shot afterwards.  Bennett hops on the apron and Matt hits him in the face with a title belt, Matt goes to hit Kazarian before Maria snatches the title away from Matt’s grasp.  Matt stares back at Maria as the fans want him to super kick her, he goes to do it but Kazarian rolls him up from behind distraction roll up style with the tights to score the pinfall victory.

Match Result: The Addiction defeats The Young Bucks via roll up pinfall to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championships.
Match Rating: ***

From there Nigel McGuinness makes his way out to the ring and says that The Young Bucks got robbed and then throws them into the match at All Star Extravaganza 7 so it will be The Addiction vs. The Bucks vs. The Kingdom for the Tag Team Titles in a triple threat tag team match.  I’m not a fan of this at all due to the fact that The Young Bucks lost and they are getting a title shot out of it but whatever.
 
From there we go inside ROH with Mandy Leon, she recaps the Dalton Castle vs. Silas Young and hypes up what is to come at ASE 7.  We cut to a promo from Dalton where he says he will make Silas Young a “Young Boy” if you will. From there Young cuts a promo of his own and talks about when he beats Dalton that his Boys will learn to become real men by chopping wood, they will learn how to change the oil on a car and they will learn how to put women in their places.  He says that when he’s done with them they may become Rude and Offensive but that they will become Men.

From here we go to the second match of the night, which is the main event of the evening.

Main Event – Match 2
Roderick Strong vs. Jay Lethal {C}
ROH World Championship Match

Thoughts: The match begins with dueling chants from the crowd right after Bobby Cruise is done with the ring intros.  Both men adhere to the code of honor before the bell rings, which is different from their first match.  The two go toe to toe slugging it out at the start trading punches.  Lethal takes the first real advantage of the match forcing Strong out of the ring and running off of the ropes to hit a suicide dive.  Lethal connects with the first and then goes for a second but before Lethal can do it Strong makes his way back into the ring and hits Lethal with a dropkick that takes Lethal down and out of the ring as we go to break. 

As part of the break, Cedric Alexander and Veda Scott cut a backstage promo hyping up Cedric’s upcoming match with Moose at All Star Extravaganza where he says he is going to go Moose Hunting.

Back from the break and Lethal and Strong are outside of the ring as Strong still has the advantage.  Strong rolls Lethal into the ring and covers him but Lethal kicks out at 1. 

From there Lethal rolls out of the ring Strong immediately follows but he’s met by Diesel and Dijak the brief distraction allows for Lethal to recover and once again get the advantage.  Lethal hits Strong with a succession of chops and elbows and then rolls him into the ring for a cover but this time Strong is the one to kick out a 1.

Lethal is still in control and chants are now in favor of Roderick Strong as Lethal looks at the crowd in disgust.  Strong is noticeably bleeding and Lethal throws him out of the ring as we head to another break.
Back from break and the two men are back in the ring with Strong getting the best of Lethal with chops.  Strong follows things up with five running elbows and a side slam, which gets a very close near fall.  Lethal recovers and hits a super kick and follows it up with the Lethal combination but Strong is out at two.

Strong hits a jumping knee and Lethal responds with another Super kick Lethal tries for the Lethal injection but Strong nails him with a Sick kick in a very cool out of nowhere spot for a very close near fall.  Back from break and Lethal is doing everything he possibly can in order to put Strong away as both the Book Of Truth as well as the World Title have found their way inside of the ring.  The referee grabs the book but as this is happening Lethal grabs the belt and swings at Strong, Strong ducks and hits a jumping knee and then follows it up with running knees on the outside of the ring to both Dijak and Diesel.  Back in the ring Strong hits Lethal with another flying knee.

Lethal recovers from the assault and hits two super kicks before undoing the tape from his wrists.  He uses it to choke Strong, this brings the referee in to stop it but the brief distraction allows Lethal to once again hit Strong with the World Title belt.  Lethal hits the Lethal Injection but Strong kicks out.  Strong has nothing left and gets hit with another Lethal super kick followed by another Lethal Injection which earns Lethal the deciding fall and the title retention.

