Ring of Honor Wrestling

First off, I wanna say thank you all for reading the first part of this series and giving such positive responses. It means a lot. I am planning on doing this series weekly, unless people want more, in which I will try and get more out in a week as I can.

But in any case, here is Part 2 of The Secret Life of a Pro-Wrestler.

Part 2: Hitting the Mats

Whenever I travel I kinda get a case of restless leg syndrome, I don't know why. I'm guessing it's because I am sitting in a car for so long and I'm getting bored.

I try to sleep unless I'm driving, but it never seems to work it seems. Having ADHD has it's advantages and disadvantages, I guess.

Aaron and I were headed to Atlanta. One thing to know about heading from Birmingham, Ala., to Atlanta is this...it seems like a straight shot, but it's not. I mean yeah, it's about a two- to three-hour drive, depending on traffic, but not if Aaron is driving.

One thing to know about Aaron, he is a man of many talents, but one of them isn't singing. He's like one of those guys or gals on American Idol in the beginning who think they're awesome, but really aren't. And hate when people expose them as just that.

So while I never bring up the fact that he isn't good, I do have to take headphones with me and listen to music on my iPod on high volume while Aaron sings along with the radio. Then you add in the traffic being awful once arriving to Georgia, and it was a miserable car trip.

I brought him along because he is an Indy wrestler, and has trained in Alabama. But the issue was that he wasn't trained by the best place, like I will be. So there is a chance he could be coming with me to Atlanta.

My girlfriend Lindsey stayed at home as she had school to go to. So it was just Aaron and I.

The school we were headed to was NWAW Pro-Wrestling.

It's considered one of the top schools in America today, and it's close to home. Can't beat that.

I wanted to go here, but Aaron and I both knew that we needed to check this place out first before arriving.

As we finally arrived in Atlanta, with it now being 10 a.m., I was ready to find this place. Atlanta's traffic is awful by the way, for those who come by here. We managed to get through some of the Atlanta traffic that was weirdly bad at this time of day. And the GPS said that we were just about eight miles away.

Finally I see a sign out of no where, saying NWAW Pro-Wrestling, and we pulled in.

When we arrived, I have to say, I saw a lot of great stuff just on the outside of the area. I can't really express the happiness I had when I went up the building. It was like I could see myself wrestling.

It's like when you have a dream for so long, and you can taste it coming to pass, and your entire body is just in knots because of both the nerves and excitement at the same time.

Aaron leaned over to me in the car and said, "the future is now, man". It was pretty cool to hear those words, I have to say. And he didn't sing them, so, that was even better.

In any case, we got out of the car and went toward the door. As I leaned in to grab the handle a man walked out cursing. I have to say, this wasn't a wonderful sign to me.

I mean, let me ask, would you be encouraged when you saw that? I think the overwhelming majority shouting out their answer would give a big no.

As I walked in with Aaron just behind, I saw about three rings to the right side of me. I saw a gym down across the room to the left and a counter where I'm guessing things are sold.

There were a few guys and gals in the ring doing some things. There didn't seem to be a trainer in there, but young men and women just wrestling around and seemingly just trying to get moves down.

I saw a guy with black hair, who looked to be in pretty good shape who was doing dropkicks on guys in the ring to better improve the move. His dropkick looked as good, if not better than Hardcore Holly's. I mean, it was scary good.

He seemed to catch Aaron and I out of the corner of his eye and told the guys in the ring that he would be back in a minute.

He jumped out of the ring and came to talk to us. He yelled over from where he was at and asked, "Are you guys looking for Neil?"

I told him that we weren't looking for anyone. We were just here to look around and possibly consider attending the school. He told us that his name was John Jackson.

Aaron mentioned how that seemed to be a nice kind of name, then asked was it his wrestling name or real one? Jackson looked over to Aaron and said, it was real.

He was asked his name when he arrived here and people thought the same thing, that it was just the name he wanted to go by in wrestling. But it was his name given at birth.

But Jackson quickly changed the subject and said that Neil Holloway was the name of the man who ran the school, the head trainer if you will.

If we had any questions, he would be the guy to ask, but he also mentioned that since he had been going to the school for a while, over two years, that he could be of some help as well if it was anything just about the school or something.

He told us that the school had been around for over 20 years and had a nice crop of talent come through it. It is also a school/promotion. Holloway likes to run shows here every Saturday Night to get his guys and girls some match experience in front of big crowds.

And he runs it just like any other promotion. There are Tag Titles, a Women's champion, and a World Champion.

Jackson said he has held the tag titles three times and the World Title once. The current World Champion here was probably going to leave soon, and Jackson could be the guy that Neil wants the current guy to drop it to.

But, he said that the promotion has been good for many of the people there. A lot of Indy promoters seem to come out on occasion and scout talent to bring in. And he told me that TNA and WWE has sent scouts down here a lot more in the past five years.

He said the last scout he saw here from either TNA or WWE was a month ago. But they come in every few months. Many times, they send a younger guy in so that he can just film the guys and then send it back to them.

That got me hyped up a bit. By the time he was finishing up about the scouts, a man walked down the steps from across the room. Jackson said that man is Neil Holloway, considered one of the best trainers in the world today.

He wasn't overly in shape, just looked like you would think a trainer would look. He was not a small man, but not huge. He wasn't old, but wasn't young. But he was about 6 foot tall and looked to be close to 200-pound Caucasian man.

He was simply an interesting looking guy. He came up and introduced himself, and shook both Aaron and my hand.

He asked what we were here for. We told him what we told Jackson, just to simply look around. We thought about attending and we knew coming by first would be good.

He said that was a brilliant idea, and he asked if we wanted to hop in the ring for a free session with the guys in there now.

School wasn't going to start until later, but he felt the guys there now would be good to work with for us, considering all have been there at least a year. We told him we had plenty of time to kill, so why not? He told us to come on in.

Immediately when I stepped in the ring for the first time, it just felt right. Aaron got into the ring next to me and was working with a guy named Frank.

I got to work with Jackson. Neil was on the outside of the ring and told us there is one thing every first timer had to do their first day here, and that was take 10 bumps.

Wrestling term- BUMP- when a wrestler hits the mat or ground in some form or fashion.

Holloway told us that the best way to take a first bump was to be body slammed. So, he asked Frank and Jackson to do the first one for us. Aaron and I agreed to let them do it, and so they did.

Now, when you're up in the air being held upside down for a brief second, it's not really a fun experience. You start doubting why your here, in this position and you immediately regret everything you did to get here.

Your life flashes before your eyes, and you ask for a pen or pencil to write a will out. But before being handed anything, I hit the mat.

I have to say, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but to be honest, it hurt.

Neil said, "Nine more to go, fellas!"

At this point, you want to prove your manhood. Even if you never came back, at least you want to prove you could take a simple 10 bumps.

Now I don't know what was going through Aaron's mind, but in mine, I was just trying to take these bumps and then move on.

As I am thinking about my manhood, I hit the mat a second time. Okay, now that one hurt a little bit. It seemed Jackson had this idea in mind that he wanted to, I don't know, break me in if you will. Get me used to what was coming.

He picks me up for No. 3, and boom, another crash to the mat. That, I think, broke something. It seemed the more times I hit, the harder Jackson was throwing me down.

Number four was upcoming, and I cringed for the crash. I hit and winced in pain, Jackson asked me if I wanted to stop, I said no, keep going.

And he did, as he crashed me down for another one. Then he picked me up fast for three more times.

