Irish Airborne in ROH (2008/2009)

by **Duke of Bridgewater** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 7:59 pm

Between November 2008 and April 2009, Dave and Jake Crist had six tag matches in ROH. While three look normal (losses to the Briscoes, ANX and in a gauntlet match), they also lost to the immortal combination of Bushwhacker Luke and Grizzly Redwood, they lost to the Dark City Fight Club in less than two minutes and had a match crashed by Bison Smith after 18 seconds!

Even if ROH had no long-term plans for them, this looks like a big waste of talent.

If the booker thinks they don't fit into his company, why is he booking them at all?
What went wrong?

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by **Marketh.** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:14 pm

Nothing. They wanted jobbers, they took a team and used them as jobbers.

by **Duke of Bridgewater** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 9:07 pm

I don't think that jobbers and squashes really fit into ROH. It should be about producing the best possible matches with the available talent.

I first saw Jake and Dave Crist at a couple of FIP DVDs from 2007 and I was impressed. I'm not a huge ROH follower, but two of my twelve DVDs have Irish Airborne matches. The one against King & Titus was pretty good, but when I saw them lose to Grizzly & Luke, being defeated by the Battering Ram, I thought "Has the booker completely lost his mind?"

by **Nice Guy Eddie** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 9:32 pm

Adam Pearce was a pretty bad booker. I think it's as simple as that. I always believed that IA were supposed to be in the spot that Steen & Generico ended up in 2007; feuding with the Briscoes. Anyone else remember the tag team gauntlet match in late 2006 where IA eliminated the Briscoes, then the crowd seemed to completely turn on them?

by **ColourMeCurious** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 9:48 pm

IA were definitely underused for how good they are. I've seen some of their other work and it would be nice to see them used well in ROH.

by **JustSkiff** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 10:26 pm

They were never really that great in ROH.

by **ColourMeCurious** » Fri Jul 20, 2012 10:53 pm

the way they were booked didn't allow them to be good in ROH

by **DBSommer** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 1:56 am

Duke of Bridgewater wrote:Between November 2008 and April 2009, Dave and Jake Crist had six tag matches in ROH. While three look normal (losses to the Briscoes, ANX and in a gauntlet match),

Wrestling at the Gateway, and they were borderline squashed by Erik Stevens and Albright. I concur. Booking them in that role was bizarre. I always wondered if they didn't piss off the wrong guy in the company during this 'run' if it can even be called such. I thought they were a decent opening/early card team and were poorly used

by **syxxpakk** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 3:40 am

Sometimes you need teams to lose.

by **ColourMeCurious** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 4:17 am

Having them lose to the Briscoes is acceptable, but they weren't given sufficient time to shine IMO. It might just be me but I'm a big fan of IA.

by **JustSkiff** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 8:29 pm

ColourMeCurious wrote:the way they were booked didn't allow them to be good in ROH

Their first run had plenty of chances for them to shine, and they did in some spots, but were never good throughout an entire match.

by **RoaringElbow** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 8:44 pm

They got used how they deserved. Keep those juggalos out of ROH

by **Duke of Bridgewater** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 1:33 pm

Keep Irish Airborne out of ROH?
The way ROH handled this, they pissed off the fans who agree with you by the fact that they booked them, as well as the fans who disagree by the way how they booked them.

And speaking of strange booking decisions...

Duke of Bridgewater wrote:... and had a match crashed by Bison Smith after 18 seconds.

They had Bison Smith available for the show and didn't give him a match?