December 30th: The Necro Butcher is coming off a tremendous performance in the highly anticipated film, “The Wrestler”, as well as at Final Battle 2008, and now he continues his quest for revenge on the Age of the Fall. On 1/16 in Manassas, Necro will face Delirious one-on-one. This match has another subplot, as Daizee Haze as pegged Necro as the one that can help her deliver Delirious from the mind control that she claims Jimmy Jacobs has been able to maintain over him. Will Necro be able to get through to Delirious? Will Jimmy Jacobs have anything to do with this match? Will Daizee Haze interject? We’ll find out on 1/16!

December 30th: Damien Wayne and Chris Escobar are highly respected by their peers in the Mid-Atlantic region and have made strides as a tag team in FIP. Now they will face their biggest test as January 16 in Manassas brings them the challenge of Brent Albright and Erick Stevens. Albright and Stevens are fresh off a street fight victory in NYC, and are preparing for war inside the steel cage against Sweet-n-Sour Incorporated. If Wayne and Escobar can pull the upset, they’ll solidify their status in ROH for sure. Or did they simply take a payday from Larry Sweeney to soften up the enemy?

December 30th: Speaking of Larry Sweeney, ROH officials have been in talks with him in reference to the actions of the American Wolves this past weekend. The blatant interference is one of the biggest factors that prompted ROH President Cary Silkin to award the Steel Cage match to Albright and Company. But even this may not be enough, as rumor has it that ROH officials feel that Richards and Edwards may need to face some specific music for their high-profile part in the Sweet-n-Sour’s most recent transgressions. More on this as it develops.

December 30th: The End of Year Sale has been extended until Wednesday at noon EST. Don’t miss your opportunity to save 35-40% Off your next order placed at www.rohwrestling.com. Details on the sale can be found here: http://www.rohwrestling.com/news/article.aspx?id=1682.

December 30th: It didn’t take long for the match to get signed, and the dawn of a new day is upon us. On January 17 in Edison, the answers to many questions should be uncovered as Tyler Black has signed to face his former mentor and AOTF leader, the maniacal Jimmy Jacobs. The history between these two men is well documented. The end of their relations came on what is considered to be ROH’s biggest stage. The blood has to be boiling in both men. Both Tyler and Jacobs were contacted for comments. Both men declined.

December 30th: The DVD “Escalation” from Dayton, OH on November 21st is now in stock and available for immediate shipping. This event features Nigel McGuinness vs. Tyler Black vs. Austin Aries in a Non Title Three Way Match; Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli; Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Delirious for the World Tag Team Titles. As a special bonus you can witness the Samoa Joe vs. Tyler Black match from Chicago Ridge, IL on 11/22/08.

December 30th: ROH officials have reached out to Austin Aries to see when he wants to exercise his title shot, which he earned by defeating Tyler Black in New York. ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness has stated that he’ll accept the challenge whenever mandated by the ROH Booking Committee, but did so with a bit of trepidation, as he questions Aries “mental state”. ROH Officials have also expressed concern, as Aries’ recent actions, both in and out of the ring; have prompted many to raise issue. From the heated blood feud with Jacobs, to the happenings this past Saturday in New York, and now with Aries refusing all forms of contact from the ROH office, no one is quite sure where Aries stands.

WWE’s response:
“While ‘The Wrestler’ is a very engaging movie, it portrays how wrestling was conducted in some independent wrestling circuits, unlike WWE, which is a global brand with millions of fans.”

TNA’s response:

“We’re happy to see professional wrestling in the mainstream spotlight through the movie ‘The Wrestler.’ Mickey Rourke’s performance is nothing short of sonsational; Mickey Rourke is the movie. His portrayal of an over-the-hill wrestler struggling to fing his own meaning in life has already been talked about as Oscar-worthy, and rightfully so.”

ROH’s response:

“Jerry Lynn was in attendance at a private ROH screening recently, and (was) said to be very emotional about his career and its similarities to the career of Rourke’s Randy ‘the Ram’ Robinson.”

