An Honorable Mention w/ Shane Hagadorn & Jeff Schwartz

In the aftermath of "At Our Best" (available in the archives btw), Ring of Honor entered a new chapter, set its sights on the Mid-West, and began the "Reborn" cycle that lasted a better part of the spring/summer of 2004.

First stop: St. Paul...coincidentally the same city where WCW was reborn with the debut of Nitro...and a World Title bout between Homicide and Samoa Joe! Jeff and Shane jump right into this one to discuss awful travel experiences, Matt Stryker surprising them both, the fiery conclusion, and abdominal stretches.

So check us out, courtesy of the Creative Control Network, on all your favorite podcast providers!

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ROH Reborn: Stage One
04/23/04
St. Paul, MN

- Matt Stryker vs. Nigel McGuinness
- The Carnage Crew (DeVito & Loc) vs. The Ring Crew Express (Dunn & Marcos)
- John Walters vs. Justin Credible
- Six Man Mayhem Match: Alex Shelley vs. Danny Daniels vs. Jack Evans vs. Jimmy Jacobs vs. Jimmy Rave vs. Masada
- BJ Whitmer vs. Colt Cabana
- Delirious vs. Matt Sydal (w/Daizee Haze)
- Non-Title Match: ROH Tag Team Champions Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe vs. The Havana Pitbulls (Ricky Reyes & Rocky Romero)
- Bryan Danielson vs. CM Punk
- ROH World Title Match: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Homicide

Plus Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

It was dubbed "Pro Wrestling Explodes Into The 21st Century" on the DVD cover, but was it? Really? Can "The Big Bang" (no not the WCW PPV that never happened) live up to that hype as it features men like Tyler Black, Kevin Steen, Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, Claudio Castagnoli, Chris Hero, Davey Richards, and others, in action?

Jeff & Shane dive into this "milestone" event for Ring of Honor and how it came to be, what it meant for the company, just what "creative success dollars" were, and how flat out awful it was to open (and close) this event with the matches that took those slots.

Join us on The Creative Control Network, Hipcast, Stitcher, iTunes, iHeartRadio, and all that jazz as we talk about April 3rd of 2010 and THE BIG BANG (not the theory or TV show either)!!!

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The Big Bang
April 3, 2010
Grady Cole Center
Charlotte, NC

Dark match: Grizzly Redwood & The Bravado Brothers (Harlem Bravado & Lance Bravado) vs. KC McKnight, Mr. Ernesto Osiris & Sabre

- Phil Shatter vs, Zach Salvation
- Pick 6 Match: Davey Richards vs, Kenny King (w/ Rhett Titus)
- Butcher's Rules; Necro Butcher Vs. Erick Stevens (w/ The Embassy)
- Cassandro el Exotico vs. Rhett Titus
- Colt Cabana & El Generico vs. Kevin Steen & Steve Corino
- World Tag Team Title Match: Jay & Mark Briscoe (c) vs. The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) w/ Shane Hagadorn
World Title Elimination Match: Tyler Black (c) vs. Austin Aries vs. Roderick Strong
- Blue Demon, Jr. & Magno vs. Super Parka & Misterioso

October 25, 2008 would prove to be the final event in the Ring of Honor career of original booker Gabe Sapolsky. As the creative force behind the company since its inception, Gabe was there behind the rise of CM Punk, Samoa Joe, Bryan Danielson, and many, many others.

In that final year of his tenure, Gabe was in the process of elevating Tyler Black to the main event, of developing Davey Richards, of building Jerry Lynn towards that "last" run, and reinvigorating the landscape of ROH with new faces.

Then it all changed as Gabe was out ,Adam Pearce was in, and most of what Gabe had planned fell by the wayside. That is until Kayfabe Commentaries sat down with him to open THE BOOK OF ROH SECRETS (DUN DUN DUN)!!!

Now, ten years since his termination, and roughly 9 years & 10 months since Gabe recorded this DVD, Shane & Jeff sit down to talk about what could have been!

And this special bonus episode is for all of those who helped get us to 250 Followers on Twitter.

This week the podcast took a somewhat unexpected turn. As opposed to a deep dive into one of the more than 200 events Hagadorn was involved in (or one of the numerous others he was not), we sat down with ROH alum Alex Payne for an in-depth conversation on his decade-plus career.

Alex opens up about it all: training with Austin Aries and Bryan Danielson and his feelings on them both; the birth, as well as the ups and the downs of being branded "Sugarfoot" and his own regrets about it.

Alex talks Pro Wrestling NOAH, training in their dojo, and his time spent overseas. He delves into how that nearly broke him, and how it fueled his motivation to become something else away from the ROH spotlight.

He also talks how his Ring of Honor tenure ended during the HDNet/Adam Pearce era and a rather explosive phone call between AP and himself.

