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Ring of Honor: Respect is Earned II
by Sassy

Debuted: August 1, 2008

NO SPOILERS!

Except…Dave Prazak has grown some hair since the last pay per view!

All is right with the world.

What? You haven’t seen the latest Ring of Honor event? You have until August 15, 2008 in most areas to see it. ROH fans won’t be able to pass it up, non-ROH fans have the chance to become fans…Respect Is Earned II is another pay per view that no true wrestling fan wants to miss.

I’m way past ready for this so here’s the show:

Dave Prazak and Lenny Leonard welcome the fans to Philadelphia, PA and introduce a video of the first year of ROH’s pay per view. (I’ve seen them all!)

Breaking News: Injustice, Edison, NJ, Jay & Mark Briscoe defeated Rocky Romero & Davey Richards for the ROH Tag Team Titles, but Mark Briscoe was injured. At Up For Grabs, Hartford, CT, Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black won ROH Tag Team Titles in a tournament. They will defend the titles tonight.

Tag Team Challenge
Ruckus & Jigsaw
Representing Vulture Squad
Vs.
Kevin Steen & El Generico
This was a great way to open the pay per view with four wrestlers who can’t keep their feet on the mat. While every one of them is agile, Kevin Steen wows me every time I see him in the ring. El Generico & Steen work very well as a tag team and Ruckus & Jigsaw continue to grow on me as a tag team with potential. ROH will need new guardrails after this match alone. Match time: 8 minutes.

Singles Competition
Claudio Castagnoli
Vs.
Davey Richards

I’m a Castagnoli fan but Richards is an amazing wrestler. ROH World Heavyweight Champion Nigel McGuinness was at the announcer’s table to offer his opinion of the talent or lack thereof of the wrestlers in the ring. This match was a good contest of wrestling moves, holds and counters. Castagnoli showed the fans some nice moves but Richards had a counter for everything Castagnoli throws at him. These two have very unique wrestling styles. Fans of either wrestler will not want to miss this match. Match time: 8 minutes.

Six Man Tag Team Match
Brent Albright
&
Delirious
&
Pelle Primeau
With Daizee Haze
Vs.
Chris Hero
&
Adam Pearce
&
Eddie Edwards
With Sara Del Rey
And with Sweet ‘n Sour, Inc.’s
Larry Sweeney, Shane Haggadorn & Bobby Dempsey

I don’t know about anyone else but I live to see Brent Albright appear in the ring to kick ass. When I saw this match advertised, I thought someone in ROH was out to get Albright. What a shock to discover Albright picked his own partners. Has Albright lost his mind? I think Albright’s mind is in great shape and the time Primeau & Delirious have in the ring mean for some high risk and daring action. Chris Hero looked better than I have ever seen him look. Adam Pearce still makes me want to spit at the television screen and Eddie Edwards held his own during this match. You just know there will be outside interference and some of us will be screaming for Sweeney’s blood. This was a match I could get into and I feel a little better about my mind…I didn’t understand a word Delirious said. Match time: 11 minutes.

Fight Without Honor
Erick Stevens
Vs.
Roderick Strong
I have seen ROH "Fight Without Honor" matches before but staying in my chair during this match was impossible. How either of these wrestlers could stand up and leave the ring after this grueling match is beyond me. There were tables and ladders (wobbly ladders at that!) and chairs galore not to mention major damage to the guardrails surrounding the audience. The match went from the floor to the ring to the floor to the ring with never a dull moment, hard heavy hits and dangerous maneuvers to win including one big HOLY SHIT! Stevens may be one of my favorite ROH wrestlers but no one can say Strong can’t hold his own. Caution: Major bloodshed and certainly not for the faint of heart. Match time: 23 minutes.

ROH World Heavyweight Title Match
Nigel McGuinness
Champion
Vs.
Go Shiozaki
Challenger

I’m about to do something I don’t often do when I review a Ring of Honor event. I’m going to say the biggest let down for me in this pay per view was Nigel McGuinness defending his title against Go Shiozaki. I like McGuinness in the ring and I like what I have seen of Shiozaki but they didn’t pull off a great match. Although the match began in with a bang, I had a problem getting into the action and staying focused on the two men in the ring. I may have expected more from Shiozaki than he delivered or it may have been that Shiozaki wasn’t comfortable in the ring. Both wrestlers seemed to have trouble keeping the match flowing. Once the match got into a rhythm, it was better but it was certainly not the best championship match I have seen come from ROH. Match time: 17 minutes.

Main Event
ROH World Tag Team Title Match
Jimmy Jacobs
&
Tyler Black
Representing Age of the Fall
Champions
Vs.
American Dragon Bryan Danielson
&
Austin Aries
Challengers

The final match of the pay per view and it topped every match on the card. This was the continuation of a feud between Austin Aries and Jimmy Jacobs culminating in a very short initial match as the referee called for the bell due to chairs being brought into and used in the ring. After a conference with all four men involved, the referee decided to restart the match and was it ever worth seeing! I want to dislike Bryan Danielson and I think it is because he is so darned good in every match he works. Austin Aries didn’t let me down with his ability and whether you love him or hate him, Jimmy Jacobs continues to grow as a force in the ROH ring. Tyler Black, even with the AOTF affiliation hanging over his head, has ROH fans enthralled when he makes an appearance. Danielson and Black make this a match to remember. I was on my feet the entire last half of the match screaming for both teams to win. If you do not see this pay per view for any other reason and the above matches are reason enough, do NOT miss this match! Match time: 23 minutes.

As always, if you need a Ring of Honor fix between this pay per view and the next, visit www.rohwrestling.com. Grab the ROH Toolbar to ensure you keep on the latest ROH events and happenings.

NOTE: This delayed review is not on purpose. I had a problem getting the pay per view through my cable company. Initially the company attempted to charge more than what was advertised and although I would have paid what they asked in order to see the show, I was unable to purchase it through my cable system. This is not the first time I have had this problem. If anyone else had a problem with overcharging or the inability to get the show on their cable system, please send me an email and let me know.

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