Movie Poster for ‘The Wrestler’

ROH’s veteran wrestler Jerry Lynn sees a strong parallel between his career and Randy “The Ram” Robinson’s career in the new movie, ‘The Veteran.’ So much so, that prowrestlinginsider.com is reporting ROH has decided to create a storyline around the simularities.

The storyline began when ROH heavyweight champion Nigel McGuinness verbally assaulted Lynn after a match, then Lynn apologized for attacking him in response, saying he was wrong to do it and talked about how the wrestling business really didn’t exist for him anymore.

In the ROH storyline, Lynn will now play the underdog who doubts his own abilities but wants one more shot at glory.

The climatic finaly for ‘The Wrestler’ was filmed at a ROH event and frankly, ROH would have to be crazy not to exploit this exposure. If ‘The Wrestler’ really does well, could this lead to a TV contract for ROH?

Ring of Honor returns to PPV this Friday night, November 14th featuring the premiere of ROH “Driven” on iN DEMAND, The DISH Network and TVN cable systems.

The first reviews for this show are in.

Richard Gray of www.wrestlingnewsword.com says “Ring Of Honor Driven is yet another outstanding effort from the company and its workers. ROH offers so much more bang for your buck than WWE or TNA pay-per-views that buying them should be a no-brainer. The final two matches of the show are two of the best matches that you will see on pay-per-view this year.”

Sean Radican of www.pwtorch.com writes “I highly recommend this show. The crowd is red hot from start to finish. The last two matches pack a heck of a one two punch. The Steen & Generico-Black & Jacobs match is a sure-fire top contender for MOTY. In fact, it’s one of the most emotion packed matches I’ve seen in ROH or any company in 2008.”

Click here for a video preview of Driven: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkqQbehGSxc

Here is a schedule of showings on iN Demand over the first few days:

Debut airing:
Friday, November 14th at 10pm EST

Replays:
Saturday, November 15th at 8:30 am, 2:30pm, 7:00pm
Sunday, November 16th at 11am and 8:00pm (traditional PPV time slot)
Monday, November 17th at 2:00pm and 6:00pm
Tuesday, November 18th at 3:00pm.

Here is the lineup for ROH “Driven” on PPV:

ROH World Tag Team Title Match
Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black defend vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico

ROH World Title Match
Nigel McGuiness defends vs. Roderick Strong

Tag Team Scramble Match
Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Vulture Squad vs. The YRR vs. Necro Butcher

Three Way Elimination Match
Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Go Shiozaki

Special Challenge Match
Jerry Lynn vs. Chris Hero

Grudge Tag Team Match
Brent Albright & Erick Stevens vs. Sweet N Sour Inc.

SHIMMER Action
Sara Del Rey vs. Jessie McKay

Grudge Match
Austin Aries vs. Delirious

ROH has set the standard by giving you true professional wrestling on pay-per-view at an affordable price. Don’t miss the explosive action on the worldwide premiere of “Driven” on November 14th!!!

Ring of Honor returns to PPV this Friday night, November 14th featuring the premiere of ROH “Driven” on iN DEMAND, The DISH Network and TVN cable systems.

The first reviews for this show are in.

Richard Gray of www.wrestlingnewsword.com says “Ring Of Honor Driven is yet another outstanding effort from the company and its workers. ROH offers so much more bang for your buck than WWE or TNA pay-per-views that buying them should be a no-brainer. The final two matches of the show are two of the best matches that you will see on pay-per-view this year.”

Sean Radican of www.pwtorch.com writes “I highly recommend this show. The crowd is red hot from start to finish. The last two matches pack a heck of a one two punch. The Steen & Generico-Black & Jacobs match is a sure-fire top contender for MOTY. In fact, it’s one of the most emotion packed matches I’ve seen in ROH or any company in 2008.”

Click here for a video preview of Driven: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkqQbehGSxc

Here is a schedule of showings on iN Demand over the first few days:

Debut airing:
Friday, November 14th at 10pm EST

Replays:
Saturday, November 15th at 8:30 am, 2:30pm, 7:00pm
Sunday, November 16th at 11am and 8:00pm (traditional PPV time slot)
Monday, November 17th at 2:00pm and 6:00pm
Tuesday, November 18th at 3:00pm.

