ROH Year Four DVD Review

ROH: Year Four Review

Samoa Joe/Mick Foley confrontation
The DVD opens with a segment between Mick Foley and Samoa Joe from "It All Begins" in January of 2005. Foley claims he has an offer for Joe to go to WWE and face Triple H for the Heavyweight Title. This leads to Foley saying that Vince called him fat and various other insults. Foley asks Joe what his goal is in life and questions whether or not he could make it on the big stage. This promo exchange between the two results in a brawl. Cool segment.

1) Austin Aries (c) vs. Colt Cabana - Steel Cage Match for the ROH World Title
Aries and Cabana started off with some straight up wrestling, however both guy soon began trying to gain the advantage by using the cage as a weapon. Cabana was the first to taste the steel and began bleeding while Aries would be busted up not long after. This was a solid cage match that had several
"holy shit" moments that were all built up very well. My favorite moment was Aries hitting a dropkick on Cabana in the corner that nearly sent him out of the cage door. There were several close escapes like that in this match that had me on the edge of my seat. The ending was clever although I wasn't a huge fan of how it was done. Cabana climbed over the cage, but before he could hit the ground, Aries ran and jumped out of the cage door. Unique finish. Good match.

Match rating - ***1/2

2) Generation Next (Roderick Strong & Jack Evans) vs. The Carnage Crew vs. Dixie & Azrael vs. The Ring Crew - Scramble Cage - 3rd Anniversary Celebration Part 1
These scramble cage matches are usually a ton of fun because they are just huge spotfests and that was the case here. Multiple highspots throughout the match such as several dives off the top of the cage and one through a table. This isn't the pure wrestling that ROH is known for, but it's a nice change of pace and will keep you glued to your TV screen. Great spotfest.

Match rating - **3/4

3) John Walters (c) vs. Jay Lethal - Pure Title Match - 3rd Anniversary Celebration
Lethal and Walters went at it from the opening bell and the action never slowed down. Some nice exchanges throughout including a seemingly never ending series of roll ups between the two that resulted in a bunch of near falls. Fun match.

Match rating - ***

4) Samoa Joe & Jay Lethal vs. Low Ki & Homicide
This one was balls to the wall from the opening bell as Joe & Lethal hit a double dive to the outside on Homicide & Ki followed by an awesome combination move that saw Lethal hang Ki up on the top turnbuckle as Joe hit the running ole kick. The crowd was super hot for this match and it added alot to it. Once things slowed down, Homicide & Ki took control as they isolated Lethal. Joe would soon get the hot tag though and began cleaning house as the action picked up once again. The closing sequence here was fantastic as we saw an array of big moves including Low Ki hanging Joe over the middle rope then hitting a foot stomp off the top turnbuckle and the great finish which saw Homicide lift up Lethal for the gringo killer and Low Ki jumped off the top rope to help Homicide spike Lethal down to the mat. Great tag match.

Match rating - ***3/4

5) Samoa Joe vs. Jack Evans vs. Delirious vs. Ebetaro - Four Corner Survival Match
The commentators described this as "the most unique four corner survival ever" and I tend to agree. The variety of styles thrown together in this one match was just odd. It surprisingly made for an entertaining match though as we got to see the fun side of ROH that many people don't know about. Delirious & -- did a hilarious slow motion exchange as a way to taunt the ref for telling them to fight while Evans tried to get Joe to do a dance off at the beginning of the match. This was just an all around fun match that was all about entertainment that made for a nice change of pace on this DVD. You'll either love this or hate it.

Match rating - **3/4

6) CM Punk vs. Jimmy Rave - Steel Cage Match
The previous steel cage match on this set was good, but this one was even better. Punk and Raven's feud dominated the early part of 2005 and this was the final battle between the two men. With that being said, it was the perfect ending. This match told a great story which was Punk finally getting his revenge on Rave and the Embassy. There were also some jaw dropping spots, most notably, Punk hitting a huge superplex off the top of the steel cage to the mat. I've never seen that done before until this match so I was blown away. Fantastic match.

Match rating - ****

7) Austin Aries (c) vs. CM Punk - Death Before Dishonor III
This was billed as Punk's final match in ROH before going to WWE so the crowd was obviously behind him 100% since he had never won the ROH Title before. However, the thing that really struck me here was how much heat Aries managed to get on himself from the crowd as the match went on. Everything in this match was spot on. The action, the psychology, the emotion, the atmosphere - it had it all. Aries worked over Punk's back/neck throughout the match in many different ways including a breathtaking death valley driver on the ring apron followed by repeated slams into the railings. The psychology here was spot on as Aries continued to work over Punk's back/neck by slamming into the turnbuckle until it broke and hitting him with a piledriver. All of this was in order to soften him up for the brainbuster which brought Aries alot of heat as he taunted the crowd while he was beating down Punk. Aries ended up finally going for the brainbuster, but it wasn't your typical brainbuster, it was a super brainbuster off the top turnbuckle. Aries covers Punk - 1...2.. PUNK KICKED OUT! From this point on these two traded big moves and near falls in a highly dramatic finishing sequence until finally Punk nailed Aries with the Pepsi Plunge for the victory to become the new ROH World Champion in his "final" match. Amazing match. These guys created something very special on this night.

