Monday, January 5, 2009:Email:1) CMLL got a 1.12 television rating for 'CMLL Sunday'.
2) Here is my weekly report on our battle with TNA. We are seen as having better workers, and this is causing fans to choose us over them.
3) IWC's IWC Ignition has been renewed for a further 30 weeks.
4) CMLL's CMLL Friday has been renewed for a further 30 weeks.
5) WWE's WWE Wednesday has been renewed for a further 20 weeks.
Results for
Throwdown:
“It’s a new year, and a new chapter has begun for Ring Of Honor! Good evening everyone, welcome to the first Throwdown of 2009! I’m Steven Manning, alongside the incomparable Taz, and tonight--”
“Steven, look up at the stage! What the hell is that?”
1st segment:
Dressed in an impeccable white trenchcoat and white suit, with the ROH World Title over his shoulder, Jimmy Jacobs comes out, a smile of pure serenity on his face. Right behind him are Commissioner JJ Dillon and the #1 contender, Nigel McGuinness, all looking very pleased with themselves. Just the sight of the trio have some in the audience throwing garbage. Dillon is visibly annoyed, especially when he gets nailed by a large cup of soda; McGuinness just sneers. Jacobs, however, couldn't look happier.
"Seek," he says, holding the belt in the air, "and ye shall find!" Jacobs turns and, after getting Dillon to stop arguing with audience members, shakes his hand. "Commissioner Dillon, you are to be commended for your flawless execution of duties, and the role you played in pulling off the grandest conspiracy this industry has ever seen." He then turns to McGuinness, but there is no return of the handshake gesture. "Nigel ... well ... I look forward to meeting you in the ring in a few weeks." Jacobs turns back to the crowd. "Many of you have questions, and allow me to answer them as best I can. No, I am not a member of The Honor Guard. But I have no grudge with their crusade, and they in turn harbor no ill will towards me. What you see before is a marriage of convenience; they wanted the championship to come back to a Ring Of Honor wrestler, and I wanted the championship. Ring Of Honor has now penetrated Ring Of Honor at every level, and I have committed to honoring their world-caliber athletes with title shots in exchange for Commissioner Dillon opening the restrictions on my title shot." Jacobs turns to Dillon and says; "Now, will I be getting to meet your architect soon, so I can thank him or her in person?"
Dillon shrugs. "He has thus far seen no reason to take a position on point, so I highly doubt it."
"A shame."
"Now, Jimmy, now is not the time for sadness!" Dillon sweeps out one arm in a grand gesture, his face beaming with pride. "Now is a time of rejoicing! We have fulfilled the first stage of our architect's plans, and we have helped to bring to fruition the intentions of Terry Funk when he installed me as Commissioner!" The crowd audibly gasps, as do Steven Manning and Taz. "That's right! Were it not for the catastrophic injury Terry suffered, it would be he standing here in my place, holding court, restoring order and honor and the pride of tradition to Ring Of Honor! It would be he, leading the call to arms to purge this company of poison! Sadly, he cannot be with us today to witness this occasion live and in person, but in his honor, we celebrate our successes tonight! We now control three out of four championships in this company, and we have organization and law on our side! We cannot be--"
A thumping hip-hop beat breaks into Dillon's speech. He barks at the production truck to cut the music, but he can't cut the crowd noise as Eddie Kingston steps out onto the stage, dressed for combat. After the crowd's chant of "Eddie Kingston" drops off, he levels a finger at the threesome in the ring. "'Fore I get to you three, let me just say this: if Terry Funk were here today, he'd puke! You don't represent the Funker! If he was here, he'd shove a branding iron so far up your ass, your tongue would have the Double Cross Ranch sign on it!" Kingston paces back and forth as the crowd chants again. "McGuinness ... you ain't even worth my time, ya chump! Go backstage, hae a cup of tea, and suck on Dillon's crumpet!" Kingston points at Dillon. "As for you, tubby ... you think I was hard to control before? You think I was a headache before? I'm gonna make Steve Austin look like Hulk Hogan after I get through messin' up your [bleep]!"
