Ring of Honor
Saturday, July 16, 2005 in Woodbridge, CT.
Report by Hal Millar                                                                                         I've been reading the reports online about the ROH show and I think the promotion is in need of a reality check. This was not a show where the crowd left satisfied or happy. Attendance was between 500 and 600. Too much reliance on Matt Hardy, which backfired, and the end of the show had the crowd shower the ring with plastic bottles and litter.

Nigel McGuinness beat Claudio Castognoli. OK match, good opener I guess.

Austin Aries beat El Generico . Here's where the crowd started buzzing. Aries is a ROH standout, and was treated like ROH's version of "Sunday Night Heat" wrestler tonight to make room for Matt Hardy.

Homicide beat Kevin Steen and Dixie and Azrieal in a four way match. Homicide was popular with the crowd, but no one cared about the other 3. Homicide pinned Dixie to end it. 

C.M. Punk promo on James Gibson. All a set up for the main event, as Punk laid out the former WWE wrestler Jamie Noble with a chain. Noble, now known as James Gibson, was impressive. Punk busted him open with a chain.

Carnage Crew beat Dunn & Marcos and Cheech & Dreanged and Fast Eddie & Kruel (w/Embassy, Prince Nana). Too many multi-participant matches in ROH. Not enough one-on-one and straight up tags. This sucked. Again, the crowd was growing restless. Overbooked and contrived. 

AJ Styles pinned Roderick Strong with the Styles Clash. This was simply a fantastic match and the crowd went into intermission happy with the action from the match.
Samoa Joe pinned Jimmy Rave (w/Prince Nana) in a  match for the ROH Pure Title. I liked this match a lot. Stiff and realistic. Samoa Joe hit the Muscle Buster for the victory.

After the match, Price Nana blamed Jimmy's loss on Rave's valet and who made the save? Matt Hardy!     Hardy cut a promo, ripping on Johnny Ace and saying  if Vince McMahon ever wanted to know how to book a good wrestling show, he should put in some ROH DVDs, which got a strong ROH chant. Here's where they screwed up. Hardy wanted his match, so out came Christopher Daniels.     Matt Hardy won via submission over  Christopher Daniels. This was a big mistake. The crowd loved Daniels and as the match went on, people wanted Daniels to win because everyone realized Hardy is just using ROH to further his own angle. Matt hit a Twist of Fate on Daniels. Daniels kicked out. Hardy then picked up Daniels and hit a second Twist of Fate. Then he locked on a submission hold, getting Daniels to Tap Out. The crowd booed loudly at the finish, figuring Hardy should have put over the home team hero. If Gabe Sapolsky wants to give so many quotes to newsletters and the internet, he needs to realize the internet crowd will want to see things a group of marks won't. Hardy should not have gone over. Gabe's pandering to the net crowd hurt him here. The crowd was really mad.  

C.M. Punk beat James Gibson in defense of the ROH Heavyweight Title. Punk cut a promo saying Gibson was hurt, the show was over, go home. Holy 1999 McMahon-Austin, here comes Jamie Noble Gibson. This was a great match, with Punk kicking out of Gibson's Tiger Driver.  Gibson kept locking Punk in the Trailer Hitch, but Punk used the ropes for leverage to get the pin. Punk got on the mic and said this was his last match in ROH, which no on believed. Work some one else, since the promoter and booker comments on angles and people's work on the net all the time. Daniels laid out Punk, but Daniels already lost to Matt Hardy. A lot of people were throwing garbage into the ring. Punk chased someone, it may have been a work, but it was sure dangerous, and the show ended as Punk chased the young man out the door. Looked like a work, but a lot of people were pissed in the wrong way.

7/16 - Nearly 700 fans witnessed the JAPW surprise return of Charlie Haas in Rahway, NJ.
Dark Match
Corvis Fear defeated Danny Demanto
1. Outcast Killaz defeated Neeno Capone & Eric Cooper
2. Talia over Alicia                                                                                                   

3. Low Ki defeated Sonjay Dutt
4. The Backseat Boys defeated Jack Evans to win the JAPW tag titles
5. JAPW Light Heavyweight Champ Bboy defeated Arcadia
6. Rhyno w/ Johnny D defeated Balls Mahoney
7. Jay Lethal, Jay Lethal's Dad and Charlie Haas beat Steve Corino, Ricky Landell & Rick Silver

ECWA results from July 16th, Newark, Delaware
Champion Scotty Charisma won a 3 way over Billy Bax & Rob Eckos.
Rob Eckos & Billy Bax won separate Battle Royals.
Maniac Mark Milonas defeated Japanese Pool Boy.
Cheetah Master & Ace Darling defeated Freak Nastty & Mike Kruel.
Chase Del Monte, Fred Sampson & Johnny Maxx defeated the Chick Magnets
Aden Chambers defeated Billy Bax.
Shawn Patrick defeated Rob Eckos
Vic D. Vine defeated Andrew Ryker
Mega defeated Mr. Ooh La La