http://www.cheap-heat.com WWE, TNA, ROH, NJPW - Blogs, Reviews, Top Lists, Indy News & Results Wed, 30 Sep 2015 21:33:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.3.1

http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-61715/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-61715/#comments Thu, 18 Jun 2015 18:43:28 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Reviews ACH BJ Whitmer Cedric Alexander Colby Corino Hiroshi Tanahashi Jay Briscoe Jay Lethal Matt Sydal Moose NJPW Ring of Honor ROH Steve Corino Tanahashi Tetsuya Naito TNA War Machine World Champion WWE http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=12476 Welcome back to another edition of "Honorable Mention," the once-weekly Ring of Honor report exclusively available at Cheap-Heat.com. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty and I am pleased as punch to be here just two days shy of Ring of Honor "Best in the World" live on pay-per-view. This was an excellent hour of professional […]

Welcome back to another edition of "Honorable Mention," the once-weekly Ring of Honor report exclusively available at Cheap-Heat.com. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty and I am pleased as punch to be here just two days shy of Ring of Honor "Best in the World" live on pay-per-view. This was an excellent hour of professional wrestling and finally hit the crescendo that we ROH fans have been anticipating for three weeks.

This week's show comes to us from the Tedreeve Arena in Toronto, Canada with Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino calling the action. There's another Corino in the arena! It's Steve's son Colby, who accompanies the Decade's BJ Whitmer and Adam Page to the ring for their match against War Machine. Colby fell victim to the menacing Moose just a few weeks ago, but has returned to the ring where he'll fulfill the necessary "Young Boy" duties bestowed upon him by BJ. Whitmer gets the microphone and tells the angry fans that a live mic is "way louder than they are." The fans try hard to bury BJ's voice, but it's no use: "Two weeks ago Colby, you came out here and you showed the world how much of a man you are, and you came within an inch of beating that big goofy bastard Moose. But I don't think your father gets it. I don't think he understands. And I think he needs to see it— AGAIN !" BJ tells Colby Corino to "step up and take his place in the match." Colby immediately takes a roll of white tape and begins to wrap it around his wrists. As soon as the bell sounds, Adam Page tags Colby into action against Raymond Rowe, who doesn't want to wrestle Corino. "You're not ready Colby," yelled Rowe, as he begged the Young Boy to listen to his father. Colby slapped Rowe across the face, causing King Corino to stand and scream: "Who taught you this?" Rowe tags out, fearful of what he might do to Steve Corino's son. According to Kevin Kelly, Ray Rowe has known Colby ever since he was ten years old, and opts to allow "Warbeard" to handle the light work. Hanson slams Colby, and tags Rowe back in, but Rowe continues to ignore the challenge, ordering the other members of the Decade to tag into the match. Rowe is forced to attack Colby Corino with a vicious backbreaker-gutbuster-powerbomb combo. Adam Page refused to tag in, and War Machine picked up the victory mere seconds later. BJ Whitmer continued to rile King Corino at ringside, to the point where the former world champion broadcaster tossed down his headset and prepared to fight. Before anything could happen however, Kevin Kelly threw the show to a break, in an attempt to restore order.

"Around this time last year, I was considered THE breakout star in Ring of Honor," Cedric Alexander is in the center of the ring, telling the fans how he is no longer the breakout star he once was. "Right now for Cedric Alexander it's do-or-die. I need to start picking up WINS ! I need to start picking up wins to prove to my family that this dream of being a professional wrestler isn't a waste of time." Cedric Alexander is ready to challenge anyone in the locker room, and decides to call out the undefeated Moose! Moose comes to the ring per usual alongside Stokley Hathaway and Veda Scott, prepared to meet whatever challenge awaits him. Cedric keeps up with the big man, evading every one of his drop kicks, and landing a sizzling sidekick to the back of Moose's head. The action spills to the outside, and Cedric is still in control over the burly Moose, but not for long! Once they return to the ring, Moose hits Cedric with a successful drop kick, sending Cedric Alexander back to the outside. We head into a commercial—for Ring of Honor Best in the World—and once we return, Moose and Cedric are still going back and forth. Cedric is very good at reversing the rookie Moose's moves, but has a tough time building any sort of discernible offense that might win him the match. The announcers make frequent mention of how Moose is friends with the majority of men and women in the back, including his manager Stokley Hathaway, as well as his opponent Cedric Alexander. Veda Scott however, has other plans for the future of Moose, and would rather see him turn a blind eye to the rest of the Ring of Honor roster. This match is heating up and Moose scores a near fall following a decapitating lariat. The fans battle chant-for-chant: "Let's go Moose" versus "Let's go Cedric," until this match devolves into a series of forearm strikes. Moose heads to the top rope, but Cedric catches him and prepares to end the undefeated streak of his friend following a litany of high impact drop kicks to the head. "Moose's eyes are dimming," says Kevin Kelly! Just before Cedric can deliver his final kick, Moose summons the strength to employ his somersault Spear. Both men are down and at the mercy of the referee's count. Veda yells at Stokley to distract the referee, and she hands a wrench to Moose. Moose refuses to use the tool to gain the victory, but Cedric Alexander has no problem earning a win that way! Cedric uses Moose's confusion against him and seizes the wrench, smacks him across the skull with it, and hands Moose the very first loss in his wrestling career.

Mandy Leone is backstage giving us a history lesson on what went down between reDRagon and the Addiction when the latter team stole the coveted tag titles from the former. Adam Cole interrupts Mandy, and cuts a promo on his return to pay-per-view this Friday night alongside Matt Taven and Mike Bennett. They'll be heading into six-man-competition this weekend against the Bullet Club's AJ Styles and The Young Bucks.

The main event tonight is—well, it's a contract signing. BUT the main event match this evening is a tag team contest. ACH and Matt Sydal will head into battle against the record-setting seven-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi and the former NEVER Openweight Champion Tetsuya Naito. The NJPW team refuses to adhere to the code of honor, despite Sydal and ACH's insistence. Things kick off with Tanahashi against Matt Sydal, as both men decide take things to the mat. Naito taunts Sydal from the apron, and soon ACH is part of this match. Things wage forward with both teams earning the upper hand, and the NJPW team playing a bit of a heel role. While that might seem odd to NJPW fans familiar with Tanahashi and Naito, it makes perfect sense across the Pacific Ocean where ACH and Matt Sydal are far more popular. Tanahashi scurries back to his corner like a cowardly heel, and things speed up when ACH and Naito take control of the contest. Naito's eyeball gimmick is sort of strange, and even odder when mocked by the inordinately agile ACH. Tanahashi takes ACH to the outside and tosses him into the barricade behind referee Todd Sinclair's back; the New Japan team is most certainly the more dastardly of the two this evening. We head into a commercial break and when we return, ACH has fallen victim to both of his opponents, as Sydal struggles to get back into the action. Naito attempts a Superplex but is sent spiraling down to the canvas. ACH takes advantage of Naito's slip up and applies a double foot stomp to the back of his opponents shoulders. He tags Sydal into the match, and the former Evan Bourne gets to work in settling the score against these two international stars. The waning moments of the match are exciting and unpredictable—both Sydal and Tanahashi battle for dominance before ACH returns for a final go at the former IWGP champion. ACH hits Tanahashi with more than a dozen standing sidekicks for a near fall, and follows up with a German Suplex with a bridge for a 2 and 9/10ths count. ACH mocks Tanahashi to his face, and is awarded a Texas Cloverleaf for his efforts. Before he can reach the bottom rope, Sydal returns with a jumping knee to the face of Hiroshi Tanahashi. The match ends with a frog splash by Tanahashi on ACH for the 1-2-3, and a definitive end to an extraordinary match.

