Welcome to the first DVD review done by yours truly for WWI. Hopefully this will be the first of many. The wide selection of my library (80’s to now, covering WWE/F, ECW, WCW, TNA, ROH, and Shimmer) gives me a lot of material to look through, and if you have a specific show, event, or DVD you’d like me to review, hit me up by way of the contact information that I’ll put at the end of this review. At the end of my review, I’ll tell you the most important thing you want to know: is a show Worth Your Money. I’ve decided to look at ROH for my first review. And what better show than the first show I ordered that got me hooked, Death Before Dishonor. This show is remembered for two things: Paul London’s ROH farewell, and Jeff Hardy’s infamous Ring Of Horror. Has time done this show well?

CM Punk graces up with a close up, talking about the importance of his Dog Collar match with Raven tonight. The leader of the Second City Saints decides to tell a little family story, a childhood memory. No, it’s not something like his family having the best time at Disney Land, or Little Punk’s first school play, or even CM learning how to poop in the potty. This story is about Little CM witnessing his drunken father nearly go the way of Jimi Hendrix. CM Punk Sr. was choking to death on his own vomit, and the only person there to save him was CM Punk Jr. Punk Jr. did just that, saving his father’s life, “But I regret it every day.” Man…this is one of the worst childhood memories I’ve ever heard in wrestling. Before Punk could finish, Colt Cabana interrupts, offering the chain for tonight’s festivities. CM Punk gets understandably angry, jacking Colt against the wall before proclaiming, “I’m sick of all of your tomfoolery, and your shenanigans! If Ace was here, he’d slap you!” I laughed hard the first time I saw this, and I laughed just as hard this time. When Punk storms off, Cabana decides to chat with us, plugging his Four Way match tonight against BJ Whitmer, Dan Maff, and Homicide. As Colt does this, he keeps looking off into the distance, making sure Punk doesn’t come back and pull an Ace upside his head. Cabana promises to bring the #1 Contender’s trophy to the Cabana mantle with his 1993 Hopscotch trophy.

We cut to the arena before the show. Special K entered the building, deciding to party with the fans. A young Jay Lethal, with a baldhead, can’t stay with the beat to save his life. Instead of staying with this exciting scene, we cut to the back with ROH champion Samoa Joe, who tonight will face Paul London in London’s last ROH match. Gary Michael Capetta tells Joe that the fans are hoping for a special moment in which London wins the gold that’s eluded him during his ROH tenure. Joe proclaims that the “special moment” will be him putting London down in his final ROH match.

Back in the arena is the Special K chicks dancing…to a very dead crowd. I mean dead. Even two chicks grinding on each other couldn’t get the male fans excited. Once again, Gary Capetta is here to break up this grind off to get some words from Homicide, and his crew (Julius Smokes and a young Eddie Kingston. It’s amazing seeing Kingston play back up now). G.M.C. wanted to know if something was about to comedown between Homicide and Low Ki, who had a huge blowout a couple of shows before this one. Homicide denied the rumors of a feud between the two, but didn’t deny the fact that they were done as a team. Then Gary Capetta dropped the C-word. That’s right, Corino. Steve Corino that is. Homicide gives Gary the word to throw down a Strong Style challenge for Mr. Old School himself.

Death Before Dishonor

7/19/2003

Elizabeth, NJ

We are finally at the start of the biggest ROH show to date, and Special K is still in the ring partying like it’s 1999. The ring announcer enters the ring to formally star the show, but Special K refuses stop this jam session. The music suddenly grinds to a halt before turning into “It’s Raining Men.” Of course this is the entrance music for the Christopher Street Connection, who play the homosexual card to the hilt. The fans chant, “You suck d***!” And the CSC is very happy about that. The CSC wanted to have a dance-off with Special K, but got beaten down instead to restart the party. Then the ultimate party crasher’s music hit. The dead crowd comes alive as Low Ki makes his return to ROH after a shoulder injury. Ki grabs a mic, grunting, “I came here to see a fight.” After slapping around some of K kids, Deranged stands up for the first match of the evening.

