ROH Do Or Die
ROH Do Or Die (5/31/2003)- Philadelphia, PA
HOMICIDE PROMO- AMAZING! A true character-defining moment.
SPECIAL K BACKSTAGE- Hydro get the idea to use the lights to turn the ring into a rave. They go to Rob Feinstein, who tells them to get lost.
BJ WHITMER vs. DAN MAFF (w/Allison Danger)- 6/10
POST-MATCH SEGMENTS- AWESOME! Smokes comes out and confronts Maff over joining the Prophecy at the expense of the semi-solidified â€"New York Crew†of guys which included Da Hit Squad, Low Ki, and their trainer, Homicide. Low Ki comes out and Maff retreats. Low Ki then tells him that they will have a match at some point when Ki returns from his shoulder injury, and when they do, if Maff wears the Prophecy’s colors â€"G-d help you.†This was great, and sounds even meaner in retrospect, based on what happened when they actually did lock up (Ki legitimately knocked Maff out).
Ki then turns his attention to Smokes. He tells Smokes that ROH is a place for athletes, not street thugs. Smokes. Smokes and Ki get ready to fight but Homicide comes out and breaks it up before it starts. Ki tells Cide that if he wants to win the title tonight, he needs to get rid of Smokes so he can remain focused on the title. Ki leaves, then Trent Acid sneaks into the ring and gives Cide a Yakuza Kick, which Cide quickly gets up from and Trent runs off.
TONY MAMALUKE vs. JASON CROSS- 5.25/10
Mamaluke’s weight was announced as 2,476 liquid ounces.
ICEBERG vs. OMAN TORTUGA (w/Diablo Santiago)- this was a pointless squash. The fans gave Iceberg a â€"don’t come back†chant, and I’m pretty sure he never did.
MATT STRYKER vs. TOM CARTER- 7.75/10
Awesome technical match. I wish Reckless Youth had made more appearances for ROH. After the match Carter got frustrated a losing to a roll-up and refused to shake Stryker’s hand. He says that everyone in the lockerroom copied his style, so he will now reinvent the technical style and he challenges Stryker to a Tap Out match. Carter is about to shake Stryker’s hand but Allison Danger comes out and offers him a place in the Prophecy, but Carter decides to shake hands. Gabe tells us that we have a Tap Out match set for June 22nd. Unfortunately, the match would never happen.
TAG TEAM SCRAMBLE MATCH: The Briscoes vs. The Second City Saints (w/Lucy) vs. The Carnage Crew vs. Izzy & Dixie (w/the rest of Special K)- 4/10
A lot of randomness with no real story or psychology.
POST-MATCH SEGMENT WITH THE SECOND CITY SAINTS- Punk starts cutting a promo on Raven and is about to the spill the beans about the real reason he hates Raven so much but Cabana cuts him off. Cabana asks Lucy is she wants to be his girlfriend but Lucy says that she can’t because she â€"likes to munch carpet.â€
GTMC INTERVIEWS BJ WHITMER- Christopher Daniels shows up tells us that Maff has been taken to the hospital with a dislocated jaw after Joe’s attack earlier tonight. Daniels tells Whitmer that Daniels might ask him to join the Prophecy if he gets some wins (foreshadowing!), then tells GMC to tell Joe that he is challenging him to an Empty Arena match after tonight’s show.
Right before the match is about to start, we cut to the back for Samoa Joe to grab Gary Michael Cappetta’s attention so he can go jump Dan Maff. Did we really have to miss part of the match for this? Gabe claims that we didn’t miss anything, but clearly that isn’t true as the wrestlers are in a totally different position than they were before we cut away.
JOHN WALTERS vs. â€"THE LONE WOLF†ANDY ANDERSON- 5/10
Both men looked impressive. Gabe says that he’s sure we haven’t seen the last of either of these two. This would be the last we would ever see of Andy Anderson in ROH.
FOUR CORNER SURVIVAL MATCH: Frankie Kazarian vs. Jimmy Rave vs. CM Punk (w/Lucy) vs. Christopher Daniels (w/Allison Danger)- 7/10
The stuff with Punk & Daniels was good and Rave and Kaz both looked impressive in their debuts. After the match Daniels asks Punk to join the Prophecy. Punk responds by saying that the Second City Saints will be better than the Prophecy soon and that Daniels is afraid to wrestle him. To show how distasteful joining the Prophecy would be to him, Punk tells Daniels that he will join the Prophecy… if Daniels shakes his hand.
THE BACKSEAT BOYZ vs. JODY FLEISCH & SLIM J (w/the rest of Special K)- 6.5/10
Acid and Fleisch had some awesome sequences in here. The match was going well until the big dive from the scaffold on which Fleisch hurt his knee.
ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH: Samoa Joe(c) vs. Homicide (w/Julius Smokes)- 8.25/10
Awesome match, but the they could have done a better job of showing that Smokes & Ki’s arguing was distracting Homicide. The camera zoomed in on Low Ki shouting words of encouragement… and as a result, we missed Homicide becoming the first person to escape the Coquina Clutch.
SAMOA JOE PROMO- good
DANIELS & JOE’S EMPTY ARENA BRAWL- quickly broken up by the rest of the locker room.
DANIELS PROMO- he makes the challenge to Corino’s Group for a match in two weeks at Night of the Grudges.
Overall, this was a very important show in ROH’s history. It set up the Prophecy vs. Second City Saints feud, Joe’s feud with Homicide, had the debuts of John Walters, who would be a major player in ROH over the next two years, and Jimmy Rave who would become a major player in a few years as well. In the ring the show was very good, and its historical significance makes me strongly recommend it.