The final segment tonight, and dare I say the main event, is a contract signing between the ROH World Champion Jay Briscoe, and the ROH World Television Champion Jay Lethal. They're set to meet this Friday night at Terminal One in New York City, where both of their belts will be on the line. Lethal hits the ring first, dressed like Lou Bega (Mambo Number 5) and flanked by Truth Martini. Jay Briscoe is accompanied by his brother Mark, who will be in action on Friday against another member of the House of Truth, in Donavan Dijak. Things are tense between the champions; Jay Lethal has said on multiple occasions that his TV title is far more prestigious than the World Championship held by Briscoe. Former World Champion and current ROH matchmaker Nigel McGuinness is presiding over the precedings, and explains the rules and time limit. Nigel says that this will be the biggest match in Ring of Honor history, and asks both men for their final words going into the fight. Lethal says that the only reason he doesn't flip the table over and "beat [Briscoe] where he stands" is because he "needs him at his best." Lethal says that after June 19 ^th —after Best in the World—Jay Briscoe will no business in Ring of Honor anymore. Jay Briscoe responds in kind, angered by Lethal's overconfident demeanor: "June 19 ^th , when I get done whoopin' yo ass, when I get done with you boy , you gonna have to go back to being the �Black Machismo' man!" Take that TNA! Lethal flips the table and both men remove their shirts, and hold their belts side by side as they continue to talk smack while the camera's fade out. Great show.

Until next time, please LIKE "The B+ Players Podcast" on Facebook , and FOLLOW me on Twitter for all the latest and greatest updates courtesy of Cheap-Heat and Daily Wrestling News!

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-ring-of-honor-roh-13th-anniversary-winner-takes-all-3115-las-vegas-nv/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-ring-of-honor-roh-13th-anniversary-winner-takes-all-3115-las-vegas-nv/#comments Mon, 02 Mar 2015 20:32:45 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha 13th Anniversary ACH Adam Page Adam Thornstowe AJ Styles Alberto El Patron BJ Whitmer Bobby Fish Cedric Alexander Christopher Daniels Frankie Kazarian Hanson J. Diesel Jay Briscoe Jay Lethal Jimmy Jacobs Karl Anderson Kyle O'Reilly Luster the Legend Maria Kanellis Mark Briscoe Matt Jackson Matt Sydal Matt Taven Michael Bennett Michael Elgin Moose Nick Jackson ODB reDRagon Reno SCUM Ring of Honor Roderick Strong ROH Shayna Baszler Stokely Hathaway The Addiction The Decade The Kingdom Tommaso Ciampa Truth Martini Veda Scott War Beard Winner Takes All Young Bucks http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=10117 The following results are from a recent Ring of Honor live event. В The event took place on March 1st, 2015 from theВ Orleans Hotel & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada:   Dark Tag Team Match The Decade (Adam Page & Jimmy Jacobs) defeat Reno SCUM (Adam Thornstowe & Luster The Legend) Singles Match Matt Sydal defeats […]

The following results are from a recent Ring of Honor live event. В The event took place on March 1st, 2015 from theВ Orleans Hotel & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada:

Dark Tag Team Match
The Decade (Adam Page & Jimmy Jacobs) defeat Reno SCUM (Adam Thornstowe & Luster The Legend)

Singles Match
Matt Sydal defeats Cedric Alexander (9:39)

Singles Match
Moose (w/Stokely Hathaway & Veda Scott) defeats Mark Briscoe (5:15)

Three Way Tag Team Match
The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Michael Bennett) defeat Karl Anderson and The Addiction (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) (11:58)

Singles Match
Roderick Strong defeats BJ Whitmer (w/Adam Page) (11:01)

Singles Match
ODB (w/Mark Briscoe) defeats Maria Kanellis (w/Michael Bennett) (5:21)

Singles Match
AJ Styles defeats ACH (15:31)

ROH World Tag Team Title Match
reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) (w/Shayna Baszler) (c) defeat The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) (15:42)

ROH World Television Title Match
Jay Lethal (w/J. Diesel & Truth Martini) (c) defeats Alberto El Patron (12:35)

ROH World Title Four Corner Survival Match
Jay Briscoe (c) defeats Hanson and Michael Elgin and Tommaso Ciampa (16:22)

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-pro-wrestling-guerrilla-pwg-from-out-of-nowhere-22715-reseda-ca/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-pro-wrestling-guerrilla-pwg-from-out-of-nowhere-22715-reseda-ca/#comments Sat, 28 Feb 2015 18:31:05 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha ACH Alex Reynolds AR Fox Beaver Boys Best Friends Biff Busick Cedric Alexander Chris Hero Chuck Taylor Drew Gulak Ethan Page John Silver Josh Alexander Matt Jackson Matt Sydal Mike Bailey Monster Mafia Nick Jackson Pro Wrestling Guerrilla PWG Ricochet Roderick Strong Tommaso Ciampa Trent Baretta Trevor Lee Young Bucks http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=10058 The following results are from a recent Pro Wrestling Guerrilla live event. В The event took place on February 27th, 2015 from the American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, California: Singles Match Biff Busick defeats Mike Bailey Singles Match Cedric Alexander defeats Tommaso Ciampa Tag Team Match Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent) defeat The Beaver […]

The following results are from a recent Pro Wrestling Guerrilla live event. В The event took place on February 27th, 2015 from the American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, California:
Singles Match
Biff Busick defeats Mike Bailey

Singles Match
Cedric Alexander defeats Tommaso Ciampa

Tag Team Match
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent) defeat The Beaver Boys (Alex Reynolds & John Silver)

Singles Match
ACH defeats AR Fox

Singles Match
Chris Hero defeats Drew Gulak

Singles Match
Ricochet defeats Matt Sydal

Tag Team Match
The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) defeat The Monster Mafia (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander)

PWG World Title Match
Roderick Strong (c) defeats Trevor Lee

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-ring-of-honor-roh-winter-warriors-tour-22115-atlanta-ga/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-ring-of-honor-roh-winter-warriors-tour-22115-atlanta-ga/#comments Sun, 22 Feb 2015 20:03:41 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha ACH Adam Cole Adam Page AJ Styles BJ Whitmer Bobby Fish Brandon Espinosa Caprice Coleman Cedric Alexander Corey Hollis Delirious Hanson Jack Jameson Jay Briscoe Jay Lethal Jimmy Jacobs John Abraham Jon Williams Jonathan Gresham Kyle O'Reilly Maria Kanellis Mark Briscoe Matt Sydal Matt Taven Michael Bennett Michael Elgin Mike Posey Moose Ring of Honor Roderick Strong ROH Stokely Hathaway The Briscoes The Decade The Kingdom The Washington Bullets Tommaso Ciampa Trey Williams Veda Scott Winter Warriors Tour http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9925 The following results are from a recent Ring of Honor live event. В The event took place on February 21st, 2015 from the North Atlanta Trade Center, in Atlanta, Georgia:   Dark Tag Team Match Brandon Espinosa & Jack Jameson defeat The Washington Bullets (Jon Williams & Trey Williams) Singles Match Caprice Coleman defeats Mike Posey […]

The following results are from a recent Ring of Honor live event. В The event took place on February 21st, 2015 from the North Atlanta Trade Center, in Atlanta, Georgia:

Dark Tag Team Match
Brandon Espinosa & Jack Jameson defeat The Washington Bullets (Jon Williams & Trey Williams)

Singles Match
Caprice Coleman defeats Mike Posey

Singles Match
Corey Hollis vs. Jonathan Gresham – No Contest

Tag Team Match
The Decade (Adam Page & BJ Whitmer) defeat Corey Hollis & Jonathan Gresham

Singles Match
Matt Sydal defeats Delirious

Singles Match
Roderick Strong defeats Kyle O’Reilly (w/Bobby Fish)

Singles Match
Moose (w/John Abraham, Stokely Hathaway & Veda Scott) defeats ACH

Six Man Mayhem Match
Hanson defeats Cedric Alexander and Jay Lethal and Jimmy Jacobs and Michael Elgin and Tommaso Ciampa