Match rating - ****1/2

After the match, Punk cuts his now infamous promo where he swerves the audience and taunts them for falling for everything he told them. Punk calls them puppets and says that he is their master. This was my first time seeing these promo in full and it is truly a work of art. Punk started off giving what sounded like a normal farewell speech then slowly transformed it into one of the most villanous swerves ever. Punk says he's leaving with the ROH Title and that no one will stop him. The crowd chants for Samoa Joe, but instead they get Christopher Daniels who returns to a huge pop. Epic staredown between Daniels & Punk which leads to a brawl in which Daniels comes out on top as Punk retreats. The Punk/Aries match and everything that happened after was a complete rollercoaster ride. That's what makes this match and aftermath such a classic.

8) Matt Hardy vs. Christopher Daniels - Fate of An Angel - 7/16/05
This was billed as a dream match which immediately set the bar high for Daniels & Hardy. It was the first time the two had ever faced off so there was alot of feeling out to do. They managed to string together a pretty solid match, but it wasn't as awesome as one might expect. CM Punk came down to ringside and hit Daniels in the head with a steel chain which ended up costing him the match. Decent encounter.

Match rating - ***1/4

Disc 2:

9) CM Punk vs. James Gibson - ROH World Title Match - Fate of An Angel - 7/16/05
This match had been built up throughout the night as Punk attacked Gibson with a steel chain at the beginning of the show which busted him open. Gibson insisted on competing however and put up one hell of a fight against Punk. Gibson's cut opened back during the match, but Punk ended up bleeding some himself so the odds were pretty even. Good match.

Match rating - ***1/2

10) CM Punk vs. James Gibson vs. Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels - Elimination Match for the ROH World Title - Redemption
While the previous match between Gibson & Punk was just good, this was a big step up from that bout in my opinion. These guys got over 40 minutes to just go out there and wrestle which was just a joy to watch since all four are among the best wrestlers of the past decade. Each man got their chance to shine and we got multiple great exchanges among all four guys. James Gibson was booked perfectly here as he got taken out mid-way through the bout after Punk busted him open with a vicious chair shot (which Gibson sold fantastically), but then after Punk eliminated Joe & Daniels, Gibson made his triumphant return to the match to pin Punk after a dramatic exchange. Great four-way match.

Match rating - ****

11) CM Punk vs. Colt Cabana - 2/3 Falls Match - Punk: The Final Chapter
Just one night after losing the ROH Title to James Gibson, CM Punk's career in ROH comes to a close here in this 2/3 Falls Match with his best friend Colt Cabana. Ace Steel and Samoa Joe came down to ringside to watch the match as Cabana & Punk shake hands and hug before the bell rings. This was such an emotional yet fun match. In fact, that's the best word to describe this match aside from the emotion - fun. You could tell they set out to just have one final fun bout together and it translated into a very enjoyable match to watch. Cabana & Punk showcased all of their great exchanges which they've done oh so many times together over the years and even added some comedy into the bout to remind us all of their hilarious relationship as a tag team with Cabana trying to be funny while Punk was trying to be serious. Perfect farewell for CM Punk. The celebration and farewell speech at the end from Punk is tear inducing and something every fan of his and ROH needs to see.

Match rating - ***1/2

12) James Gibson vs. Bryan Danielson - Glory By Honor V
This was the only match that I had seen prior to this DVD and it was certainly nice going back and revisiting it. I remember watching this for the first time and being shocked by how good Gibson was. I personally think this is the best match that Gibson had during his run in ROH. Just a fantastic match that clicked right from the beginning.

Match rating - ****

13) Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi - Joe vs Kobashi - 10/1/05
What is there to say that hasn't already been said about this match? It was amazing. This bout was one of the main reasons I bought this DVD because I heard it was a classic and indeed it was. These two men beat the hell out of each other in one of the most stiff and strike heavy matches I've ever seen. This match had all the makings of a classic as it was intense from the opening bell and the crowd gave it a big fight feel. Kobashi chopped Joe so hard so many times that his chest was red and purple yet Joe still managed to kick out after two consecutive suplexes that dropped him on the back of his head. That was the basic story of this match. Both guys hitting each other with everything they had, but it still wasn't enough. Just an epic battle. Awesome match, must see. Five stars.