Then the ninth time came about and he picked me up, at this point I am in pretty serious pain. My back is on fire. But, I'm almost done. He does it again. And he tells me to pick myself up for the next.

He asked me if I've had enough yet, I told him, and in probably the coolest way I've ever said anything, "no thank you sir, may I have another."

My interpretation on a classic phrase. Of course, I could be dreaming this. I was kind of out of it at this point.

I got myself up and he grabbed me and threw me down harder than the last nine. And I just lay there.

Neil said to Aaron and I, right now, the average match for you both will consist of at least 10 bumps. And the better you get, the more bumps you'll take. What a reward, eh? That's why he makes first-timers take 10 bumps.

He said if we are willing to get continue, then, let him know. He started to walk away and asked the guys to join him.

But you know, I wanted to prove a point that I was serious. I told Neil to get Jackson back in the ring and to give me another slam.

Jackson laughed and said, you have guts. But he won't do it, he said I could barely hold myself up. Aaron was still on the mat himself, so, we both were hurting. But I didn't care.

But I yelled at him "no, do it now!" He looked back and I could see him mouth the words, "Is this guy serious?" to Neil. Holloway said, "he asked for it, just go do it."

So, Jackson walked back to the ring and grabbed me with force and slammed me for the now, 11th time. And he did so with some power. I felt something pop even.

He bent over as I lied on the mat and said, "welcome, I'm gonna like you."

Jackson left the ring and Neil looked over from the other side of the room and winked at me and said he'd see me later on.

Aaron finally walked over to the ring I was in and helped me up. He asked me, "you sure you wanna do this?"

I told him, "more than anything." He looked at me and said, "let's do it." We were coming back next week, making the move from Alabama to Atlanta. Would this be a good move for us? Not too sure, but it would be interesting to say the least.

For those graphic design artists out there, I need pics made for the series. One's with the words, "Secret Life of a Pro-Wrestler," and others.

If you can make some and send them to me, make sure they are ".jpg" if at all possible. And you'll receive credit on the articles as my thanks to you. Thanks in advance!

All characters. school, and story of The Secret Life of a Pro-Wrestler are fiction, and simply that. Any copying of the story or likeness is prohibited, copyright me, myself, and b/r. 2010

When Ring of Honor last invaded New York City for Glory By Honor in September, The Wrestling Roundtable brought our smash hit online show backstage for a couple of exclusive interviews.

As you will see in the video below, I personally had the chance to interview WWE Hall of Famer, Terry Funk.

Wrestling Roundtable BLOG: Glory By Honor IX
[Here is the link to the video.  Bleacher Report was having technical problems embedding it.]

In the video, there is just one question out of the three that I asked the WWE Legend. 

There aren't enough good words I could say about Terry Funk.  When we approached him backstage, he did not hesitate to meet us halfway and talk to us. 

I have had the pleasure to meet many wrestling personalities over the past few years during my association with The Wrestling Roundtable.  There is no doubt in my mind that Terry Funk is one of the nicest guys I have met. 

A confession I have to make is that this was the first interview that I have EVER conducted with anyone.  Terry has done it so many times over his career that he unknowingly walked me through it. 

I asked him about what wrestling talent that he had his eye on for the future and he heavily put over the Ring of Honor locker room.  He also had a very insightful point of view on the EV2.0 faction that TNA debuted around the time of this interview. 

He explained how much he liked and respected guys like Sabu, Raven and Dreamer, but went on to let me know that trying to re-create the past in wrestling is something that hasn't been done effectively. 

Those are the questions that didn't make the video.

Next, I interviewed Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team consisting of Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin. 

This was the first time these two have teamed up since their WWE careers.  They both seemed happy to be back together for this major Ring of Honor iPPV. 

We approached them before the show when the wrestlers were getting warmed up. 

They both stood out and looked as big as ever, especially Charlie Haas as you will see in the video. 

We asked them if they could give us an interview either before or after the show.  They kindly told us to catch up with them after the show and they didn't go back on their word.

Both guys were nice and definitely seemed excited to continue their post-WWE careers.

Lastly, I had the overwhelming task over interviewing my personal favorite wrestler. 

Homicide is vastly underrated in the broad scope of professional wrestling.  The amount of blood and sweat he has given to the business has been unappreciated for the majority of his career.

Since he has finally been released from the living hell that is TNA, Homicide has been reborn.  He seemed overjoyed to be able to get back on the Independent scene and do what he loves to do: wrestle.

We caught up with Homicide very shortly after he left ringside.  His debut was a complete surprise to most and it left many questions unanswered.

In conclusion, this was one of the highlights of my life when it comes to being a wrestling fan. 

I actually got to fill the shoes of legendary interview guys like Gene Okerlaund and Sean Mooney.  Kevin Kelly and The Coach.  Tony Schivanoe and Missy Hyatt.  You get the point. 

The Wrestling Roundtable has opened the door for me and I will continue to walk through it.  We plan on conducting more exclusive interviews in the future.

Wrestling Roundtable BLOG: Glory By Honor IX
[Here is the link to the video.  Bleacher Report was having technical problems embedding it.]

Jason Alletto
The Wrestling Roundtable
www.blogtalkradio.com/wrestlingroundtable
www.youtube.com/wrestlingroundtable
www.gofightlive.tv
Let me know what you think—leave comments

2010 has been a very interesting year for Ring of Honor.

Many fans wondered how the Philadelphia-based promotion would fare after losing arguably its two biggest stars, Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness, in late 2009. ROH has always managed to create new stars whenever their existing ones have departed, but would they be able to bounce back after losing two of their very best in one fell swoop?

The answer was, for the most part, a resounding yes.

2010 began with the crowning of Tyler Black as the World Heavyweight Champion in February at the “Eighth Anniversary Show,” marking the official arrival of Black as a major player in pro wrestling.

ROH gave Black the ball and he ran with it, putting on incredible matches and building memorable rivalries with the likes of Davey Richards, Kevin Steen and Roderick Strong.

Black built his reputation up so well during his championship reign that he received a developmental contract with the WWE in August, marking yet another blow to the ROH talent roster.

With the current champion soon departing, and promising to take the title with him, it was Roderick Strong who would become the man who would take the belt off Black and keep it in ROH.

With his victory at “Glory By Honor IX” in September, Strong officially became the new face of the promotion.

Now that 2010 is beginning to wind down, some major changes are going on in the rings of ROH.

In October, it was revealed that several names were being released from the promotion, including two-time World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries. Erick Stevens, Necro Butcher and the Dark City Fight Club joined “A Double” in what some reports have called a cost-cutting move.

Losing top-notch talent like Black and Aries in a matter of months feels just a bit like a year ago.

Creating new stars and breathing new life into the main event scene are some of the major tasks ahead for Delirious, the longtime ROH competitor who is now in charge of booking the promotion.

Former booker, Adam Pierce, parted ways with the company in late August. It was announced on PWInsider.com and several other sites that Delirious would be taking over the booking duties along with some assistance from ROH “executive producer” Jim Cornette.

The new creative team of ROH does not have an easy task ahead of them over the course of the next few months. While the letters ROH are reason enough for many diehard fans to continue supporting the product, the promotion is going to have to build up some younger talent to strengthen the talent roster.

Fortunately for Delirious and Cornette, it seems as if ROH owner Cary Silken is serious about doing just that. Over the past few months, many of the top young guns of ROH have signed new deals with the company, and Silken has also given contracts to several up-and-coming talents on the independent scene.