Singles Match
AJ Styles defeats Bobby Fish (w/Kyle O’Reilly)

Armageddon Best Two Out Of Three Falls Tag Team Match
The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Michael Bennett) (w/Adam Cole & Maria Kanellis) defeat The Briscoes (Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe) [2:1]
– The Briscoes defeatedВ The Kingdom
– The Kingdom defeatedВ The Briscoes
– The Kingdom defeatedВ The Briscoes

http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-21415/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-21415/#comments Wed, 18 Feb 2015 17:34:10 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews ACH AJ Styles Alberto El Patron Bullet Club Cedric Alexander Christopher Daniels Hanson IWGP Jay Briscoe Jimmy Jacobs Kevin Kelly Matt Jackson Matt Sydal Michael Elgin Moose Nick Jackson R.D. Evans Ring of Honor Roderick Strong ROH Steve Corino The Romantic Touch The Young Bucks Tommaso Ciampa Veda Scott http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9815 Honorable Mention ROH TV 2/14/15 Written by Mark Adam Haggerty Love is in the air, everywhere you look around! It's Valentine's Day at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia and Ring of Honor is back in action with another star-studded hour of power, just two weeks away from the Thirteenth Anniversary Show in Las Vegas. I'll […]

Honorable Mention
ROH TV 2/14/15
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

Love is in the air, everywhere you look around! It's Valentine's Day at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia and Ring of Honor is back in action with another star-studded hour of power, just two weeks away from the Thirteenth Anniversary Show in Las Vegas. I'll be heading out to Sin City, as it's just a quick car ride out of Southern California, and I'll be looking forward to shooting some dice with the Young Bucks and perhaps having an appletini or two if Chris Daniels is around. This week's episode of ROH TV helped further establish the rivalries going into their biggest show of the year so far. What was the match of the night and what could we have done without seeing? Let's waste no time and get right into the thick of things with our commentators Kevin Kelly, Steve Corino, and very special guest ROH world heavyweight champion Jay Briscoe.

The show begins as Ring of Honor world champion Jay Briscoe makes his way to ringside, getting set to join the usual duo of Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino on commentary. Tonight's episode of Ring of Honor TV will include four bouts, three of which feature participants in the upcoming four-way championship match in Las Vegas. Jimmy Jacobs is set to go one-on-one with the "Sicilian Psychopath" Tommaso Ciampa. Jacobs has been making waves in recent weeks, scouting the Top Prospect Tournament in search of the Decade's newest "young boy." The match is off to a rough start for the "Zombie Princess," as Ciampa quickly resorts to his signature blend of striking offense. Announcers at ringside made mention that Jacobs has just as much fight as anyone, despite weighing-in at just 185 pounds. The onslaught of lariats and running knee-strikes took its toll on both Jacobs and the Philadelphia audience; the fans inside the 2300 Arena were silent during the unnecessary roughness of Ciampa, except for one man who yelled, "What a maneuver!" Ciampa obliterated Jimmy Jacobs in less than five minutes, leaving the Decade member broken on the outside of the ring. The official opted to forgo a count, and declared Ciampa the winner. This breathtaking display by the �Psychopath left the champion speechless. He stood to face Ciampa, sizing up what could be his most violent competition at the Anniversary Show in two weeks.

Before ROH hit the air I knew we'd be getting a dose of The Romantic Touch—it is Valentine's Day, after all! �Touch enters the arena with a heart-shaped box of chocolates and two beautiful ladies hanging on each of his arms. As he struts to the ring, Kelly and Corino question whether the champ has enough time for romance when preparing to defend his title in two weeks. Jay Briscoe says, "Well, we've been married for seven years…" Steve Corino immediately cuts him off, "Oh don't tell me the romance is all gone!" But Jay was quick on his feet, joking back, "Oh shoot no, I'm just tryin' not to have another kid!" The Romantic Touch has a prerecorded promo wherein he warns viewers at home to treat their ladies well, otherwise he's prepared to do so. His opponent tonight however, is a little less loving than �Touch might have hoped. This is the second exhibition featuring the three number one contenders to Jay Briscoe's world title, and this time it's "Warbeard" Hanson. The impressive Hanson stands at 6'2" and weighs in at 275 pounds—not a massive individual by "New York" standards, but a menacing force inside the Ring of Honor locker room. The Romantic Touch and "Warbeard" Hanson meet to engage in the "Code of Conduct," where �Touch offers Hanson a chocolate. Hanson responds with a disastrous kick, dubbed the "Spin Kick of Doom." Hanson defeated the Romantic Touch in less than thirty seconds, and even ate one of the chocolates when he was through. After the match, Hanson met eye-to-eye with Briscoe, just the same as Ciampa before him. Hanson shouted, "Look what I did," in reference to laying out his opponent. Jay responded in kind, letting Hanson know that he "ain't no Romantic Touch."

The third and final bout featuring challengers for Jay Briscoes coveted belt pits the undefeated Moose against the former Ring of Honor world heavyweight champion Michael Elgin. Moose is escorted to the ring, per usual, by Veda Scott and Stokley Hathaway. Since defeating R.D. Evans at Final Battle in December, Moose has established the "New Streak" in Ring of Honor, and will put it on the line tonight in his greatest test to-date. Elgin enters to a chorus of boos, but doesn't allow the Philadelphia fans to breach his skin as he prepares to dismantle Moose. Both men adhere to the code of conduct before quickly engaging in battle. Elgin takes advantage of the former Atlanta Falcon within the opening seconds, lifting him into a brain buster position, and holding him there for over 10-seconds before driving him into the mat. But Moose was back up just as quick as Elgin, ready to continue with a dropkick, sending the former champion barreling to the outside. This match is already more competitive than both previous bouts on the card, which makes sense; aside from Jay Briscoe, Michael Elgin is certainly the odds-on-favorite heading into Las Vegas. Michael Elgin returns to the ring and dodges a clothesline, returning with a big boot of his own. Elgin pumped his arm, mocking the choreographed way in which Moose and his entourage enter the arena. The former champion climbed the ropes, but was distracted by Veda Scott. Elgin fought her away and cartwheeled off the turnbuckle and away from and imposing Moose. He proceeded to deliver a devastating powerbomb, and then lifted the 300 pound athlete from the canvas, into the air, for another grueling power bomb. A near-three count and the contest continues with both men reeling against the ropes. Moose then shoved Elgin through the ropes and to the outside where he was face-to-face with Jay Briscoe. Just the same as Ciampa and Hanson, Elgin stared into the eyes of the champion, but unlike the �Psychopath and "Warbeard, Michael Elgin pushed Jay Briscoe back and over his chair. Briscoe wasn't going to stand for such disrespect and immediately charged the ring where he was caught in the line of fire between Elgin and a Spear by Moose. The referee called for the bell and before long all four combatants in the Thirteenth Anniversary main event were warring inside the squared-circle, with a great deal of focus placed on the reigning world champion. Luckily Jay Briscoe was saved by his brother Mark who engaged all-comers before being put down by Moose's spine-shattering Spear.

