BRM Reviews ROH Reborn: Stage 2

[Big Red Machine]

ROH Reborn: Stage 2 (4/24/2004)- Chicago, IL

PRAZAK INTERVIEWS MATT STRYKER- good

OPENING SEGMENT- GREAT! A perfect way to start off the show

ACE STEEL vs. BJ WHITMER-5.75/10

JUSTIN CREDIBLE & MASADA vs. SHAWN DAIVARI & DELIRIOUS- 5.25/10. Shawn Daivari is an interesting guy. I never thought I would ever see someone shout “allah hu akbar” while doing a DX crotch chop. Guess I can cross that off my list.

CHAD COLLYER vs. JOHN WALTERS- 5.5/10

FOUR CORNER SURVIVAL MATCH: Jimmy Rave vs. Nigel McGuinness vs. Austin Aries vs. Rocky Romero (w/Ricky Reyes)- 8/10. Awesome match. You really got the feeling that the only thing Gabe said to them was “you have 15 minutes. Go out there and impress me.” And boy did they ever. It is hard to imagine a time when none of these guys aside from Rave were real ROH mainstays, and when Rave himself was nothing but a midcarder.

BRYAN DANIELSON vs. HOMICIDE- 8/10 (would have been higher if there weren’t weapons used directly in front of the referee.

DANNY DANIELS vs. RICKY REYES (w/Rocky Romero)- 5.25/10

TAG TEAM SCRAMBLE MATCH: Alex Shelley & Jimmy Jacobs vs. The Carnage Crew vs. Dunn & Marcos vs. Jack Evans & Matt Sydal (w/Daizee Haze)- 6/10 Good spotfest

ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH: Samoa Joe(c) vs. Matt Stryker- 6.75/10

ALEX SHELLEY PROMO- great

ROH TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Briscoe Brothers(c) vs. The Second City Saints (CM Punk & Colt Cabana)- 8.5/10. Great match with a great atmosphere. Gabe knew what he was doing, booking this the way that he did.

Overall, this was an awesome show. Yes, there are even better ones out there, but I would categorize this one as almost being a must-buy for the “Reborn” arc that marked a major transition in the company (although no truly ground-shaking events actually happened on this particular show).