Guys like Kyle O’Reilly (a protégé of Davey Richards), Adam Cole and Mike Bennett are all recent acquisitions who have the potential to develop into major players in the next year. All three have spent time in popular independent promotions, including Combat Zone Wrestling and Dragon Gate USA.

Kenny King, Eddie Edwards, Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli have all re-signed with ROH and are all potential future World Heavyweight Champions. Edwards is the current World Television Champion, Hero and Castagnoli are currently the World Tag Team Champions.

And they are arguably the best team in all of professional wrestling today.

“Glory By Honor IX” may have marked the final appearance of Tyler Black in ROH, but it was also the night that Homicide, recently released from his TNA contract, returned to the promotion.

Couple the return of the “Notorious 187” with the announcement from Davey Richards that he isn’t going to retire at the end of 2010, which had been rumored for months, and suddenly the main event scene in ROH doesn’t look as troubled after all.

As of this writing, the main event for the final PPV of 2010, “Final Battle,” is Strong defending his World Heavyweight Championship against Richards.

Before that can happen, Strong must make it through his first title defense next weekend in Mississauga, Ontario, against “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels.

Daniels returned to ROH in April 2010 and has been focused on becoming the champion ever since. Nov. 13 marks his first crack at the gold, and it could very well mark the end of Strong’s reign.

Can Strong continue his momentum from “Glory by Honor” and establish himself as “the man” in ROH? A victory over an ROH legend like Daniels would go a long way toward validating Strong’s championship credibility.

If he is able to retain over Daniels, Strong must still contend with both Richards and Homicide, who are waiting for their respective title matches. If he plans on having a long title reign, there is no question that Strong must take his game to new heights and overcome the bullseye that is currently on his back.

With names like Strong, Daniels, Richards and Homicide in the World Heavyweight title picture, chances are very good that ROH will continue to produce top-notch, highly-competitive main event matches throughout the end of 2010 and well into 2011.

Nov. 12 in Dearborn, Mich., is the annual “Survival of the Fittest” tournament, pitting 12 competitors against each other in six one-on-one matches. The winners of those matches will advance to a six-man elimination match for a guaranteed shot at the World Heavyweight Championship.

El Generico, Colt Cabana, Kevin Steen, Steve Corino, Eddie Edwards, Kenny King, Rhett Titus, Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, Grizzly Redwood, Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole make up this year’s field of 12.

One of these men will have a legitimate chance to break into the championship picture and become a top contender in 2011. While some of these names are already top stars for the promotion, none of these men have held the top title, and they are all undoubtedly looking to take their career to the next level by surviving this tournament.

Regardless of who wins, another name will be added to the championship picture in ROH after next weekend.

Even though ROH has had to deal with many of their top stars leaving for brighter lights and greener pastures over the years, the company has always managed to create new stars.

They have done an admirable job of adapting to a regularly-changing roster. As the year comes to a close, things appear to be heating up.

New talents are looking to establish themselves, and many ROH regulars are looking to reach the next level.

There may be a bit of doom and gloom because guys like Black and Aries are no longer with the company, but the ROH roster is one currently full of potential stars and established veterans who all share a common trait.

The desire to give their all and prove why the letters ROH continue to stand for excellent wrestling.

I wrote a series a while back called the Secret Life of a Pro-Wrestler which received some good reviews on many of the articles. I had to stop doing it because I was threatened that if I kept on with it, I'd lose my Featured Writer status. I didn't want that, so, I stopped the series.

I didn't want to do it, but I had to because B/R was going to take something away I really wanted to keep. But, I asked them if I could do a few more to end it and they agreed. Now though, over a year later, I am not going to care anymore.

I am going to do this series because I simply loved doing it. For those that saw the last one, this time around the series WILL BE DIFFERENT. You won't hear of the same old things from the last one, it will be more believable, understandable, and gripping like no other in the last series.

THIS IS AN ALL FICTION SERIES. So, for those that follow and think I am really the person I talk of, I am not. It's just a story of which follows a man through his life in the wrestling industry. I will talk of issues people suffer through in this industry and the happiness it also brings.

For those of you in the industry, whether it be in the Indys or higher, send me a message on B/R and we'll talk to see if you like what you see.

The format of the articles you'll see are very understandable. It'll be mostly in diary form, where I'll talk of the day or week I had and all things involved with it, but also in story form.

It's past tense really, but will take place in this time period, so don't expect me to bring Stone Cold or The Rock into play to have matches with just because it's fiction. This will be as real as possible.

Without any more waiting, lets get to the first article, shall we? It's not as in depth as others will be, but it will show you the idea of the series. It was also get you in touch with a few of the characters and mindsets of those involved.

This part of the series will be called, The Decision

When one thinks of their dream job when they are young, you'll hear police officer, fireman, doctor, and all the normal types of jobs like that. But you rarely hear them say they want to be in the wrestling industry.

However, I am no normal man. That much is sure, just ask my parents, friends, or anyone who meets me. I'm a bit wacky, and do a lot of crazy things so much that some think I belong in a mental institute.

It's not as if I'm really crazy though, I guess it's just that I don't like the norm; I wanna stand out and be different.

So, when I told my parents I wanted to be a wrestler, they laughed and said, "okay son, you go for it". That was when I was 10.

Now at 20, my parents, girlfriend, and other friends are advising me to find something better. "You can be anything you want to be in life" was what I was always told. And now that I tell them what I want to do, they tell me I could never do it? That I need to find something else?

Contradictory, Mom and Dad? I think so.

When I graduated high school at 18, I thought I'd just do that whole, "normal job" thing. I tried working at the local pizza place, then even trying out college.

College seemed to work out with the part time job at the pizza place. I ended up getting my degree in business, just a 2 year degree from the community college, but hey, it's something right?

But really, I was and still am not happy. Am I being that normal guy my parents envisioned? Maybe. But what about me?

That's why I sat everyone who meant something to me down, and told them my plans.

I told them that at 20 years old and 21 very soon, I could be my own man now, I didn't need to be held under the controlled environment here that said what I could and couldn't do. I wanted to be a wrestler, it was my dream since going to WWF RAW back in 1998 when it came to town.

Seeing the majesty and grace of the wrestlers, the pure ability to make people eat out the palm of their hand on every word spoken, and the phenomenon it has and always will be got me hooked and I couldn't get it out of my head.

I wanted to be up there performing with these men and women that are doing what I always wanted to do.

Once I told them that, sure, they were upset. But they also supported my decision no matter how unhappy they were with me for picking it.

My girlfriend was more upset than anyone else, however.

My parents were worried about my safety, seeing as some of these guys get paralyzed. And you see all the people dying young from it and the drug abuse as well happening.

But it seemed even though they were worried about it, it was like twice as much with my girlfriend, Lindsey.

She freaked out about it, and while it was funny in some ways about how much she freaked, I did consider changing my mind because of how she was being. Was I worried? Maybe.

But, I made them all feel better when I told them that I'd be getting good training and that I would be working with people that were trained well too.

I'd learn how to be safe out there and injuries may happen, but there are some that have never had a series injury because they know how to entertain in good way but safely, while others just throw around their bodies just for a nice looking spot.

I would be the safe one that did some entertaining things.

That made them all feel better. Of course there was still worry involved, and that was understandable.

I could see them feeling awful if something bad did happen to me. But, if it's meant for me to get hurt in some way, then it's meant to be no matter what career I'm in right?

The next day, I went to look up some schools near me. I found a good one located in Atlanta that had an open gym whenever I chose to use it, a nutrition expert, and ties to TNA and WWE. Heath Slater even graduated from there and AJ Styles went through the place, too.