Match rating - *****

14) Samoa Joe & Low Ki vs. Kenta Kobashi & Homicide - Unforgettable - 10/2/05
After the way that Joe and Kobashi tore the house down previously on this set, I was beyond stoked to see them in the same ring again. Needless to say, they picked up right where they left off as we got multiple vicious striking exchanges and Kobashi did another number on Joe's chest in the corner with chops. This was epic thanks to Joe & Kobashi alone, but Low Ki & Homicide made this even more awesome by adding a new dynamic to the match. We also got to see a fantastic exchange between Low Ki & Kobashi here as well. All around awesome match and another ROH classic. Words don't do it justice.

Match rating - ****1/2

15) Bryan Danielson vs. Steve Corino - Buffalo Stampede - 10/15/05
Pretty average bout here. This wasn't outright bad, however it wasn't exactly good either. It felt like they never got out of first gear and the ending felt pretty rushed. It was pretty disappointg considering the fact that I thought this one had potential to be very good simply because of the story here being the veteran and the newcomer. There were a few good moments here and there, but overall this was pretty underwhelming. None the less, this was a solid match. Just not as good as you would expect.

Match rating - ***

16) Bryan Danielson vs. Roderick Strong - This Means War - 10/29/05
There wasn't really a story going into this match and it started off slow, but the greatest thing about this match is that despite that, they created a story within the match. It was a pretty cool thing to see. This soon turned from a competitive bout between two athletes vying for the World Title to the cocky champion trying to make the young challenger prove himself. It was very enjoyable to watch because Danielson played this role perfectly by insulting Strong verbally in the midst of assaulting him. Strong talked trash right back to Danielson however and continued taking the fight to him even seemingly knocking him out near the end of the match only for Danielson to spring up and make Strong tap out with a brutal looking crossface type submission. The finish was pretty abrupt and I wasn't really a fan of it because this bout was something special and I feel it could have been a classic if it had went on longer. Still a great match with fantastic storytelling. A forgotten gem for sure.

Match rating - ***3/4

17) AJ Styles & Matt Sydal vs. Jimmy Rave & Abyss - Showdown in Motown - 11/4/05
Very entertaining tag match here. This was Styles first appearance on this set and it was certainly nice seeing him along with Sydal. They worked extremely well as a team and used alot of double team moves. In fact, they seemed more like a team than Rave & Abyss did, despite Rave & Abyss being a legit team since they are both part of the Embassy stable. None the less, this was a really good tag match with great action throughout.

Match rating - ***1/2

18) Generation Next (Austin Aries, Matt Sydal, Roderick Strong & Jack Evans) vs. The Embassy (Alex Shelley, Jimmy Rave, Abyss, & Prince Nana) - Steel Cage Warfare - 12/4/05
The rules of this match were that a member of each team would enter the cage every five minutes. Aries and Jimmy Rave started things off since they are the leaders of their respective stable. This was a pretty basic match until all eight men were in the cage and Jack Evans hit the ring to do some crazy dives off the cage. Aside from those spots & a few good exchanges, this match wasn't anything special. There weren't even any weapons used aside from a chair. I was expecting more from such a heated feud. It did what it set out to do though as Prince Nana was the last man left in the cage and Aries & Strong pinned him to win the bout for their team.

Match rating - ***1/4

19) KENTA vs. Low Ki - Final Battle - 12/23/05
This bout was similar to the Joe/Kobashi match earlier in this set as it was based around strikes and both guys took alot of punishment. Kenta and Ki have similar styles so it was no surprise that they meshed well together and created an unforgettable match. The match was great in itself, but they really turned things up during the final stretch as both guys began hitting each other with everything they had. A tiger suplex, a falcon arrow off the top rope, a vicous foot stomp off the top turnbuckle and much more. Finally KENTA was able to put Low Ki away after hitting him with the Go 2 Sleep as well as his signature running knee strike. Fantastic match that had the fans chanting "Match of the Year" afterwards.

Match rating - ****1/2

Overall thoughts: This was an awesome look back on the year 2005 in ROH. I had only seen one of the matches on this set prior to buying it (Gibson/Danielson) so this was a must buy for me considering the classics featured on here that are hard to find nowadays. If you've never seen Punk/Aries, Punk's farewell, Joe/Kobashi, Joe & Ki/Kobashi & Homicide, Danielson/Gibson, and KENTA/Ki - I highly recommend getting this set because those matches/moments are worth the price alone. This DVD is great for newer fans of ROH like myself because all the ROH events from 2005 are out of print and there's no other way to see some of the classics that are featured on here. With that being said, this gets a big recommendation from me.