It's time for the main event at the 2300 Arena—a trios match with Ring of Honor babyfaces squaring off against Bullet Club villains. ACH, Matt Sydal and Cedric Alexander are the first team introduced, and although all three men are among the most-over in ROH, their popularity pales in comparison to their opponents. The Bullet Club coming to America and performing on Ring of Honor TV is akin to British rock bands touring America or the Harlem Globe Trotters playing in North Korea. The Young Bucks enter first wearing black pants with fringe complete with a Bullet Club logo on the side. Just before they make it to the ringside area, the lights go down and the music slowly begins. It's as if a spiritual leader of some sort has just entered this holiest of hallowed halls; the audience is almost completely silent until AJ Styles makes his dramatic appearance. They chant, "AJ, AJ, AJ," as both Styles and the Bucks cruise into the ring amidst a sea of colored streamers. All six wrestlers shake hands before returning to their respective corners and this match is underway. It's interesting to note, as this was filmed several weeks ago, AJ is without the IWGP championship title belt. AJ, of course, won the IWGP world heavyweight championship from Hiroshi Tanahashi just this past week in Japan. The �Bucks begin by each taking turns on Matt Sydal who soon trades out to his former tag team partner ACH. The Bucks work like a well-oiled machine, working their opponents down to the mat in whatever way possible. When AJ tags into the contest he is met with immediate praise from the live audience, and sets to work attacking ACH just the same as his fellow Bullet Club members. The show goes to a commercial and when we return ACH and AJ Styles are standing in the center of the ring trading knife-edge chops with deadly precision. Nick Jackson tagged back in, hitting ACH with his patented blend of Young Bucks chicanery, poking the decorated superstar in the eyes and "too sweeting" his tag team partners in the corner.

The action heats up with all six combatants seeking to get involved at the same time. Sydal finds himself alone inside the ring with the Bullet Club, who triple team the former WWE tag team champion, before Matt Jackson takes the lead, continuing to take the fight to "Reborn" Matt Sydal. The quick tags from the Bullet Club work to their advantage as one-by-one AJ and the Bucks trade shots on their opponent, isolating him from his partners. After managing to reach his corner, the contest works toward the favor of the ROH wrestlers. Cedric Alexander takes to the skies, performing an exhilarating splash, followed by "two-out-of-three Amigos." Nick Jackson countered and proceeded to superkick ACH, who was standing on the outside, from the apron. He spring-boarded into the ring where he face-busted Cedric Alexander, only to slide back out of the ring and hit ACH once more, this time with a Tornado-DDT. Not to be outdone by his brother, Matt Jackson joined the action with a misguided Swanton bomb, crash-landing on the knees of Cedric Alexander. Cedric lifted Matt Jackson up into a powerbomb predicament, complimented by a jumping knee smash courtesy of Matt Sydal. Sydal then went toe-to-toe with AJ Styles in a battle of rights-and-lefts until he was taken off his feet by a superkick from Matt Jackson. Nick and Matt Jackson were ready to deliver superkicks to whomever may ask for one, but were caught off guard with the equally-quick superkick-game of ACH. AJ attempted a 450-splash but to no avail, once again countered by the educated knees of Cedric Alexander. This time ACH would be the one going for a 450, landing expertly on Styles. Matt Sydal would hope to follow-up with his own high-risk maneuver, the Shooting Star Press. As Sydal leapt from the top turnbuckle, he was forced to make an emergency landing on his feet, met almost immediately by duel superkicks. Nick and Matt then proceeded to superkick ACH and Cedric Alexander out of contention. The end would come for Matt Sydal as the trio put him through a combination of the "Meltzer-Driver," a hanging upside down double superkick, followed by a "Styles Clash" for the 1-2-3. Your winners are the Bullet Club.

This was an excellent edition of ROH TV, which believe it or not, I'm almost getting sick of saying each week! Ring of Honor delivers at least three—in some cases FOUR highly athletic wrestling contests every time it airs. In addition, ROH isn't bogged down by heavily scripted talking segments, instead allowing for the story to be told inside the squared-circle. That might sound like a cliché, but that's only because I've said it before. Just two more episodes of ROH TV to go until Sunday March 1st and the Thirteenth Anniversary Show in Las Vegas. Next week will feature two main-event caliber bouts—Alberto El Patron will go head-to-head with ACH, and the world television champion Jay Lethal will battle Roderick Strong. Until then, my name is Mark Adam Haggerty and this has been "Honorable Mention."

http://www.cheap-heat.com/updated-card-for-ring-of-honors-ippv-return-on-march-1st-2015-tv-title-match-signed-and-more/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/updated-card-for-ring-of-honors-ippv-return-on-march-1st-2015-tv-title-match-signed-and-more/#comments Thu, 29 Jan 2015 16:49:21 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha ACH Adam Page AJ Styles Alberto El Patron BJ Whitmer Cedric Alexander Hanson Jay Briscoe Jay Lethal Jimmy Jacobs Maria Kanellis Mark Briscoe Matt Sydal Matt Taven Michael Bennett Michael Elgin Mike Bennett Moose Ring of Honor Roderick Strong ROH Stokely Hathaway The Addiction The Decade The Kingdom Tommaso Ciampa Veda Scott http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9363 Ring Of Honor Wrestling sent out the following: ALBERTO EL PATRГ"N CHALLENGES JAY LETHAL FOR THE ROH WORLD TV TITLE LIVE ON PAY PER VIEW SUNDAY, MARCH 1ST at 8:00PM ET/ 5:00PM PT Sunday, March 1st at 8:00PM ET/ 5:00PM PT Live on Pay Per View, Jay Lethal puts his World Television championship on the […]

Ring Of Honor Wrestling sent out the following:

ALBERTO EL PATRГ"N CHALLENGES JAY LETHAL FOR THE ROH WORLD TV TITLE LIVE ON PAY PER VIEW SUNDAY, MARCH 1ST at 8:00PM ET/ 5:00PM PT

Sunday, March 1st at 8:00PM ET/ 5:00PM PT Live on Pay Per View, Jay Lethal puts his World Television championship on the line.

Rumors of a dream match have swirled on social media but now it is official. The legendary, 2nd generation Mexican wrestling star, Alberto El PatrГіn, will challenge Jay Lethal for the Ring of Honor World Television Championship live on Pay Per View at our 13th Anniversary event.

Upon his arrival in ROH, Alberto El PatrГіn wanted an opportunity to speak with his fans on ROH Television. Alberto proclaimed that he was finally among the best wrestlers on the planet and he wanted a shot at the most important title in professional wrestling, the ROH World Championship. Lethal and his manager, Truth Martini took major offense to this and Lethal interrupted Alberto, telling him he should have done his homework before coming to class. Lethal made it known that he is the measuring stick for the best professional wrestler on the planet and that his championship was the most important.

This meeting of two very different athletes in the prime of their careers is something that does not happen very often. This rivalry has taken on a personal twist as Lethal feels Alberto overlooked him as a champion. El PatrГіn believes Lethal has challenged his manhood, something for which Alberto will not stand.

Can Lethal add Alberto El PatrГіn to the record list of contenders he has defeated? Can Alberto El PatrГіn make history by ending the historic reign of Lethal? To find out you will either need to be live in Las Vegas or on Pay per View!

RING OF HONOR WRESTLING PRESENTS: 13TH ANNIVERSARY LIVE PAY PER VIEW
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Orleans Hotel & Casino
4500 W. Tropicana Avenue
Las Vegas, Nevada 89103

Live Event – 7:30pm EST (4:30 PST) / PPV Broadcast 8pm Est (5pm Pst)

MATCHES SIGNED

*Main Event*
HIGH STAKES Four Corner Survival ROH World Championship Match
Jay Briscoe (c) vs. "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin vs. "Sicilian Psychopath" Tommaso Ciampa vs. "War Beard" Hanson

ROH World Television Championship
Jay Lethal (c) w/ Truth Martini vs Alberto El PatrГіn