Join Jeff and Shane and Alex as they engage in a pretty open and honest discussion on the ups and downs of chasing a dream.

It was the end of an era when Ring of Honor returned to Chicago Ridge on August 13th of 2005. CM Punk had blazed an incredible trail through ROH, claimed the World Title and the Tag Titles, competed in game changing bouts with Samoa Joe, gotten bloody with The Briscoes and Raven, but now it was all coming to a close. Punk was heading off to the WWE system, but not before one final farewell bout against Colt Cabana in front of their hometown audience.

Join Shane (one of Punk's kids) and Jeff as they deep dive into one of the most emotional and memorable nights in ROH's entire 16 year history. This one has all the feels, not to mention one hell of an intro/outro from our Scientist of Sound!

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Punk: The Final Chapter
August 13, 2005
Frontier Fieldhouse
Chicago Ridge, IL

Dark Match: Bobby Dempsey vs. Smash Bradley
Dark Match: Brad Bradley vs. Shane Hagadorn
Dark Match: Antonio Blanca vs. Davey Andrews

- Four Corner Survival Match: Alex Shelley (w/Prince Nana) vs. Delirious vs. Matt Sydal (w/Daizee Haze) vs. Nigel McGuinness
- Ace Steel vs. Chad Collyer
- Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Rave (w/Prince Nana)
- Jay Lethal & Samoa Joe vs. The Rottweilers (Homicide & Low Ki)
- Tag Team Title Match: BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs (c) vs. James Gibson & Spanky
- Matt Hardy vs. Roderick Strong
- Two Out Of Three Falls Match: CM Punk vs. Colt Cabana

Who would've known that 15 years ago, in the city of Dayton Ohio, the Montgomery County Fairgrounds would prove to be a life-changing location for our own Shane Hagadorn.

See August 9, 2003 was the date of Ring of Honor's "Wrath of the Racket" event, their first venture outside of the Northeast, and Hagadorn's first (and only) event sitting in the crowd as a fan.

This episode is the chat about his recollections as a fan, less review and more impact, and comparing those memories to the reality of our hosts watching the event back in 2018.

It's AJ Styles and Chris Daniels and Chris Sabin and Jimmy Jacobs and many more in the infancy of their ROH careers (or careers in general in some cases), and it's ROH in it's own infancy as well.

Join Jeff & Shane as they explore the past of ROH in the days before either man had their glimpses behind the curtain!

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Wrath of the Racket
August 9, 2003
Dayton, OH
Montgomery County Fairgrounds

- Scramble Match: Special K (Deranged & Hydro) vs. Don Juan & Fast Eddie vs. The Carnage Crew (Masada & Loc) vs. The SAT (Joel & Jose Maximo)
- HWA Heavyweight Title #1 Contendership Match
Nigel McGuinness vs. Chet Jablonski (w/Brock Guffman)
- Homicide (w/Julies Smokes) vs. Chris Sabin
- The Second City Saints (Ace Steel & Colt Cabana) vs. Alex Shelley & Jimmy Jacobs
- Matt Stryker vs. Justin Credible
- Four Corner Survival: Michael Shane vs. Hotstuff Hernandez vs. Scoot Andrews vs. Slyk Wagner Brown (w/April Hunter)
- Invitation To Field Of Honor Match: Jimmy Rave vs. Slim J
- ROH World Title Match: Samoa Joe (c) vs. BJ Whitmer
- ROH Tag Team Title Match: AJ Styles & Homicide (w/Julius Smokes) (c) vs. The Prophecy (Christopher Daniels & Dan Maff) (w/Allison Danger & Jim Cornette)

On the eve of "Final Battle 2010", Ring of Honor returned to Plymouth, MA for an event that would later be dubbed "Tag Title Classic II". The night was headlined by the collision of ROH's two premier teams, Kings of Wrestling & American Wolves; both whom, just a few months prior, were managed by our own Shane Hagadorn. It was intended to also serve as The Final Hunt for Davey & Eddie but, well, you know....

At the request of the guys from The Super Tuesday Thriller Podcast (https://soundcloud.com/sttc2k18), Shane and Jeff jump feet first into this one to discuss the failures of the Trial Series, sing the praises of several competitors on this card, and...of course...eating dicks.

Yeah, you read that right...

All Aboard the AHM Express as we travel back to 2010 and head to Plymouth for Tag Title Classic II!

