1. Wolves attack Steen and Generico at 7th Anniversary Show 3/21/09
Essentially this is how the one of the most interesting angles of 2009 began. The Wolves batter Steen with chair shots til he bleeds, Ace crusher Generico from the top rope through a table and then go to work on Steen’s’ knees. It's a nice little inclusion as it shows how the Wolves began to really get themselves over in 2009 plus half of the matches on this disc include either Steen or Generico and were part of this feud.
2. Tables Are Legal: American Wolves vs. Kevin Steen and El Generico...ROH on HDNet 4/10/09
****
This match was one of the best on ROH on HDnet at the time and still is good now. The notoriously quiet crowds from HDNet taping couldn't help but get right into the match as both teams brawled all over the ringside area and teased several table spots. This was almost reminiscent of the Steenerico/Briscoes matches from 2007 where you knew it was all about the craziness with both teams pulling out all their best offense before using the match’s gimmick. There's some really brutal table spots including Steen being pushed off the top through two tables, Generico doing a top rope splash from the top to the outside and a German suplex to Generico that has Generico literally bounce of his head as the table refuses to give! A smartly wrestled gimmick match if ever there was one.
3. American Wolves vs. Bryan Danielson and Tyler Black...Tag Title Classic 4/18/09
****1/2
Love the wolves’ attitude in the early going. They just irritate and get in the head of both their opponents and we know they're real tag team unit whereas Black and Dragon are teaming temporarily for this match. It's this little fact that is SO well built on in the early stages. Black and Dragon don't have any double team moves so they resort to taking turns body slamming Eddie Edwards and eventually this builds to a nice spot where they double slam both Wolves. It's simple but really effective and totally enthralling to watch to boot. From there both teams use nearly every trick in the book as far as classic tag team wrestling goes. We get the heels cowardly threatening to walk away, double face high spots and as much action as you could possibly want. No long rest holds in this one! As a whole the match flow is interesting as the opening section is a feeling out process and then the faces take control for a while. The second section is where the heels get some heat on the babyface but when the hot tag is made it seems they wanted to go for another section of getting heat on the other babyface yet the crowd were so into it as they thought it was the finish that it ends up being a 15-20 minute long finishing stretch. They were so hot towards the end that when Tyler Black's up top going for the Phoenix Splash they're on their feet only to see Eddie Edwards kick him off the top through a table! A really great out of nowhere spot. The ending is timed to perfect too as the Black & Danielson have both their opponents in Cattle Mutilation and Black hits Gods Last Gift as exactly the right time.
In a year when ROH significantly took a step backwards regarding the overall product this was one of the shining lights and to me is a true ROH classic.
4. American Wolves vs. Bryan Danielson and Kevin Steen...Validation 5/9/09
****1/4
A lot of brawling to start this one that leads to Steen getting back dropped through a table. This allows the Wolves to get some heat on Danielson via some nice strikes and a couple of double team moves. Of course Danielson makes the hot tag to Steen who is eventually overwhelmed by the immense teamwork of the Wolves. I loved the spot where Davey was trapped in Danielson’s triangle choke and Edwards was locked into Steen’s sharpshooter. It just kept on going though at such a terrific pace yet the crowd seem to actually become quieter as the tension heats up towards the finish. I must say that despite not being a regular team, Steen and Danielson worked well together and the spot where Danielson had Davey in fishooked in an arm submission only for Steen to swanton Davey from the top was really innovative. From there it's just 10 minutes of dramatic twists and turns.
The match as a whole is an intense, hard hitting affair that is just jam packed with action. The Wolves not only looked great but managed to look great whilst in extreme danger of losing which is an art in itself.
5. American Wolves vs. Kevin Steen and El Generico...Manhattan Mayhem III 6/13/09
****
Compared to the other matches of this disc so far this one came across a more traditionally formulaic tag match. The Wolves manage to zone in one the returning El Generico's rehabbed knee but it's that great fighting spirit of the Steenerico team that really makes this one above the average tag team encounter. The crowd are really into this one and very much behind Steen and Generico. The double sharpshooter spot is really hot as is the finish involving a cheeky ring bell shot behind the refs back. Both teams continued to bring the tremendously high level of intensity and put on a very good match that differs from others in their series. With two teams as good as these two it's no wonder they can keep the feud going by giving us the fans so many different matches.
