ROH Reborn: Stage 1
ROH Reborn: Stage 1 (4/23/2004)- St. Paul, MN
HOMICIDE PROMO- pretty good, but Cide seemed WAY too calm to be saying the words that he was saying.
CARNAGE CREW PROMO- Good
MATT STRYKER vs. NIGEL MCGUINNESS-6/10
THE CARNAGE CREW vs. DUNN & MARCOS- 5.75/10
GOOD TIMES GREAT MEMORIES- Cabana did some semi-funny stand-up about specific ROH wrestlers. Then the Havana Pitbulls showed up and cut a promo with so much charisma that it is easy to understand why they couldn’t get over without Homicide. Also, Becky Bayless has very large breasts.
JOHN WALTERS vs. JUSTIN CREDIBLE- 5.5/10
SIX MAN MAYHEM: Alex Shelley vs. Jimmy Jacobs vs. Masada vs. Jimmy Rave vs. Danny Daniels vs. Jack Evans- 6.25/10 Gave everyone a chance to shine, which was what this series of shows was about (as Gabe kept reminding us on commentary).
ALEX SHELLEY & JIMMY JACOBS BACKSTAGE- good segment.
COLT CABANA vs. BJ WHITMER- 7.25/10
DELIRIOUS vs. MATT SYDAL (w/Daizee Haze)- 5.5/10
THE BRISCOES vs. THE HAVANA PITBULLS- 7.75/10
BRYAN DANIELSON vs. CM PUNK with Ricky Steamboat as Special Guest Referee- 7.5/10
ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH: Samoa Joe(c) vs. Homicide- No Rating. AWESOME segment. I feel very awkward giving this a no rating because of how long it went, but, in hindsight, it is really just an extended segment. The whole point of this was the nearfall that caused Cide to go nuts (extremely well done, by the way, and a near fall that makes someone think that they won the belt is extremely hard to do). They did very little in this match because the whole point of it was to build up to that spot… and what was to come next.
Overall, this was a decent show, but not great. I will, however, recommend it as being "watchable for the story-arc." This show and the six shows that follow it (everything until Reborn: Completion) were part of a major transition in ROH, with a lot of major changes to the status quo. As such, it is crucial for any ROH fan who wants to see where the company was under Rob Feinstein, and where it started out under Cary Silkin. After these shows (and definitely after both shows of Death Before Dishonor II weekend, the company feels much different. Like it has grown up a bit. In my opinion, this turning point is crucial to understanding ROH's history, so I would recommend it to any fan.
If you are just looking for great in-ring action, it had some solid wrestling, but your money could be better spent on a lot of other shows. It does, however, have the only match Punk and Dragon ever had against each other in ROH, so if you are into “one time only” things, you should pick this show up. I would also recommend this show to Homicide fans, as the finish to the main event is a major, major, event for his character.
HOMICIDE PROMO- pretty good, but Cide seemed WAY too calm to be saying the words that he was saying.
CARNAGE CREW PROMO- Good
MATT STRYKER vs. NIGEL MCGUINNESS-6/10
THE CARNAGE CREW vs. DUNN & MARCOS- 5.75/10
GOOD TIMES GREAT MEMORIES- Cabana did some semi-funny stand-up about specific ROH wrestlers. Then the Havana Pitbulls showed up and cut a promo with so much charisma that it is easy to understand why they couldn’t get over without Homicide. Also, Becky Bayless has very large breasts.
JOHN WALTERS vs. JUSTIN CREDIBLE- 5.5/10
SIX MAN MAYHEM: Alex Shelley vs. Jimmy Jacobs vs. Masada vs. Jimmy Rave vs. Danny Daniels vs. Jack Evans- 6.25/10 Gave everyone a chance to shine, which was what this series of shows was about (as Gabe kept reminding us on commentary).
ALEX SHELLEY & JIMMY JACOBS BACKSTAGE- good segment.
COLT CABANA vs. BJ WHITMER- 7.25/10
DELIRIOUS vs. MATT SYDAL (w/Daizee Haze)- 5.5/10
THE BRISCOES vs. THE HAVANA PITBULLS- 7.75/10
BRYAN DANIELSON vs. CM PUNK with Ricky Steamboat as Special Guest Referee- 7.5/10
ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH: Samoa Joe(c) vs. Homicide- No Rating. AWESOME segment. I feel very awkward giving this a no rating because of how long it went, but, in hindsight, it is really just an extended segment. The whole point of this was the nearfall that caused Cide to go nuts (extremely well done, by the way, and a near fall that makes someone think that they won the belt is extremely hard to do). They did very little in this match because the whole point of it was to build up to that spot… and what was to come next.
Overall, this was a decent show, but not great. I will, however, recommend it as being "watchable for the story-arc." This show and the six shows that follow it (everything until Reborn: Completion) were part of a major transition in ROH, with a lot of major changes to the status quo. As such, it is crucial for any ROH fan who wants to see where the company was under Rob Feinstein, and where it started out under Cary Silkin. After these shows (and definitely after both shows of Death Before Dishonor II weekend, the company feels much different. Like it has grown up a bit. In my opinion, this turning point is crucial to understanding ROH's history, so I would recommend it to any fan.
If you are just looking for great in-ring action, it had some solid wrestling, but your money could be better spent on a lot of other shows. It does, however, have the only match Punk and Dragon ever had against each other in ROH, so if you are into “one time only” things, you should pick this show up. I would also recommend this show to Homicide fans, as the finish to the main event is a major, major, event for his character.