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Tag Title Classic II
December 17, 2010
Plymouth, MA

- Adam Cole vs. "The Pretty Boy Pitbull" Kenny King
- "The Prodigy" Mike Bennett (w/ Brutal Bob Evans) vs. Colt Cabana
- Trial Series Match #5 (Non-Title) World TV Champion Christopher Daniels defeats Andy Ridge
- Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe vs. Kevin Steen & Steve Corino
- Four Corner Survival Match: El Generico vs. Grizzly Redwood vs. Rhett Titus vs. Ricky Reyes
- TJ Perkins vs. Kyle O'Reilly
- Non-Title Match: ROH World Champion Roderick Strong vs. Sonjay Dutt
- World Tag Team Title Match: The Kings Of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) (w/ Shane Hagadorn & Sara Del Rey) (c) vs. The American Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards)

24 hours after "Northern Navigation", Ring of Honor crossed the Ambassador Bridge and headed for the Fairgrounds in Detroit to tape another in a series of Pay Per View events. No pre-game shenanigans ensued this time; rather, all the chaos was reserved for the event itself with plenty of unscheduled activity, an appearance by Lance Storm that would set the table for events an entire year later, and a ring that couldn't withstand the pressure of it all!

Join Jeff & Shane as they travel in their wayback machine to July 26, 2008 and delve into "New Horizons" for your listening pleasures!!!

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New Horizons PPV
Taped: July 26, 2008
Aired: September 26, 2008
Detroit, MI

Dark Match: Ernie Osiris, Kyle Durden, and Alex Payne vs. Rocky Fontaine, Ninja White, and Ninja Yellow
Dark Match: D-Ray 3000 vs. Shane Hollister

- Jay and Mark Briscoe vs. Silas Young and Mitch Franklin
- Four Corner Survival: Erick Stevens vs. Ruckus vs. Delirious vs. Shane Hagadorn
- No DQ Match: Necro Butcher vs. Kevin Steen
- Chris Hero & Go Shiozaki (w/ Larry Sweeney) vs. Roderick Strong & Naomichi Marufuji
- World Title Match: World Champion Nigel McGuinness vs. Claudio Castagnoli
- Bryan Danielson vs. World Tag Team Champion Tyler Black

BONUS CONTENT:
- Silas Young vs. Kenny Omega
- #1 Contender's Honor Rumble

Back on July 25th of 2008, Ring of Honor crossed into the Great White North for the first time and presented "Northern Navigation" at The Ted Reeve Arena. It proved to be an event that showcased the best ROH has to offer with the likes of Bryan Danielson, Chris Hero, Tyler Black, and Nigel McGuinness competing as well as showcasing the ROH debut of a man whose reputation has become legendary: Kenny Omega. It proved to be a top-shelf event that the fans were there for every step of the way, and began a relationship with Ted Reeve that continues to this day.

NOW July 24th, on the other hand, is legendary within a much smaller circle for the events that took place when the CRW (consisting of Hagadorn, Rhett Titus, Ernie Osiris, Mitch Franklin, Kyle Durden, and Guiseppe DiLorento) explored Toronto for the very first time.

Both stories are told, the latter as much as can be, when Jeff & Shane sit down and chat "Northern Navigation" on this edition of AN HONORABLE MENTION!!


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ROH Northern Navigation
07/25/2008
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Ted Reeve Arena

1. Chris Hero (w/ Sweet & Sour Inc) vs. Ruckus
2. Delirious vs. Kenny Omega
3. Sara Del Rey (w/ Sweet & Sour Inc) vs. Jennifer Blake
4. Non-Title Match: Go Shiozaki (w/ Sweet & Sour Inc) vs. FIP Heavyweight Champion Erick Stevens
5. Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli
6. Naomichi Marufuji vs. Roderick Strong
7. ROH World Title Match: World Champion Nigel McGuinness defends vs. Kevin Steen
8. Non-Title/No DQ Match: World Tag Team Champions The Age Of The Fall (Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black) vs. Jay Briscoe & Austin Aries

Plus an appearance by Lance Storm

It was possibly The Strangest Night In Ring Of Honor History, and it took place nearly 5 years ago to the day. It was July 11th of 2013 and the venue was 115 Bourbon Street, far from the usual Chicago Ridge, IL haunt for ROH. The Devil appeared, pants were missing, Davey Richards humped a turnbuckle like he was Mini-Me....yeah it was that kind of event.

Join Jeff, Shane, and a special surprise as they took a look (complete with on-going commentary) at a very unique night in the history of the "pound-for-pound greatest professional WRESTLING company on the planet"
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- Non-Title Match: World TV Champion Matt Taven vs. Adam Cole vs. Eddie Edwards
- Jay Lethal vs. Delirious (Special Referee: Maria Kanellis)
- LumberJIll Match: Davey Richards vs. Silas Young
- World Tag Title Match: reDRagon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly) (c) vs. Cheeseburger & Roderick Strong
- Intergender 6-Man Tag Match: BJ Whitmer, Michael Elgin & MsChif vs. Adrenaline RUSH (ACH & Tadarius Thomas) & Athena