Low Ki vs. Deranged

Deranged actually gets the jump on Low Ki, using a few chokes to hold Ki down after knocking him to the mat with a spinning heel kick. In between attacks, Deranged mocked Ki’s posture. Deranged focused on the rehabbed shoulder of Ki’s to keep Ki grounded. When Ki got up, Deranged decided to use some flippy, handstand move. Then it happened. Low Ki caught Deranged in midair, tossing him to the mat face first. Ki grabbed Derange by the hair, Kawada kicking him in the face. And I mean the face. Deranged tried to get his hands up, but Ki’s feet were moving too fast. Once Deranged did get his hands up, Low Ki moved to kicking his back. With Deranged dazed, Low Ki unleashed the Tidal Crush kick in the corner. Slugger, Special K’s bodyguard, tries to grab Ki from behind to stop the onslaught. Ki uses Slugger’s testicles against him, squeezing them to get free from a reverse bearhug. With Slugger down, Ki finished off Deranged with the Ki Crusher before locking in the Dragon Clutch to make Deranged tap out.

From Japan is Christopher Daniels, who is on the phone with Allison Danger, who he wants to “offer him the spot.” In one of the most astonishing things I’ve seen, Daniels hangs up his (well, actually it’s Koji Kanemoto’s) phone, speaks to the cameraman in Japanese, counts himself down, then cuts a promo on how ROH wouldn’t be where it is all in one take. And that man can’t be a World champion is beyond me.

Jimmy Rave vs. Matt Stryker

Mr. Unibrow himself Matt Stryker is here to stretch young Jimmy Rave in what was supposed to be the opening contest for the evening. They do the typical indy wrestling sequences that end with both me on their feet, and the fans clapping in approval. It isn’t until they go to the top does the action pick up. Rave tosses Matt with a belly-to-belly superplex. Rave, who was in a tree of woe position, rose up the corner to pose, only for Matt Stryker to jump up, superplexing Jimmy, only five seconds after the superplex he sustained. Way to sell it, Stryker. Rave recovered after hitting a sick shining wizard. Jimmy had the flow of the match, only to flow into the Death Valley Driver, giving Stryker the victory. They follow the Code of Honor, shaking hands after the match.

Weapons match: Carnage Crew (Justin Credible, HC Loc, Tony Devito, Masada) vs. Texas Wrestling Academy (Rudy Boy Gonzales, Hotstuff Hernandez, Fast Eddie, Don Juan)

Hotstuff Hernandez is TNA’s Hernadez with tights, and no tattoos. Fast Eddie is legally blind. No joke. I’ve seen his driver’s license. Devito tries to heal Eddie’s eyesight by whacking him with a Singapore cane. Most of this match is just all over the arena brawling. With some many bodies, it’s hard to keep up with what’s going on. That doesn’t mean some of the best spots are missed. One of those spots includes a Fast Eddie moonsault to the floor. Did I mention Eddie’s legally blind? Eddie follows that up with a German suplex on Masada, who lands on the chair back of his headfirst. Sick! Masada decided to pay Eddie back with a German suplex of his own, off the top rope, head first through the seat of the chair. Being legally blind might not be his biggest problem after that. The pace just goes crazy from this point where, in less then a minute, Justin Credible is thrown into a ladder, Rudy Boy is suplexed into the same ladder, Don Juan is crowned with a chair, then neck broken though the same chair. I don’t know how much more they can do. Oh yeah, a spike piledriver by Devito and Loc on Don Juan off the apron through a table would be outdoing everything. Hernandez reentered the fray, using Eddie as a projectile. Too bad for Eddie he came up short. Barely hitting Loc, Eddie smacks the concrete. Poor Eddie. Hernandez, deciding to make up for the screw up, flew. You know the dive he does in TNA. Well, in ROH, Hernandez goes so far in flight that he slams into the guardrails headfirst. And you’d think he’d be out. Not our Hernandez. He gets right up, goes into the ring, sets up four chairs before Border Tossing Masada through them. Thankfully for the health of all eight men, Hernandez gets a successful cover after that move.

