Columns - Online World of Wrestling

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The Truth About Ring Of Horror
June 23, 2006 by Terry Russell

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Before I started writing this I knew there was a fair chance I could receive a bit of 'heat' with those online wrestling fans that naively believe Ring Of Honor is the best wrestling promotion in North America, but I feel so strongly about this issue I decided to press on.

I'm not quite sure I am able to convey just how much I dislike ROH. From the ludicrous color men who attempt to put over every single move and wrestler as though their lives depended on it, and constantly refer to the matches as 'classics', to most of the 'talent' working there, ROH seems to be the biggest collection of 'marks' in wrestling today. The most annoying aspect of ROH is undoubtedly their abysmal attempt to recreate All Japan for western audiences. With the exception of Samoa Joe (a genuine talent), ROH is filled with guys who wouldn't even be given a second look by the late AJPW boss Giant Baba back in the day. One ridiculous notion is to reflect the Japanese 'Strong Style' by laying in the chops, forearms, and boots as hard as possible. That, my friends, is not WRESTLING. It is just reckless and dangerous.

Then there's the overkill of copying Japanese moves. If it's not Kenta Kobashi's 'Burning Hammer' finisher it's Keiji 'Great Muta' Mutoh's 'Shining Wizard.' Then Jun Akiyamas 'Exploder Suplex', I could go on and on quite frankly. Sadly, unlike Kobashi, Mutoh, and Akiyama, their ROH counterparts (or should that be counterfeits") don't know how to integrate those moves into a complete package.

Then you have their laughable attempts at psychology. While the average 'mark' would tell you how important psychology is (because they heard someone say it on a ROH shoot tape) in wrestling, I estimate that maybe 5% MAXIMUM actually know methods of using psychology in wrestling. Clearly the remaining 95% includes the ROH locker room.

For me another issue that is very worrying is their lack of 'big men'. Say what you will about the alleged talents of Homicide, Low Ki, and the rest of the motley crew but they will NEVER draw money. That is the reason promoters like large, muscle-heads like Dave Batista or John Cena - they do draw. Another thing, fans should never go watch wrestling and think they could 'take' one of the grapplers in front of them. You never saw or heard of anyone even daring to look at Bruiser Brody or Stan Hansen in a threatening way, yet throw Jack Evans or Izzy out there and you'd probably see fans taping up their fists in anticipation.

Arguably however, the biggest problem is the total absence of charisma in ROH. For years companies made stars out of guys who were poor workers but had HUGE amounts of charisma - Roddy Piper, Junkyard Dog, Hulk Hogan, and 'Superstar' Billy Graham to name but four. ROH is not in a position to replicate that, as no one seems to have a shred of charisma (and no, Colt Cabana certainly doesn't). Some nimrods have suggested ROH delve into the world of PPV. That would almost certainly destroy the company. The sums of money required to run a PPV are huge, and even in the unlikely event ROH did run one, if it just about managed to survive, it would take years to recover.

In closing class remember, next time you're thinking of watching an ROH show, and two boring 'wrestlers' are throwing every move they can think of into a typical ROH cluster****, do the right thing - turn over to WWE or TNA, sit back and enjoy. I know I will.

by Terry Russell ..

Brad Dykens wrote:
As the "Puppet Master" of OnlineWorldofWrestling.com I would like to point out that the opinions made by Terry Russell in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinions of myself, the editing team, most of the other columnists, and pretty much any intelligent wrestling fan. OWW does not discriminate against amateur columnists, no matter how convoluted their opinions; Terry is entitled to his opinion just like all of you are. Also, don't forget, for every negative ROH article on OWW there are probably five positive ones. I beg of you, do not judge OWW solely on this one column written by an young writer with a lot to learn. Here are a few examples that may fix the sour taste in your mouth left by the one anti-ROH column.

The Fallen Angel: Christopher Daniels - by Daniel Kujawa
http://www.OnlineWorldofWrestling.com/columns/misc/danielkujawa01.html

ROH vs. CZW: How To Run An Invasion Storyline - by Nathan Davis
http://www.OnlineWorldofWrestling.com/columns/misc/nathandavis01.html

The History of The ROH World Title - by Wes Cianchette
http://www.OnlineWorldofWrestling.com/columns/misc/wescianchette01.html

ROH IS Pro-Wrestling - by Matt Kopp
http://www.OnlineWorldofWrestling.com/columns/misc/mattkopp04.html

A Beginners Guide to ROH: by Langon Beck
http://www.OnlineWorldofWrestling.com/columns/misc/langdonbeck06.html

Bill Schweitzer wrote:
The level of stupidity it took to write this ROH article astounds me, but I imagine when you live on an island with such absolute minimal exposure to the business as the UK, you can't be expected to be a very knowledgeable fan. It reads very much as "some British smark bought the Joe vs Kobashi DVD and was disappointed with the undercard", because it quite obviously wasn't written by anyone who had actually bought a ticket to see a show.