Nice names being thrown out. Styles is one of the best in the world and Slater is pretty darn good himself.

Styles has been around longer obviously, but Slater is already a champion and a part of one of the biggest storylines in the WWE today with Nexus and is the current tag team champion.

On top of this, they have other guys who stop by from those promotions too. There is a chance I could follow in the footsteps of the greats who stop by.

They even have jobs down in the area to help pay for schooling.

On top of this, I live in Alabama currently, so I wouldn't be far away from home, just about two hours.

My girlfriend has thought of coming with me to Atlanta as well. I don't know if that could happen, but it does sound like a plan to me. Of course, that may be the hormones talking.

With Lindsey being a smart girl and almost having her bachelorette degree in nursing, she could come along with me and get a job at one of the hospitals in the area.

It seems like a good idea in my mind. But then again, I am a bit crazy. Next week, I'm going with my friend Aaron to check out the school. It seems like a good idea before I just throw my money in there to them.

And hey, who knows, I may even get to mix it up in there with some of the guys while I'm there, you know, just to get a feel of it.

I am going to the gym to see if that could even get in shape before next week. I highly doubt that will happen, but I may get some sort of muscle going by then.

One day, I hope I can see my name in the main event at Wrestlemania. Just seeing my name, Joe Burgett or any name I've got by then in those Mania lights would be epic.

Let me know what you thought of the first article, any criticisms you have with it are welcome. It will get better, I just wanted to warm you up to everything with this.

In this exclusive interview Christopher Daniels talks to Wrestling Voice writers Duane Doogan & Luke Barry about ROH’s upcoming schedule, his TNA release, the unlikely inspiration for his Fallen Angel gimmick, Curry Man, Suicide, his WWF career, WCW and much more.

To listen to the interview click here to download to iTunes so you can listen on the go and on demand. Alternatively you can read the full interview below.

Duane Doogan: “Hello and welcome to another edition of The Wrestling Voice on iTunes and WrestlingVoice.net, I’m Duane Doogan…”

Luke Barry: “…and I’m Luke Barry”

DD: “…and we’re joined today by a man who has wrestled the world over and is considered one of the best in ring workers in the business, ladies and gentlemen The Fallen Angel, Christopher Daniels, Chris, thanks for coming on the show”

Christopher Daniels: “Hey, thanks for having me, I appreciate it.”

DD: “Alright, well our first question as always; were you a fan of the business growing up?”

CD: “Oh absolutely, I grew up in North Carolina… the stuff that I watched as a kid was Mid-Atlantic, the whole NWA and the very beginnings of WCW, so I grew up watching guys like the Four Horsemen, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Road Warriors, Magnum TA was a big favorite of mine as a kid before he had his accident… yeah I grew up watching that stuff and the NWA to me, was professional wrestling, I wasn’t even introduced to things like the World Wrestling Federation or even the AWA until cable became a standard in the households of America but before that it was all NWA stuff and that’s what I grew up watching.”

LB: “That’s cool and how did you actually first get involved in Pro Wrestling?”

CD: “Well, I got my degree in theatre, I graduated college hoping to be an actor and so after I graduated I moved to Chicago to sort of break into the theatre scene out there and I’d always joked with, well at the time she was my girlfriend, she’s now my wife, but I joked around and I said ‘well, maybe if this acting thing doesn’t work out maybe I can be a pro wrestler’, and I sort of said that tongue in cheek, I had no idea what it took to do any of that I was just as fan though, oh I’d love to try it, and so she found a school in Chicago called Windy City Pro Wrestling and she made an appointment for me and I went in and spoke to Sam DeCero who was the owner and provider and I came out of there think, I’ll give this a shot and if I fail at it at least I can say I tried at it, and I did not fail, I went in and excelled at it and started wrestling 3 months after I started training and the rest is somewhat history.”

DD: “What year would that have been when you started wrestling?”

CD: “I started training in January in 1993 and my first match was in April of that same year.”

DD: “You were a member of the Funkin’ Dojo in 1998 and during this time wrestled several televised and dark matches for the then WWF, how did this come about and what exactly was your relationship with the WWF?”

CD: “Well, my friend from Windy City [Pro Wrestling], his name was Kevin Quinn, had met Victor Quinones when he was in Puerto Rico, and so through him I knew Victor and I decided to go to WWF television taping in Phoenix and Victor set up a Shotgun Saturday Night match between me and Taka Michinoku and that match sort of got me on the map with the WWF guys, they offered me a spot in one of the Funkin’ Dojo’s, which was basically a try out camp when that was going on, when they had those dojo’s at Titan Towers and Dory Funk [Jr] was running them it was sort of a tryout camp, so I went and I did that camp with guys like Kurt Angle and Test and Steve Williams, Tiger Ali Singh, Steve Corino, I went through that Dojo and on occasion did dark matches, I on occasion did televised matches for WWF and sort of kept in touch throughout my career and tried to get in, and just something never clicked, I guess they never saw anything in me that they wanted to put any effort into so I never really had any long term relationship with them other than the occasional dark match.”

LB: “Something I was always wondering, what was the inspiration behind The Fallen Angel gimmick?”

CD: “The Fallen Angel was a name that I came up with just I was a good guy and became a bad guy and that was sort of the influence of that but then once I saw Dustin Runnels do the Goldust character I was really impressed on how that character and his take on sexuality, sort of, touched everyone across the board, no matter where you’re from or what you’re background was, everyone has a strong opinion about their own sexuality and so they reacted accordingly to what Dustin was doing so I looked at that and thought what other topics does everybody have a strong reaction to and the answer I came up with was religion so I came up with this idea of someone with a God complex, someone who thought he was God and I sort of tinkered with it over the years in places like Ring Of Honor, places like TNA and I had different levels of success with it, I was just very lucky to have a gimmick like that and very lucky to have that opportunity.”

LB: “Another gimmick that you went with was The Curry Man gimmick, which couldn’t have been further from the Fallen Angel gimmick, what was the decision to portray such different gimmick, sometimes simultaneously?”

CD: “Well I went to Michinoku Pro in the Spring of ’99 and I did a tour for them as myself and the next tour they did was a masked man tour where they would do a tournament with all these masked characters, and some of these characters were guys like Tiger Mask who was established and others were created specifically for that tournament and one of those was Curry Man, and they offered that role to me based on what they saw in my skills as myself so when I first started doing that character I wasn’t sure what they wanted, a comedy character, a serious character, and over the course of the tournament I got a strong reaction from the fans and the other characters that were created for the tournament sort of faded out they kept bring me back to do Curry Man and I decided to have fun with the character so that's where the whole idea of the dancing, and the funny hats and the things I would do in the ring [came from], just that outlandish character came to life from me trying to have fun with it.”

DD: “In 2001 you wrestled on Nitro and following that tryout you were offered a 90-day contract but following that tryout WCW was then bought out by VInce McMahon, did the WWF approach you at all or was the buyout before the contracts were signed?”

CD: “When the contracts were bought out they basically took a list of all the people that were under contract and they either said yes or no to signing them over to the WWF, and I was one of those they said no to, at the time it was just a development contract and I didn’t really know what the decision behind not signing it over was maybe the sheer numbers, there was a good number of people brought over, I must not of fit into their plans at that point so I can’t really comment on what was the final decision as to why but that’s what happened, I just found out I wasn’t part of that buyout and I was released.”

LB: “You are probably best known for your time in TNA and more specifically being one of the men who revolutionized the X Division, what are some of your personal highlights from your 8 years with the company?”