Jacobs steps forward, his smile now down to a smirk. "Your colorful language not withstanding--"
"Shut up, ya sawed-off little Raven clone! Shouldn't you be workin' at Hot Topic, cryin' over that book with the sparkly vampires and cuttin' yourself with the razor your momma uses to shave her mustache?" Jacobs' smile disappears, but Kingston keeps rolling. "Dude, they couldn't make a bigger poser punk-ass bitch then you if Kevin Federline stood fifty feet tall! You attack me like a chump who ain't got a set, you blame me for makin' your woman run off -- boy, who got in
my face? She was as much a man as you is a woman! If it ain't Aries you cryin' about, it's me -- Eddie K beat my woman. Eddie K took my belt. Did I steal your balls, too, or were ya just born without a set?" A smile, and not a pleasant one, slowly spreads on Kingston's face. "Well, tonight, I'm gonna flip the script on ya and send ya back to Starbucks."
Dillon steps forward. "If you try to perpetrate an attack on Jimmy--"
"I wasn't talkin' to you, ya doughy sack of [bleep]! Ya see, I done learn my lessons quick. I see how it is 'round here under the new rule. It's like Snoop said: if you want some bad enough, get some, take some. You done took what you want at Final Battle with your little loophole ... and I got mine."
McGuinness flies off the handle, but Dillon calms him down (while Jacobs remains calm, but unhappy). "I guess you haven't been paying attention, Kingston," says Dillon boastfully, "because not only do we have our champion locked in and set, but we also have the number-one contender locked in. You'll have to wait until next month--"
"Who said something 'bout waiting to the pay-per-view? I'm aimin' to cash in
tonight!"
Now Dillon is apoplectic. "You can't do that! You can't just--"
"Like hell I can't! Go back and read your little rulebooks, chump! I win the Trios, I get to write my ticket." Kingston points at Jacobs. "There's my ticket." Kingston flips them all the bird. "And here's my pen, writin' in my name for tonight! Me and the crybaby, for
that belt,
tonight! Now I suggest you waddle yourself back to your office and set to fixin' up your show, since I just went and scrambled it all up for ya!" Kingston looks at McGuinness. "You, think about movin' back to jolly ol' England. And you," he says, looking at Jacobs with a murderous glare, "don't go back and whine on your MySpace about all this. I'll save you the trouble. Here's a poem for you to put on your blog right after we done: 'My muscles are sore, and my ears be ringin'. Cause I just got my ass beat, by
Eddie [bleep]in' Kingston!'"
Quality:
Crowd:
Overall: 86%
2nd segment: Muderdeathkill vs. No Fear
No Fear show no fear of the imposing MDK, and MDK show no mercy to their opponents in a short but brutal match that kicks off ROH in-ring action for the year. But within minutes, Kevin Steen & El Generico can’t resist getting in their shots, and in doing so, cause a disqualification. **** No Fear don’t take kindly to the outside interference, especially from more outsiders, and that prompts a three-way brawl that needs officials to break up.
Winners: MDK (DQ, interference)
Quality: 93%
Crowd: 78%
Overall: 76%
3rd segment:
Cut to backstage, where Rebecca Bayless is standing by with Chris Sabin. The healthy half of the Motor City Machine Guns gets a mixed response, which stalls Bayless in asking a question for a few seconds. "Chris, are you surprised by the crowd's reaction?" she asks.
"They have a right to cheer or boo whoever they want, Becky," says Sabin. "Me and Alex, we haven't gotten along well over the past couple months, it's no secret. I guess some people see things his way. I don't pretend to get it, but that's their choice."
"So, what about the situation with you and Alex Shelley? You have a match with the ROH World Tag Team Champions at A New Level in four weeks. Will he be able to compete? Do you even want to wrestle with him if he can?"
Sabin mulls it over, looking distant and far off. When he finally answers, he is muted, even with a microphone. "I guess time's gonna tell that one, Becky. Depends on how well he recovers, and what he can show me as a person after he comes back."
"What if you and Alex don't see eye to eye? What happens to your tag title shot then?"
Sabin never gets the chance to answer, though, as The Elite bum-rush Sabin and put the boots to him, laughing the whole time. "This is your future, Chris!" says Matt Sydal. "This is what it's gonna be at A New Level: two on one!"
"Yeah!" says Jack Evans. "You and Alex are finished! If you have a friend left in this world, you better get him to watch your back, because Alex sure won't be doin' it for you!"
Officials run up and run off the champs, but the damage is done for Sabin, and he has to be helped away.