Also Signed to Appear:
– AJ Styles
– Matt Sydal
– Roderick Strong
– The Kingdom (Michael Bennett & Matt Taven) w/ Maria Kanellis
– The Addiction (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian)
– ACH
– Cedric Alexander
– Moose w/ Veda Scott & Stokley Hathaway
– Mark Briscoe
– The Decade (BJ Whitmer, Jimmy Jacobs & Adam Page)

http://www.cheap-heat.com/updated-pro-wrestling-guerrilla-pwg-card-for-february-27th-2015-change-to-main-event/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/updated-pro-wrestling-guerrilla-pwg-card-for-february-27th-2015-change-to-main-event/#comments Tue, 27 Jan 2015 19:15:07 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha "Speedball" Mike Bailey Alex Reynolds Beaver Boys Biff Busick Cedric Alexander Chris Hero Chuck Taylor Drew Gulak Ethan Page John Silver Josh Alexander Matt Jackson Matt Sydal Mike Bailey Monster Mafia Nick Jackson Pro Wrestling Guerrilla PWG Ricochet Roderick Strong The Best Friends Tommaso Ciampa Trent Barreta Trevor Lee Uhaa Nation Young Bucks http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9311 PWG returns Friday, February 27th. Tickets go on sale Thursday, January 29th at 8PM PDT Main Event PWG World Title Match: Trevor Lee vs Roderick Strong **Uhaa Nation will not be able to do the show** Singles Match "Speedball" Mike Bailey vsBiff Busick Singles Match Drew Gulak vs Chris Hero Tag Team Match  Monster Mafia (Ethan […]

PWG returns Friday, February 27th .
Tickets go on sale Thursday, January 29th at 8PM PDT

Singles Match
"Speedball" Mike Bailey vsBiff Busick

Singles Match
Drew Gulak vsВ Chris Hero

Tag Team Match
В Monster Mafia (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander)В vsВ The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)

Tag Team Match
В The Beaver Boys (Alex Reynolds & John Silver) vsВ The Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Barreta)

Singles Match
Cedric Alexander vsВ Tommaso Ciampa

Singles Match
Ricochet vsВ Matt Sydal

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-international-wrestling-federation-iwf-the-chosen-one-12315-mesa-arizona/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-international-wrestling-federation-iwf-the-chosen-one-12315-mesa-arizona/#comments Sat, 24 Jan 2015 17:28:27 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha ACH Biff Busick Brian Cage Chris Hero Drew Galloway Evan Daniels International Wrestling Federation IWF Jacob Austin Young Joey Ryan Kevin Krunk Matt Cage Matt Jackson Matt Sydal Nick Jackson Shane Strickland Shaun Ricker Tommaso Ciampa Trevor Lee Uhaa Nation Young Bucks http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9226 The following results are from a recent International Wrestling Federation live event. В The event took place on January 23rd, 2015 from the The Arizona Event Center in Mesa, Arizona:   Dark Match Kevin Krunk defeated Evan Daniels IWF Heavyweight Title Tournament, Semi Final Uhaa Nation defeated Matt Sydal IWF Heavyweight Title Tournament, Semi Final Chris […]

The following results are from a recent International Wrestling Federation live event. В The event took place on January 23rd, 2015 from the The Arizona Event Center in Mesa, Arizona:

Dark Match
Kevin Krunk defeated Evan Daniels

IWF Heavyweight Title Tournament, Semi Final
Uhaa Nation defeated Matt Sydal

IWF Heavyweight Title Tournament, Semi Final
Chris Hero defeated ACH

Singles Match
Matt Cage defeated Jacob Austin Young

IWF Heavyweight Title Tournament, Semi Final – ICW Heavyweight Title Match
Drew Galloway (c) defeated Tommaso Ciampa

IWF Heavyweight Title Tournament, Semi Final
Brian Cage defeated Biff Busick

Singles Match
Shaun Ricker defeated Joey Ryan

Tag Team Match
Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) defeated Shane Strickland and Trevor Lee

IWF Heavyweight Title Tournament, Final – 4-Way Match – IWF Heavyweight Title Match
Brian Cage defeated Chris Hero and Drew Galloway and Uhaa Nation – TITLE CHANGE!!!

http://www.cheap-heat.com/lucky-thirteen-2-top-13-years-of-the-past-2-decades/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/lucky-thirteen-2-top-13-years-of-the-past-2-decades/#comments Tue, 13 Jan 2015 02:16:40 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Blogs Other Blogs Top Lists 2 Cold Scorpio Adrian Neville AJ Styles Austin Aries Batista Bill Goldberg Bobby Lashley Booker T Bret Hart British Bulldog Bryan Danielson Chris Benoit Chris Jericho Christian Christian Cage Christopher Daniels CM Punk CZW Daniel Bryan Darren Young Dave Batista Davey Boy Smith Davey Richards David Arquette Dean Malenko Degeneration X Dwayne Johnson Eastern Championship Wrestling ECW Eddie Guerrero Edge Elimination Chamber Eric Bischoff Extreme Championship Wrestling Four Horsemen Goldberg Hell in a Cell HHH Hollywood Hogan Impact Jake Roberts Jeff Jarrett Jerry Lawler Kane Ken Shamrock Kevin Nash King Booker King of the Ring Kurt Angle Latino Heat Mankind Matt Sydal Mick Foley Money in the Bank Montreal Screwjob Mr. Perfect New World Order Nigel McGuinness Nitro NJPW NWA NXT One Night Stand Owen Hart Paul Bearer Paul Heyman Perry Saturn Phil Brooks Psycho Sid Radicalz RAW Razor Ramon Ready 2 Rumble Rey Mysterio RF Video Ric Flair Ring of Honor Rob Feinstein Rocky Maivia Roddy Piper ROH Royal Rumble Ryback Sami Zayn Samoa Joe Scott Steiner Sean Waltman Shane Douglas Shane McMahon Shawn Michaels Smackdown Starrcade Stephanie McMahon Steve Austin Stone Cold SummerSlam Survivor Series TAKA Michinoku Ted DiBiase The Alliance The Rock TNA Todd Gordon Total Nonstop Action Triple H UFC Ultimate Warrior Undertaker Vampiro Vince McMahon Vince Russo Wade Barrett WCW Wolfpac Wrestlemania Wrestling Society X WSX WWE WWF XFL http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8812 Lucky Thirteen #2 Top 13 Years of the Past 2 Decades Written by Mark Adam Haggerty I can’t remember back to a time before I was a wrestling fan. I can recall being six-years-old and thumbing through my parents modest little library of movies, suddenly stumbling upon a set of black Disney-like big boxes that […]

Lucky Thirteen #2
Top 13 Years of the Past 2 Decades
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

I can’t remember back to a time before I was a wrestling fan. I can recall being six-years-old and thumbing through my parents modest little library of movies, suddenly stumbling upon a set of black Disney-like big boxes that contained the first five Wrestlemanias. From that day I was hooked. I began tuning into WWF Superstars and WCW Saturday Night every single week, and by the spring of 1993 I was begging my parents to order Wrestlemania 9 on pay-per-view. Over the past 20 years I’ve had my share of favorite moments, but I often ask myself, what was the best year in professional wrestling? Maybe not best, but how about the most influential? Most impactful? Okay here it is: What was the Most Important Year since I Became a Fan? When other sites limit their lists to Top Ten, we take it a Step Further with the Lucky Thirteen—counting down the Top Years of the Past 2 Decades.

13. 2003
The list had to start somewhere and after cutting away seven years of nonsense I thought, what better place to begin than with 2003. Looking back I feel as though the year felt much bigger than it really was. Momentous occasions like Wrestlemania XIX and Stone Cold's retirement drew considerable attention but it's hard to isolate many other memorable moments. By this point Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Ring of Honor were both open and doing business, although nowhere near the level of success that they'd each see within a few short years. WCW had been closed since 2001, so WWE was slowly filtering out the Turner-holdovers and rebranding wrestlers like Booker T and Rey Mysterio as WWE Superstars. Twenty-oh-Three was the year Bill Goldberg made his long-awaited debut on Monday Night Raw where he famously told Dwayne Johnson, "You're next Rock!" In addition to a handful of interesting gimmicks and storylines scattered across the calendar, 2003 featured must-see-TV for anyone curious as to what lurked beneath the red and black mask of "The Devil's Favorite Demon" Kane. While it may appear dull in hindsight, 2003 was a fun time featuring the sex and violence of the Attitude Era, mixed with the incredible in-ring action so many of us value today.