My only question is how you managed to convince the OWW website to publish this nonsense. After this wonder of the written word, I can't imagine any website publishing your material, if only because having your name associated with theirs would forever damage any credibility they may have established.

Or, to speak down to your level: Your writing is sub-standard and your subject matter is asinine. Don't quit your day job (assuming you have a day job). Then again, with the wonderful Mirror-like journalism that has taken over in the UK, you would probably fit right in.

Mr. Darren wrote:
The truth is you don't know what you're talking about because if you did you would know that Ring Of Honor is the best alternative out there. Wrestling isn't all about who draws and who makes money it's about the quality of the product and Ring Of Honor presents a top notch product and produces great moments and matches. You say that no one except Samoa Joe would've gotten a second look in Japan well why is it that Low-Ki, Homicide, Jimmy Rave, Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, Jack Evans, Matt Sydal, Alex Shelley and Christopher Daniels have experience wrestling in Japan. As for Giant Baba not giving them a second look who the hell cares about Giant Baba not giving them a second look, You make it sound like they are not any good because Giant Baba would've turned them down, Guess what Giant Baba would've turned down roid freaks like Triple H, Scott Steiner, Chris Masters and John Cena too because guys like Masters and Cena can't have a good wrestling match to save their soul. As for ROH lacking Charismatic wrestlers do you even watch the product because if you did you'd know that ROH has plenty of charismatic stars like Jimmy Rave, Prince Nana, Colt Cabana, Claudio Castagnoli, Chris Hero, Delirious and Ebessan, They may not do goofy shit like raise eyebrows or spit water into the air while trying to look tough or pose like a Playgirl model but they have charisma especially Colt Cabana who not only is a great wrestler but a great character who the WWE even tried to sign like many of other ROH talents.

As far as your little comment about their product being "dangerous" because they actually connect on their moves I'd rather watch a hard hitting athletic contest than 4 lesbians rolling around having a Playmate Pillow Fight or shooting each other with water guns like morons. Not only is Ring Of Honor a great alternative it's praised by some of the all time greats in wrestling like Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Jim Cornette, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Bret "Hitman" Hart, Jushin "Thunder" Liger, Kenta Kobashi, The Great Muta and Bill Watts all of whom except Bret have appeared in Ring Of Honor. Can TNA say that" I didn't think so. Can TNA or WWE tout three 5 star classic matches by Dave Meltzer in three consecutive years like Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk, Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi and Blood Generation vs. Do Fixer" I didn't think so. Can guys like John Cena, Chris Masters and Triple H say that they were in a match that was rated 5 stars by wrestling's most recognized historian and journalist" Nope! So what was that about ROH being terrible"

Josh wrote: Are you, by any chance, Vince McMahon wearing a false moustache"

Jesse Lee wrote:
Now I've only seen about three or four matches of ROH and it's true that they have little ring psychology in mind in most of their move set. However, I find it difficult to having to tell others not to watch it. Just like with WWF vs. WCW back during the Monday Night Wars before the sudden coming of Austin 3:16, while WWE showed clowns and dancing chickens, WCW showed wrestling by the likes of Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko. While WCW showed the same old storylines of Ric Flair being humiliated, WWF showed the Heartbreak Kid making an impact as a heel against Razor Ramon. The point is, people enjoy different things.

Now I, myself, have discovered this school at ROH and am planning on attending if it sticks around long enough. Most of the wrestlers probably just enjoy having a big ol' spotfest, but I'm sure that they're capable of having a wrestling match.

Robert Ames wrote:
First off, i wanna say, by reading your article i have came to the conclusion that your a WWE fan through and through...I haven't seen many ROH matches because i live in arizona, but the ones i have seen on rohwrestling.com, i assume that the reason people say ROH is the greatest wrestling promotion is the same reason that i rather watch a full ROH event rather than RAW or SmackDown, is because they do everything that WWE doesn't...instead of focusing on the entertainment part of wrestling ROH rather have great matches instead of dumbass storylines, that don't make sense or have been repeated OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!! I don't know about anyone else out there but ROH matches seem more shoot than any other wrestling promotion has ever brought to the table, and honestly i find that VERY ENTERTAINING, to see just how hard two men have worked in the ring, to see then dead tired or really sore, is a breath of fresh air, instead of seeing one guy in the WWE spend the whole match getting his ass kicked, win, and then look as if he were sitting on his ass all day, doing nothing, and i also enjoyed the match i saw between Nigel McGuinness and Delirious, where u saw Delirious get dominated the whole match, and instead of some amazing Rey Mysterio upset, Delirious lost the match.Well, anyway, I thought your article was well written, and I got the feeling that you are very passionate about what u said...