Quality:
Crowd:
Overall: 62%
Notes: Chris Sabin lost overness from this segment. Matt Sydal lost overness from this segment. Jack Evans lost overness from this segment.
4th segment, ROH Bold Future Championship match: Michael Quackenbush Spillane (c) vs. ?
MQS and JBL come out, and JBL gets on the stick. “Tonight, my client is required by contract to defend his championship. However, in light of the actions that just took place, Chris Sabin is obviously not in any condition to contest for my client’s championship. I am not asking my client be given special treatment--”
“That’s a first, says Manning snidely.
“Nay, I only ask that Mr. Spillane be given a suitable replacement. Someone of championship quality. Not the usual common street trash the management usually props up as a contender. Someone with a championship pedigree!”
JBL’s request is no sooner voiced then answered, as “Diamond” Joey Ryan comes out. MQS and JBL both look horrified, but when Ryan rushes the ring, MQS has no choice but to fight. The match is a very heated, fast-paced contest, with lots of near-falls. When it looks like Ryan has it sewn up, Larry Sweeney runs out and grabs Ryan’s leg to stop him from hitting the Mustache Ride. Doing so allows MQS some time to recover, and get a tainted pinfall victory.
Winner, and STILL BOLD FUTURE CHAMPION: Michael Quackenbush Spillane (pinfall, roll-up with handful of tights)
Quality: 87%
Crowd: 80%
Overall: 74%
5th segment: ?
Shelton Benjamin comes out unexpectedly, as Manning and Taz wonder if the entire night’s plan has been thrown out the window thanks to Eddie Kingston upsetting the apple cart. He gets right in Spillane’s face, and with Ryan there, the numbers are even.
“Two months ago, I got the chance to wrestle for the Bold Future Championship,” he says. “I went through 19 other guys to earn that shot, only for you to screw me by bringing in JBL to watch his back. And ever since, you’ve been running scared, knowing you can’t be me straight-up. Well, tonight, I’m calling you out, Spillane! I want a piece of you, and I want it now!”
JBL gets a microphone and says; “If you think my client is wrestling two matches back to back, you must be criminally insane! If you think you’re ever going to get in the same ring as my client, you’ll have to prove you’re championship material. In fact,” he adds with a smile, “we can review your petition now, if you like. Charles?”
And with that, Charles Taylor Esq. comes out and, with some hesitation, gets in the ring with Benjamin. Taylor fights valiantly, but Benjamin is too much to be stopped, and drops Taylor in short order. (missed the star rating) Not liking the results, MQS and JBL hop in the ring and do a number on Benjamin, all the while telling Taylor “that’s how it’s done”.
Winner: Benjamin (pinfall, Paydirt)
Quality: (forgot to get this stat)
Crowd: (ditto)
Overall: 69%
6th segment:
The crowd comes alive when Shawn Michaels comes out, even if he looks miserable, sporting a long, stubble-covered face under his cowboy hat. The crowd chants for him, but he remains sullen nonetheless, and silent for an uncomfortable amount of time after the chant has passed.
"I ... I, uh ... I just wanted to say thanks to everyone in the company who welcomed me, from the boys in the back to the owner and especially you people," says Michaels, sounding sad. "I'd heard things about ROH audiences, and I was worried I'd get booed outta the building, so, for giving this old man a pass ... thank you. For--" The crowd busts in with an "HBK" chant, which Michaels lets run through. "For obvious reasons, it hasn't been the best month of my career, but, uh ... yeah. I'm glad I had the opportunity to come here, to see the future of pro wrestling. I know I'm leaving it in good hands." Michaels lets the microphone linger by his lips a second before letting his hand drop. The crowd chants "please don't go", prompting Michaels to look out on the excited audience, some holding signs begging for an ROH run for HBK. For a long minute, he just soaks it in until, finally, he brings the microphone back up to his lips ... but he drops his head, keeping his eyes fixed on the mat.