12. 2010
Twenty-Ten proved to be an auspicious time for all wrestling organizations. Wrestlemania 26 featured the final match in the venerable career of "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels when he failed to defeat The Undertaker in Glendale. But as one man's career ended, eight more were just getting started; the initial NXT program was a far cry from the extraordinary show we see each week on the WWE Network, but it did introduce the WWE Universe to Superstars such as Ryback, Wade Barrett, Darren Young, and even the future WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan. Twenty-Ten was the year in which the unimaginable happened when Bret "The Hitman" Hart made his return to WWE television after a thirteen year hiatus. But 2010 was big for the competition as well. Not only were independent promotions the world-over hitting their stride due to the added exposure brought-on by social media, but TNA was enjoying one of its most visible years to date thanks to signing Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and a number of other established talents. In addition to inflating their roster, TNA made several changes to their product; they would begin to implement a traditional four-sided ring, and even attempted to compete live on Monday's with WWE Raw. The year 2010 was an exciting time for wrestling fans across the planet, and is the most modern year on my countdown.

11. 2007
It’s true that 2007 can hardly be considered a great year for professional wrestling, let alone the WWE. For a while it seemed that active wrestlers appeared on Nancy Grace more than they ever did on Raw or Smackdown. But if I'm here to countdown the most important years in wrestling, this certainly had its share of newsworthy events. In the summer of 2007, the WWE suspended more than half of its active roster in response to a litany of wellness violations for a variety of substances, most notably Human Growth Hormone. This year was historic for being the official end of "The Ruthless Aggression Era"—a period of time significant for exposing younger talent and transitioning the product out of the overtly controversial Attitude Era. In 2007 TNA expanded its flagship show IMPACT to two hours and embarked on what would be a defining age for the promotion. One of my favorite events in history happened in 2007, "The King of Europe Cup." The �Cup was a one-off event that took place over a two day period in the United Kingdom. A must-watch event that is readily available on YouTube and features well-known workers such as Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Matt Sydal, Davey Richards and a man who won the ROH World title in 2007—Nigel McGuinness. Sadly it's safe to say the most infamous moments of 2007 occurred between June 22nd and June 25th as the world became aware of the chilling circumstances surrounding Nancy, Daniel, and of course "The Crippler" Chris Benoit. Unfortunately for all of the positives, 2007 will forever be marred by the heinous actions of a troubled man that led to irreparable changes across the industry and what has been dubbed, "The PG Era."

10. 2006
It would appear as though 2006 was the last year representing any semblance of what was once regarded as a pop culture phenomenon. The ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view the previous year was such a success that WWE officials opted to resurrect Extreme Championship Wrestling complete with a one-hour timeslot on the Sci-Fi Channel. Edge and Rey Mysterio each made history in 2006 by becoming world champion; first Edge at New Years' Revolution and then Rey at Wrestlemania 22 in Chicago. Poised to be a contributing factor in the �New ECW', former champion Kurt Angle shocked the world in 2006 when he signed with TNA Wrestling. This year was famous for launching the career of current TNA Champion Bobby Lashley, as well as helping to define that of former Ring of Honor World Champion CM Punk. There were over a dozen debuts throughout the year due to ECW on Sci-Fi and Smackdown's "New Superstar Initiative." In Ring of Honor, the world title picture was dominated by Bryan Danielson who secured his spot atop the card from September 2005 until December 2006. In addition to WWE and TNA, MTV delivered an over the top unreal wrestling experience known as "Wrestling Society X." WSX only lasted one short season but familiarized fans with future names such as Matt Sydal and reintroduced established stars like Sean Waltman and Vampiro. Twenty-oh-Six was a great year for good storytelling that included Vince McMahon's rivalry with Shawn Michaels, Booker T becoming King Booker, and the continuing drama between Edge and John Cena. Rounding out the top ten, 2006 was an enjoyable year without much in the way of defining moments but never short on excitement.

9. 2000
When the new millennium dawned on the world of professional wrestling, so too did a number of landmark milestones and controversial occurrences. WCW released the unsuccessful "Ready 2 Rumble," starring a variety of World Championship Wrestling athletes and the man who would soon become WCW Champion—David Arquette. Not only was 2000 the year all WCW titles would be stripped and reassigned, it was also the year in which the World Championship was devalued and strapped to a B-list Hollywood celebrity. But not all was bad in the world of sports and entertainment as 2000 marked the first time Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson hosted Saturday Night Live, which he did to rave reviews. While Eric Bischoff returned to WCW, a new set of "Radicalz" debuted in the WWF; Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn and Dean Malenko all jumped ship and began appearing on WWF TV in the early months of the new millennium. The Year Two-Thousand was a defining era for the Undertaker who chose this year to swap his demonic demeanor for the apparel of the "American Badass." Hulk Hogan would say his final goodbye to his WCW fans thanks to a scenario gone wrong involving the Hulkster, Jeff Jarrett, and head-writer Vince Russo. An exciting year for wrestling of course with Kurt Angle capturing his first of many world titles, but perhaps the biggest thing to happen in 2000 was the debut of Vince McMahon's now defunct football league—The XFL. Whether you're a football fan or an admirer of the "Scream" film franchise, 2000 had something for everybody to get excited about.

8. 2005
If ever a year signaled things to come it was 2005. For fans of the WWE, 2005 was the year Monday Night Raw returned home to the USA Network after a five year run on Spike TV. Two first-time world champions were crowned at Wrestlemania—John Cena and Dave Batista. But TNA had its own share of successes in 2005: the company made its highly anticipated debut on Spike TV; Christopher Daniels, AJ Styles, and Samoa Joe had the only 5-Star Triple Threat Match in history; and Christian Cage signed a deal, opening the gates to a deluge of ex-WWE Superstars. ECW was in the midst of a resurrection that would culminate in 2006, but 2005 was the year the WWE hosted the first "ECW One Night Stand," in New York City. On the independent scene, a former backyard wrestler named Phil Brooks won the ROH World Heavyweight Championship from the highly decorated Austin Aries, thus placing CM Punk on WWE's radar. Later that year another future WWE Champion would capture the ROH World Title and hold it for over four hundred days—"The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson. Back in the WWE, six daring individuals were getting ready to introduce the world to "Money in the Bank," and later that year Shawn Michaels faced Hulk Hogan for the first time ever at Summerslam. Chris Jericho was fired by Eric Bischoff and then Bischoff himself was released resulting in Eric leaving the arena in the back of a garbage truck. But even in the silliest of times, sadness rears its ugly head and it was in 2005 that the world was forced to say goodbye to the former WWE Champion, "Latino Heat" Eddie Guerrero. From the highs to the lows, 2005 was an important year that no one will ever forget.

7. 1994
Not such an enormous year for the industry-leading WWF, but a landmark time period for much of the competition. Having survived his battle with the US Government, Vince McMahon was back in full control of his company; 1994 was the year of Wrestlemania X and the infamous bout between Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels that would set the bar for ladder matches to come. The Undertaker mysteriously disappeared at the Royal Rumble and come Summerslam, the WWF fans were privy to not one—but TWO Undertakers! Of course this was the year that the Hart Family rivalry between Bret and Owen kicked into high gear, including a match of the year contender at Wrestlemania and a championship cage match at Summerslam. But outside the confines of the WWF, events began to take place that would lay the foundation for the Attitude Era. The NWA was the longstanding governing body of professional wrestling in the United States and Japan for several decades. In 1994 the NWA title was to be decided in Philadelphia at Todd Gordon's Eastern Championship Wrestling, with Shane Douglas set to win the gold. Instead Douglas disregarded the title, disgracing the NWA in the process by claiming he would not represent a company that, "died, R.I.P. seven years ago!" ECW broke away from the NWA and declared themselves Extreme Championship Wrestling with "The Franchise" as their champion. Down in WCW, Eric Bischoff was moving ahead by leaps and bounds thanks to an array of positive changes in production, including the debut of WCW Saturday Night at Disney's MGM Studios in Orlando. But perhaps there was nothing in '94 as monumental as when WCW signed Hulk Hogan. Bischoff wasted no time in booking the dream contest WWF refused to feature at Wrestlemania VIII two years earlier. In his debut match alongside Mr. T and Shaquille O'Neil, Hulk Hogan defeated "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair for the WCW Title. Who's to say if things had gone differently in �94, the industry of today might be something else entirely.

