ROH The Era of Honor Begins: Where Are They Now?
February 27, 2022
February 27, 2022
By Ryan Porzl
Note: I don't own the pictures. I got them off Google. Credit to AEW or ROH or whomever owns them
Results from The Era of Honor Begins:
Da Hit Squad defeated The Christopher Street Connection (w/Allison Danger)
The Amazing Red defeated Jay Briscoe (w/Mark Briscoe)
Xavier defeated Scoot Andrews
The Boogie Knights defeated The Natural Born Sinners
Quiet Storm defeated Brian XL, Joel Maximo, The Amazing Red, Chris Divine, and Jose Maximo with Mikey Whipwreck as the special referee
Prince Nana defeated Towel Boy
Spanky and Ikaika Loa defeated Michael Shane and Oz
IWA Intercontinental Championship: Super Crazy defeated Eddie Guerrero
Low-Ki defeated Bryan Danielson and Christopher Daniels
Rob Feinstein
Background: A businessman best known as the founder of RF Video which, since the 1990s, distributed tapes, DVDs, and other wrestling merchandise. RF Video is probably best known for popularizing the "shoot interview" concept of wrestling doing sit down interviews with wrestlers discussing their careers and behind the scenes moments in the business. Feinstein's RF Video also served as the videographers of ECW during the 90s. Outside of RF Video, Feinstein also made appearances for ECW as part of their bWo stable as 7-11 (a parody of then nWo member Sean "Syxx" Waltman) and in Jersey All Pro Wrestling under a fairy gimmick called "Fun Athletic Guy". Feinstein is one of the co-founders and the original owner of Ring of Honor.
Where Is He Now?: Feinstein continued to run ROH for the first two years of the company's history until March 2004 when he was caught in a sting operation supposedly going to a home of who he thought was a 14 year old boy. The result was a massive scandal that nearly killed ROH but did force Feinstein out of the promotion as he eventually sold the promotion to second owner Cary Silkin and left shortly after with ROH ending it's association with RF Video. Despite the incident, no charges were ever brought up on Feinstein and he continues to run RF Video as of 2022 while having made appearances to various indie promotions over the years. Since his departure, Feinstein has made no returns to ROH nor has he been brought up as he's seemingly been erased from ROH history with ROH revisionist history crediting Silkin as ROH's founder.
Gabe Sapolsky
Background: A long time behind the scenes worker in wrestling and a friend of Feinstein, Sapolsky originally started working in wrestling as a behind the scenes employee for ECW in 1994 and remained there until it shutdown in 2001. During his time, he largely had various responsibilities and was the assistant to ECW booker and future owner Paul Heyman. After ECW, Sapolsky worked for RF Video and would be one of ROH's co-founders. Due to his association with Heyman, Sapolsky was made booker of Ring of Honor.
Where Is He Now?: Sapolsky continued to book ROH during their first six and a half years during which was arguably ROH's golden years all the while receiving praise from both fans and wrestlers alike. During his ROH run, he also served as a color commentator under the alias' "Chris Lovey" and "Jimmy Bower". However, by 2008, a burnt out Sapolsky would eventually be released that October all the while later admitting his behavior backstage didn't help him. Despite being uncertain about his future in wrestling, Sapolsky continued on and eventually co-founded Dragon Gate USA in 2009 which served as an expansion of the Japanese based Dragon Gate promotion. In 2010, he then co-founded the EVOLVE promotion and served as booker for both until DGUSA ended in 2015. Like ROH, Sapolsky booked EVOLVE and Dragon Gate USA as a "workrate" type promotion mostly catering to the hardcore wrestling fan. Like ROH, Sapolsky's EVOLVE and Dragon Gate USA would help launch and enhance several careers including Johnny Gargano, Keith Lee, Matt Riddle, Timothy Thatcher, Austin Theory, Shane Strickland, and Fabian Aichner to name some. In 2015, Dragon Gate USA shut down and EVOLVE began a relationship with WWE developmental NXT while Sapolsky was eventually hired as a consultant. In July 2020, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, EVOLVE would be sold to WWE and Sapolsky would be hired to work in NXT, a position he held for a year and a half until being released in January 2022 due to budget cuts.
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| Gentry (left) with Sabu |
Doug Gentry
Background: Feinstein's right hand man in RF Video who was a part of RF Video's business relationship with ECW in the 1990s and worked their vendor tables and helped film events while also serving as a big part of RF Video behind the scenes. After ECW closed, Gentry would co-found ROH with Feinstein and Sapolsky and would work in several capacities.
Where Is He Now?: After Era, Gentry continued working for ROH for another two years where he ran the promotion's production and home video editing while also doing ringside camera work. During the early shows, he also provided color commentary under the alias "Ray Murrow". His biggest contribution to Ring of Honor was bringing in friend Cary Silkin who first became an investor in Ring of Honor and saving it from bankruptcy in March 2003 to eventually buying the promotion following the Rob Feinstein scandal. After the scandal and ROH separating from RF Video, Gentry left ROH in 2004 and continued working for RF Video until passing away on January 26, 2007 at the age of 34 due to a heart attack. At the time of his death, he was in need of a heart valve transplant due to a bacteria infection. ROH would run a show hours after his passing and would later name it Dedication as a tribute to him.