CD: “Pretty much anything I did with AJ [Styles] & [Samoa] Joe, it’s the stuff that still people talk about in terms of when they think of TNA what matches they think of, the first thee-way between me, AJ & Joe at Unbreakable, people still comment on that match and that says a lot to me about not just the fans and what they looked at and what they thought what TNA meant but what we put into the ring that day and I was also very proud of the stuff I did with Elix Skipper in Triple X, you know I wish we’d had a little more to do as a tag team, especially when Low-Ki was there, I thought the three of us as a team had a lot of potential, I think just scheduling kept it from growing into what it could have been, but those things and I look back at my time in TNA fondly, I was proud of all the stuff I ever did and the guys there are still my friends and I still support them.”

DD: “In 2009 you were asked to play yet another character, filling in for Kaz playing Suicide, how do you feel about basically standing in knowing that Kaz would resume to role upon his return from injury?”

CD: “I was fine with it, it was an opportunity to be a team player and help the company out, I knew that it was going to be a short time of me under the hood but you know I just wanted to help out and help my friend, it was unfortunate he got injured doing what he was doing and I just wanted to help out and be that team player and sort of get that character of the ground and when Kaz took that he back he sort of made the character his own and I had fun doing something different and I felt it showed my versatility as a performer to go out there and do something completely different character, different from Christopher Daniels, different from Curry Man and a lot of people still aren’t sure where Christopher Daniels ended and Kaz started and that to me says a lot about me and Kazarian about how we are as characters and how we are as performers.”

LB: “And just sticking with TNA for one more question, earlier this year on iMPACT! you cut a promo stating you intended to reignite the flame of the X Division yet less than a month later you were released from your contract was this a mutual release or was it a one party decision?”

CD: “No it was a one party decision, I had no idea it was coming, it was a decision that they made and I’m just sort of dealing with it, they wanted to go a different direction and I don’t necessarily agree with that decision but I’m sort of forced to deal with but in them closing the door its opened the door for me to go back to Ring Of Honor and do some fresh matches with some new people and sort of continue my career in a new avenue.”

DD: “When you returned to Ring Of Honor, you came back, you were there at the very beginning, wrestling in the promotions first main event so how did it feel going back to the promotion as one of the founding fathers?”

CD: “Well I thought it was an opportunity not just for me but for the company to freshen up, I felt like being there it lands a credibility to some matches and the opportunity to work with guys, you know Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, Tyler Black, guys that I hadn’t had a chance to work with before and also sort of open the door for me to work with guys that I had worked with in the past but hadn’t worked with for a long time guys like Austin Aries or Steve Corino or Kevin Steen and to me I felt like it challenges me to step up, having been there before and having done this for 18 years I still try to pride myself on begin able to keep up with the forefront of professional wrestling and in doing that you have to keep up with the guys on the front line and guys like Davey Richards who many consider to be the best in the world today, for me to get into the ring with him one-on-one I’m looking forward to that and just test my skills and see if I still have what it takes to be considered one of the top guys in the world.”

LB: “And there’s a lot coming in the near future with Ring Of Honor and with Chris Daniels, would you like to tell the Wrestling Voice listeners what they can expect from the two in the near future.”

CD: “Well I can tell you this, this weekend in Dayton, OH, and in Chicago Ridge, IL, two big matches, the two main events of the two shows, the first night myself and Davey Richards are tagging for the first time ever against the Kings of Wrestling for the World Tag Team Titles and then the very next night for the first time ever Christopher Daniels versus Davey Richards one-on-one and these are gonna be big tests for me. I feel like I’ve always excelled as a tag team wrestler I feel like I’ve always understood what it took to be a team player and Davey is the same way, we’ve both been tag team champions in Ring Of Honor with multiple partners so if there are any two guys who can gel despite the fact that we’ve never tagged before it would be me and Davey, so the possibilities of becoming Tag Champions are very high and the next night knowing that we have to face each other for the first time it definitely gets my competitive juices flowing. I look forward to getting in the ring with him and to prove to not only the world but to myself that I still have what it takes to be considered one of the best in the world.”

DD: “Next month, Ring Of Honor have Survival Of The Fittest, do you have any matches scheduled or will that all depend on this weeks events?”

CD: “I haven’t heard one way or the other, but I do know that the next night in Toronto I’ll be challenging Roderick Strong for the Heavyweight Title, it’s my first Heavyweight TItle shot since returning to the company and I hope to go into event with the momentum of this weekend hoping to win both of our matches, if I were to defeat Davey Richards in Chicago Ridge I feel like I would have a ton of momentum heading into a title match with Roderick and I feel like I could come of that match Ring Of Honor Heavyweight Champion.”

LB: “Either way, Chris Daniels versus Roderick Strong is bound to be an amazing match.”

CD: “Absolutely, I think Roderick has stepped up his game, he has been on the forefront of ROH for a long time but now as the Heavyweight Champion he has s tepped up his spot. It comes to him now for his first title defense so he’s going into it with a lot to prove, there’s a lot of difference between winning the championship and retaining the championship. Now it’s a matter of upping the intensity to remain champion. For me, as someone who has been trying for seven years to become ROH Champion, this is a big opportunity for me and I don’t want it to pass me by.”

DD: “Well Chris, best of luck with your matches next week and Toronto next month, Wrestling Voice listeners can catch RIng Of Honor every Monday night on HDnet, Chris, thanks for talking to us.”

CD: “Thank you guys, appreciate it, I’d like to say thanks to all the fans who are listening and reading this, if it wasn’t for their support I wouldn’t be where I am today so I appreciate everything. So thanks guys, take care.”

In the world of professional wrestling, tragedy has become a common theme.

Over the years, we’ve all heard the stories of wrestlers who have passed on far too young. The list of names is seemingly endless and many of these deaths can be attributed in one way or another to the abuse of drugs.

It has become a sad truth of the business, and it is something Jimmy Jacobs knows all too well.

Most fans of the independent wrestling scene will recognize the name of Jacobs as the man behind The Age of the Fall, one of the most dominant stables in Ring of Honor’s history.

It was as the leader of this stable where Jacobs cemented his status as a star in the wrestling industry.

The Age of the Fall was made up of Jacobs, Tyler Black, the Necro Butcher and Joey “Mercury” Matthews among others.

They ran roughshod over ROH together for nearly two years. Their reach even extended into other indy promotions, including Full Impact Pro and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.

Longtime fans will remember Jacobs for his over-the-top “Barbaric Berzerker” gimmick, where he donned Bruiser Brody inspired furry boots and constantly channeled the legend with chants of “Huss!”

Shortly after his debut in ROH, Jimmy met Lacey and one of independent wrestling’s most notorious love affairs began.

Jacobs spent more time worrying about winning over Lacey than he did winning matches, which ultimately led to the demise of his partnership with BJ Whitmer.

The former ROH World Tag Team champions would go on to have one of the most violent feuds in the history of the promotion, all while Jacobs continued to attempt to win the heart of Lacey.

In 2007, the Age of the Fall made their debut at ROH’s “Man Up” event and Jacobs’ persona was transformed from that of a lovesick emo kid into a demented leader of one of wrestling’s most rebellious factions.

The sight of Jacobs clad in a white suit coat, being covered by the blood of Jay Briscoe, who was hanging upside-down by his feet, delivering the opening promo for the Age of the Fall, is undoubtedly one of the most disturbing moments in ROH history.

The Jacobs and Lacey love story would play on over the next few years, before she ultimately left him for Austin Aries.