Outcast Killaz vs. Tony Mamaluke & John Walters

This is just a walk in the park for Mamaluke & Walters, who just toss, stretch, and outwrestle the Killaz before ending the match with a combination key lock/leg lock by both men.

The Ring Crew Express of Dunn & Marcos enter the ring to tell the world, “We rock like a hurricane.” Xavier doesn’t take too kindly to this, entering a ring for the first time since losing the ROH title to Samoa Joe some four months ago. Xavier decides to rock the RCE, annihilating them with ease. Xavier is here for respect, and respect only.

Tom Carter vs. Doug Williams

Tom Carter is indy superstar Reckless Youth. This match was easily the best pure wrestling match so far. It wasn’t that indi-rific slew of sequences you normally see. It was two men battling back and forth, trying to wear a body part out to either prevent a submission, or execute one. Williams had the neck and head in mind; possibly for that rolling German suplex he calls the Chaos Theory. Carter, on the other hand, worked Williams’ arms. What better way to prevent the suplex than to weaken the arms? Carter was able to put a sequence of moves together that even when Williams hit the Theory, he couldn’t follow up due to the pain. Carter used Doug’s weakness against him, using that weak arm to pull him in with a unique roll to get the pin. As Tom headed out, Allison Danger approached him about joining The Prophecy. Carter refuses to answer, angering Ms. Danger.

Colt Cabana vs. Homicide vs. Dan Maff vs. BJ Whitmer

Cabana’s always good for a laugh. When his music slowed down to stop, Cabana decides to break out his version of the robot dance. This match is for the #1 Contender trophy. Maff, being a part of The Prophecy, refuses to follow the Code of Honor. Dan Maff, as big as he is, decides to play the cowardly heel in this encounter. You’d think Cabana would be (this is before the babyface surge of the Second City Saints), but Maff played his role well. When Homicide hit his tope con hilo on Whitmer, Julius Smokes runs across the screen like a headless chicken…in a basketball jersey. To outdo Low Ki’s brutality from earlier, Homicide wins a “hard kick to the back” contest with BJ. Dan Maff jumps into the fray-finally-tossing BJ and Homicide to the floor. Like a red torpedo, Maff leaves the ring for a tope on BJ and ‘Cide…only to fly over them, into the crowd! Maff landed head first in the laps of the front row. When the action returned to the ring, everyone started hitting their big moves. This would help Whitmer, who tossed Homicide away after he had weaken Cabana enough for the Exploder Superplex to become next in line for a ROH title shot.

Back in Japan, The Fallen Angel is in shock that Tom Carter refused to join The Prophecy. And once again, Daniels jumps from being just a normal guy making a phone call to the leader of The Prophecy all in five seconds. Daniels is too awesome.

Back in Jersey are Low Ki and G.M.C. where Ki talks how Dan Maff turned on his family, the men who made him such as himself. Ki promised to make an example of Maff by kicking his head off in the future (foreshadowing!). Capetta brings up Homicide, but like ‘Cide, Ki shuts down the conversation. After hearing Ki talk again, you know what I’d love; a Low Ki record album. Ki could be the next Barry White. Well, a very violent version.

Backseat Boys & S.A.T vs. Special K

ECW original Mikey Whipwreck is with Special K for some reason. I think there are more members of Special K than in Wu-Tang. With the names involved, you probably have no question what kind of match this will be. Yep, an indi-rific high flyer with no psychology whatsoever. But they decide to make it a fun one. Easily one of the best spots was a Doomsday Device into piledriver, into a camel clutch, followed up with a triple dropkick by the Boys and Joel Maximo. Mikey actually turns from a second for Special K to one of the wrestlers, unloading the green mist on one of the Maximos. Whipwreck uses the dazed Joel to put him in a bow and arrow, giving the illegal wrestlers of K a chest to double stomp into. Thankfully Jose was there to save his brother, and the match, turning the tides. S.A.T forced Hydro (Jay Lethal) onto the top rope before hitting the Spanish Fly. Whipwreck was able to stop the pin, but in an attempt to attack Whipwreck, Joel hits Trent Acid, leaving him open for the Whippersnapper, and the 1, 2, 3. After the match, the Boys turn their anger onto their partners, leaving the S.A.T laying.