Eric Gargiulo
Background: A play-by-play announcer who got in the business in 1994 and served as a ring announcer for ECW from 1996-1998. Gargiulo worked for RF Video on and off for two decades and beginning in 2000 became the lead announcer for CZW which he's best known for. Outside of wrestling, he hosted a radio show called Pro Wrestling Radio.
Where Is He Now?: After Era, Gargiulo would announce ROH's second show before leaving the promotion. After leaving ROH, Gargiulo continued working for CZW as an announcer and behind the scenes until leaving in 2007. He also called MLW's last two events during their first run in 2004 and briefly worked for Pro Wrestling Unplugged in 2007 following his CZW departure. Gargiulo would also work for several women's promotions like Dangerous Women of Wrestling and Women's Extreme Wrestling. In 2007, he launched the Camel Clutch Blog which he ran frequently for ten years until he stopped regularly posting in 2017. In 2009, he gained control of Pro Wrestling Radio and turned it to a podcast. Gargiulo largely retired from announcing by the 2010s and starting fading out of the business. He currently serves as a digital marketer outside of wrestling.
Steve Corino
Background: Pro wrestler who turned pro in 1994, Corino toured the indies for years including various NWA territories, East Coast Wrestling Association, and Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation winning championship in these promotions. He also toured for the Puerto Rican based WWC where he captured their Junior Heavyweight Championship. In 1998, Corino achieved his first break when he joined ECW. After spending time as a cowardly heel against ECW's chaotic style, the self-proclaimed "King of Old School" eventually evolved into one of the promotion's top stars during their last year (2000/2001) and would be one of the last to hold the ECW World Heavyweight Championship from November 2000 to January 2001. After ECW shutdown, Corino toured the indie circuit and traveled the world where he captured the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and began touring for Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE in Japan. For the Era of Honor Begins, Corino would be used as a color commentator.
Where Is He Now?: Corino would continue as a color commentator until the Fall of 2002 when he began competing for ROH which he would do on and off until 2006. During this time, he began and on-again/off-again rivalry with Homicide which lasted four years. He also briefly feuded with Christopher Daniels and his stable The Prophecy which saw Corino form his own stable The Group while Daniels would counter by recruiting Corino's sister Allison Danger to The Prophecy. Outside of ROH, Corino continued traveling the world and would work as a top foreigner or gaijin for ZERO-ONE enjoying runs with the promotions United States Championship and the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship. Corino would also wrestle a few times for Impact Wrestling (then NWA-TNA) in 2002 including their debut show on June 19, 2002 where he participated in the Gauntlet For The Gold match to crown a new NWA World Heavyweight Champion but he lost. He also worked for MLW from 2002-2004 where he led the Xtreme Horsemen and became the promotion's final world champion during their original run. Corino would also return to WWC and won that promotion's Universal Championship two times. By 2009, Corino would return to ROH and eventually would help form the S.C.U.M. stable with Kevin Steen (Kevin Owens) and Jimmy Jacobs all the while capturing the ROH World Tag Team Championship with the latter in 2012. From 2013-2016, Corino would resume work as a color commentator for ROH and occasionally would wrestle as he had a feud with BJ Whitmer until leaving in December 2016 with his last match being a loss to Cody. Since 2017, Corino has worked as a trainer for WWE's developmental promotion NXT which he still holds as of writing while also going into semi-retirement. In August 2021, Corino returned to the ring after a five year absence and lost to his son Colby on Colby's 25th birthday.
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| Mafia (left) and Monsta Mack (right) |
Da Hit Squad
Background: A tag team consisting of Mafia and Monsta Mack. They mostly achieved their biggest success at that point in JAPW winning their tag team championship numerous times as well as for USA Pro/UXW and WXW winning their tag team championships.
Where Are They Now?: Da Hit Squad continued working as a regular fixture during ROH's first year having matches with The Carnage Crew and Special K until May 2003 when they split up with Mafia turning on Mack and joining Christopher Daniels' Prophecy stable. During their ROH run, they also toured Japan for Big Japan where they took part in the Maximum Tag League. The team had occasional reunions during the 2010s with runs in JAPW, GCW, and CZW winning tag team titles in all three promotions. As of 2022, they haven't teamed since February 2018.
After breaking up, Mack continued to be a regular on the Northeast independent scene mostly for JAPW but also made trips to CZW, GCW, NYWC, among others. He also formed several other tag teams but wasn't able to recapture the same success he had with Mafia/Maff. Mack still works the indies as of 2021.
