MY Take: The Top 12 ROH Essential Events

In response to the recent online poll for the Top 12 Most Essential Events - as voted by the fans on the ROH Message Board - I thought I would chime in with my own Top 12, as voted by me, myself, and I. The events are listed in chronilogical order.

Joe Vs. Punk II - This was the moment when ROH became truly significant. Ring Of Honor had been in existence for over two years at this point, and for most of 2004 they had to fight a tremendous uphill battle that many figured they wouldn't survive. That night in Chicago Ridge, IL would forever change the landscape of professional wrestling in the US. The defining moment of the main event - Samoe Joe's classic second world title defense against the hometown hero CM Punk, the first match to receive a 5 star rating for any match in North America in 7 years - Punk yells to a heckler in the crowd, "You don't like it? The door's over there, asshole!" By the time the 60 minute time limit had expired, even that fan had to be on his feet, and ROH truly became "reborn."

Manhattan Mayhem - Back in 1993, Vince McMahon walked into the Grand Ballroom of the Manhattan Center, stuck a big WWF flag in it, and claimed it to be his land. Then in 2005, ROH entered the Grand Ballroom of the New Yorker Hotel around the corner and took over, and by the end of the night, New York City would be their turf. From the Carnage Crew destroying Dunn & Marcos to The Rottweilers damn-near killing Jay Lethal with one of the most horrific double team moves ever, this is the original super card and may still be the best card ROH has ever produced, even to this day.

Death Before Dishonor III - CM Punk was a real bastard, and here's why. In probably the biggest swerve in the history of the company and one of their finest angles as well, CM Punk wins the title to the delight of the fans in a classic against Austin Aries, then turns on them, proclaiming he is going to take the ROH World Title to Vince McMahon. Then Christopher Daniels makes a comeback, and the chase is on. This is an event that builds, with a great undercard all the way to a fantastic finish.

Punk: The Final Chapter - A great card that was the culmination of CM Punk's legendary summer in ROH. A great blend of hilarious antics and touching heartfelt moments. It has the state of the art wrestling we've come to expect from ROH (from the Four Corner Survival opener and the Hardy-Strong match) and riotous brawls (from Steel doing one of the sickest blade jobs to Low Ki double-stomping Jay Lethal from the bleachers). Great stories told between Gibson and Spanky and the feuds between the Rottweilers and Joe/Lethal and the Embassy and Generation Next. And then of course there's the emotional last match of CM Punk which brought tears to my eyes.

Joe Vs. Kobashi - What needs to be said about Samoa Joe vs. Kenta Kobashi that hasn't already been said? It may not be the best of Kobashi's matches, but it is still as great as they say, and there is no doubt in my mind that it is the biggest and most important event ROH has ever put on. Probably the best performance by an ROH crowd ever, as they show you how much larger than life this match is.

Supercard of Honor - Even though Bryan Danielson vs. Roderick Strong III began after midnight, and they would wrestle for 56 grueling minutes, the fans in Chicago Ridge never died down. This is the most loaded ROH event ever, and it might never be topped. The stars of Dragon Gate and SHIMMER make a huge impact, the CZW-ROH and Homicide-Colt Cabana wars really rage on, and by 1a.m. after five hours of action, the fans of ROH have gotten more than their money's worth.

Better Than Our Best - The most aptly titled of all ROH events finds Lance Storm coming out of retirement to face Bryan Danielson for the ROH World Title, the stars of Dragon Gate challenge Aries and Strong for the ROH Tag Team Titles, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Jimmy Yang go at it in a loaded Four Corner Survival Match, and in the main event, Colt Cabana goes for redemption against Homicide in a brutal Chicago Street Fight. Does that sound like something you can afford to miss? I don't think so.

The 100th Show - Sure the Cage of Death at 'Death Before Dishonor IV' was the crowning achievement of the ROH-CZW war, but at this very special show in ROH's hometown of Philadelphia, it was truly on. In one of the coolest, most violent brawls in the history of the company, Team ROH made a stand against Team CZW and they went down in a blaze of glory. Also, Delirious goes from do or die to main event player and Christopher Daniels finally follows the code against Claudio Castignoli in a move he will later regret. One of the wildest shows ever.

Glory By Honor V: Night 2 - This event - for which I sat in the second row for - could be defined by many things, like the first time the GHC Title was defended on U.S. soil, the Kings of Wrestling shocking us all by defeating Aries and Strong for the World Tag Team Titles, the first time Homicide and Joe joined forces against the Briscoes, or the Bryan Danielson-KENTA battle which is still the best match I have ever seen live. But the defining moment came when the legendary Bruno Sammartino spoke to the crowd - which was so respectful and silent that you could hear a pin drop - and told us that he was proud to say this is what wrestling should be.

Final Battle 2006 - My personal favorite ROH moment of all time - being in the crowd where Homicide jumped the rail to be with the fans, and celebrate finally winning the ROH World Title. The hometown hero and ROH icon laid his demons to rest that night, overcoming all obstacles - Pearce and Hagadorn, biased officiating, Bryan Danielson, and an injured shoulder - to win his first title in ROH. Before that, Joe made a stand against Pro Wrestling NOAH, Nigel McGuinness took a stand against Joe, Jimmy Rave became a star, CIMA and Shingo invaded once again from Dragon Gate, and the Briscoes showed us they were ready for main event status in grand fashion against the Kings of Wrestling.

Fifth Year Festival: Finale - While the Fifth Year Festival will be remembered also as the Samoa Joe Farewell Tour, the Finale in Liverpool, England will be remembered for many things: Nigel McGuinness destroying Jimmy Rave in a Fight Without Honor, Jay and Mark Briscoe taking each other to the limit in a near half hour draw, the UK's own PAC and Matt Sydal battling it out in aerial warfare, and the new ROH World Tag Champions Shingo and Naruki Doi defend against the newly formed No Remorse Corp of Roderick Strong and Davey Richards. The of course, there's the main event of Samoa Joe vs. Homicide in Joe's Farewell Match. Of all the FYF events, this is the one you can't miss.

Good Times, Great Memories - New fans beware, you will be an ROH addict after watching this event! Colt Cabana, Homicide, Christopher Daniels, Alison Danger, Shingo, and (temporarily) Austin Aries say goodbye to ROH in an emotional event that sees new talent emerge and make a huge impact. The ROH-Dragon Gate-NOAH partnership has it's first shining moment as Takeshi Morishima defends the ROH World Title against Shingo, and the Briscoes defend against the Motor City Machine Guns of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin in an instant classic. Rivals 'Manhattan Mayhem' for best ROH card ever.

HONORABLE Mention - Death Before Dishonor, All Star Extravaganza II, Vendetta, Final Battle 2005, Dragon Gate Invasion, Death Before Dishonor IV, United, Supercard Of Honor II, and Respect Is Earned.