Crazy K vs. Joey Matthews vs. Willow The Wisp/Jeff Hardy

Okay, here we go. The fans have been alive all night. How will they be for Jeff Hardy, who had been only three months removed from his release from WWE? Crazy K is Hardy’s protégé, and Joey Matthews is Joey Mercury of MNM fame. Right when Joey’s music ends, the fans begin to boo. Oh, this is not good. In between chants of “F*** you, Hardy,” you can hear some weird noises coming from the PA system. Turned out to be Jeff’s entrance music. Jeff bursts through the curtain, to a slew of middle fingers, in a long black coat/mask combo, dancing like he’s epileptic. When Jeff The Wisp jumped onto the apron to enter the ring, he began to crotch chop at the fans booing him. And it was some weird chops. Not Mike Tyson weird, but pretty weird. In a move we’ve seen him do hundreds of time in his entrance, Jeff went to jump to the middle rope to pose, only to slip and almost topple to the floor. The boos intensified. These boos turned to chants of “You got fired,” and “We want Matt!” Wow. The look on Joey and K’s faces are priceless. They are in as much shock as the people are. Jeff actually looked sick as he laid near the ropes. Willow Hardy didn’t even want to start off the match. Matthews got Hardy started by trying to unmask him. It’s sad because no matter what he did (be it horribly sloppy, or half decent), Hardy got more and more boos. Jeff decided to unmask himself before telling the audience, “Kiss my ass!” As bad as Jeff was, Crazy K wasn’t much better, screwing up most everything he did. If the fans weren’t so anti-Jeff, he’d be getting booed out of the building. Joey, pulling out every heel tactic he could think of, was automatically a babyface. The ending didn’t please the fans either as Jeff pinned K after a lariat/spilt leg cradle combo. The post match celebration by Hardy is just as priceless as his entrance. On his way out, Jeff tells his haters that they were paying his check, while hugging the little teenage girls that who dressed like him for the evening. 

We get a highlight video of the rivalry of CM Punk and Raven, which includes three huge wins over the ECW icon, making the score e-0. The end of the video is the best as a bloody Punk, with Cabana & Daffney by his side, gives the promo of lifetime. Words can’t do this promo justice as Punk compares his alcoholic father to Raven, who Punk blames for being a cog in the destruction of society through his substance abuse. 

Dog Collar match: CM Punk vs. Raven

Before the mach could start, Punk decides to hassle the crowd due to the fact that the arena was dry. Even though the arena wasn’t selling beer doesn’t mean you can’t sneak one in as Danny Doring of ECW fame shows up with a beer in hand. Doring gets pushed out of the area by security as he heads to the guardrails. Raven hit the ring before Punk could cause the crowd to riot. The early portion of the match saw Punk doing everything possible to not get chained. And when he did get attached to Raven, Punk tried his best to stay away. Barely five minutes into the match, Punk had a gusher flowing from his forehead. When Punk finally got control, the match just got barbaric. Mr. Straight Edge began using the chain to choke, slap, and toss Raven around, and outside the ring, leading to a huge fight in the crowd. Everything was visible, and I have to say, the best crowd fight I’ve ever witnessed. Both men were bleeding buckets as Raven came back with a series of clotheslines. Raven had the match in hand when Colt Cabana interfered. Danny Doring decided to even the odds, disposing of Cabana after Cabana used the DDT on Raven. This was enough to give Punk the pin as Cabana and Doring fought on the floor.