Mafia would change his name to Dan Maff and continued as a regular for ROH for another two years briefly teaming with Christopher Daniels before forming another team with Prophecy member BJ Whitmer until they left the Prophecy. Afterwards, the two would go on to hold the ROH World Tag Team Championship two times from May 2004 to February 2005. Outside of ROH, Maff continued enjoying success in JAPW as he held their heavyweight championship while also appearing for CZW where he made it to the finals of the Strong Style Tournament. In early 2005, Maff briefly retired from wrestling after getting blacklisted following a big falling out with Homicide who threatened to never work for any company that employed Maff. The details of what led to the falling out were never revealed. Maff eventually returned to the ring in 2008 mostly for JAPW but eventually began competing in Northeast promotions by the 2010s where he became a regular. In 2011, he competed at a New Japan USA tour where he competed in a tournament to crown the inaugural IWGP Intercontinental Champion but lost in the first round by Toru Yano. From 2019-2020, Maff returned to ROH as a regular but left again during the pandemic.
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| Buff-E (left) and Mace (right) |
The Christopher Street Connection
Background: A tag team consisting of wrestlers Buff-E and Mace who portrayed an over the top gay tag team. The team mostly worked in the New York/New Jersey area for the USA Pro/UXW and JAPW promotions having held the tag titles in both.
Where Are They Now?: After Era, The CSC continued to make sporadic appearances in ROH during it's first two years before leaving in July 2004. They continued working mostly in the Northeast for USA Pro/UXW, JAPW, WXW, and WSU including a second UXW Tag Title and toured for ZERO-ONE where they challenged for the NWA Intercontinental Tag Team Championship before retiring in late 2007.
Allison Danger
Background: A valet turned wrestler, Danger is the younger sister of Steve Corino and entered the business around 2000 when she accompanied the Sandman to the ring during an ECW live event. She started training in 2001 and was still early in her career when ROH started. Upon entering ROH, she served as a valet for the Christopher Street Connection.
Where Is She Now?: After Era, Danger continuing working for ROH as she continued to manage the CSC until they left at which point she began a long association with Christopher Daniels and his Prophecy stable which went on and off till 2007. Beginning in 2005, she co-founded the popular women's only promotion SHIMMER with longtime wrestling personality and then ROH announcer Dave Prazak where Danger not only wrestled but also did commentary. Outside of ROH and SHIMMER, Danger worked the indie circuit and won several indie titles but in 2011, was forced into retirement after suffering a minor stroke. After largely leaving the business, Danger would eventually be hired by the WWE to be a trainer for NXT and their performance center in late 2021 but was let go due to budget cuts in January 2022.
The Amazing Red
Background: A talented young high flyer who was trained by ECW legend Mikey Whipwreck and turned pro in 1998. A native of New York, Red frequently worked in promotions like the New York Wrestling Connection, Maryland Championship Wrestling, and East Coast Wrestling Association winning championships in each one.
Where Is He Now?: After The Era of Honor Begins, Red continued to be a regular for ROH until late 2003 during which time he formed a dream team with AJ Styles where they became the second ever ROH World Tag Team Champions in March 2003 until vacating it that August when Red went down with an injury. Afterwards, Red would leave ROH and has only made two appearances since with one being in 2004 and the ten year anniversary show in 2012. Red would also be a fixture for Impact Wrestling (then NWA-TNA) on and off from 2002-2011 where he became a pioneer in their X Division all the while capturing the X Division Championship 3 times and the NWA World Tag Team Championship once with Jerry Lynn. Unfortunately, Red would also seen periods of inactivity due to various injuries and probably never reached the heights he should've. Since 2012, Red has mostly been working the independent circuit while founding the House of Glory promotion and school in 2014 before selling it in 2019 to rapper Master P. In 2019, he also made some appearances for New Japan.
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| Mark Briscoe (left) and Jay Briscoe (right) |
The Briscoe Brothers
Background: A brother tag team consisting of Jay and Mark Briscoe. Turning pro in 2000, the brothers started before they were 18 but built up a reputation in the Northeast specifically for the Combat Zone Wrestling promotion where they held the tag team championship. At this time, Jay was mostly working solo, especially in ROH due to Pennsylvania not allowing people to compete in pro wrestling unless their 18 or older which resulted in 17 year old Mark mostly being used as a cornerman.
Where Are They Now?: After Era, Jay continued working as a singles from the remainder of 2002 where he received a shot at the ROH World Championship while Mark briefly joined The Prophecy. After Mark turned 18 in early 2003, they reunited as a tag team. Afterwards, The Briscoes would become two of the biggest and longest running wrestlers in ROH history as with the exception of August 2004 to February 2006 where they were taking a break, they competed in ROH throughout it's history from February 2002 to when they went on hiatus on December 2021. As a tag team, they easily became the most successful in Ring of Honor history winning the ROH World Tag Team Championship a record 12 times as well as the Six-Man Tag Team Championship with Bully Ray. Outside the team, Jay won the World Championship on two occasions while Mark won the 2013 Honor Rumble. Though mostly exclusive to ROH, they did make appearances for allied promotions including Full Impact Pro, Pro Wrestling NOAH, and New Japan Pro Wrestling winning tag gold and/or six-man tag gold in each promotion. Around the time Ring of Honor went on hiatus, they began competing for Game Changer Wrestling where they held the tag team championship. It's unknown if they'll rejoin Ring of Honor when it resumes in April 2022. In 2022, The Briscoes became inaugural members of the ROH Hall of Fame.