James T. wrote:
First off...I disagree with you. Sure, I'm no Ring of Honour fan, but they aren't THAT bad. On the other hand, I'm truly ashamed of the feedback here. Yeah, it's silly guys, but this man sure as hell ain'tthe anti-christ, so grow up. Especially Mr. Schweitzer: I'm english, and I know enough about wrestling to disagree with this guy, so please don't knock my country. And I'm really quite angry with Brad Dykens: "the only reason I posted this column was so ROH fans would rip this guy a new arse-hole"" Am I the only person who believes in standing impartial when you're a amember of staff" I respect your opinions, even if I don't entirely agree with them, but actively calling on people to go after this guy is just pathetic.

Mike Campbell wrote:
"Then there's the overkill of copying Japanese moves. If it's not Kenta Kobashi's 'Burning Hammer' finisher it's Keiji 'Great Muta' Mutoh's 'Shining Wizard.' Then Jun Akiyama's 'Exploder Suplex', I could go on and on quite frankly. Sadly, unlike Kobashi, Mutoh, and Akiyama, their ROH counterparts (or should that be counterfeits") don't know how to integrate those moves into a complete package."

That is easily the funniest thing I've ever read. Kenta Kobashi has only used the actual Burning Hammer four times in his career and used the safer wrist clutch variation twice. That's a whole five times. So talking about Kobashi allegedly 'integrated' the move is laughable in itself. Kobashi at this point is also years removed from being a great worker, to the point where his matches are 99% chops, which you say isn't "WRESTLING."

Jun Akiyama showed great promise in 1996, and that also turned out to be his prime. And even then, he was picking up the nasty habit of throwing out the Exploder suplex several times in the match. That's the whole reason he even needed to innovate a wrist clutch variation. He did the move so much that nobody bought it as a finisher. Because he was doing it five times to wrestlers and they were still kicking out of it.

Keiji Mutoh is no different. The two highest praised Keiji Mutoh matches (vs. Tenryu 6/8/01 and Kawada 2/24/02) both feature Mutoh doing the Shining Wizard time after time after time. He won the Tenryu match, but needed the moonsault to finally do it, when five Shining Wizards weren't doing it. He did the same amount in the Kawada match and wound up losing. Where is all this great integrating you're talking about"

Danny Marino wrote:
What an idiot, I don't know what else I can say, that hasn't been already said, plainly said, you Terry Russell are a dumbass. One of the only things you said right was that Samoa Joe is a genuine talent. ROH guys actually have to do something unlike the WWE guys who all they do is sit around and grow muscles and "act out" boring matches with almost no excitement since it's always so predictable. Meanwhile, we have ROH who is not be overloaded with huge guys with no talent, we have guys who show the world how wrestling should be, Austin Aries, Colt Cobana, Christopher Daniels, Jack Evans, Jimmy Rave, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, among others, and I also see the CZW-ROH Invasion, that's the way the WWE-WCW invasion should have been but of course, it's WWE owned by Vine Mcmahon who knows no true wrestling what so ever, but it's hard to compare WWE to ROH when ROH is true actual talent where WWE is "entertainment", notice how WWE brings in fans by having a bunch of eye candy sitting around bending over, oversexed storylines, some teasing, etc. It was a sad day when C.M Punk left ROH to come to WWE, where you know he'll be misused as a cruiserweight or a tag team rip off just to make some extra money. Thats why you know WWE is scared of ROH, cause they attempt to buy TNA and ROH guys off their respective companies, now tell me I'm wrong and back it up with good evidence.

Lance Crucifix wrote:
Ok, first of all, everyone should shut up, he has some very valid points. First of all, you you wanna watch a stiff fest like Kenta Kobashi vs Samoa Joe, then watch UFC, Samoa Joe while he has the ability, to become a good technicle wrestler, you fans that think you know everything, have tainted his natural talent. Joe is nothing more then a new Goldberg who can have a decent match from time to time. RoH still has alot to prove, the wrestling is there, but the fact is, you NEED storylines in wrestling. Just because they are repetitive dosn't mean you should have them, you should just come up with new ones. While I enjoy watching a good RoH match, the fact is, most of them can't cut a promo for the life of them. Samoa Joe" Horrible on the mic! CM Punk, can get by. Homicide, LMAO!!!! Prince Nana, Great on the mic, horrible wrestler. RoH won't make it any higher then they are now, they're like the old ECW, their sweet, but not sweet enough to attract the casual wrestling fan.

Dowdy wrote:
Are you insane"! Have you even watched more than a few Ring Of Honor matches" The quality that these performers put on is nothing less than astounding. ROH has based itself on actual wrestling, with compelling stories to go with them. Athletes such as Low-Ki, "Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels, Bryan Danielson, and many others are some of the top wrestlers in the world, that is why many Ring of Honor competitors are also in TNA Wrestling. Yes many of the wrestlers use a 'strong style' approach, but that is there style, and it is more interesting to watch than a typical WWE match nowadays when you can see that the moves don't even make contact (see the Kane vs Kane fight on the stage of RAW two weeks ago). Not only do many of the competitors use moves developed in Japan, but do them just as good as the originators.