CM Punk refused to end the night with just a victory. Punk wanted to knock the sober Raven off the wagon again. Punk tied Raven to the ropes in that crucifix pose before pouring beer down his gullet. As Punk celebrated his Raven beer washing, Tommy Dreamer entered the ring to a roaring ovation. Dreamer crowned Punk with a chair before freeing Raven. With Punk out, tied to the ropes, and Raven freed, the ECW originals decide to give Punk his first taste of a cold, frosty beverage. Punk screamed in horror as Raven poured the beer into his face. Punk franticly spat the drink out in an attempt to keep is honor in the Straight Edge community. When the ref’s finally free Punk, he goes on the warpath, knocking over anything, and anyone in his way. I guess he was heading to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Paul London thought back to some of his most memorable moments and matches in his Ring of Honor career, including the Street Fight with Michael Shane, his epic encounter with Bryan Danielson, and the stiff exchange between himself and AJ Styles. London thanked the fans for being a part of those memories. Paul also wanted to give the fans one more memory: him with the ROH title.

ROH Tag Team title: AJ Styles & Red w/Alexis Laree (champs) vs. Briscoe Brothers

The story of this match was Red’s left knee, which needed surgery. The Briscoes knew about this, honing in on the knee like two South Delaware pitbulls after being beaten like dogs by the champ’s impressive double teams. After watching his partner be tortured, AJ made the tag, lighting up the ring with all of his AJ-isms. If you’ve seen an AJ Styles match, you know all the big comeback moves. That doesn’t mean they aren’t as impressive. It was Jay’s determination to use the Jay Driller that put him in position for the Styles Clash, which is a definite end to any match; and this one was no exception.

Jim Cornette, live from Ohio Valley, talks about his upcoming debut in ROH, where he’ll, “make a bigger name than I already am.”

ROH title: Samoa Joe (champ) vs. Paul London

Before the match, we get a series of clips from the most recent wins by both men. London comes out to the reception I think a lot of people expected Jeff Hardy to get. London’s entrance goes so long that Joe makes it to the ring just as he does. This match definitely became David vs. Goliath as London tried to keep moving and avoiding all of Joe’s big stuff, while catching anything that would drop him for a three count. Lets just say it didn’t last all that long. When Joe got London down, he just had his way with him. No, not like that! Get your mind out of the gutter. London, showing the heart of a future WWE Superstar, used his speed to turn the match around, almost pinning Joe with his patented Shooting Star Press. London refused to be denied as he fought through everything, getting a series of near falls. The fans were going crazy as London looked to be on the verge of surviving the onslaught of Samoa Joe. Then Joe locked in the Rear Naked Choke. Would Paul tap out in his last ROH? The fans didn’t think so as they begged Paul to not tap out. Well, they got their wish as London passed out instead of tapping out, keeping the gold in ROH.

After Paul London regain consciousness, the ring filled up with everyone, outside of Jeff Hardy, CM Punk, and Raven, from the back. It’s sad to say, but most of what Paul said in his farewell speech was inaudible. The audio system was so bad back then. What I did get was Paul wanting to comeback one day to party with milk and cookies. MMMMM-Kay. And in one of the strangest sights ever, Low Ki smiled. Ki smiled. That’s worth a purchase alone.

We get a few promos from Raven (who is determined to not be the Tommy Dreamer in his feud with CM Punk), the Carnage Crew (whose plans for the evening involved a trip to the nearest strip joint), Christopher Daniels (ready to bring those ROH titles to The Prophecy), and CM Punk (still furious over the beer bath, agreeing, violently, to a Cage match with Raven).

Is It Worth Your Money: Time hasn’t really hurt this show as with most the earlier ROH shows. From a historical standpoint, this is a must have. Not only do you see what made Paul London the top babyface in ROH, but also how Jeff Hardy became the most hated man in New Jersey for one night. Also you get a brutal Dog Collar match that will easily go down in the top five of all time. I can honestly say, as it was for me when I first watched this show, this is a great starting point for any inquisitive wrestling fan. Plus, Low Ki smiling! Death Before Dishonor Is Worth Your Money.

To order this DVD, check out rohwrestling.com

If you have a show you’d like me to review, e-mail me at fasjab@aol.com , or look me up on the WWI forums under “jakeb”