Tales from the Steel City

Time for the less-big half of Ring of Honor’s first big weekend of the year with “Steel City Clash” (3/20/09).

-I can’t explain what it is about Sterling James Keenan’s look that I like. It should come across as awful and yet he makes it work. Go figure. But past look, Keenan doesn’t strike me as anything all too special. His match with Delirious is basic and unmemorable. If anything leaves a lasting impression, it is the crowd that was seemingly served warm milk before the show and is now ready for nap time. Why so quiet? This is wrestling. Not golf. Not art. Not reading. Wrestling! Make some noise!

-Fantastic storyline development prior to the Rhett Titus and Kenny King vs. Erick Stevens and Matt Cross match, but the bout itself is only okay at best. Again, the crowd is dead, which for me takes away from the ability to be engaged by what is supposed to be thrilling interaction.

-Okay, so it turns out maybe we are watching art here, since the only way to describe Bryan Danielson vs. Mike Quackenbush is as a technical masterpiece. Both men are so skilled and know very well how to infuse their personalities into the subtle strokes of mat wrestling. It is truly a treat to watch. And it was the perfect match for this audience, as the general silence only adds to the incredible mood here. Who saw that coming? Great stuff for sure.

-Props to Jerry Lynn, Claudio Castagnoli, and Brent Albright for following up the intense mat display of Danielson and Quack by going in a different direction and delivering something completely exhilarating. They have lots of thrilling spots and use of the triple threat situation well, which all together makes for a first-rate contest!

-I really have to commend the progression of this card, as it has been a shining example of how using different styles to follow each other can make for a strong, interesting show. After a technical clinic and a spot-filled frenzy, we are now treated to an all-over-the-arena brawl that is so much fun to watch. Tyler Black, Necro Butcher, Jimmy Jacobs, and Brodie Lee all work really hard to give us something we haven’t seen yet tonight, and it pays off completely. Very entertaining, far more so than I was expecting an Age of the Fall vs. Age of the Fall Wolfpac match to be.

-It is such a simple thing, but using Austin Aries avoiding Roderick Strong’s chops as the narrative of their match completely hooked me. It is such a brilliant story, especially considering how well known Strong has become for his forearm strikes, and it makes for a kind of different game being played between the two than one might have expected.

-You know, at the start of this show, I really wasn’t feeling it. Quiet audience, Sterling James Keenan, yada yada. But now that we’ve reached the end I must say wow. Especially wow to the main event, which is loaded with a ton of intensity. Having KENTA and El Generico on one side of the ring and Nigel McGuinness and Davey Richards on the other promised to be something special, but I wasn’t expecting so much electricity and so many exciting moments to happen. That there were stories born here that will follow through to the next show only adds to the overall awesomeness.