Their psychology is some of the best in the business today. Watch the CM Punk VS Austin Aries match when Punk won the title. CM Punk was leaving the company (supposedly) and still won the title. Something the fans were not expecting. The same circumstance with the last Paul London match in ROH. Even though he was leaving and the fans knew he was not going to win the title from Samoa Joe, they still put everything they had into chanting for the underdog. (Another reason ROH is the best in North America is their fans.)

No charisma" Right. Have you ever watched a Colt Cabana, CM Punk, or Alex Shelley promo from ROH. Some of the best promos I have seen in a very very long time. These guys have charisma that seemingly comes from nowhere. How can you say that these men have no charisma. Do your damn research. I'm begging you.

I will skip the comment about muscle bound morons like Dave Batista and John Cena drawing and no ROH guys drawing anything. It's idiotic beyond all relief.

And since you believe that ROH has nothing to offer, look at the talent from ROH that are currently in your precious TNA and WWE.

WWE.... Matt Striker, Paul London, Brian "Spanky" Kendrik, Jamie Noble, Joey Mercury, Jimmy Yang, Tony mamaluke, Little Guido, Justin Credible, CM Punk

TNA.... Raven, Homicide, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Chris Sabin, Sonjay Dutt, Jay Lethal, Alex Shelley, Matt Bentley, Samoa Joe, Low-Ki, Roderick Strong, Austin Aries

I think I have proven my point sir.

Matt W. wrote:
We're all entitled to our opinion of course, even though it may be entirely misinformed.To say that the ROH roster isn't charismatic is dumb founding, the roster is loaded with charismatic talent. Take people like Cabana, Delirious, Nana etc. Hell, Cabana is one of the most charismatic people I've seen around.

To say that the wrestlers don't know about psychology is yet again poor. These are guys that have had training with guys like Bobby Heenan, Ricky Steamboat, Jim Cornette, Mick Foley and so on. I'm guessing you don't know much about psychology because I'm telling you right now, most of those guys have it down much better than the WWE roster (for the most part, there are obvious exceptions).

You say that size matters, well that's not true at all. A wrestler being tall does not equal a draw, anyone can draw if they are charismatic or put in the rigth feuds. It's an entirely narrow minded concept that big men draw, one that was placed in your mind by Vince McMahon. Obviously you like Japanese wrestling (only idiots call it puro...it's merely a Japanese attempt at the word pro and so surely it's more mocking than positive) and I can tell you that I wonder consider myself tall but I'm almost as tall as guys like Kobashi, taller than Misawa etc but they were big draws.

Now, the point that kills me the most...the strong style issue. A guy like Roderick is really laying his chops in yes but you are aware that most of the "strong style" in ROH is worked, right" Joe works his style, it looks stiff but it's worked. Work a little snug and then the other guy sells...that is wrestling. Infact the guys in AJPW used to wrestle much stiffer than the ROH guys.

There are many things that you won't understand, please refrain from posting columns as if you're some kind of expert because I find it insulting to people that actually know what they're talking about.

By the way guys, not all of us Brits think like this deluded guy.

Craig O'Donnell wrote:
I would just like to say I don't agree with the authors opinion and im more writing to defend my country really.

Where the **** does Bill Schweitzer get off slating the UK saying we get minimal wrestling coverage. We have our own wrestling channel full of every wrestling fed worth watching including RoH you ignorant f**ker!

Just like the guy who bashed RoH didn't have a clue about ring of honor. Bill Schweitzer doesnt have a clue about the UK. What makes you think your better" Beacause you seen the show live" good for you dude. Get over yourself you racist pr***!

Reed Benson wrote:
This article was obviously written to conjur up anger and controversy. And it worked, on a small scale at least. My response is simple. People watch what they like. Whether or not the "psychology" or "workrate" of a particular group of wrestlers is on the same level as another group in any other time period is irrelevant. Wrestling, just like most other forms of entertainment, has evolved to suit the tastes of the current fan. If you like watching wrestling from the 80's, that's not a problem, it's available on video. If you like watching Ring of Honor, Combat Zone Wrestling, NWA Central States Wrestling, The International Wrestling Syndicate, Totally Tool Wrestling, or any other independent, that's available, too. If you like what you see on TV with WWE and/or TNA, it's still there. That's something about mankind I learned in elementary school; everyone has different tastes and opinions. I, for one, have chosen to accept that fact and not call foul on anyone who happens to like something I don't. It's apparent, however, that some people choose to ignore this fact of life. Lo que ser�, ser�.

Mosherboy wrote:
Hi Terry, I have to say, your column is well written, but I completely disagree with what you have to say. I haven't been watching ROH for a long time, only for about 6/7 months, and it is possibly home to some of the best wrestling I have ever seen.