6. 1998
The Attitude Era might have started in �97, but 1998 was the year in which the world was introduced to the brand new World Wrestling Federation. WCW turned up the heat on the competition by introducing a brand new Thursday night program on TBS titled, "Thunder." This was the year that saw The Four Horsemen reunite on Monday Nitro including Ric Flair who had since left the company. The NWO was continuing to grow and would eventually split into two entities: NWO Hollywood with Hulk Hogan, and NWO Wolfpac lead by Kevin Nash. WCW cornered the video game market in �98 with one of the most prolific wrestling games in history—WCW/NWO Revenge for the Nintendo 64. Over in the �Federation, Superstars were beginning to get "hardcore" and a new title with a 24/7 stipulation was introduced on TV. Not only were the �falls' taking place backstage and in the audience, but from on top of the Hell in a Cell as Mick Foley was launched from the structure, and then drilled through it at the 1998 King of the Ring. WCW continued to beat the WWF in the Monday Night War due to a consistent strategy based on booking their top matches on cable, rather than pay-per-view. Bill Goldberg, who had already made a name for himself by maintaining an unprecedented winning streak made history when he became the WCW World Heavyweight Champion. But Bill was far from the only bald-headed badass to win gold in 1998. Earlier that year, Stone Cold Steve Austin captured his first world title after defeating Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XIV in Boston. It was a profitable year for all wrestling companies including ECW, but 1998 would be the last year WCW would succeed in dominating the WWF in the ratings.

5. 1996
Maybe it's because Shawn Michaels' boyhood dream came true at Wrestlemania XII; or the initial formation of the NWO at Bash at the Beach; even the insane rivalry between "The Excellence of Execution" and "The Texas Rattlesnake." Whatever it was, my personal favorite year in professional wrestling was 1996. The spring began with a bang as Scott Hall made his first appearance on Turner Television, joined just a few weeks later by Kevin Nash. In June of 1996, Stone Cold Steve Austin broke from Ted DiBiase and became the King of the Ring; during his royal coronation, Stone Cold uttered a phrase that would change his career forever—"Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!" But just as heels began to turn face, so did longtime heroes turn to the dark side. Along with the debut of the New World Order was the introduction of the evil Hollywood Hogan, who won the WCW title in August 1996 and held it just six days shy of one year. The Survivor Series that fall was famous for memorable main event matches as well as a number of debuts including that of the first ever third generation WWF Superstar, Rocky Maivia. Paul Bearer made the turn on �Taker in favor of the far more deranged Mankind; The Ultimate Warrior and Jake Roberts returned for a short period, each feuding with Jerry Lawler; Roddy Piper was featured on both WWF Wrestlemania and WCW Starrcade; ECW was beginning to break out nationwide. But most importantly—the Monday Night War was just getting underway. WCW debuted Nitro on TNT in the autumn of �95, and it was in 1996 that WCW finally succeeded in stealing Vince McMahon's spotlight.

4. 2001
In terms of the industry changing forever, 2001 might have been the most cataclysmic year in wrestling history. It was this year that WCW fans became aware of what was to become of their preferred promotion. Although many familiar faces were involved in negotiating the resurrection of WCW, it was Vince McMahon who purchased his competition for a mere $2.2 million dollars—a price that included licensing, tape libraries, and the contracts belonging to twenty-two WCW performers. In addition to the end of World Championship Wrestling, Paul Heyman signed a deal with Vince McMahon in 2001 some months after ECW was unseated by the WWF as Spike TV's premier wrestling program. The World Wrestling Federation was the winner of the Monday Night War and the Attitude Era was at an end. The summer of 2001 was highlighted by the Invasion storyline featuring an enormity of former WCW and ECW talents rallying together against the WWF with Shane and Stephanie McMahon leading the charge. This would be the year that Stone Cold Steve Austin would turn heel twice, first by joining forces with Vince McMahon at Wrestlemania and then by turning on the WWF and joining the Alliance. Speaking of Wrestlemania, Houston hosted the Seventeenth annual extravaganza—an event like none other that included the highly revered TLC triple threat tag match won by Edge and Christian. On September 13th, Vince McMahon and the WWF Superstars set a national precedent by appearing in Texas just days removed from the World Trade Center attacks in what Vince called, "the largest public gathering of its size since the events of Tuesday." In December of 2001 the two world titles were unified in a competition that would see Chris Jericho beat The Rock as well as Steve Austin in the same night to become the first ever Undisputed WWF Champion in history. The year 2001 was a peculiar period for the wrestling industry as it was the only year in which the WWF was faced with no immediate competition.

3. 1999
With the Attitude Era in full swing, 1999 was an enormous year for the WWF both inside the squared circle as well as on Wall Street. The WWF became the first wrestling promotion in history to go public in 1999, and followed the success with a series of groundbreaking business decisions still in effect today. The company introduced Smackdown on the UPN Network on Thursday Nights as competition to WCW's Thunder on the TBS Superstation. The Rock was enjoying his inaugural championship title reign and would face Steve Austin for their first of three �Mania encounters at Wrestlemania XV in Philadelphia. Unfortunately the good can often be overshadowed by the tragic; on May 23, 1999 the world of professional wrestling lost one of its favorite stars when Owen Hart fell to his death in Kansas City, Missouri. Owen will never be forgotten as his passing was one of the most earth-shattering moments in history—wrestling or otherwise. Behind the scenes, longtime WWF head writer Vince Russo had become disenfranchised by the �Federation and jumped ship to rival WCW where Eric Bischoff was forcibly removed from his post as president. As WCW struggled during turbulent times, the WWF continued to prosper with the continuation of the McMahon/Austin saga, the further explored escapades of Degeneration X, and the debuts of The Big Show and Chris Jericho. The WWF would experience its first Monday night ratings victory since 1996 when Mick Foley defeated The Rock for the WWF Heavyweight Championship on a taped episode of Raw airing January 4th 1999. Titles changed hands that same night on TNT when Hollywood Hogan won the WCW title from Kevin Nash for a fifth time thanks to a booking misstep nicknamed "The Finger Poke of Doom." The Land of Extreme was also abuzz in �99 as this was the year ECW would debut on national cable television thanks to The Nashville Network, soon-to-be-known as Spike TV. The last year of the 20th Century was a period of growth for the WWF, but proved to be an unpredictable era for WCW, making it difficult to compete in the coming years of the new millennium.

2. 2002
If 2001 was the end of an era, 2002 was the dawning of a new age across the varied landscape of professional wrestling. The WWF began by changing its name to World Wrestling Entertainment in light of a conflict regarding the World Wildlife Fund. The campaign was dubbed "Get the �F' Out" and would help introduce audiences to an entirely new breed of "Ruthless Aggression," in the now-WWE. Two new promotions would rise from the ashes of the fallen WCW and ECW. There was former WCW Champion Jeff Jarrett's Southern-based Total Nonstop Action Wrestling—a subsidiary of the National Wrestling Alliance. TNA was originally intended to be a pay-per-view only promotion hosting ten dollar events once a week. In 2002 they crowned their very first Heavyweight Champion, former UFC and WWF competitor "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock. Meanwhile RF Video—a pro wrestling video distribution company, was looking for a new promotion now that ECW was gone. Rather than working with established groups such as CZW, RF owner Rob Feinstein founded Ring of Honor and ran their first event, "The Era of Honor Begins" in April 2002. Back in the WWE, the entire roster was split into two warring halves—one set for Smackdown and the other relegated to Raw. The year was infamous for the seemingly relentless parade of surprise appearances that lasted the entirety of 2002. Former Superstars like Mr. Perfect and Scott Steiner became part of the current roster once more; Eric Bischoff debuted as the new General Manager of Monday Night Raw; the NWO opened No Way Out; but perhaps most surprising of all was the return of Shawn Michaels after more than four years away from the ring. Michaels captured the World Heavyweight Championship in the first ever Elimination Chamber Match when he defeated five other superstars including Triple H. Maybe one of the greatest years in the past two decades, but not quite number one.