Xavier
Background: A wrestler trained by ECW alumni Tony DeVito who turned pro around 1995-1997. Again, like many here, Xavier was a regular in the Northeast independents enjoying success in USA Pro/UXW, NEW, ECWA, and JAPW winning multiple championships in each promotions.
Where Is He Now?: Xavier remained a regular for ROH during their first two years during which he became the promotion's second World Champion after defeating Low Ki in September 2002 and briefly joined Christopher Daniels' Prophecy stable until losing the championship to Samoa Joe in March 2003. After losing the championship, Xavier dealt with a concussion and left the Prophecy upon his return as well as being sent to the midcard. In early 2004, he joined Prince Nana's Embassy before leaving the promotion after suffering a shoulder injury. After leaving ROH, Xavier made two more one night only returns, usually as a replacement during which he challenged Bryan Danielson for the ROH World Championship but lost. He earned several tryouts for the WWE and one for TNA/Impact but was never hired and largely retired from wrestling by 2011 with his last match being in 2016. In 2020, he was set to return to ROH for a "Past vs. Present" show set for March 2020 during Wrestlemania weekend against Jay Lethal but the match and event were cancelled due to the pandemic. Shortly after, Xavier passed away on August 16, 2020 at the age of 43 with a cause of death never revealed.
Scoot Andrews
Background: A wrestler nicknamed "The Black Nature Boy" turning pro in 1994 where he wrestled in the indie circuit mostly on the East Coast from the Northeast to Florida winning titles in Future of Wrestling in Florida and ECWA in Delaware. He also made appearances for WWF on their d-shows like Super Astros and Jakked largely serving as a prelim wrestler.
Where Is He Now?: Andrews continued working in ROH throughout 2002 before making his last appearance in August 2003. Afterwards, Andrews continued working the indies, mostly in Florida for promotions including NWA Florida and FIP winning titles in the former while making the occasional appearance on WWE b-shows like Sunday Night Heat and Velocity before originally retiring in 2005. After a four year hiatus, Andrews returned to the ring in 2009 and wrestled sporadically for the next decade mostly for the Ring Warriors promotion where he held the tag team championship. He hasn't wrestled since 2019.
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| Mike Tobin (left) and Danny Drake (right) |
The Boogie Knights
Background: A tag team consisting of Mike Tobin and Danny Drake who started teaming in 2000 where they mostly competed for the Impact Championship Wrestling promotion as well as JAPW and USA Pro/UXW where they held the latter's tag team championship five times.
Where Are They Now?: The Boogie Knights made one more appearance as a team at the following event before leaving ROH with Tobin making a few appearances in 2002 and 2006. The team continued working together where they captured the USA Pro Tag Titles two more times before Drake retired in 2003. After Drake retired, Tobin went off on his own winning titles and making appears for USA Pro, ECWA, and NYWC until he began slowing down in 2009. Afterwards, he only worked two matches with one being in 2011 and his last to date in 2013.
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| Homicide (left) and Boogalou (right) |
The Natural Born Sinners
Background: A tag team consisting of wrestlers Homicide and Boogalou who wrestled in jumpsuits while wearing Michael Myers and Leatherface masks and carrying a chainsaw. The team mostly competed for the ICW promotion and began teaming in 2001.
Where Are They Now?: The Sinners continued working together including ROH until the fall of 2002 when Boogalou abruptly left ROH while Homicide remained thus breaking up the team. The team would have the occasional reunions from 2004 to 2012 mostly for WXW and WSU usually for one night only or one night tournament appearances.
After leaving ROH, Boogalou spent time in XPW when they began running shows in Pennsylvania competing for their tag team championship. He then spent the next few years competing for WXW, NYWC, CZW, and WSU for the remainder of the decade, enjoying some success and formed several other tag teams along the way. After slowing down in 2010, he's made the occasional sporadic return from 2012 to 2020 mostly for the USA Pro/UXW.
As for Homicide, he became a fixture and an ROH legend especially during their early years engaging in several memorable rivalries with Steve Corino, Samoa Joe, Jim Cornette, and Colt Cabana all the while leading the Rottweilers stable. During this time, he teamed with Rocky Romero and Ricky Reyes to win the 2005 Trios Tournament and his ROH run peaked in 2006 when he defeated Bryan Danielson for the ROH World Championship. After originally leaving in 2007, Homicide made returns to the promotion two more times with the first being from 2010 to 2013 mostly as part of the tag team Outlaw Inc. with Eddie Kingston and then in 2021 as part of the VLNCE UNLTD where he captured the ROH World Tag Team Championship with Chris Dickinson. Homicide would also become a top act in TNA/Impact working with them on and off from 2005-2018 mostly as part of the tag team LAX (Latin American Xchange)/The OGz with Hernandez where they won both NWA and TNA World Tag Team gold. In addition, Homicide also held the promotions X Division Championship. Outside of those promotion, Homicide has also worked for CZW, JAPW, NWA, and MLW over the decades. He continues to wrestle as of 2022.