Match Result: Jay Lethal defeats Roderick Strong via pinfall after a Lethal Injection to retain the ROH World Championship.Match Rating: ***1/2

After the match Lethal gets a standing ovation from the crowd as Corino calls the match an instant classic.  Fish and O’Reilly make their way onto the ramp to stare down Lethal who is still in the ring as they each have a match with him come ASE 7 as he defends the TV Title against Fish and The World Title against O’Reilly in two weeks time.
That however will do it for me and another one of my Ring OF Honor reviews for http://www.EyesOnTheRing.com.  A can’t miss 60 minutes of wrestling this week so be sure to check it out and go out of your way to do so if you have to.  In closing make sure to follow me on twitter @Headliner5, also follow the Eyes On The Ring main account @EyesOnTheRing.  As always we will have our Radio show this Sunday night at 10:00pm EST as we bring you the week that was professional wrestling live via http://www.BlogTalkRadio.com/ElitePodcastNetwork last but not least make sure to like us over at our Facebook page at http://www.Facebook.com/EyesOnTheRing until next time Ringers when I present another ROH Review I have been Nathan saying so long for now and keep your Eyes On The Ring for all of the content that we will bring you throughout the upcoming weeks and months on the website.

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Eyes on the Ring 6:29 PM  No comment

Can We Not - Volume Six: TNA Invasion Angles

Their defenses must be made of Swiss cheese, because the number of times that TNA has been invaded since its inception is mind-boggling. So, I'm just going to cut to the chase without all the flowery backstory. Can we not do TNA invasion angles anymore? I'll even outline some reasons why.

1. They usually involve Jeff Jarrett.
2. They end up convoluted beyond repair in a way that, somehow surpasses Vince Russo's genius vision for the wrestling world.
3. They usually involve Jeff Jarrett.
4. Even when they're not overly confusing, no one gets over (or somehow, Vince Russo gets back into things).
5. They usually involve Jeff Jarrett.

TNA has either been invaded by--or has invaded--AAA, GFW, Wrestle-1, ECW (technically), The nWo (technically), your mom, and probably Sunny. Speaking of which, I'm legit surprised that TNA hasn't tried to bring Sunny in at any point. But, I digress. TNA has, for better or worse, gotten a reputation of being WWE-lite. Now, we all hoped that GFW wouldn't end up being this way. But, somehow, we knew deep in our minds that things'd turn into some funky invasion angle. And so far, it's failing.

If TNA ever wants to be seen as more than the "WWE-lite show with the six-sided ring," they've got to stop living in the past. They've got to stop doing these sort of angles. Hell, wrestling as a whole needs to stop the invasion angles. Hence the change in title for this one. 

Call me a smark, but an "invasion" doesn't exactly have the same impact when even casual fans who only know John Cena from a Fruity Pebbles box and his shirts read dirtsheets. It doesn't mean as much when ten-year-olds know (or think they know) what kayfabe is. 

"But, Speed! The Shield worked." 

The Shield worked because it wasn't an invasion. It wasn't just some new team beating the faces. It wasn't Hulk Hogan turning heel. The Shield was its own thing, possibly described as The Nexus on steroids, the nWo with some Speed, and the Million Dollar Corporation with some coke mixed in for your wrasslin' pleasure. 

They didn't grow beyond the three of them. They didn't allow new members. Their storylines were simple: we're The Shield, we're here to kick some ass. Fuck what you hear, it's what you're hearing. They weren't introduced as a faction that wanted to take over the WWE. They were introduced as vigilantes who wanted to enact justice upon the promotion, by any means they could.

So, wrestling promoters all over, I ask one things.

Can we not do invasion angles and try to think of better, more ingenious ways, to introduce new talent?

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Eyes on the Ring 12:25 PM  No comment

We're Here... Again: The Wyatt Family Rebirth

By @SteveSignore

The vignettes made your skin crawl. With the exception of the Undertaker, their ring entrance was more eerie than anything a WWE audience had seen before. The in-ring dominance was hard to ignore. Promos that would have Jake "The Snake" Roberts shaking his head in approval. The Wyatts were taking over the WWE Universe. In a time when unique acts are few and far between, the Wyatts gave the fans something different.