6. American Wolves vs. KENTA and Roderick Strong...Violent Tendencies 6/26/09
****1/2
This is probably as a stiff and hard hitting tag team match as you'll ever see anywhere. You've got two extremely hard choppers in Edwards & Strong and of course two of the world’s best strikers in KENTA and Davey Richards. But it isn't all about the striking, there's actually a lot of fluid and crisply executed moves and once again, like many other matches on this disc, it's bell to bell nonstop action! The strike exchanges are really what everybody paid to see with this one and both teams quite happily oblige with several throughout the contents. I love the Wolves old school heel mentality of being great wrestlers yet still resorting to cheap tactics and cowardess to gain an advantage. The Wolves work over KENTA twice in this one before the hot tags to Strong and I have to say that the decision to do this probably helped elevate Strong in the eyes of the fans. There was also some really nice little spots such as KENTA & Strong going for GTS's only to have them reversed into a cloverleaf and achilles lock respectively. The crowd did NOT see that one coming at all! KENTA & Strong also bust out a gnarly looking doomsday busaiku knee that for sure could have been the end of the American Wolves title reign. The last couple of false finishes had everybody on their feet. Another classic ROH tag match!
7. American Wolves vs. Jay and Mark Briscoe...Final Countdown Tour: Chicago 9/19/09
****1/4
Another exceedingly solid tag match! This was another more straight forward tag team match that was worked at a fast pace and really showed that even with The Briscoes more toned down style they still put on great matches. The Wolves are very good once again but to me neither team really managed to pull out that special something to take the match to the next higher level. I'm also torn on the finish too...on the one hand it favoured the Wolves quite well character wise and possibly gave the feud some longevity but then again after such a strong match it just felt plain wrong. Several of the rematches in 2010 would surpass this match but this was still a worthy inclusion on this disc.
8. American Wolves vs. Kevin Steen and El Generico (Ladder War II)...Glory By Honor VIII 9/26/09
****1/4
For some reason the crowd were very subdued at the start which is odd for a match of this magnitude. It could be because the opening minutes feel pretty off for some reason. All four men are in a high pressure situation as it is - they can't aim to go out there and out do the original ladder war because that match was just too ridiculous and if that wasn't enough Eddie Edwards has a broken right elbow. There's a nice twist when the Wolves handcuff Steen and then they pick off Generico until the comeback and that's when the real crazy stuff beings. Spots include a front flip leg drop by Steen onto a ladder on Edwards face, a superkick/German suplex combo through a table on Generico and Kawada kicks with a chain wrapped around Davey’s foot but the crowd really come alive for the first time when Generico sunset bombs Davey off the top of the ladder through a table. A perfectly executed spot that was ridiculously dangerous and could have gone so, so wrong! From there it gets even crazier with Generico getting back dropped off the ladder through a table, Generico hitting a tope con helo through the big ladder to the outside and Steen falling from the very top of the big ladder through two tables on the outside plus more! It's a shame the beginning didn't really have the intensity I thought it should have had because the majority of the match was what I expected. Still it's no doubt an ROH classic.
What’s good about this compilation is that it really shows the versatility of the American Wolves. They can brawl, they can grapple, they can tell a good story and they have a great chemistry between them. The disc doesn't delve into any of the 2010 stuff which is a shame but completely understandable as all those shows are still available whereas all of this 2009 material is, as of writing this review, currently on sale and never to be reprinted.
Tag Title Classic, Validation and have the ace little inclusion of Nigel McGuinness on commentary.
Overall it's a fantastic compilation of American Wolves 2009 matches but I find it a shame that ROH didn't give that title to this disc as really this is just the first period of MANY great matches they've had and so therefore it's not akin to the Tyler Black best of which is pretty much a fuller and more comprehensive compilation.
9/10