If you are more of a Sports Entertainment fan, then obviously you would feel this way, but if you are more of an amateur wrestling fan then you couldn't be more wrong. Have you ever watched a Bryan Danielson match" Ever seen Joe vs. Punk 2" Possibly the best match's to come out of America in the past decade.

Wrestling-wise, ROH has a lot more talent than WWE or TNA.

Matt King wrote:
First things first to clear up a few discrepancies, as a fellow Brit I have to say we have virtually daily access to ROH as we can see it for FREE. ON THE WRESLING CHANNEL! So it is possible he has done his research. Secondly I agree that for the most part, the commentating for ROH is god awful (then again so is Michael Cole and we've had to put up with that for god knows how long so its not the most drastic thing and I do love the DANGEROUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUS). Just had to clear this up, for I am a deeply objective human being

Now onto my criticisms of your argument. My first point is against your claim that the ROH wrestlers don't draw. I would comment against that. For you see, as of 6 or 7 months ago, I forget the date, Ring Of Honour became a profitable company. They regularly draw respectable crowds, their recent 4th anniversary show drawing almost 2000 fans, more than a few WWE house shows within the last two years. Using your repeated pointing to the Japanese market, the traditional 'Big Two' of Japan, New Japan and All Japan, are LOSING money. Especially the once all powerful New Japan which has essentially become a modern-day WCW due to the sheer awfulness of the backstage organisation of the company. All Japan, as you point to so frequently, is drawing generally only 2000 to 3000 fans per show. While this is more than Ring Of Honour, consider that All Japan has far more established stars and brand name than ROH has at the moment. We'll see what audiences the ROH brand and wrestlers are drawing in 10 years time and we'll talk about it then. Even compared to other American companies this is a huge achievement. ECW in its entire history NEVER draw a profit, marking a loss for every year of its existence, which is a shame as the product was arguably the best of the last 15 years. WCW in its final years recorded huge loses, losing 60 million in its final year. So the argument that smaller guys can't draw I believe is slowly proving redundant. I will admit, the casual audience is always going to follow a larger, more character/promo based 'superstar' such as Hulk Hogan or John Cena as in my experience most casual fans don't have the basic intelligence to appreciate great wrestling. And that's fine, different strokes for different people. But there is an existing and strong fan base that loves wrestling. ROH has tapped into this market and created a product that is making money. This is a dramatic and huge achievement and one that is to be commended.

You also attack the lack of psychology in ROH matches. I will admit, sometimes this is true. Everyone has guilty pleasures and sometimes a nice, psychology bereft high-spot match is exactly what you need to hit the spot. Now look at the TLC matches in WWE. These matches were huge and drew massive fan approval. Now please point out where the psychology is in this match" I love the TLC but there is no psychology is there. Doesn't take away from the fun however so huzzah for ladder/table spots. However, the idea that their attempts at match psychology is laughable to the point where I have to stop my sides from splitting by watching a Chris Masters match. Always stops any type of joy. Watch the Paul London/Bryan Danielson 2 out of 3 falls match at the Epic Encounter. Watch any of the Joe/Punk series. Watch the Punk/Raven matches. Watch Joe/Gibson. Watch virtually any match for the Pure title (apart from perhaps the AJ Styles and John Walters era). Watch Punk/Rave. Now watch a match like Ric Flair/Ricky Steamboat and tell me there is no psychology in those matches. Yeah not everything is perfect, and those who claim ROH are getting a little over-excited, but ROH delivers more classic matches on a more consistent basis than any other American company combined.

You compare ROH to All Japan, saying their wrestlers would never have even gotten booked. Course they wouldn't have. During the time of Giant Baba, All Japan saw no need to book smaller wrestlers as that wasn't what their product was about. Not a criticism of All Japan, its just that was what they wanted their product to be. ROH promotes a different product and, as pointed out, has been far more successful than they could ever have been. With the death of Baba, All Japan collapsed completely, after most of their wrestlers left and formed the offshoot a little company you might have heard of called NOAH. NOAH is currently drawing large crowds and creating a tremendous in-ring product. And let's have a quick looksey at their roster. Ooo look, LOW KI! Pushed into a highly important position in their tremendously awesome and successful Junior Heavyweight division! And also the first ever ROH champion! Who else could there be, ooo, Nigel McGuiness, Doug Williams and others all given pushes, titles and regulars in ROH. Other wrestlers how are stables in ROH such as Christopher Daniels, Alex Shelley, Bryan Danielson, have been given pushes and titles in Japanese promotions. And consider how hard it is for a 'gajin' not only to get booked but to get pushed in a Japanese promotion. Almost all the ROH regulars have had tours in Japan. How many WWE guys can claim the same" Guys like Cena, Orton, Masters" They would be murdered in a promotion like NOAH, or even the tragic comedy that is New Japan. Yes many of the ROH use Japanese moves. That's because they're GOOD MOVES. How many WWE guys could you simply change the finisher and have the exact same guy" I would much rather watch wrestlers with exciting and varied move sets, rather than yet another bland WWE roid-machine. And your comments against ROH guys working stiff" Proves you know nothing of All Japan. Watch the genuine classics that are the Misawa-Kawada series, the two men who carried All Japan on their back during its most successful period. They pound the holy F*CK out of each other. And why" To create an entertaining, realistic and mesmerising encounter. Sometimes I will admit, people take the 'Strong-Style' too far and cause unnecessary problems, but this is true of any wrestling and it's the risks you take whenever you climb into that ring. It's a sad fact of the industry we love and attacking ROH stiffness whilst proclaiming the greatness of All Japan is the saddest demonstration of hypocrisy and ignorance I have seen in a long while.