"You remember when you were a kid and your heroes came crashing down to Earth? Maybe it was an athlete who copped to a drug problem, or a singer who left a band and became a huge egotistical jerk?" Michaels pauses to swallow. "If it were solely about in-ring ability, I'd still say Bryan Danielson is my greatest student. But the man I saw over the past month, the man I saw at Final Battle ... he's a fraud. He's a joke. I should've spotted him and yanked him before he finished his first month in class, and I didn't. And now, he's a fraud, and I'm the one who made him. He may not have been a hero, but to me, he was something more then a student, and ..." Michaels holds back a second, trying to regain his composure. "I guess I can't expect everybody I ever trained with to be ..." Again, Michaels pauses, waiting until he catches himself. He takes a deep breath, then continues. "The fact is, I came here to pass the torch to the guy I thought was my best student, and not only does he not want it ..." Michaels looks up, and though he looks as grim as he did before, he now looks steeled ... almost angry. "The path I now see that he's chosen, as far as I'm concerned, he doesn't
deserve it. If he was half the wrestler all those awards say, and all the championships he's held say, he wouldn't be walking two steps behind somebody else with half his skills. I don't know what he's let get into his head, but it's garbage-in, and from what I've seen the past month when he steps into the ring, he's garbage-out. He--"
The familiar theme song of Bryan Danielson cuts off Michaels, but Danielson doesn't wait for the pomp and circumstance. He walks with purpose to the ring and gets right in Michaels' face. "If I were you, I'd wrap up whatever it is I have to say and
leave. Old people tend to have a lot of accidents, Shawn."
Michaels doesn't so much as blink. "If you have anyone to be angry with, look in the mirror, Bryan. You're a pathetic shell of a human being, and you don't like being called out on it."
Danielson's eyes close to squints. "Run your mouth, Shawn. Just keep running your mouth, because I'd love to shut it up for you right here, right now."
Michaels shakes his head slowly. "I got nothing to gain by fighting you, Bryan. My time in the spotlight is done. It's time for a new generation of wrestlers to take up the ball and run with it. That's what I came here for. It's just too bad you'll be too busy picking up the jock-strap of the guy carrying the ball instead of doing what you should be: leading the way." Michaels pushes past Danielson and starts to step through the ropes ...
... but Danielson kicks the middle rope up into Michaels' crotch, stopping him cold. Danielson picks up Michaels, pushes him into the corner and asks Michaels if this is how a "shell" wrestles, then hits Michaels with a number of chops and elbow strikes, until Michaels slumps down. Danielson backs up and seems ready to charge Michaels with a kick to the face, but stops at seeing Michaels down and out ... until Michaels pulls himself up as Danielson leaves. Danielson turns back, takes Michaels down to the mat, traps him and hits the MMA elbows until Michaels is as limp as a dish rag. Once again, Danielson starts to leave, until Michaels again pulls himself up to his feet, staggering and more or less out on his feet. Rage clouds Danielson's face, and he takes Michaels back down, this time mounting him from behind and pummelling Michaels with crossface strikes, then transitioning into the Cattle Mutilation until officials pull Danielson off. Danielson gives up and willingly walks away, but when he turns back, Michaels is trying -- without much success -- to get up. But with the authorities between him and Michaels, Danielson can do nothing but seethe.
Quality:
Crowd:
Overall: 74%
7th segment: Roderick Strong vs. Edge
As Edge stands in the ring, anxiously pacing, a production assistant runs out and hands a message to the ring announcer. “It is our sincerest apologies that we announce Roderick Strong is not here tonight. Therefore, this contest--”
Edge snatches the microphone out of the announcer’s hand. “I’ve already proven my abilities in this ring. I won a title without even being a contracted wrestler! I can’t continue my march to the top of this scrap heap if people start ducking me! I
demand you send out one of those stiffs in the back so I can send him packing back to the VFW halls and gymnasiums the wrestlers in this company belong in!”
Edge waits with a sick grin on his face until the curtains part, and Paul Burchill runs out. Burchill slides in and immediately starts wailing on Edge like there’s no tomorrow. The ref rings the bell, and Burchill absolutely dominates Edge for about three minutes. Finally, Edge decides he’s had enough, rolls out and runs like a kid running from his abusive dad. ****1/4 As Edge runs through the curtain, he bumps into one of the officials. He says “excuse me” by clocking the ref on the jaw.
Winner: Burchill (count-out)
Quality: 93%
Crowd: 90%
Overall: 81%
8th segment: BJ Whitmer vs. Arik Cannon
Once again, a production assistant delivers the bad news: BJ Whitmer is not in the building and won’t be participating. Cannon is about to leave the ring when a voice comes over the PA.