1. 1997
The Number One Year of the Past Two Decades is 1997, and it shouldn’t be hard to see why. This year was the official launch of The Attitude Era in the WWF, signifying Vince McMahon's intention to compete with WCW on a whole new level. The competition didn't waiver however, as World Championship Wrestling was eager to meet the demand of audiences across the world. The "New Generation" made way for D-Generation X, a heel group similar to the NWO featuring Shawn Michaels and Triple H at the forefront. It was DX at the center of one of the most scandalous nights in wrestling—"The Montreal Screwjob." WCW was having its best year since Eric Bischoff took control of the company and bested their direct competition every week thanks to compelling storylines and the introduction of a former Atlanta Falcon named Bill Goldberg. The NWO storyline had yet to run its course and was complimented by the slow-build and impending confrontation between Hollywood Hogan and Sting at Starrcade. The Undertaker would become the WWF Champion for the first time in nearly six years when he defeated Psycho Sid at Wrestlemania XIII in Chicago, the same night Bret Hart and Steve Austin would wrestle their Match of the Year to a stunning conclusion. Paul Heyman's third party promotion dubbed Extreme Championship Wrestling would present their first ever pay-per-view event Barely Legal thanks in part to the promotion they received during the ECW Invasion of Monday Night Raw. The WWF became far more innovative during this period and introduced audiences to the Hell in a Cell and by circumstance the demonic younger brother of the Dead Man, Kane. It was also in 1997 that a hapless play-by-play announcer named Vince McMahon became one of the most detestable villains in professional wrestling history. The WWF would also begin debuting a number of midcard titles including the European Championship first held by The British Bulldog, and the Light Heavyweight Championship won by Taka Michinoku. WCW continued to maintain their edge in the ratings due to quality in-ring performances as well as plot twists and surprise appearances from WWF Superstars-turned-WCW Big Boys. It's not really a question: when asked about the single most action-packed and influential year from the past two decades of wrestling, I don't hesitate when I say 1997.

Conclusion
This list is ripe for discussion and debate, just as any other countdown featured in The Lucky Thirteen. You might agree, you probably disagree, I may have even listed your favorite year toward the bottom. It’s nothing personal, I promise. This list lives outside of the WWE Universe, but is of course greatly influenced by it. In regards to not including 2014, I didn’t want to include a year that hadn't yet concluded when I began compiling my information. I will say however with NJPW, the birth of the WWE Network, the salvation of TNA, and the first ROH Classic PPV, 2014 is sure to climb higher than any other year of the “Reality Era.” Whatever your feelings may be, I hope to see you again next week for another exciting countdown exclusively at Cheap-Heat. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty and this has been—The Lucky Thirteen.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-ring-of-honor-roh-tv-tapings-1315-nashville-tennessee/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-ring-of-honor-roh-tv-tapings-1315-nashville-tennessee/#comments Sun, 04 Jan 2015 14:21:56 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha ACH Adam Cole Adam Page Alberto El Patron Ashley Sixx Beer City Bruiser BJ Whitmer Cedric Alexander Chris LeRusso Christopher Daniels Dalton Castle Donovan Dijak Frankie Kazarian Hanson Jake Dirden Jay Briscoe Jay Diesel Jay Lethal Jimmy Jacobs Maria Kanellis Matt Sydal Matt Taven Michael Bennett Michael Elgin Mikey Webb Moose Nigel McGuinness ODB Ring of Honor ROH Stokely Hathaway The Briscoes The Decade The Kingdom The Romantic Touch Tommaso Ciampa Truth Martini Veda Scott Will Ferrara http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8492 The following results are from a recent Ring of Honor TV Taping. The taping took place on January 3rd, 2015 at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds/Expo in Nashville, Tennessee. Pre-Show Match Cheeseburger defeated Chris LeRusso. TAPING ONE Singles Match Roderick Strong defeated Mark Briscoe. In Ring Segment Nigel McGuinness came out to open the show and […]

The following results are from a recent Ring of Honor TV Taping. The taping took place on January 3rd, 2015 at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds/Expo in Nashville, Tennessee.

Pre-Show Match
Cheeseburger defeated Chris LeRusso.

TAPING ONE

Singles Match
Roderick Strong defeated Mark Briscoe.

In Ring Segment
Nigel McGuinness came out to open the show and announced that Hanson vs. Michael Elgin would be a #1 Contender's Match for the ROH World Championship and then called out Tommaso Ciampa, informing him that he wouldn't be fired by Ring of Honor and would owe one to Nigel for him going to the higher-up. Ciampa said that he wanted a ROH World Championship match because of the match that he had with Brsicoe in the United Kingdom. Michael Elgin came out and said that Ciampa lost to him at Final Battle, however Ciampa said that no one wanted Elgin in Ring of Honor, while Elgin stated that himself and Nigel were former ROH World Champions and belong in ROH. McGuinness announced that the match between Elgin and Hanson would now be a triple threat match with Ciampa now involved and that it would still be a number one contender's match.

Top Prospect Tournament Match
Will Ferrara defeated Jay Diesel (w/Truth Martini).

Triple Threat #1 Contender's Match
Michael Elgin vs. Hanson vs. Tommaso Ciampa was declared a no contest when the referee was hit. Post-match, there was a brawl between all three men.

TAPING TWO

Singles Match
Frankie Kazarian defeated Cedric Alexander.

Top Prospect Tournament Match
Donovan Dijak defeated Jake Dirden.

In Ring Segment
Alberto El Patron came to the ring and said that he is not a sports-entertainer and that he is a wrestler and he's after the ROH World Championship. ROH TV Champion Jay Lethal came to the ring with Truth Martini and said that the ROH TV Championship is the title in Ring of Honor and not the title that Jay Briscoe holds. El Patron attempted to get Jay Lethal into working a match, however Truth told El Patron to get in line and left the ring with Lethal.

In Ring Segment
Nigel McGuinness came to the ring and brought out Jay Briscoe. Jay declared that he wants a fatal four way match in Las Vegas for his World Title with Ciampa, Hanson and Michael Elgin, which McGuinness said that he would consider. Jay then called out The Kingdom.

ROH World Championship Match
Jay Briscoe (c) defeated Matt Taven. Post-match, Michael Bennett attacked Jay Briscoe until Mark Briscoe came out and made the save.

TAPING THREE

Tag Team Match
The Briscoes (Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe) (w/ODB) defeated The Kingdom (Michael Bennett & Matt Taven) (w/Maria Kanellis) via DQ.

Top Prospect Tournament Match
Beer City Bruiser defeated Mikey Webb.

Singles Match
Alberto El Patron defeated Christopher Daniels. Post-match, Jay Lethal and Jay Diesel attacked Alberto, however Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian made the save.

TAPING FOUR

Singles Match
Moose (w/Veda Scott & Stokely Hathaway) defeated The Romantic Touch.

6 Man Tag Team Match
The Decade (Jimmy Jacobs, Adam Page & Chris LeRusso) (w/BJ Whitmer) defeated ???, ??? & ???.

Top Prospect Tournament Match
Ashley Sixx defeated Dalton Castle. Adam Cole came out the ring after the match was over to address the crowd, but instead brought a chair into the ring, looked at the camera, dropped the mic and gave it the finger before leaving.

Triple Threat Match For The ROH World TV Championship
Jay Lethal (w/Truth Martini) (c) defeated Matt Sydal and ACH.