10 LIVE Observations From The NJPW/ROH G1 Supercard

7. How To Work A Shoot, Jabroni Marks

Ring of Honor just presented one of the best worked shoot angles I've ever seen.

To even cast the faintest doubt, in 2019, is commendable. This wild scene of unhinged chaos had fans the arena over on their feet, checking their phones, and simply looking at one another in utter astonishment in the aftermath. In the heat of the moment itself, this wasn't just intense, pro wrestling heat. The Garden reacted by baying for the blood of Enzo and Cass and their despicable transgression. It was the perfect work. Inspired.

It was layered in its brilliance; we knew from the events of Survivor Series last year that Enzo is stupid enough to pull such a stunt. Moreover, Enzo and Cass do not belong, at all, to the aspirational critical acclaim of ROH. It also helped that Bully Ray, the über-heel, legit punched the sh*t out of Enzo to put the whole thing over. There was a serendipitous quality to it, too, given the heinous attack to which Bret Hart was subjected just minutes earlier in a reprehensible real-life incident.

A wild scene, so plausible and so creative, there was a magic irony to it that spoke to the eternal power of wrestling: The Realest Guys In The Room just worked the self-styled Smartest Guys In The Room.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!