Finally your attacks against the charisma of ROH wrestlers. I really cannot be f*cked to give this argument justification, I have already written waaaay too much and its so damn stupid it doesn't matter either way.

So in conclusion as this note that turned into a full blown essay (dammit I think I deserve a column for this as I have wasted almost an hour on a boring Saturday night), your article highlights a rising phenomenon in the 'IWC'. Where once it was the prerogative of indy fans to senselessly attack the WWE product (which, to be honest, some did and at times it was embarrassing) it has now became the nature of WWE to shamelessly and needlessly assault the non-WWE product, most notably TNA and ROH, as often these are the only non-WWE companies these fans have heard of. So people with none or limited exposure to the TNA or ROH product criticise relentlessly. Does it give them some kind of justification for a worthless and wasted life" I really don't know. Don't get me wrong, I watch TNA and the occasional RAW. I like both products and I'm not going to let petty prejudices harm my enjoyment of either company as both have elements I like.

But saying I should watch TNA and ignore ROH as TNA is a superior product is borderline retarded. The majority of TNA's roster has been lifted from ROH. Names like Styles, Daniels, Joe, your new X-Division Champion 'Senshi', Lethal, Red and others made their names in ROH long before they made their names in TNA. But in any case, if you don't like ROH, you don't like ROH. I find it a shame personally, as I believe that ROH is the best thing going today. Old school style feuds than actually mean something, and the most consistent stream of quality matches that you will see anywhere in the world. WWE and TNA included. Anyway, I've outted my geekyness and lack of a life for far long enough. And no ROH shouldn't run PPVs. Because they don't need to, they're almost perfect just the way they are.

Kirsty Quested wrote:
In response to the query made by Bill Schweitzer: "My only question is how you managed to convince the OWW website to publish this nonsense. After this wonder of the written word, I can't imagine any website publishing your material, if only because having your name associated with theirs would forever damage any credibility they may have established." Bill, we at OWW will publish the opinion of anyone so long as their column obeys the 10 Commandments For Columnists. We do not discriminate, even when we know that the author's view - such as this - will contrast with our own, and with the majority of readers. We don't agree with Mr. Russell, but he's entitled to his opinion - free speech, remember" We trust that our readers are intelligent enough to realise this, and to know that the opinions of ANY columnist on this site do not necessarily reflect those of ourselves. We publish without bias or discrimination.

George Champlin wrote: A open letter to Terry Russell
I just got done reading your opinion of ROH and I must say that I disagree with you. I am new to the ROH product but far from new to Pro Wrestling. I went to my first live show in 1978 in Altoona, Pa as a kid with my dad to see the WWF. Since then over the course of 30 years I have seen the rise and fall of WCW,WCCW,ECW,NWA, and countless others. I have seen the WWF rise to new heights only to be brought down to earth. I have gone to so many Indy shows that might be happy with a crowd of 25 paid people at the local Lion's Club. I have even traveled from PA to the Omni in Ga during the 80's to watch Ric Flair and even was a monthly subscriber to OVW's TV tapes. And after all of that I can tell you that I have enjoyed that last 6 months of ROH than I have over the others combined!

I see that you are a big WWE fan and don't like little guys because they cannot draw. I wonder how people like Ray Mesterio, Chris Benoit, The late Eddie Guerrero, and so many more feel about comments like that. It amazes me that ECW how never had a real big man got as big as it did and even got on TV but never had a big man. You need to sit down and watch The Milestone Series and if you still feel that ROH is a "inferior" wrestling than I suggest you try to explain what wrestling is.

Jason Xtremefalls Simmons wrote:
First off to the people who are going to whine and complain shut up. First off this guy makes some very valid points, maybe not said correctly but he did make points. ROH for years has been protected by there marks but yet they think everyone in that company is a star. While ROH has brought out some great stars over the years they still are nothing more then a poor mans ECW. Its a gimmick based promotion who unlike ECW hasn't ever captured real emotion from the crowd. Also ROH refuses to bring in some bigger wrestlers who are valuable, maybe not as fast or highflying as AJ Styles or Low Ki but are useful. Terry's biggest mistake though was not taking a shot at probably the biggest problem in ROH which is The fans. The ROH fans are very hypocritical and will come on here and defend ROH too the death for things they shit all over on in WWE and TNA. However Terry good column here.