The result was another one of the most violent and brutal feuds in ROH history, which culminated in an outstanding “I Quit” match at the Rising Above 2008 PPV event.

The Age of the Fall began to fall apart shortly afterwards. Tyler Black and Jimmy Jacobs feuded throughout the first half of 2009 before Jacobs announced that he was leaving Ring of Honor in July.

Since his departure from ROH, Jacobs has been bouncing between independent promotions and has spent much time battling his own personal demons.

Last month, Dragon Gate USA released a three part series of videos on YouTube entitled “Jimmy Jacobs Revealed.” These videos not only give the viewer a look into the personal life of Jacobs, but they reveal a great deal about just how bad Jacobs’ addictions had become.

In the videos, Jacobs speaks candidly about his painkiller addiction. He talks about quitting Ring of Honor, living in a van and eventually going to Europe to wrestle, essentially because he needed a place to sleep.

His addiction became so bad that he even got on the mic before a match in Europe and asked the crowd “before I wrestle, who’s got pills?”

Jacob’s downfall is a rough example of the toll that being a professional wrestler can take. Thankfully, he has managed to defeat his demons and avoid becoming another name on the long list of wrestlers who have passed on too soon.

Jacobs cites a phone call from former ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky as a major reason for his ability to overcome his addiction. Sapolsky offered Jacobs a chance to wrestle for his Dragon Gate USA promotion.

“It was the right call at the right time. I wanted to break free from my addiction, I wanted to do something with my life and here I was given an opportunity for a rebirth,” says Jacobs in his video.

Jacobs has indeed experienced a rebirth. Over the past year, he has become a regular part of the DGUSA promotion. He has also become one of the top-ranked competitors in another of Sapolsky’s promotions, EVOLVE.

The EVOLVE promotion revolves heavily around wins and losses and Jacobs currently stands at 4-1. He has positioned himself right at the top of the rankings by picking up wins over Kenn Doane, Johnny Gargano, Brad Allen, and Adam Cole.

While he may be achieving great success in EVOLVE, Jacobs is currently on the losing end of a bitter feud with Jon Moxley in Dragon Gate USA.

This rivalry really became heated at the “Fearless” PPV when Moxley and his then-associate Brian Kendrick brought out Jacobs’ former flame, Lacey, as a means of distracting Jacobs.

The situation turned chaotic when Moxley laid out Lacey with a vicious lariat in the middle of the ring.

That set up a No DQ match at DGUSA's "Uprising" PPV, which saw Moxley pick up the victory after fighting Jacobs all over the arena.

Since then, the two have posted videos on YouTube adding fuel to the fire. Moxley insulted Jacobs, calling him a spoiled rich kid.

Jacobs claims that he sees himself when he looks at Moxley, whose anger and penchant for violence are awfully similar to Jacobs circa 2007.

This feud has spilled over into Insanity Pro Wrestling, where Moxley defeated Jacobs to retain his IPW World Heavyweight Championship this past August.

The two also battled in a Chicago Street Fight at DGUSA’s “Untouchable 2010” show last month. Moxley again emerged victorious after brutally and repeatedly nailing Jacobs with a steel chair.

Despite these setbacks, Jacobs is determined to take Moxley down. They are set to go at it once again, this time in an “I Quit” match, when DGUSA debuts on Internet pay-per-view with “Bushido: Code of the Warrior” on Oct. 29.

Will Jacobs be able to defeat the man who he sees so much of his former self in?

Can he make Moxley say the words "I Quit" in front of DGUSA's biggest live audience?

Inspirational stories like Jacobs’ personal rebirth don’t come around often enough in the world of pro wrestling.

He may not be a household name and he might not be competing under the bright lights of the WWE spotlight, but Jimmy Jacobs has shown the true heart of a champion and if he can keep himself on the right path, there is no telling what he can do next.

"Yes!" is all yours truly can say after hearing some GREAT news today. The world's greatest tag team will be returning to Ring of Honor.

Their future with ROH was in question after the Glory by Honor IX. After participating in the Match of the Night, they were defeated by The Kings of Wrestling and even received "Please come back" chants from fans afterwards.

Today ROH officially announced their signing with the following:

"Ring of Honor is proud to announce that Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin, the World’s Greatest Tag Team, have been signed to appear at the ROH on HDNet national television tapings in Louisville, Kentucky December 9th and 10th. The events, 'ROH–TWO NIGHTS ONLY,' will mark the first time ROH’s TV program has been taped outside Philadelphia, and was selected for two nights in a row in Louisville because of the tremendous demand for seats at the July debut event."

"Haas and Benjamin are both looking forward not only to returning to Ring of Honor, but to the city in which both of them lived and wrestled early in their careers. Shelton, in particular, underwent his first wrestling training in Louisville in 2000 with Ohio Valley Wrestling under ROH executive producer Jim Cornette and OVW Owner Danny Davis."

“'I can’t wait to come back to the Davis Arena,' Shelton said, 'because the Louisville fans and OVW are like home. In New York, the ROH fans took to Charlie and I like we’d been there all our lives. Mix them both and these will be two really big nights for us.'"

"'Charlie is equally as excited. 'The ROH fans reignited my passion for wrestling, the passion I had when I was wrestling for Danny Davis in Kentucky and Les Thatcher in Ohio in developmental. We wouldn’t miss the chance to come see those people again.'"

"There are five other ROH stars appearing on those tapings that might have an interest in the appearance of the two men that many call The World’s Greatest Tag Team–the current ROH Tag Team Champions the Kings of Wrestling with their manager Shane Hagadorn, and Mark & Jay, the Briscoe Brothers. All three of these teams have a claim to being the best tag team in wrestling, and many supporters to back them up. It’ll be interesting to see all of them under the same roof, along with 25 other superstars and 12 big matches each night, at the home of OVW — The Davis Arena at 4400 Shepherdsville Road in Louisville."

Last weekend at “Glory By Honor IX,” a founding father returned to Ring of Honor.

The main event ended with Roderick Strong becoming the ROH World Heavyweight Champion by defeating the departing Tyler Black. After the match, Black refused to shake Strong’s hand, instead choosing to flip off his opponent and the fans in the Manhattan Center who were chanting “Thank You Tyler” as Black’s final live appearance for the company came to an end.

Once Black stormed off to the back, it was Strong’s time to shine. After fifteen failed attempts, Strong had finally captured the ROH World Heavyweight Championship, capping off a nearly seven year long quest to attain that gold belt.

It was supposed to be Strong’s time. Someone must have forgotten to tell Homicide.

After Black left the arena, the lights went out and Quincy Jones’ familiar “Ironside” intro began to blare throughout the Grand Ballroom. The crowed exploded as the song transitioned into Beanie Sigal’s “The Truth” and the lights came back on to reveal “The Notorious 187” making his way down the aisle.

It was just about one month ago when Homicide received his release from TNA wrestling. Numerous sources reported that he was unhappy with his direction with the promotion and had wanted out for sometime.

Since the Hogan/Bischoff regime took control on January 4, the “Strong Style Thug” had not been a very prominent part of Impact. In fact, he was barely seen during his last several months with the promotion.

Despite the way his tenure with TNA ended, Homicide achieved a great deal of success during his time there. He formed the Latin American Xchange (or L.A.X.) stable with Konnan and Hernandez and went on to have several reigns with the NWA and then TNA World Tag Team titles with Hernandez over the years.

He also had a brief run as the X Division Champion last summer, which essentially became his last true success with the company.

While Homicide made his mark on the mainstream wrestling scene with TNA, it was in ROH where he first established himself as a name to watch in professional wrestling.