Here is the lineup for ROH “Driven” on PPV:

ROH World Tag Team Title Match
Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black defend vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico

ROH World Title Match
Nigel McGuiness defends vs. Roderick Strong

Tag Team Scramble Match
Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Vulture Squad vs. The YRR vs. Necro Butcher

Three Way Elimination Match
Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Go Shiozaki

Special Challenge Match
Jerry Lynn vs. Chris Hero

Grudge Tag Team Match
Brent Albright & Erick Stevens vs. Sweet N Sour Inc.

SHIMMER Action
Sara Del Rey vs. Jessie McKay

Grudge Match
Austin Aries vs. Delirious

ROH has set the standard by giving you true professional wrestling on pay-per-view at an affordable price. Don’t miss the explosive action on the worldwide premiere of “Driven” on November 14th!!!

We’re not sure of all the details in this letter, but it’s just alarming enough for us to pass on. This is the last thing anyone wants to hear regarding a company with as fine a wrestling product as ROH. We’ll report more as we get more wrestling news on this situation.

DOI Note: The following was set to us by a current ROH wrestler who wanted to remain anonymous but wanted his points out there.

All good things come to a end. ROH was created in 2002 and we know all the history of the company. Rob Feinstein had a dream and put his heart and soul into the company. Along with Doug Gentry and Gabe Sapolsky they created something speical. They knew their niche and started their own brand of strong style in the states that resembled New Japan pro wrestling’s jr division with a blend of All Japan wrestling and a added twist of ECW.

In the last 24 hours ROH looks doomed. There has been so many behind the scene problems in the last 6 months that its own booker went looking to work for the WWE and that was not by choice. I know Gabe very well and he has always been outspoken on his problems with the office staff who just did not understand the wrestling business. He was given the keys to the car, but often told me that Cary always wanted him to drive the wrong highways. Gabe was not a easy person to get along with. He was a very paranoid person from day one in the company. In IL there were many fights in hotels between the office staff that if any of the other boys would have heard we would have all been looking for work else where. I always remained with the company knowing my spot.

Two months ago I told Gabe that he is going to be cut in due time. The writing was all over the wall. I was hearing all types of negative comments from Syd and Ross and there were many secret meetings in towns with Adam. I also knew that Cary was getting more involved and really breaking Gabe’s balls by always questioning him. Just last week there was a major blow up which at this time does not matter.

What matters is Gabe was fired with no warning what so ever. I was backstage and I knew it was coming on Saturday when I saw Cary storm off into Syd’s work area. Then the time bomb went off just hours later. Gabe was so in shock that when he was leaving I was scared to even go up to him. In less than 24 hours later the company has a new booker who I might remind you is a worker just like me.

Now this is not 1986 and Adam is not Dusty Rhodes but this is never going to work. ROH is a indy company and nobody in that locker room is going to take orders from another wrestler that has no track record. Why will the boys listen to Adam? What has he done in wrestling other than run a small company in CA. Do you know how many egos are in the ROH locker room. Do you know how many guys think they could now book the company? Adam sent a email out to the entire staff yesterday and asked us to Kfabe he was the booker. I almost spit my water out of my mouth. This thing is doomed to fail. You can’t be a booker and than book yourself into the top heel spot. Like I said if this was a Terry Funk or a Dusty Rhodes things would be smooth sailing but Adam can’t just come into our locker room and take over the ship. He is just a indy worker, who is a great old time heel. But that heat will never work in ROH.