Mikey Whipwreck
Background: A wrestler best known for his time in ECW during the 1990s to it's 2001 closure. Whipwreck became known as a lovable underdog for most of his ECW run where he became a triple crown winner holding the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, the ECW World Television Championship, and the ECW World Tag Team Championship. He also formed memorable tag teams with Cactus Jack and Yoshihiro Tajiri and had memorable matches and rivalries with Sandman, Steve Austin, The Public Enemy, and Justin Credible. In between his two ECW runs, he also had a short run in WCW. He also did indie work for Maryland Championship Wrestling, Jersey All Pro Wrestling, and Border City Wrestling winning gold in each
Where Is He Now? Whipwreck continued to make ROH appearances for another year where he occasionally wrestled and was a brief member of Special K. After leaving ROH, Whipwreck became a regular for the New York Wrestling Connection capturing various championships. He also became a successful wrestling trainer during the 90s and 2000s as he trained or co-trained the likes of Amazing Red, The S.A.T.S, Jay Lethal, Matt "Zack Ryder" Cardona, John Silver, and Brian "Curt Hawkins" Myers to name some. Whipwreck officially retired from wrestling in 2015 and beginning in 2018, hosts a podcast with fellow ECW alumni Jerry Lynn. In 2021, Whipwreck retired from public appearances due to medical and mental issues.
Quiet Storm
Background: A Canadian independent wrestler trained by Mikey Whipwreck, Quiet Storm turned pro in 2000 and spent his early years in the northeast independent circuit mostly for CZW where he teamed with Chris Divine in the tag team Divine Storm
Where Is He Now?: After Era, Storm continued working for ROH as part of Divine Storm until leaving in early 2003. During this time, he also made appearances for Impact (then NWA-TNA) with Divine. Following his departure, he's mostly been a fixture in Japan first for Michinoku Pro and Kaientai Dojo winning the FMW/WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship and the UWA World Middleweight Championship in the latter promotion. In between the Japanese tours, he continued working the indies mostly for NYWC. After leaving K-Dojo in 2012, he began working for Osaka Pro Wrestling from 2012 to 2014 where he won their Osaka Openweight Championship. From 2014-2020, he then worked for Pro Wrestling NOAH first as a freelancer before signing with them at which point he won the GHC (Global Honored Crown) Tag Team Championship twice. Since 2020, he's returned to freelancing working for Big Japan, ZERO1, Colega Pro, and GLEAT.
Brian XL
Background: An independent wrestler who turned pro around 2001 and started out working for CZW and other indie companies.
Where Is He Now?: After Era of Honor begins, Brian would continue working for ROH into early 2003, during which time he turned heel and became a founder of the Special K stable though the stable would eventually continue on years after he left. After leaving ROH in early 2003, he continued working the northeast independent circuit until retiring in December 2004. Six and a half years later, Brian returned to wrestling in early 2011 and wrestled another eight years mostly competing for New York promotions Victory Pro Wrestling and House of Glory while making the occasional appearance in EVOLVE. After slowing down in the late 2010s, he's had his most recent match in April 2019.
Chris Divine
Background: An independent wrestler trained by Mikey Whipwreck and turned pro in 2000. Again, like most on this list, Divine spent his time working the northeast indie circuit where he formed the tag team Divine Storm with Quiet Storm.
Where Is He Now?: After Era, Divine continued working for ROH for the rest of 2002 and into 2003 usually with his Divine Storm team and they had various matches with Special K. During this time, he also worked several TNA/Impact shows with Storm but never got hired full time. He would also work the usual northeast promotions like USA Pro/UXW and ECWA. After leaving ROH, Divine would tour for IWA: Puerto Rico before finishing his career for Maryland Championship Wrestling in July 2003.
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| Joel Maximo (left) and Jose Maximo (right) |
The S.A.T.S
Background: A tag team consisting of brothers Joel Maximo and Jose Maximo who were also the cousins of Amazing Red. They were trained by Mikey Whipwreck and fellow ECW legend Mike Awesome and turned pro in 2000. They too became regulars for the northeast for Hardcore Wrestling Association, Impact Championship Wrestling, and Combat Zone Wrestling. Their biggest claim to fame was innovating the Spanish Fly maneuver.