When Husky Harris was part of the Nexus, he was near unlikeable. His character was a heel alright, but probably not in the way the WWE would have liked. The repackaging was underway. Harris disappeared, only to re-emerge as Bray Wyatt, the manipulative voice of what would become the Wyatt family. Along with Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, Wyatt took the WWE by storm in the Spring of 2013. The trio made easy work of Kane and turned their sights on recruiting fan favorite, and Kane's former Hell No teammate, Daniel Bryan. While the storyline had potential, it was brought to a seemingly abrupt halt. WWE had different plans for the group and Bryan. Bryan's fate was higher profile (a date with destiny at Wrestlemania), but the Wyatts got the next best options: feuds with John Cena and The Shield.

The Wyatts/Shield matches were outstanding. It may be a rivalry that didn't have enough shelf life to be one of the all-time greats, but it was fun to watch. Great chemistry between the two groups. But the WWE was ready to move on to Cena and Bray. And it was a good decision, at first. The two had some solid matchups, exchanging victories. But as time moved on, you knew Cena would ultimately win and Wyatt would get that traditional step back for the hot new talents. It's a common move by the WWE. Build them up strong, knock them back a bit.

Bray moved onto a progam with the part-timer, but always a legend, Chris Jericho. "Disappointing" might not be the right word, but this feud left much to be desired when you look back at it in it's totallity. I think everyone expected amazing promos back and forth. Maybe it was Jericho's fault. Maybe people expected that old Jericho cockiness in his promos to blend well with the haunting retorts by Wyatt. Just didn't reach my expectations.

At this point, Bray had already engaged in feuds with the biggest faces in the company. There was a sense that a face turn could be on the horizon, especially after he 'set free' both Harper and Rowan. That sense dissolved when Wyatt took out Ambrose, out of the blue, during his cage match with Seth Rollins for the title. Again, another feud that seemed to start off well, but didn't carry the same intensity as the Cena feud. It almost felt forced, but the matches were
solid. The storyline though, could have been better. After awhile the promos sounded like a broken record. Talking in circles? I thought so.

Moving on, Harper took the heel path, while Rowan was thrust into a strange situation as a member of John Cena's team at the Survivor Series. The match was a memorable one, and though both Harper and Rowan left their mark, it just didn't feel the same. Harper went on to being a big man with a ton of in-ring ability who never won. Rowan never got over with the crowd as a face. There were some nights where you can argue that you can hear, and I hate cliches, a pin drop during his entrance.

After what some would classify as an underwhelming match with the Undertaker at Wrestlemania, the WWE had really no direction for Wyatt. So it began, after fans seemingly hinted at the idea of bringing the group back together, it looked like the WWE was going to appease the fans. Rowan rejoined Harper. It was only a matter of time, right? Wrong! The worst case scenario, Rowan suffered an injury that would leave him out for an extended period of time.

So what was the WWE to do? Well, during the mist of a Reigns/Wyatt feud that started off slowly and was treading on the side of dull, Harper emerged at the side of Wyatt once again. But it wasn't the same. This wasn't the Wyatts we were used to. The speculation was rampant. Who becomes the third Wyatt? Is it Leo Kruger, cause he seems backwoodsy? No. Is it someone on the NXT roster? Not necessarily.... Does Ambrose turn on Reigns and join the Wyatts? Well...that's what I thought... so were we going to just continue on with this storyline that was getting repetitive? Then the lights went out. When they came back on, it was a vision that made you stare at the television, wondering what you were watching. Braun Strowman, similar in look to Bray although much more size and strength (renowned Strongman Competitor), dawning the black sheep mask, came into the ring and dismantled Reigns and Ambrose with the greatest of ease. It gave the Wyatt family a new dimension, power that couldn't be matched by either Harper or Rowan. It made the Wyatts fresh again. And there's the sense that there's more to come....

Does Sister Abigail make her first appearance? You'd have to think it would be a female who we haven't seen much of, if at all. Maybe someone straight from the Performance Center, similar to the way Strowman was brought in. Could it possibly be Mika Rotunda, Bray's real life sister? Does Rowan also rejoin the faction? We know he's not going anywhere as a face unless they come up with a new gimmick that catches on (please no Brodus Clay type ideas). So many questions, which makes the Wyatts become must watch once again, cause you never know when they will be answered. Stay tuned....

-Steve

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