I re-read his email and how he is going to change the style of the company and to be quite honest I know alot of the boys are not happy about this and we are not happy that Cary stabbed Gabe in the back. Gabe is no angel by any means but now there is a pattern here. I know that after the Feinstein incident that he was led to beleive he would be brought back. Cary and Feinstein met over and over again as Feinstein had a plan and a investor that was going to relieve Cary as the front man but let him remain owning the majority of the company. They were about to get a TV deal as well. Cary along with Syd Eick thought they could make more money without Feinstein by forcing him to sell ROH so they can do a version of RF VIDEO and combine it with ROH as they did early on with their straight shooting series. That system failed miserabally. Cary than promised Doug Gentry a spot for life later to turn on him because he remained loyal to RF VIDEO. Now Gabe after giving 6 years of hard work to the company they just stab him in the back. This man lived and breathed ROH and brought Cary to where he is at now. Yes he might be broke but without Gabe there is no ROH.

As a wrestler, how can you trust ROH? I mentioned Feinstein, Gentry & Sapolsky. Thes are the three men that built Ring of Honor. These are three men who put their livelihoods on the line for ROH. And now? All have been stabbed in the back & fired from Ring of Honor. The wrestling business will eat you up.

I don’t know where I stand right now with ROH, but any wrestler is expendable. I am happy that a straight person is booker rather than Luke though. If we had a gay booker it would fuel sites like DOI and message boards because of Cary’s orientation. I don’t think Pearce is the right guy in the end.

I read Bob Magee’s column about ROH and how you can compare this to Vince buying ECW where it’s called ROH, but it really isn’t ROH. The jury is still out on that and Bob does come off like this is the end of the world but I do agree that the ROH letters are about to go under a major transformation.

The company is going to go under after a few short months. I would have rathered see Cary be honest with his locker room because now we never know what to expect. Nobody trusts anyone after this week because we all thought we were a family. This is no disrespect to Adam, but brother your just one of us. You are throwing your career away on this one. This will hurt you with TNA & WWE. I hope NWA pays your bills because ROH sure won’t. I know many of us feel betrayed and I hope that after this weekend some of us learns the true definition of honor.

To Gabe, I know you hate this site but no other site would print this. It was an honor to work for you and shake your hand. The code of honor still lives inside of the ones who believed.

(source: Declarationofindependents.net)

Edison Card, Omega & More

-Ring Of Honor will return to Edison, NJ this Saturday, Oct. 25th, with a main event featuring two of the best teams in the business as LAX of Homicide & Hernandez take on Jay & Mark Briscoe. There is sure to be plenty of action on this card as a Six Man Mayhem has been signed. No tags are needed and when a competitor leaves the ring, another competitor can just come in. The man who gets the first fall is the winner. The match pits Chris Hero with Larry Sweeney vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Jigsaw vs. Ruckus vs. Jason Blade vs. Rhett Titus. This will be the first time Hero and Castagnoli are in the same ring since their feud. Vulture Squad members Jigsaw and Ruckus will be pitted against each other as they both go for the win. This is a great chance for all six individuals to gain a singles victory.

-The complete card has now been announced. Here is the lineup for this Saturday’s return to Edison, NJ:

Ring Of Honor
Inman Sports Club
October 25th, 2008- 7:30pm belltime
990 Inman Avenue
Edison, NJ 08820

Save 20-25% on all tickets now at ROHwrestlng.com.

The Main Event - Dream Tag Team Match
Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. LAX (Homicide & Hernandez)

Anything Goes Match
Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Jacobs

FIP World Heavyweight Title Match
Go Shiozaki (if still champion) defends vs. The Necro Butcher

Special Challenge Match
Jerry Lynn vs. Tyler Black

Grudge Match
Brent Albright vs. Davey Richards with Larry Sweeney

Six Man Mayhem
Chris Hero with Larry Sweeney vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Ruckus vs. Jigsaw vs. Rhett Titus vs. Jason Blade

Do Or Die Tag 1 - Non-Title
ROH World Tag Team Champions Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. The Osirian Portal

Do Or Die Tag 2
A team representing The Age Of The Fall vs. Cheech & Cloudy

Plus: Delirious; Daizee Haze; Sara Del Rey, Shane Hagadorn & Bobby Dempsey of Sweet & Sour Inc; Grizzley Redwood; and others.

Who will win- the Briscoes or LAX?