Dan from kent wrote:
I just want to say that i disagree with the comments made against ROH first i'm also from the U.K and we only get it on the wrestling channel. But I think that some of the wrestlers are awesome like Jack Evans, AJ Styles, Chris Daniels, BJ Whitmer, Jimmy Jacobs and Samoa Joe. Some of the honoured alumni are in WWE or TNA like Petey Williams, Paul london, and Matt Hardy. And you were talking about the wrist clutch exploder WWE will not let any wrestlers do those type of moves not even the 450 splash anymore

Aidan wrote:
"That is easily the funniest thing I've ever read. Kenta Kobashi has only used the actual Burning Hammer FOUR times in his career and used the safer wrist clutch variation TWICE. That's a whole FIVE times."

Sorry Mike Campbell, but I get so tired to people mocking others for expressing their own opinions that I insisted on sending this as a taste of your own medicine. ----- HOW DOES FOUR + TWO = FIVE " ------ Kind regards to all working at the OWW website,

Travis Koppe wrote:
Ok guys, enough is enough. This guy has his own opinion, and many of you don't agree with it. That's fine. I've never seen a single RoH match in my life, so I'm not for or against it. I'm writing mainly to defend the author, who most of you seem to hate simply because of his opinions.

But "Bill Schweitzer," don't go around criticizing the author and calling the UK a bad place for wrestling fans. You may have you own opinions about the country and the person, but you don't need to express them over the internet.

And "Danny Marino," again, there is no need to insult the author. How you got posted at all is beyond me.

Now, people like "Mosherboy" are the real "men" here. "Mosherboy" stated at the beginiing of their response "I have to say, your column is well written, but I completely disagree with what you have to say." Now that is the best way to open a response with which you have a disagreement. It's really starting to annoy me how Americans all seem to know that they are "right." You have your opinion, other people have theirs. There is no reason to trash another persons opinions just because they differ from your own.

All of you "wrestling fans" who "know that you're right," shut the hell up. If you're truly a fan of the greatest sport in the world today (in my opinion), then you will learn to respect the opinions of others. True fans know when to shut their damn mouths.

Terry Russell (Original Author) wrote:
Firstly, I would like to express my thanks to everyone for leaving feedback. Secondly, I feel the need to defend myself a little. Firstly, what many of you who have blasted me to high heaven are quick to forget is that I was simply offering up MY opinions thats all. I didn't expect a large echoing of my sentiments, but certainly didn't expect the level of backlash I've encountered. I also have to comment on something Reed Benson wrote: 'This article was obviously written to conjur up anger and controversy'. While that may be common practise among other contributors, I assure it was not my intention. I just felt like writing an article about my dislike for that particular promotion. It's just a pity that someone isn't able to give an opinion without facing personal insults.

"The Devil's Advocate" Alexander Avery wrote:
Let me start off by saying I am a huge Ring of Honor fan. I'd shill out more money for a ROH PPV than a WWE or even TNA PPV. And while I disagree with what you have to say I will say your opinions are valid, and nothing you say is false.

But let me defend ROH as reasonably as you have attacked it.

Does ROH mime Japanese Strong Wrestling" Yes. But I enjoy it, and there are some ROH superstars with Charisma, Cabana, Delirious, and Prince NANA.

As for the size of wrestlers, I hate watching "Big Guy" wrestlers like Batista and Kane. They are just the same match of Lariats, Spinebusters, and Chokeslams or Powerbombs. At least the Bruning Hammer and the Shooting Star Press are cool moves.

As for PPVs, a ROH PPV would hurt them bad, ONLY because of the money needed to create one. I think it would sell very well. But the starting money would be the biggest issue, having been to nearly all of their Dayton shows, I can tell you the crowds are not big enough to fund something like that.

I guess there is just a difference in opinion when talking about Styles.

And on a final note. You say the ROH guys know nothing about Ring Psychology. Have you ever seen a Cena Match" The man probably can't even pronounce the word. Kane, Kali, Batista, and Henry never use psychology. I as much flack as I will get for saying this, HHH uses less ring Psychology than anyone else. 20 punches then a finisher is nor ring Psychology. RP is a lost art from Bret Hart, Owen Hart, and Curt Hennig.