HOMICIDE PROMO- AMAZING! A true character-defining moment.
SPECIAL K BACKSTAGE- Hydro get the idea to use the lights to turn the ring into a rave. They go to Rob Feinstein, who tells them to get lost.
BJ WHITMER vs. DAN MAFF (w/Allison Danger)- 6/10
POST-MATCH SEGMENTS- AWESOME! Smokes comes out and confronts Maff over joining the Prophecy at the expense of the semi-solidified â€"New York Crew†of guys which included Da Hit Squad, Low Ki, and their trainer, Homicide. Low Ki comes out and Maff retreats. Low Ki then tells him that they will have a match at some point when Ki returns from his shoulder injury, and when they do, if Maff wears the Prophecy’s colors â€"G-d help you.†This was great, and sounds even meaner in retrospect, based on what happened when they actually did lock up (Ki legitimately knocked Maff out).
Ki then turns his attention to Smokes. He tells Smokes that ROH is a place for athletes, not street thugs. Smokes. Smokes and Ki get ready to fight but Homicide comes out and breaks it up before it starts. Ki tells Cide that if he wants to win the title tonight, he needs to get rid of Smokes so he can remain focused on the title. Ki leaves, then Trent Acid sneaks into the ring and gives Cide a Yakuza Kick, which Cide quickly gets up from and Trent runs off.
TONY MAMALUKE vs. JASON CROSS- 5.25/10
Mamaluke’s weight was announced as 2,476 liquid ounces.
ICEBERG vs. OMAN TORTUGA (w/Diablo Santiago)- this was a pointless squash. The fans gave Iceberg a â€"don’t come back†chant, and I’m pretty sure he never did.
MATT STRYKER vs. TOM CARTER- 7.75/10
Awesome technical match. I wish Reckless Youth had made more appearances for ROH. After the match Carter got frustrated a losing to a roll-up and refused to shake Stryker’s hand. He says that everyone in the lockerroom copied his style, so he will now reinvent the technical style and he challenges Stryker to a Tap Out match. Carter is about to shake Stryker’s hand but Allison Danger comes out and offers him a place in the Prophecy, but Carter decides to shake hands. Gabe tells us that we have a Tap Out match set for June 22nd. Unfortunately, the match would never happen.
TAG TEAM SCRAMBLE MATCH: The Briscoes vs. The Second City Saints (w/Lucy) vs. The Carnage Crew vs. Izzy & Dixie (w/the rest of Special K)- 4/10
A lot of randomness with no real story or psychology.
POST-MATCH SEGMENT WITH THE SECOND CITY SAINTS- Punk starts cutting a promo on Raven and is about to the spill the beans about the real reason he hates Raven so much but Cabana cuts him off. Cabana asks Lucy is she wants to be his girlfriend but Lucy says that she can’t because she â€"likes to munch carpet.â€
GTMC INTERVIEWS BJ WHITMER- Christopher Daniels shows up tells us that Maff has been taken to the hospital with a dislocated jaw after Joe’s attack earlier tonight. Daniels tells Whitmer that Daniels might ask him to join the Prophecy if he gets some wins (foreshadowing!), then tells GMC to tell Joe that he is challenging him to an Empty Arena match after tonight’s show.
Right before the match is about to start, we cut to the back for Samoa Joe to grab Gary Michael Cappetta’s attention so he can go jump Dan Maff. Did we really have to miss part of the match for this? Gabe claims that we didn’t miss anything, but clearly that isn’t true as the wrestlers are in a totally different position than they were before we cut away.
JOHN WALTERS vs. â€"THE LONE WOLF†ANDY ANDERSON- 5/10
Both men looked impressive. Gabe says that he’s sure we haven’t seen the last of either of these two. This would be the last we would ever see of Andy Anderson in ROH.
FOUR CORNER SURVIVAL MATCH: Frankie Kazarian vs. Jimmy Rave vs. CM Punk (w/Lucy) vs. Christopher Daniels (w/Allison Danger)- 7/10
The stuff with Punk & Daniels was good and Rave and Kaz both looked impressive in their debuts. After the match Daniels asks Punk to join the Prophecy. Punk responds by saying that the Second City Saints will be better than the Prophecy soon and that Daniels is afraid to wrestle him. To show how distasteful joining the Prophecy would be to him, Punk tells Daniels that he will join the Prophecy… if Daniels shakes his hand.
THE BACKSEAT BOYZ vs. JODY FLEISCH & SLIM J (w/the rest of Special K)- 6.5/10
Acid and Fleisch had some awesome sequences in here. The match was going well until the big dive from the scaffold on which Fleisch hurt his knee.
ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH: Samoa Joe(c) vs. Homicide (w/Julius Smokes)- 8.25/10
Awesome match, but the they could have done a better job of showing that Smokes & Ki’s arguing was distracting Homicide. The camera zoomed in on Low Ki shouting words of encouragement… and as a result, we missed Homicide becoming the first person to escape the Coquina Clutch.
SAMOA JOE PROMO- good
DANIELS & JOE’S EMPTY ARENA BRAWL- quickly broken up by the rest of the locker room.
DANIELS PROMO- he makes the challenge to Corino’s Group for a match in two weeks at Night of the Grudges.
Overall, this was a very important show in ROH’s history. It set up the Prophecy vs. Second City Saints feud, Joe’s feud with Homicide, had the debuts of John Walters, who would be a major player in ROH over the next two years, and Jimmy Rave who would become a major player in a few years as well. In the ring the show was very good, and its historical significance makes me strongly recommend it.