Where Are They Now?: The S.A.T.S continued working for Ring of Honor until late 2003 where they mostly worked in the midcard but did get an ROH World Tag Title shot against the Briscoes in 2003. They also would do shots for TNA/Impact in 2002/2003 even challenging America's Most Wanted for the NWA World Tag Team Championship. After leaving ROH, The S.A.T.S continued working the northeast for Jersey All Pro Wrestling, CZW, USA Pro/UXW, and Pro Wrestling Unplugged winning titles in all but CZW. They also toured Japan for promotions like Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE, HUSTLE, and Dragon Gate where they challenged for tag team gold for ZERO-ONE and Dragon Gate. By 2010, the team broke up when Jose retired while Joel continued with another brother named Wil where he toured Puerto Rico and won the World Wrestling Council Tag Team Championship before he retired in 2016. In 2021, the brothers returned to the ring and in 2022, took on The Briscoes for Game Changer Wrestling.
Prince Nana
Background: A wrestler of Ghanaian descent with the claim of being an Ashanti prince. Originally turned pro around 1996 and trained by the likes of D-Von Dudley and WWE Hall of Famer Johnny Rodz, he achieved success in USA Pro/UXW and East Coast Wrestling Association winning titles in each.
Where Is He Now?: Nana continued to be a fixture of ROH for years to come after Era where he served as a wrestler during the first two years while also competing in the northeast indie circuit and making occasional appearances for ZERO-ONE in Japan. Beginning in 2004, Nana spent most of his time as a manager and leader of the Embassy stable with the gimmick being similar to "Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase's run as a manager where he would run a stable consisting of wrestlers he bought off with his riches. Nana would run the Embassy on and off till 2014 which featured many stars and future legends like Xavier, Jimmy Rave, Mia Yim, Claudio Castagnoli, Tommaso Ciampa, Rhino, Dave Taylor, Moose, Alex Shelley, Bison Smith and Abyss to name some. In 2013, he took part in a WWE tryout but wasn't hired. His last match to date was 2019 for CHIKARA.
Towel Boy
Background: A prelim wrestler who trained under former ROH World Tag Team Champion HC Loc and turned pro in 1999. He's largely best known for his time in CZW largely as an undercard wrestler.
Where Is He Now?: After Era, Towel Boy made one more appearance before leaving ROH and continued working for CZW until 2003 when he retired from wrestling. From 2007-2008, he made a small return working some dates for CZW and indie shows until retiring again 2008.
Spanky
Background: A trainee of wrestling legend "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels, Spanky originally got his start in Michaels' Texas Wrestling Alliance in 1999 where he held the promotions television championship. In the early 2000s, he was also under a WWF developmental deal where he competed in Memphis Championship Wrestling winning their Light Heavyweight Championship three times. He also formed a tag team with Bryan Danielson (then American Dragon) where he won both companies tag team championship.
Where Is He Now?: Spanky continued working for ROH for most of 2002 and even took part in the four way Iron Man Match to crown the inaugural ROH World Champion alongside Low-Ki, Christopher Daniels, and Doug Williams. After leaving in 2002, he made a one night return in 2004 before competing regularly again in 2005 during which time, he challenged both Austin Aries and James Gibson (Jamie Noble) for the ROH World Championship as well as Jay Lethal for the ROH Pure Championship and teamed with Gibson to challenge BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs for the ROH World Tag Team Championship. He would then make sporadic appearances for ROH from 2010-2016. He also made frequent tours in Japan for promotions such as Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE and HUSTLE usually under the name Leonardo Spanky where he captured several junior/lightweight championships in the former promotion. Spanky also competed for WWE on and off from 2003 to 2020 under his real name Brian Kendrick where he excelled as a tag team and cruiserweight wrestler. During the 2000s, he formed a successful team with Paul London and won both the RAW and Smackdown Tag Team Championships. In 2016, he also captured WWE's revived Cruiserweight Championship. After a few appearances in 2004, Spanky worked for TNA/Impact from 2010-2011 where he held the promotion's X Division Championship. After his recent WWE run ended, Spanky was set to debut for AEW in February 2022 but the day of his debut, he was let go when past controversial remarks came out.
Ikaika Loa
Background: A Hawaiian wrestler who also trained at Shawn Michaels Texas Wrestling Academy. He mostly worked in Texas for the NWA Southeast promotion.
Where Is He Now?: After Era, Loa left ROH and never returned. He took a four year break from wrestling until returning in 2006 where he mostly competed for the River City Wrestling promotion in Texas where he enjoyed two runs as their champion. He also competed for the Louisiana based Bayou Independent Wrestling promotion where he held their southern championship. His comeback lasted a year before retiring at the end of 2007.
Michael Shane
Background: Another pupil of Shawn Michaels, Shane is also the legit cousin of the Heartbreak Kid. He turned pro in 1999 for Michaels' TWA promotion where he won their television championship. He also toured for FMW in Japan, worked for ECW during their last months including their final show on January 13, 2001, got several tryout matches with WWF, and did some work for IWA: Mid-South.