He competed on the very first ROH card and is also one of only thirteen men to hold the ROH World Heavweight Championship. He became the champion by ending Bryan Danielson’s nearly year-and-a-half long reign at “Final Battle 2006.”

His brutal and bloody battles with Steve Corino during the early days of the promotion are the stuff of legend amongst longtime fans. His feuds with the likes of Samoa Joe, Jay Lethal and Colt Cabana proved that Homicide was willing to do just about anything to get whatever he wanted.

A blatant disregard for the rulebook and thuggish attitude only helped make Homicide one of the most popular performers to ever set foot in an ROH ring. His actions were not very honorable but he turned into a top star for the company before departing in 2007 due to TNA’s refusal to allow their wrestlers to continue competing for ROH.

Homicide has now come full circle as he prepares to begin his latest stint with ROH. His departure from TNA and his return to ROH on iPPV are very similar to the path taken by another founding father of ROH, “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels.

Both men were released from TNA after Hogan and Bischoff came into power and decided the next best step for their career would be a return to the place where they established themselves.

Strong, as the new champion, already has challengers breathing down his neck. Homicide and Daniels are now both firmly a part of the championship picture in ROH.

‘Cide has already said that he is coming for the title and wants Strong at the next ROH iPPV, “Final Battle 2010.”

There is one problem with that though, as Davey Richards has already been given the championship opportunity at ROH’s last big show of the calendar year.

Daniels also laid out a challenge to Strong during the latest video wire on ROHwrestling.com. It is unclear as to when, or if, Strong will accept, but Daniels high spot in the “Pick Six” rankings almost guarantees that he will get his title match sooner than later.

Homicide has come back to ROH with a lot to prove after a less than stellar final year with TNA. A second run with the ROH championship would once again establish “The Notorious 187” as a big time threat in the wrestling business.

Given the level of competition at the top of the roster in ROH these days, winning back that belt will not be an easy task for Homicide. He will have to fight hard to prove he still has what it takes.

Then again, after spending months under the radar in TNA, it’d be safe to assume that a good hard fight might be exactly what Homicide wants.

The show starts an Austin Aries promo that will lead into the lumberjack match later on

 Chris Daniels beat Rhett Titus with Austin Aries

Daniels takes control to start this one off.  Things would change after solid dropkick from Titus to Daniels that knocked him to the outside; this would give Titus the edge for the moment. They would go back and forth for a bit until Daniels nails solid STO.

This would be followed by a Hurricanranna and Koji Clutch, but the ref misses the tap out. Titus would scrape up a little more offense, but that didn’t last too long. Daniels throws him into Austin, and then gets in the B.M.F for the win.

House of Truth with Truth Martini beat Ricky Reyes and Aiden Chambers

This was a short match, with H.o.T getting the double team for the springboard moonsaults. Reyes makes the tag for some quick and effective on Josh Raymond. He would score a near fall after a suplex. Chambers gets the tag from Reyes, but Christian Abel is also tagged in. H.o.T would pick up the win after hitting their finisher.

We get clip from the PPV with Davey Richards telling Jim Cornette and the fans that he is not retiring.

American Wolves def. Super Smash Brothers

Uno starts off with the power to gain control to Richards. SSB takes to the air to take out the Wolves. Uno would Eddie Edwards off the apron, to give the Wolves control. Richards would hit nice drop kick on Uno after that.

 Edwards takes to the boot and stomps Uno in the back. Uno and Richards exchange blows before Richards nails him with a kick. Richards follows this up with a forearm, but he gets greedy and pays for it after Uno nails him to the mat.

 Dos gets in, but is double-teamed by the Wolves. He eventually takes control, and Edwards gets hit with the low bridge which leads to moonsault. SSB also gets in a nice double team blockbuster.

The Wolves regain control after SSB leaves an opening. Edwards would take advantage with a kick to the face on Dos. They would exchange more blows until Richards hits him with an Alarm Clock. After some flashy Offense by Dos SSB would regain control again in this match.

They would get a near fall after Richards had his foot held down by Uno. The wolfs would regain control once again though. They would nail nice backbreaker for a near fall. Edwards would finally seal the deal after locking on his Achilles to get the tap.

We see some highlights showing the history between Delirious and Aries.

Austin Aries beat Delirious in a Lumberjack match

Delirious charges Aries after the bell, but Aries catches him. Aries takes to the offense and lands on some solid power offense. Delirious gets in a quick hit and Aries bails outside. The lumberjacks do nothing to Aries while outside.

 Aries tries to get back in, but he gets a dropkick for his troubles. Aries would finally take control after clawing his way back into the match. He would put Delirious in situation where he might have to tap out, but he refuses to do so.

Aries flips Delirious over unto the apron and then knock him into the lumberjacks. Aries follows this up with a Heat-Seeking Missile. Delirious makes a comeback after he hits swinging neckbreaker. Aries tries to bail outside again but Grizzly Redwood throws him back in.

Aries looks to almost be done after a Cobra Suplex from Delirious. Aries hangs in though and bails outside. Delirious goes on the attack and nails everyone after a somersault. The lumberjacks have had enough and everyone starts to brawl.

Titus would then sneak in and drop a hard knee to the throat of Delirious. Aries would take advantage and drop him on his shoulder throat first to get the win.

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This Saturday night, Ring of Honor wrestling will present their fourth internet pay-per-view event, Glory By Honor IX.

The show takes place in the famed Grand Ballroom of the Manhattan Center in New York City. It will be available as a live stream on gofightlive.tv for just under fifteen bucks, or less than half the cost of your average WWE or TNA pay-per-view event.

The past month has been an interesting one for ROH. Their current World Heavyweight Champion, Tyler Black, signed a developmental deal with the WWE and their head booker since 2008, Adam Pearce, parted ways with the company. In many ways "Glory By Honor IX" represents the beginning of a new era in ROH.

Fans will likely be seeing Tyler Black's final live appearance before heading to the WWE as he defends his title in a much anticipated rematch with Roderick Strong. This is also the first major PPV event under the new booking regime, and it ought to be interesting to see how the card unfolds. Let's take a look at the matches on tap for "Glory By Honor IX."

Erick Stevens and Necro Butcher vs. Grizzly Redwood and Ballz Mahoney

The rivalry between Grizzly Redwood and Prince Nana's Embassy faction has been a big part of the ROH undercard for the majority of 2010. Once Redwood's ally, the Necro Butcher, turned his back on him to join up with Nana, things really began to heat up.

The last time ROH was in the Grand Ballroom, ECW original Ballz Mahoney showed up and saved Redwood from a post-match beatdown by Stevens, Nana and Ernesto Osiris. This Saturday night, Redwood and Mahoney (call them Grizzly Ballz) will be looking to finally take down Nana's team of Stevens and Necro.

Will "The New Crown Jewel of the Embassy" put down Redwood for good, or can the combined forces of Grizzly Ballz cut the Embassy down to size?

Considering the recent rub that the Embassy has gotten in ROH, I'm expecting Nana and company to find a way to squeak out a victory in this one.

Rhett Titus vs. Mark Briscoe

The All-Night Express of Rhett Titus and Kenny King have laid out the challenge to The Briscoes. In this week's ROH video wire, the ANE called out the six-time ROH World Tag Team Champions and challenged them each to singles matches on Saturday night in NYC.

Titus, a former "Top of the Class" trophy winner, will be going one-on-one with Mark Briscoe in what should be a good contest.

