» Blog Archive Stopping by Ring of Honor on a Snowy Evening -
Todd C Matthy News

It was December 19th 2009, 6:30 pm and snowflakes were falling on West 34th street in New York City. However, the snowstorm outside was nothing compared to the storm brewing on 7th floor of the Manhattan Center. Ring Of Honor Wrestling was in town for “Final Battle 2009” and while the fans got revved up for the last ROH show of the year I was getting ready for my first ROH show ever.

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I had never watched ROH before, but one cannot be a professional wrestling fan without at least hearing about them. The buzz was that it was the best professional wrestling show out there.  This was not just an endorsement from its fans. Legends like Bret Hart, Bruno Sanmartino, Ric Flair, and Jim Cornette have all testified that the future of pro wrestling lies within ROH. After “Final Battle” I’m happy to say those words are true. If you’re looking for a night of professional wrestling action filled with WRESTLING, ROH is for you. You are not going to see two women have a match after getting drunk off six packs, midget courts, and certainly not a promoter’s car getting blown up. So, what did I see?

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I saw opponents shake hands before each match and the best Tag Team wrestling match I’ve seen since…I can’t remember…when the Brisco Brothers defeated the American Wolves for the ROH Tag Team title. The match was a throw back to eighties tag team wrestling. Quick tags, mat wrestling, high spots, team work, near falls, double teaming by the heels, good back and forth, this is how tag team wrestling is done. Two teams working together to put on an amazing match that engages your audience so much they are counting with the referee, rallying when the heroes make a comeback, and boo when the villains steal control. And they do it passionately. I will not be surprised if we ever see either of these teams on WWE or TNA television sometime in the future. Another highlight of the night was Bret Hart’s nephew Teddy Hart and Jack Evans surprise arrival and spontaneous match. The two were supposed to wrestle earlier, but unfortunately were unable to arrive due to the snowstorm. However, ROH did not want to disappoint their fans and got them to the arena, where they would wrestle a quick match in their street clothes to please us. As a matter of fact Teddy sat with the audience during the Austin Aries/Tyler Black match for the ROH Championship.  It was this professionalism and dedication that impressed me the most about ROH. And I wasn’t the only one impressed, so was Tyler Stubbs, the events promoter for the Manhattan Center.

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“Ring of Honor is great to work with professionally,” Tyler says. “Compared to other events Ring of Honor is more organized and professional,” with a staff that is “positive, passionate, and professional.” Tyler  “Many times we get clients here who have rented the venue and do not understand the dynamics involved with the operation of a successful event. It is nice to have a group come in that knows what they would like and how to pull it off.”  As for the conduct of the fans, Tyler says they are a zealous group who love their wrestling and conduct themselves in a respectable manner. “Once in a while someone may pull the fire alarm on their way out of the event. Overall they are just a fun and well behaved bunch of people.” Sentiments I am happy to echo.

When I left the Manhattan Center, the blizzard was in full force. My new ROH sweatshirt kept me warm.

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ROH returns to the Manhattan Center on February 13th, however if you live in the New York area and can’t wait until then, take the ROH Fan Bus down to Philadelphia for their first HD Net taping of the year on January 8th.

Check out some fun Fantasy Wrestling, including what would happen if Sting came to WWE? Click Here.

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