ROH Respect is Earned II

- The show began with announcers Dave Prazak and Lenny Leonard introducing the show followed by clips from exciting ROH action. Next the tag team scene since the last PPV was recapped.
- Kevin Steen and El Generico def. The Vulture Squad (Jigsaw and Ruckus) in 9:00 when Generico pinned Jigsaw after a "Top Rope Splash". The match was very well worked. Steen and Generico are a very polished tag team which compliments Steen's ability to be a ring general. (Match rating: ***)
- A video featuring the Briscoe Brothers aired before more ring action.
- Claudio Castagnoli def. Davey Richards in 9:00 with a huge "European Uppercut." Castagnoli is remarkably athletic and talented. The announcers thankfully reminded us that Claudio is 3-0 on pay-per-view. Nice mid-card bout with likable commentary by ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness. (***)
- Next, Larry Sweeney, with Sweet 'n' Sour, Inc., cut a stunning promo that solidified him as a world class manager. The promo became full circle when Sweeney sent group member Bobby Dempsey away in disgust as usual. After this a promo was cut by Brent Albright who introduced his army to fight S 'n' S, Inc. Solid promos by both men.
- Brent Albright, Delirious, and Pelle Primeau (w/ Daizee Haze) def. Sweet 'n' Sour, Inc. (Eddie Edwards, Chris Hero, and Adam Pearce w/ Larry Sweeney, Shane Hagadorn, Bobby Dempsey, and Sara Del Rey) in 10:00 when Albright KO'd Edwards. A nicely built match that furthered Albright's feud with Larry Sweeney. After the match, Pearce hit Albright with a suitcase that Sweeney was hiding the contents of. When revealed, the NWA belt, then held by Pearce, was showcased and hyped by Sweeney to be more prestigious than the ROH strap. (***)
- After a video of their feud, Roderick Strong def. Erick Stevens in a ladder match in 23:00. Strong match with awesome spots and nice build. The bout was fairly intense and enjoyable. (****)
- ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness def. Go Shiozaki in 17:00 with the "Jawbreaker Lariat" to retain the belt. The match was a little less than expected but still very watchable. McGuinness is a great talent and Shiozaki is only one of many severely gifted Japanese wrestlers that works for ROH. Nigel's finisher is also gold. After the match, Bryan Danielson came out and officially challenged Nigel for the title. (***1/4)
- A recap of the Aries-Jacobs feud over Lacey aired.
- ROH World Tag Team Champions The Age of the Fall (Tyler Black and Jimmy Jacobs) def. Austin Aries and Bryan Danielson in 27:00 to retain. High-impact match-up with remarkable intensity. Black has enormous potential, Jacobs is a believable sneaky heel, Aries oozes charisma, and Danielson is a wrestling machine. The ending was perfect with Black pinning Danielson after Aries and Jacobs brawled towards the locker room. Everything was nearly perfect in this bout. (Match of the night, ****1/2)
Hits: Everything, no misses
Overall Rating: Four Stars

Raw Review (August 4)