Before joining up with King to form the ANE, Titus was struggling in the undercard of ROH despite showing much potential. For the past several months he has spent the majority of his in-ring time teaming with King and perhaps he has a learned a few things from his blue-chip partner.

Titus has improved his game this year, but he is up against a rough and tumble veteran in Mark Briscoe. Given the relentless style of the Briscoes, Mark should bring the fight to the ladies' man. As long as King and Titus' manager Austin Aries stays out of the picture, I expect to see Mark's hand raised at the end of this one.

Jay Briscoe vs. Kenny King

Kenny King might be one of the best young talents currently signed to the ROH roster. He is gifted with outstanding athleticism and has all the confidence in the world to back up his ability.

He faces a very tough challenge in Jay Briscoe, who has a bit more experience in the singles ranks of ROH than his brother Mark. His Jay-Driller is a devastating way to end a match, but the same can be said of King's Coronation finisher.

This is a tough one to call, but since I picked Mark to defeat Titus and it makes sense for these teams to split their singles matches, I'll go with King to get the win here.

Austin Aries vs. Christopher Daniels

Ever since returning to ROH at "The Big Bang" iPPV, Christopher Daniels has mowed through the competition on his quest to become the ROH World Heavyweight Champion. At "Glory By Honor IX" he must step into the ring with the only man to ever lay claim to holding that title twice, "The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived," Austin Aries.

This one should be awesome. Daniels has consistently put on great matches since April. His bouts against Eddie Edwards, Kenny Omega and Tyler Black have shown that "The Fallen Angel" remains one of the best in the world.

2010 has not been the best year of A Double's career. Since dropping the World Heavyweight Title to Black at the "Eighth Anniversary Show," Aries has spent more time focusing on being a manager than he has in the ring. He is coming off a heated feud with Delirious and his momentum is definitely hurting.

Picking up a big win on iPPV over the ultra-hot Daniels would go a long way towards reestablishing Aries as a threat to once again win the title. I just don't see that happening though. Daniels is on a path towards the gold and I expect to see him pick up another impressive win at "Glory By Honor IX."

ROH World TV Title Match - Eddie Edwards vs. Shawn Daivari

This is a match that actually may not happen on Saturday night. It is actually the second chance that the Embassy has at the TV title this weekend. Edwards will have to make it past Erick Stevens on Friday in Plymouth, MA for this one to go down.

If the first ever ROH World TV Champion can successfully defend his title on Friday, he faces Stevens' partner Shawn Daivari at "Glory By Honor IX."

Daivari is known to most wrestling fans for his run in the WWE along with Muhammad Hassan. He also spent time in TNA as Shiek Abdul Bashir where he had a brief run as the X Division Champion. Daivari now is a member of Prince Nana's Embassy faction and this TV Title match is his most high profile contest thus far in ROH.

If Edwards is able to run the Embassy's gauntlet this weekend, he should be able to silence the critics who have labeled him as a weak champion for not defending his title often enough and only choosing relative unknowns for his "10 Minute Hunt" challenges.

I fully expect to see Edwards walk out of both Plymouth and New York with the TV Title still in his possession.

Double Chain Match: Kevin Steen and Steve Corino vs. El Generico and Colt Cabana

The first of the triple main event for "Glory By Honor IX" is yet another chapter in the incredibly violent feud between Kevin Steen and El Generico. Of course, Steen's mentor Steve Corino and Generico's friend Colt Cabana have also played integral roles in what has been one of the most interesting feuds in 2010.

This double chain tag team match promises to be another bloody battle between these teams. They nearly killed each other in a Chicago street fight at "Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies II" and it is very likely that we will see the level of brutality once again raised between these four individuals.

Steen picked up a big win over Generico in June at "Death Before Dishonor VIII" and the generic luchador got a DQ victory over "Mr. Wrestling" at "Hate: Chapter II" last month in Collinsville, IL. The chain has been a symbolic part of this feud since that fight.

This is a tough one to call. The feud has been so fierce and it really shows no signs of ending, even after this double chain match. My gut says that somehow, someway, Steen and Corino will figure out a way to pick up the win this time.

Non-Title Tag Team Dream Match - The Kings of Wrestling vs. Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas

Fans of tag team wrestling, rejoice! This one truly should live up to the "dream match" hype as two of the best teams of the past decade go at it with nothing but pride on the line.

When Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas were released from the WWE earlier this year, most fans expected to see one or the other wind up with TNA. Some hoped that perhaps a stint in ROH could happen and those wishes have come true, even if for now it is only a one-time deal.

The World's Greatest Tag Team are former two-time WWE tag team champions and both possess impressive athletic backgrounds. Benjamin had been called the most athletic superstar in the WWE and the "Gold Standard" will definitely be looking to prove those words true in ROH. Haas turned into a bit of a joke near the end of his run in the WWE but the man has a legit amateur background and has the power to hang with the much bigger team of Hero and Castagnoli.

The Kings of Wrestling are big, strong, and work supremely well together. Hero and Castagnoli have held the ROH tag titles twice, including their current five-plus month run with the gold. They have put on great matches with the Briscoes, the Motor City Machine Guns and they also survived the "Ultimate Endurance" finale of Tag Wars 2010.

The momentum is clearly on the side of the champs, who have been working together as a well oiled machine since reforming in December. Haas and Benjamin have not tagged together since a brief reunion on Smackdown in early 2009 that was not very fruitful. Perhaps there will be a little bit of rust on Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team.

This is another tough one to predict, but I'll go with the Kings of Wrestling to once again reign supreme. Regardless, this one is shaping up to be a delightful tag team affair.

ROH World Heavyweight Championship Match (No DQ with Terry Funk as the Ringside Enforcer) - Tyler Black vs. Roderick Strong

Tyler Black defeated Roderick Strong at "Supercard of Honor V" at the very same Grand Ballroom where the two will collide once again on Saturday night. This time, the stakes have never been higher for Strong.

This match is the final live appearance for Black with ROH and he vows to take the World Heavyweight Championship with him once he leaves to company. It is up to Strong, who has a dismal 0-15 record in matches for that title over his career, to prevent that from happening.

Strong, who has felt betrayed and screwed over by the folks at ROH for most of this year, finds himself in the precarious position of savior. Not only must he overcome his losing record in ROH title matches but he must overcome an opponent who has had the better of him in 2010.

With the addition of Terry Funk as a special "ringside enforcer," it appears that things could get very interesting come Saturday night. Can Funk make sure the fight remains fair or has he been put in place to make sure that title stays in ROH?

If these two put on a show like they did at "Supercard of Honor V," fans are in for a great match. It is hard to imagine Black leaving New York as the champion, especially when the rabid crowd will be on him like never before. The boos and jeers should be louder than ever once Black steps foot in the Manhattan Center.

It could very well be a story of validation for Strong, who has worked so hard without ever truly reaching the top in ROH. With Truth Martini at his side and the House of Truth backing him up, he could finally accomplish his goal. The no-disqualification stipulation certainly plays into their favor.

This is shaping up to be the most important match in ROH this year and I'm interested to see how it all shakes out. I don't think Tyler Black will be leaving with the title, but at the same time I'm not so sure that Roderick Strong will be either. Does ROH have a huge swerve up their sleeve?

"Glory By Honor IX" has been hyped up very well over the past month and the show has every chance of living up to and perhaps even surpassing that hype. It will mark the beginning of the next era for ROH and that alone makes this iPPV something special.

Saturday night, New York City, 8 p.m. One era ends and another begins. For more info, check out the official ROH web site and gofightlive.tv.