Adam Gibson wrote:
I respect Mr Russell's views and opinion on the Ring Of Honour product despite my liking for the promotion. I feel that OWW is a prime place for fans to express their opinions which may be albeit controversial at times and gives me an insight into others views and opinions. I do find Bill Schweitzer's statement that just because Terry Russell comes from Great Britain he instantly is not as much of a smark as someone who comes from America. We in Britain have a wrestling channel (giving us free TNA ppvs monthly, japanese wrestling, American indy wrestling and european wrestling) We get to see ROH weekly, TNA weekly and see many many events. We probably have more access to wrestling than you do and the fact that just because you may have been able to watch ROH live (like many others), it doesn't instantly make you smarter than us. we've got ROH coming here in a short period of time and I highly doubt that the audience will be full of John Cena marks who no next to nothing about wrestling (This is the second time ROH wrestlers have toured here, Frontiers Of Honour occured a few years ago). Anyway, I did enjoy reading Terry Russell's column even though I may not agree with what he is saying. We are entitled to express different views on the business.

Craig Thompson wrote:
I myself admit to not being an ROH fan, I too live in England and from what I have seen on the Wrestling Channel which granted isn't a great deal, I have not been taken in by the promotion. I don't want to insult the promotion and the wresters in it, wrestling in this modern era can often be likened to a circus in that everybody will like something different.

ROH obviously have a large following of loyal supporters in a similar way to TNA and WWE and other promotions around the globe. What I think puts me off is the way the shows are produced for TV, commentary and also the Wrestling Channel breaks they put every 5 minutes (or it seems like 5 minutes!). I do prefer the expensive production methods of a WWE broadcast while I find ROH to be kind of blocky and amateurish in camera work, again I apologise if that comes off as offensive but it's what I compare it to. I agree completely that there are many phenomenal performers in ROH and many that have gone on to TNA/WWE. I can't get enough of Samoa Joe, Fallen Angel and AJ Styles but I found it difficult to watch them in ROH whereas I find their TNA stuff a lot easier to watch. I also have to agree with James T regarding the OVW 'Puppet Master', had I wrote a column I would be disappointed to receive such critism from somebody I assume is on the staff of this website.

theXenigma wrote:
To write an article bashing ROH because you feel they don't have enough charisma and that they don't appeal to everyone is ridiculous. ROH is about WRESTLING. Its the closest pro wrestling has been to real wrestling in ages. Thats how pro wrestling should be. ROH is about pure wrestling and athleticism. They also throw in hardcore to allow talent to show that they are actually tough. They care about entertaining the fans. You bring up charisma. What do the words charisma and WRESTLING have in common" Nothing. Hulk Hogan and Superstar Billy Graham" How could you use them to argue about ROH" Hulk Hogan throws a bunch of punches does a scoop slam and drops a leg and somehow calls it wrestling. Billy Graham also has the same style as Hogan(plus his DVD has sold nothing so obviously he wasnt successful so that was a bad choice of an example). ROH is about pure wrestling. Samoa Joe is practically an MMA fight and heck ROH can be compared to MMA orginazations. The only difference is that one is actual competition. The reason why I mention MMA is because they use wrestling and the likes of Hulk Hogan, John Cena, Batista, Billy Graham and Stone Cold do not.

Tim Dunn (Konxville, TN) wrote:
I think Mr. Russell is a 100% correct with this article. Professional wrestling is more than just drop kicks, a suplex, a figure four leglock or an abdominal stretch. The wrestling that people crave for today is 75% entertainment and 25% "grappling". And for entertainment value, the entertainers need charisma and the ability to communicate to an audience with something more than a nice "wrestling" move. People can bash Hulk Hogan all they want, but the man knew how to get behind a mic and drive fans to the box office. Steve Austin, The Rock....really not much different than Hogan, just more agile. R-O-H wrestlers, lack the proper training or ability to do the very thing that has made W-W-E stars so popular.

And for those of you who continue to bring up the fact that Hogan doesn't know how to "wrestle"....let's not confuse ourselves with what wrestling is. Last time I checked, wrestling didn't involve steel chairs, drop kicks or frog splashes. Nor did it involve ropes or a square ring. So, don't tell me that W-W-E stars can't wrestle, because very few "wrestlers" whether it's R-O-H or E-C-W or T-N-A or O-V-W or U-P-W or W-W-E or A-B-C-D-E....can wrestle. The moves that the "wrestlers" of today perform are more closely related to what occurs in a U-F-C or M-M-A ring than an Olympic Wrestling mat. And just for the record there's only man who's won a Gold Medal for that in wrestling.

But, let's be honest people. If the Vince McMahon asked every R-O-H "star" to "come to the W-W-E, cut the long matches with the fancy moves, learn mic skills, wear a furry sweater and pants and call himself the Hairy Ass, and oh yeah....here's a million bucks", not one R-O-H star would turn him down. And for those of you who think many of them would....you probably like those indy rock bands who "just want to stay true to their sound"----translation----we aren't good enough and we never got offered a record deal to sound like someone else more talented.

Headlocks don't sell to wide audiences, deftly written storylines, entertainment and maybe the odd fight do. And that is what W-W-E sells globally, while R-O-H sells their significantly less entertaining product to a loyal, but small group of followers.

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