Ring of Honor: Greatest Rivalries

Introduction:
The final of four general release Ring of Honor DVDs has just been released, in the form of "Greatest Rivalries" - a look at some of the biggest grudges in ROH history.

Not surprisingly, then, several of the bouts here have special stipulations, such as the Steel Cage match between BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs, and the Dog Collar Match between a WWE star of the present in CM Punk, and one from the past in Raven.

But away from the feud-ending violence, there was likely to be some good wrestling available here - as is always the case with this promotion - as Bryan Danielson tangles with Austin Aries, and the Jay & Mark Briscoe look to take the Tag Team Titles from Aries and Roderick Strong, in a match held in Liverpool, England.

Video:
Video is presented in 4:3 fullscreen NTSC (Region 0), and is generally good for a DVD of this genre.

As has been mentioned many times in association with ROH releases, anyone expecting WWE mega-bucks production values is going to be disappointed. On the counter-side, Ring of Honor cameras (usually one steady camera and two handhelds) take viewers right inside the ring, and hide nothing when it comes to the spectacular moves.

The transfer to DVD is fine, with only mild digital artefacts noticeable. But that will not spoil your enjoyment of this product in any way.





Audio:
Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, and is also good. While once again not technically perfect, the audio consistently captures the vociferousness of ROH crowds perfectly, even if that does include very minor distortion when things are coming close to getting out of hand.

Commentary is provided by Dave Prazak and Lenny Leonard, in as much as true sports manner as professional wrestling can allow.





Overall:
Kicking off a show (ok, a DVD!) with a Dog Collar bout isn't the traditional way, but that's the first bout to greet us on "Greatest Rivalries", as CM Punk faces Raven. Unfortunately, this type of match-up is known more to restrict wrestlers than it is to aid them, and so it is the case here, in what is a hard-hitting but rather plodding brawl.

Samoa Joe's ROH Title defence against Homicide is up next, but takes nearly 20 minutes to really take life. After that, it's a fine match with some great near-falls, though not at the level of a similar title match in 2008.

After an improvement in the AJ Styles vs Jimmy Rave match - which bizarrely ended not by pinfall, but when one wrestler used his favourite hold on his opponent, "Greatest Rivalries" took a strong up-turn, as Austin Aries & Roderick Strong defended their ROH Tag Team Titles against the Briscoe Brothers, in a superb match from Liverpool.

This bout was much better structured than most Briscoes matches, and for that the viewer can thank the excellent teamwork and pacing of Aries & Strong. With a fantastic build to its climax, this was one of the best tag team matches of 2006.

The Steel Cage affair between Jimmy Jacobs and BJ Whitmer is the most violent on the DVD, but it isn't exactly the best representation of what Ring of Honor is all about. There were lots of unnecessary weapons used here, and almost zero wrestling until the final few moments.

On the flip side of that, there was some excellent technique in the proceeding Austin Aries vs Bryan Danielson bout, the third in their Best Of Three series. The bout is surprisingly short however, considering its excellent build, and really finishes just as the bout is getting going.

Inter-promotional warfare is then on the cards, as Team ROH square off against Team CZW (Combat Zone Wrestling - a rival group known for putting on gruesome matches) in what is a crazy brawl throughout the arena. There are some insane falls on offer here, but for that - perhaps in spite of that - the bout's conclusion is actually quite dramatic, and served its purpose within this feud.

The main event, so to speak, of Roderick Strong vs Erick Stevens for the FIP Title (Full Impact Pro, sister promotion of ROH) is a fine note on which to end this DVD, even if it does not quite match up to the heights of the earlier Tag Team Title bout. However, Strong and Stevens do get some drama from their title match, especially following one particularly nasty manoeuvre outside of the ring.





Overall, then, "Greatest Rivalries" does not quite match the standards set by previous Ring of Honor general releases, but there's still more than enough here to satisfy most wrestling fans. Match of the DVD goes to Aries & Strong vs The Briscoes, which is an excellent display of what WWE wrestling is missing, in its exclusion of meaningful tag team wrestling.