A Real ‘Ring of Honor’

ROHFor over six years, the Ring of Honor wrestling promotion has given hardcore fans what they really want, great matches with great competitors. Sure, the production values pale in comparison to the WWE and even TNA, but the quality of the in-ring action is just as good as anywhere else in world, maybe better. With that being said, it was only a matter of time until the best matches in the young company’s history were compiled and put on DVD. Released in early April, ROH’s “Stars of Honor” features some of the greatest matches in the company’s history and is a great introduction to the promotion for wrestling fans that may not be familiar with it.

Featuring the likes of current TNA and WWE superstars like Samoa Joe, CM Punk, Jay Lethal, Christopher Daniels, Matt Hardy and Christian Cage, in addition to longtime ROH vets like Brian Danielson and Roderick Strong, this DVD compilation provides a wide range of action that is sure to satisfy every fan that watches it.

Despite the variety of the match types and A-list roster, the DVD isn’t exactly perfect though. Known for having wrestlers who push the envelope in ways not seen in the WWE, most athletes in ROH have finishers that would never see the light of day on primetime television due to the danger that comes with performing them.

However, several of the matches on the DVD are more on the safe side and don’t really show what the company is known for. Nevertheless, out of the eight matches on the DVD, there are at least four that are truly something special. The other four as well are far from mediocre, but they lack the awe factor that makes ROH such an intriguing option for wrestling fans.

Aside from the matches, the bonus features and the overall presentation take away from the luster of the in-ring action. Featuring a shoot interview with Mick Foley and a segment on the ROH appearance of Bruno Sammartino, these extras fail to captivate. The commentary on some of the matches by the wrestlers is also stale and without charisma. To make matters worse, the commentary during matches doesn’t do the amazing action in the ring justice, while the pre-match introductions in the ROH studio lack any real flair, as most of the time, the announcers aren’t looking into the right camera.

Despite these presentation problems, it’s hard to argue with how good the quality of the matches on this DVD are. Anyone sick of bad storylines on the WWE and TNA’s current focus on older wrestlers they’ve acquired from other promotions will find this a breath of fresh air into the wrestling industry and a must-own DVD worth watching numerous times.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13821 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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