Where Is He Now?: Shane continued working for ROH for a year and a half during which time he became a member of Steve Corino's faction The Group which feuded with Christopher Daniels faction The Prophecy. He would also tour for All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling ZERO-ONE in 2003 as well as do shots for MLW. Shane became best known for his 2003-2007 run for Impact Wrestling (then TNA) where he captured the X Division Championship two times (the second reign, he co-held it with Frankie Kazarian) and he became the answer to a trivia question when he won the first Ultimate X match in 2003. After a promising first two years, his stock largely dropped by 2005 and he underwent several name changes due to WWE trademarking the Michael Shane name for another wrestler which resulting in him eventually going by his real name Matt Bentley. After being released in 2007, Shane had another tryout with the WWE in 2008 but wasn't hired. He faded out of the business by 2010 but did make two more appearances for Impact including one in 2011 during an episode of Impact Wrestling and then in 2013 for their One Night Only: X-Travaganza special. However, neither resulted in a comeback. His last match to date was in 2015 for Jeff Jarrett's Global Force Wrestling promotion before retiring.
Oz
Background: Another trainee of Shawn Michaels, not much is known about Oz. He turned pro around 2000 and did some shots for ECW during the end of their run, mostly against Michael Shane, including their final show. In June 2001, he received a tryout with the WWF but wasn't picked up
Where Is He Now?: According to cagematch.net, The Era of Honor Begins show proved to be Oz's last match as he reportedly has no other future matches on record. It's likely he retired after the show.
Super Crazy
Background: A Mexican luchador who turned pro in 1988 and spent the first nine years competing in his native Mexico including for promotions like UWA and AAA under the Super Crazy name and other gimmicks. He briefly worked for the WWF in the late 90s as Super Loco for their Super Astros show and made one appearance on RAW in November 1997 in a tournament to crown a WWF Light Heavyweight Champion. He then achieved his big break in America when he joined ECW in late 1998 and mostly became known for his series of matches with rival Yoshihiro Tajiri. Crazy would also briefly hold the ECW World Television Championship in 2000 and remained with ECW till it shutdown in April 2001. Afterwards, he became a journeyman competing for CZW, AAA, FMW, and IWA: Puerto Rico before making his way to Ring of Honor.
Where Is He Now?: The Era of Honor Begins was Crazy's only appearance in ROH and he once again toured the world competing for American independent promotions as well as IWA: Puerto Rico and various Mexican and Japanese promotions. From 2005-2008, he worked for WWE mostly as a member of the Mexicools stable with fellow luchador legends Juventud Guerrera and Psicosis. Since his WWE release, he's continued his world travels. As of 2022, he still competes, most recently in Japan for All Japan and NOAH where he held All Japan's World Junior Heavyweight Championship.
Eddie Guerrero
Background: A wrestling legend from the legendary Guerrero wrestling family, Guerrero was a well-traveled veteran who achieved success around the world for AAA in Mexico, New Japan Pro Wrestling as the second incarnation of Black Tiger, and the three main 90s promotions in the United States in ECW, WCW, and WWF having his share of famous matches, rivalries, and championship victories. Unfortunately, during his climb to the top, Guerrero began struggling with a drug problem by the late 90s which nearly cost him his life a few times in 1999. By 2001, Guerrero hit rock bottom as his marriage to wife Vickie was on the rocks and he was fired by WWF due an arrest for a DUI after coming out of rehab. By the time of The Era of Honor begins, Guerrero had finally cleaned up and was working indie bookings around America while touring for New Japan in an attempt to rebuild his reputation, his career, and prove he was employable.
Where Is He Now?: After Era, Guerrero continued on the indie circuit and Japan until getting signed back to the WWF/E in March 2002 though he did make one final ROH appearance in April while fulfilling obligations. After returning to WWE, Guerrero enjoyed huge success and was one of the top stars during WWE's Ruthless Aggression Era engaging in rivalries with Chris Benoit, Edge, Kurt Angle, JBL, Brock Lesnar, and reigniting his classic feud with Rey Mysterio, He formed a successful tag team with nephew Chavo and become the first to hold the revived WWE United States Championship in 2003. His career peaked in February 2004 when he defeated Lesnar for the WWE Championship and held it for four months before losing it to JBL in June 2004. Following the title loss, Guerrero continued as a popular regular for WWE and was still active with them till his untimely death on November 13, 2005 due to heart disease at the age of 38. Since his death, Guerrero continues to be one of the most celebrated wrestlers of all time with many future generational wrestlers citing him as either one of, if not, their main influence for getting into wrestling. Shortly after his passing, ROH paid tribute to him with their Night of Tribute event in November 2005. Guerrero has since been posthumously inducted into many wrestling hall of fames including WWE, AAA, Hardcore, and Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Low-Ki
Background: A wrestler co-trained by Homicide, Ki turned pro in 1998 and spent the first few years competing in various northeast indie promotions, most notably Jersey All Pro Wrestling. He also did some prelim work for the WWF on their smaller shows in the early 2000s.
