Dot Net reader Joe M. shared the following review of the Ring of Honor "Rising Above" pay-per-view.

First, let me say that I am a first-time ROH viewer. I have watched WWE for several years, and occasionally will watch TNA, but I had never done more than glance over recaps of ROH shows. I read your recommendation of Rising Above, and decided that I would give it a try. Here's my impression of it (again, as a first-time viewer):

The Briscoes talk like heels, but they get a face reaction from the crowd. The same goes for Kevin Steen. El Generico looks scrawny and awkward. From what I've heard, he's a fantastic wrestler, but he doesn't look the part at all. The match starts and Generico is indeed a fantastic wrestler.

Great tag match by WWE standards, but I don't get why it's opening the card either, given that according to the announcers these two teams main evented "Man Up" (which I heard was an incredible PPV). Steen kicking Mark Briscoe's knee when he was asking for time was a serious heel move. I'm not sure which of these teams is supposed to be the heel team and which is the face.

Claudio Castagnoli looks like Mario, only tall and thin. What does "very European" mean? I don't get it.

Sara Del Rey really needs to fix her makeup. She looks like an owl. MsChif has a much better look. Unique, and not slutty. Both women are also great in the ring. There is not a woman on WWE's roster who could perform that octopus stretch submission that MsChif pulled off in the opening minutes, let alone change it into another hold. I just noticed while Del Rey was putting MsChif in the Walls of Jericho that her thighs are absolutely huge. Like, disproportionately huge. This wasn't an Angle-Benoit match, but it was still a better technical wrestling match than any WWE could possibly put out. I am loving this show so far.

Necro Butcher's video package seemed disjointed. It got over the point, but it was absolutely nothing compared to what WWE can put together.

From the beginning of the four corners match, Castagnoli looks like the star of the match. He is bigger than the other three, and he is the clear heel against three faces. I know nothing about Silas Young or Sami Callihan, though they had a really good exchange in the early going, and provided the best spots of the match. Castagnoli seems to be pretty good at telling a story in the ring, though I can't really judge his in-ring ability. This was my first look at Bryan Danielson, and I wasn't impressed. He looks like just another guy. A really athletic guy who could kick my ass, but not the best wrestler in the world.

I did not get the Sweet N Sour Inc. video that aired next at all. Roderick Strong looks like Randy Orton if Orton didn't look like he took steroids. This match was great by WWE six-man tag standards, but I didn't understand why the ref doesn't even try to keep it to the two legal men. I like the finish, and it made sense to get more heat on Hero. This was a good random spotfest, but it could have been better.

I don't like beards in general, but Jimmy Jacobs' in particular annoys me. He looked much better in the video package when he just had the stubble. He looks like some sort of creepy dwarf now, as opposed to a menacing heel. Much harder to take seriously. Austin Aries looks just like CM Punk.

Why is Jimmy Jacobs the heel in this matchup? Seems to me like he has plenty of reason to be pissed at Aries. He asked Aries to join his group, Aries blew him off and stole his girl. Aries looks like a jackass just from that. This match was absolutely phenomenal, though I don't get how ROH gets away with Jimmy Jacobs threatening to stab Austin Aries in the throat with a railroad spike whereas WWE gets heat for having Jeff Hardy "run off the road." Also, the Lacey run-in was way too predictable. Otherwise this match was great.

Danielson doesn't look like a superstar, but he carries himself like one, as does Nigel McGuinness. Apparently Danielson is from Aberdeen, Washington. I noticed that he bears somewhat of a resemblance to the only other notable native of Aberdeen, former Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. This match was as close to flawless as a match can be. I had no idea who was going to win throughout, the finish came out of nowhere, and the Payne spot was done in a way that it wasn't overlooked, but didn't change the match too much. Incredible match that made me really want to order future ROH events.

You are welcome to send your thoughts on the ROH Rising Above pay-per-view or any other topic to dotnetjason@gmail.com.

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