“No need to go anywhere, boy,” says Adam Pearce as he walks through the curtain. “I’m sure I have the authority to find you a replacement opponent … such as myself.”
With that, Pearce slides into the ring and he and Cannon go at it. Pearce underestimates Cannon, who is not only talented, but looking for payback for his aborted Wrestler’s Choice Championship run. Cannon reverses Pearce’s piledriver attempt, and quickly turns it into the Glimmering Warlock. But Cannon decides to inflict some more punishment, and that gives Claudio Castagnoli a chance to come out and distract Cannon. In doing so, Pearce recuperates enough so that, when Castagnoli leaves, Pearce surprises Cannon coming in by playing possum and rolling up Cannon for the pin. ***1/4 Castagnoli slides back in and starts putting the boots to Cannon.
But just as Pearce joins in, a scruffy-looking guy in a plain white t-shirt and jeans, carrying a 2x4, jumps the railing, slides in the ring and breaks the plank on Pearce and Castagnoli. The crowd erupts as BJ Whitmer hammers the Honor Guard duo into the mat. Just as it seems like the beating is at an end, Whitmer rips off a long, jagged splinter off the broken board and spikes it into Pearce’s forehead, tearing open his flesh. Castagnoli gets the same treatment. Officials start to come out, and Whitmer tosses aside the wood in favor of retreating.
Winner: Pearce (pinfall, small package)
Quality: 84%
Crowd: 77%
Overall: 72%
9th segment: ?
New music, Queensryche’s “Eyes Of A Stranger”, ushers out Austin Aries, who comes out clutching a metal spike in his hand. At the ref’s insistence – back by several security guards – Aries drops it in time to begin his match, now facing Ruckus. The hybrid fighter matches up well against Aries, who now wrestles without employing any restraint on his psychotic temper. With Ruckus matching pace and style, it isn’t long before the ref realizes he has lost control over the match. When he tries to get it back in control, Aries and Ruckus show their disregard for the rules, and the ref has no choice. ***1/2
Winner: no contest (double DQ)
Quality: 85%
Crowd: 86%
Overall: 76%
Notes: Austin Aries debuted his new gimmick (manic depressive), it got a positive response.
10th segment:
Two production assistants come out, carrying a roll of carpet on a spindle. They unroll the red carpet down the ramp, scurry up the steps and hold open the ropes in advance of Nigel McGuinness coming out, dressed impeccably in a three-piece suit, expensive sunglasses covering his eyes. Despite the crowd's negative reception, McGuinness waves and smiles like a visiting dignitary as he enters the ring. McGuinness stands with his arms clasped behind his back, waiting until the crowd noise dies off.
"Despite your shameful display, I am still going to grace you with my presence," says the number-one contender. "And regardless of that untalented tosser Eddie Kingston trying to upset the apple cart, The Honor Guard's plan remains unchanged, unchallenged and unassailable! At Final Battle, we executed our offensive and tore the rotten, corrupted hearts from the chests of the outsider swine! That uncouth redneck BJ Whitmer won’t live to stick his nose in our business again like earlier! That miserable hooligan Ruckus was ground under our bootheels, and our brother Homicide rescued the Wrestler's Choice Championship from certain disaster!" McGuinness' smile grows bigger then all outdoors. "And our crowning achievement ... with the assistance of Honor Guard friend Jimmy Jacobs, we wrested the World Title from a fate worse then death, and have banished those two insufferable degenerates, Steve Corino and Chris Hero, from darkening our doors ever again!" McGuinness' face grows dark as he continues. "And even though Eddie Kingston is trying to disrupt our progress, our engine will not fail in carrying us forward! Jimmy Jacobs will exterminate Eddie Kingston once and for all tonight, and we will then go on to A New Level, where Jimmy Jacobs and I will have a spirited contest for the ROH World Title! For months, you witnessed us build the foundation for our empire right under your noses, and at Final Battle, the world saw us launch an offensive without counter! Starting tonight, we push our front line right down their throats, until every last outsider scum chokes on their own bile!"