Where Is He Now?: Ki continued to be a regular for ROH on and off till 2006 during which time he became the inaugural ROH World Champion in 2002 when he won a four way iron man match against Christopher Daniels, Spanky, and Doug Williams. He was also a member of Homicide's stable The Rottweilers. Ki also became known for his runs in TNA/Impact Wrestling on and off from 2002-2017 where he competed in the promotion's first televised match and became a pioneer in their X Division all the while holding the promotion's X Division Championship on five occasions as well as the NWA World Tag Team Championship three times as part of Triple X with Elix Skipper and Christopher Daniels. He would also enjoy big success on the indies winning JAPW's heavyweight championship three times along with the light heavyweight championship once as well as Pro Wrestling Guerrilla winning their world heavyweight championship and the Battle of Los Angeles tournament in 2008. From 2009-2011, Ki worked for the WWE under the name Kaval where he won the tag team championship in the Florida Championship Wrestling developmental promotion before eventually winning the second season of NXT (back when NXT was a reality show competition). Ki also became successful in Japan mostly for ZERO-ONE and New Japan winning junior/lightweight honors in both promotions. From 2017-2021, he worked for the revived MLW where he won the MLW World Heavyweight Championship. Since his MLW departure, Ki has worked the indies again, specifically, for House of Glory where he won their Crown Jewel Championship.
Bryan Danielson
Background: A trainee of Shawn Michaels, Danielson originally turned pro in 1999 for Michaels' TWA promotion where he originally competed as American Dragon and won the tag team championship. He toured for FMW in 1999 and worked several major indie promotions including ECWA and All Pro Wrestling where he won championships and competed in their major tournaments (ECWA's Super 8 and APW's King of the Indies where he won the latter). He also toured for ECCW in Canada. From 2000-2001, he was also under a WWF developmental deal where he worked for Memphis Championship Wrestling where he won both their southern light heavyweight championship and southern tag team championship with Spanky.
Where Is He Now?: Danielson would become one of the biggest and greatest wrestlers over the next two decades. He would compete for ROH from 2002-2009 where he became a legend for them as he enjoyed a 15 month reign as ROH World Champion while also winning the ROH Pure Championship and the 2004 Survival of the Fittest tournament and engaged in famous rivalries with the likes of Nigel McGuinness and Takeshi Morishima. Outside of ROH, Danielson toured the world for New Japan Pro Wrestling in Japan, Westside Xtreme Wrestling in Germany, and All Star Wrestling in the UK winning championships in all three. He also worked for ROH partners such as FIP where he won the FIP World Championship and Pro Wrestling NOAH winning the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship. From 2009-2021, Danielson competed for WWE and it's FCW developmental under the name Daniel Bryan where his legend grew and he became of their most popular stars enjoying multiple honors including five world championships (four WWE Championships and one World Heavyweight Championship) all the while main eventing two Wrestlemanias (XXX in 2014 and 37 night two in 2021). His career was temporarily derailed from 2014-2015 due to injuries and concussions which lead to a two year retirement from 2016-2018 but eventually was cleared to return in 2018 and wrestled for WWE for another three years before leaving in early 2021. Since 2021, Danielson (once again going by his real name) has joined All Elite Wrestling where he continues to be a top star. In 2022, he became an inaugural inductee in the ROH Hall of Fame.
Christopher Daniels
Background: A longtime journeyman wrestler who earned the nickname "King of the Indies" due to spending the first decade of his career in the independent circuit in both the United States and internationally. He enjoyed success in America for promotions like Windy City Wrestling, Maryland Championship Wrestling, East Coast Wrestling Association, and All Pro Wrestling winning his share of championships and tournaments. He also competed internationally for WWC in Puerto Rico and Michinoku Pro in Japan winning titles in both while also competing in the latter as Curry Man. He also made many appearances for WWF, WCW, and ECW throughout the late 90s to 2001 but was never able to gain long term full time work. In 2001, he did sign a 90 day contract with WCW but was let go before WCW shut down.
Where Is He Now?: Daniels would become an ROH legend and competed for the promotion on and off till 2018 during which he spent the first two years of ROH's history as the top heel and leader of the Prophecy stable with the intention of trying to take over Ring of Honor and reshape it into his image. Daniels would become a Grand Slam Champion in ROH holding the ROH World Tag Team Championship multiple times with Donovan Morgan (they were the inaugural champs), Matt Sydal, and Frankie Kazarian, the ROH Six-Man Tag Team Championship with Kazarian and Scorpio Sky, the ROH World Television Championship, and after trying on and off for 15 years, the ROH World Championship at ROH's 15th Anniversary. Along with ROH, Daniels also became best known for his time in Impact Wrestling where he competed on and off from 2002 to 2014 where he's considered an TNA/Impact Original. In Impact, Daniels held the X Division Championship four times, the NWA World Tag Team Championship six times, and the TNA World Tag Team Championship two times as part of the legendary Triple X team with Elix Skipper and Low-Ki, with the dream team of AJ Styles, James Storm, and as part of Bad Influence with Kazarian. Daniels would also compete for New Japan Pro Wrestling as Curry Man and captured the IWGP Junior Tag Team Championship with "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson. Since 2019, Daniels has been working for All Elite Wrestling as a both a wrestler and head of talent relations. Though he's slowed down over the years, he still competes as of 2022 at nearly 52 years old.
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