- To open the show, we get the new Raw General Manager Mike Adamle standing on the ramp. First he tells that he is comparable to Ronald Reagan because they both failed at the first jobs: announcer and actor, respectively. But he then assured us that, like Ronald Reagan as the US President, he will succeed at his current role. He then pleaded the fans for a chance as GM because he would like to be a part of the "Land of Opportunity". That's why he placed Michael Cole in a Tag Team Title match with Jerry Lawler last week. He half-apologized to both men. Adamle then announced three Title matches, one of which was World Tag Champs Rhodes and DiBiase against John Cena and Batista. Eventually, JBL came out and levied for a JBL-Punk World Title bout at SummerSlam until he was interrupted by Chris Jericho who also argued for a shot at the belt. Soon enough, we got an "Adamle Original" from the new Raw GM! It would be Jericho and JBL Vs. Punk in a handicap match. Whoever pins or defeats Punk will get the World Title shot at SummerSlam, but if neither are successful, neither one get the shot. Adamle wished them luck and sent us to commercials.
- Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston def. Paul Burchill in 4:00 with a "Trouble in Paradise" to retain. The match was a short and dull but purpose-serving. After the bout, Kofi and Burchill battled to the outside leaving Katie Lea in the ring alone. Mickie James ran in after Katie to set up the Women's Title match which is up after the break. (Match rating: *)
- Women's Champion Mickie James def. Katie Lea Burchill in 5:00 with a "DDT" to keep the strap. The match was a tad better than the IC Title bout, but this match was still way too short. After the match, Beth Phoenix, with Santino Marella, attacked Mickie then walked up the ramp where she and Santino exchange taps on the rear end. Now commercials. (* 1/2)
- Back from the break, Adamle is in his office and on his cell phone talking to Stephanie McMahon and congratulating her on the birth of her second child (Murphy Claire Helmsley-McMahon). Eventually Santino and Beth come in and want their respective title shots at Kofi and Mickie. Admale comes up with another "Adamle Original" that puts Beth and Santino in a tag bout against IC Champ Kofi Kingston and Women's Champ Mickie James for both titles at SummerSlam. Next we get a John Cena video and a solid promo by Batista before the commercials.
- Back from commercials, Layla is "dancing" in the ring and soon after a clip of her and Jamie Noble talking backstage from earlier in the day is aired. During the clip, Layla turns down Jamie's offer to go to the Waffle House because she is not going to "associate herself with a loser." After the clip, William Regal interrupts Layla in the ring and is soon encountered by Jamie Noble. The two have a brief brawl before being broken up by security. This could be Regal's punishment loss for being suspended last month. We'll see next week. Now a commercial.
- JBL and Chris Jericho def. CM Punk in 9:59 when JBL pinned Punk to gain a title shot. Before the match, Adamle reminded everyone that the match must be decided in 10:00 or both men will compete in a Triple Threat for the title at SummerSlam. However the match ended in time when Chris Jericho clotheslined JBL on the top rope when time was running out and JBL landed on Punk for the win with one second to spare. The bout was fairly good with a shocking outcome. Nice handicap match. (Match of the Night **3/4)
- Back from break, we get the return of Shawn Michaels who is live via satellite from his San Antonio home. Jerry Lawler conducts an interview with him, and Michaels says that he isn't for sure if he will return or retire. Ultimately he rules that he will follow the doctor's orders following his appointment on the 15th. Michaels was stern, serious, and intense as always. Nice interview. Next was a short "class" by the "teacher" Matt Striker. Eventually Kane interrupted and squashed Striker. Kane def. Matt Striker in 1:00 with a "Chokelsam". After the match, Kane grabbed the burlap sac and assured us "he" was dead. Anyway, it was just a squash. (1/2*) After the Smackdown Review, John Cena delivered a serious, solid promo to hype SummerSlam. This lead to a commercial.
- Back from the break, Kelly Kelly shows up for no good reason to congratulate Mike Adamle who promises another "Adamle Original" by finding what's inside Kane's bag. Now for the main event which was interrupted by commercials. John Cena and Batista def. World Tag Champs Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. in 14:00 to win the belts. The match wasn't all that, but the outcome is just awful. It looked as if WWE was going to actually put faith in the tag team division, but this destroys everything. Cena and Batista become tag team champions for no reason. Simply ridiculous. After the match, Cena and Batista pose with their titles to the crowd's approval to end the show. (*1/2, good match, awful ending)

Hits: Mike Adamle, the Handicap Match, Santino and Beth, the Continued IC and Women's feuds, Shawn Michaels Interview
Misses: The Main Event's Outcome, the Burial of Matt Striker
Tweeners: William Regal and Jamie Noble, Kane
Overall Rating: **1/2 (Overall good except for ending)

Viva Lucha: Who's the Real La Parka?

In WCW, La Parka was one of a large group of luchadors that worked for the company. Called the "Chairman of WCW" for his use of steel chairs, he was one of the crowd's favorite high flyers to cheer and boo. In early 2000, he left the company and went back to Mexico where he had competed as La Parka four years prior to his 1996 WCW debut. The main reason for his departure was a dispute over his name in Mexico. When Adolfo Ibarra, the man under the mask, left AAA in Mexico with the gimmick, Antonio Pena, AAA's promoter, was left without one of his top draws. To solve the problem, he created AAA' s version of La Parka, commonly called La Parka Jr. Soon, controversy over the name ensued. Ibarra returned to his native country to compete for AAA's rival, CMLL, leaving Pena to make a crucial decision. Pena decided to trademark the name and look of La Parka, banning Adolfo from appearing in Mexico as La Parka. Due to Pena's ownership of the gimmick, Ibarra was forced to compete in Mexico as L.A. Park, technically meaning La Autentica Park which translates to the Authentic Parka. Today, Adolfo is allowed to wrestle in the United States as La Parka but competes in Mexico under the aliases L.A. Park and La Par-K. So to clear up any confusion if you're a fan of lucha libre, the La Parka competing in AAA debuted in 1996 as WCW's La Parka started the gimmick in 1992. (visit luchawiki.org for more lucha libre). Viva Lucha!

Left: The Original, Right: AAA's Current Version