Suddenly, the image on the Jumbotron clicks over to something other then McGuinness: it is of Steve Corino. "You're right about one thing, Nigel; you did manage to pull off a brilliant conspiracy at Final Battle. Of course, you also got hundreds of thousands of people to buy the event on pay-per-view and come to the show, and you screwed them over all at once. Way to build up good will with the fans, Honor Guard! And then, in a move I can only assume was done without any actual thought, your boss banishes me, the guy who has put more asses in seats over the past nine months then anybody else in the company! Great move!" Corino applauds.
"Make all the sarcastic jokes you like, Corino. But the fact remains that I'm here, and you're not. I'm a wrestler without equal, and you're not. And I'm heading to A New Level to wrestle for the Ring Of Honor World Championship, and you're not!"
Corino smiles. "And you're a douchebag, and I'm not, and your voice makes children cry, and mine doesn't, and what's your friggin' point? Oh, yeah, you don't have one! Well, hey, there's one more thing I need to point out: you're wrong about one of those things you mentioned, and I'm not. You are there live, and I'm stuck at home. And yeah, you may be in fact a better pure wrestler then I am." The crowd perks up in anticipation. "But one thing for sure is that I'm
not watching A New Level from home. I will be in
that ring, wrestling in front of
those people, for the belt that your cohorts stole from me!"
McGuinness is almost apoplectic with rage. "You can't do that! I'm already number-one contender! You have no author--"
"I can, and I will, Nigel! Or did you forget that I have a contractually obligated rematch due to me? Yeah, guess the braintrust in The Honor Guard forgot to figure out a way around that! But I don't want you to worry, Nigel; I'm not bumping you. I'm just making life a little more difficult for you, because at A New Level ... it'll be the champ, you
and me in a three-way dance!" The crowd explodes, so much so that Corino’s words aren’t fully heard as he carries on, his voice now low and menacing. “What you did at Final Battle was the worst mistake The Honor Guard ever made, Nigel. You’re gonna regret not just coming after me and breaking my legs. You’re going to regret it.”
Quality:
Crowd:
Overall: 89%
11th segment, ROH World Title match: Jimmy Jacobs (c) vs. Eddie Kingston
Jimmy Jacobs comes out with a cadre of protection in the form of The Honor Guard, turning the match into an unofficial lumberjack match. Kingston continues undaunted, and has some real chances to win. But every time he gets close, one of the HG stick their nose in it, and Kingston’s chance slips away. As time wears on and Kingston keeps getting the rug pulled out from under him, it becomes obvious he’ll be walking out unsuccessful. Jacobs tries to put on The End Times, but Kingston starts pulling out reversals, and Jacobs has to really work to try and get it back on. Jacobs uses a thumb to the eye and gets the chokehold on, even though Kingston’s foot is under the rope. JJ Dillon reaches for the timekeeper’s hammer to ring the bell, but before he can, the locker room empties and the ringside area erupts into a full-scale riot. The ref tries in vain to put a stop to the chaos, but there’s no hope, and he signals for referee reinforcements; the back opens up and zebras flood the area. As he tries, Dillon throws the hammer into the ring, but Kingston intercepts and blasts Jacobs between the eyes. Kingston covers Jacobs, and one of the refs sees the pinfall attempt. The fighting comes to an abrupt halt when the bell rings and the announcement is made of a new ROH World Champion. ****1/2 A number of wrestlers stay on the outside to battle back the Honor Guard, while several slide in the ring to keep any from trying to get in. Kingston celebrates, holding the belt up on the four corners, while the Guard retreats, with Dillon nearly on the edge of tears.
Winner, and NEW ROH WORLD CHAMPION: Eddie Kingston (pinfall, hammer to the head)
Quality: 95%
Crowd: 89%
Overall: 82%
Overall show rating: 76%
Tuesday, January 6, 2009:INCIDENT: John Bradshaw Layfield was suspended for a month after failing to appear for a scheduled photo shoot.
Email:1) Road agents -- Edge and Paul Burchill work pretty well together due to their similar styles.
2) Josh Prohibition -- I would like to work with Homicide at some stage, i think you'd be impressed with the results.
3) We got a 5.81 rating for 'Throwdown', drawing 8014 for $320,560.
4) TNA got a 0.88 television rating for 'TNA Monday'.
5) IWC got a 1.29 television rating for 'IWC Monday'
PI -- 1% was gained. Total -- 72% Global.
Jed Shaffer
~Sucks that this show was one of those "off shows", but the important stuff still came off perfectly.