by: Bob Magee

• First, Philadelphia area independent promotions and their wrestlers received recognition in the Wrestling Observer 2002 Year-End Awards.
  
  Most Improved
  (Winner: Brock Lesnar)
  Low Ki (ROH), 5th place
  AJ Styles (ROH), 7th place
  Ron Killings (3PW), 8th place
  Doug Williams (ROH), Honorable mention
  
  Feud of the Year
  (Winner: Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz, UFC)
  Jerry Lynn vs. AJ Styles (ROH), 7th place
  Low Ki vs. Christopher Daniels (ROH), Honorable mention
  
  Most Outstanding Wrestler
  (Winner: Kurt Angle)
  Jerry Lynn (ROH/CZW), 8th place
  Low Ki (ROH), 10th place
  
  Most Technical Wrestler
  (Winner: Kurt Angle)
  American Dragon (ROH), 7th place
  Doug Williams (ROH), 8th place
  Low Ki (ROH), Honorable mention
  
  Best Flying Wrestler
  (Winner: Rey Misterio)
  The Amazing Red (ROH), 3rd place
  AJ Styles (ROH), 5th place
  Jodie Fleisch (ROH/CZW), 7th place
  Paul London (ROH), 8th place
  Low Ki (ROH), Honorable mention
  
  Most Underrated Wrestler
  (Winner: Booker T)
  Jerry Lynn (ROH/CZW), 2nd place
  Christopher Daniels (ROH), 3rd place
  Doug Williams (ROH), 9th place
  Low Ki (ROH) and American Dragon (ROH), Honorable mention
  
  Promotion of the Year
  (Winner: PRIDE)
  Ring of Honor, 3rd place
  
  Tag Team of the Year
  (Winner: Eddie and Chavo Guerrero)
  Christopher Daniels and Donovan Morgan (ROH), Honorable mention
  
  Brawler of the Year
  (Winner: Yoshihiro Takayama, PRIDE)
  Low Ki (ROH), Honorable mention
  
  Best Weekly TV Show
  (Winner: WWE Smackdown)
  Ring of Honor, 10th place (currently on hiatus, see later in column)
  
  Match of the Year
  (Winner: Chris Benoit/Kurt Angle vs. Edge/Rey Misterio, 10/20/2002, Little Rock, AK)
  American Dragon-Low Ki, Ring of Honor 3/20/2002 "Round Robin Challenge" 5th place
  
  Spanky-Low Ki-Christopher Daniels-Doug Williams, Ring of Honor, 7/27/2002 "Crowning of a Champion" 7th place
  
  Low Ki-American Dragon-Christopher Daniels, Ring of Honor, 2/23/2002 "The Era Of Honor Begins", Honorable mention
  
  Best TV announcer
  (Winner: Mike Tenay, NWA-TNA)
  Eric Garguilo (CZW), 8th place
  
  Best Major Show
  (Winner: WWF Summerslam)
  Ring of Honor Road to the Title 6/22/2002, Philadelphia, PA 6th place
  
  Best Maneuver
  (Winner: Brock Lesnar F-5)
  AJ Styles (ROH) Styles Clash, 2nd place
  Doug Williams (ROH) Chaos Theory Suplex, 6th place
  SAT's Spanish Fly (ROH), 7th place
  Low Ki (ROH) Ki Krusher, 10th place
  American Dragon (ROH) Cattle Mutilation and Jodie Fleisch (ROH/CZW) 720 splash, Honorable mention
  
  Readers' favorite wrestler
  (Winner: Kurt Angle)
  American Dragon (ROH), 5th place
  Spanky (ROH), Honorable mention
  
  Best booker
  (Winner: Paul Heyman)
  Gabe Sapolsky, Ring of Honor, 3rd place
  
  Promoter of the Year
  (Winner: Kazuyoshi Ishii, K-1)
  Rob Feinstein, Ring of Honor, 7th place

In other news...

• CZW opened its new CZW Arena in southwest Philadelphia in front of over 500, crowning a new Junior Heavyweight Champion, as Ruckus defeated Trent Acid, who had held the belt since December 2001. The title change match was excellent, with lots of swerves and false finishes thrown in.
  
  In a match that will likely contain one of the major storylines in the coming year, Messiah retained his CZW Heavyweight Championship defeating Hardcore Nick Gage.
  
  The new venue has tons of possibility, with expansion to its full 1600 seat capacity occurring over the next couple of months, from the current seating holding 800. Bleachers are coming in, and other work is in the process of being done.
  
  Parking is much improved over Viking Hall, as are some of the functioning amenities that Viking Hall was infamous for lacking since its 1993 opening. A video screen has been added to show not just the pre-show videos, but to also air the show live as it happens.
  
  In the main event "Fans Bring The Weapons match" with Nate Hatred vs. Sick Nick Mondo vs. Zandig, fans were creative even with the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission ban on barbed wire and light tubes...and only having 2 days notice of the match; bringing such novel "weapons" as several boards/tables with carpet nails, a CZW sign made with mousetraps, a large pentagram made of wood, two computer printers, a Do Not Enter sign, and a fan collection of (actual count) 12,350 thumbtacks in a pillow case.
  
  
• 3PW announced that it will be doing shows at the legendary Philadelphia rock venue The Electric Factory, beginning February 15th....debuting with Terry Funk vs. Sabu. The show will have tickets available soon through Ticketmaster.
  
  
• XPW held their much-ballyhooed "debut weekend" of shows after taking over Viking Hall...with a resounding thud.
  
  Despite stealing away CZW's former heavyweight champion Justice Pain only days before for a reported $5,000 upfront and $600 per night, the weekend's shows drew as low as 175 and only as high as 250 on January 17th (with a reported 150 paid), despite running totally unopposed in the Philadelphia market.
  
  Saturday, January 18th, running head-to-head with CZW, was no better for XPW, as reports came in that the overall crowd at Viking Hall was slightly less, with a figure of 102 paid reported to the State Athletic Commission.
  
  More notable than the dismal crowd count was what could have been a potentially more tragic situation, as valet (and wife of XPW owner Rob Zicari) Lizzy Borden was seriously injured when Vic Grimes, notorious for his in-ring carelessness, totally botched a spot where Borden was to be powerbombed through a table. Borden missed the table entirely, only brushing it with her arm.
  
  In an incredibly senseless move, the Atlas Security guard nearest to Borden picked her up to take her to the back. If Borden's neck had been broken, such a move could have resulted in paralysis.
  
  Borden was taken to University of Pennsylvania Hospital with a broken rib, punctured lung, and cracked neck. She did return to sit at a table at the January 18th to do autographs as previously scheduled.
  
  The crowds this weekend for XPW would seem to prove out that the promotion can't buy credibility in the Philadelphia market... no matter how hard they try, no matter who they steal from competing promotions, and no matter who they make deals with... a lesson that is becoming increasingly expensive.
  
  XPW's crowds have been dropping show by show since their debut in late August. Going head-to-head in February with 3PW's debut at The Electric Factory (featuring Sabu vs. Terry Funk) doesn't hold out any promise of the situation improving.
  
  
• In Ring of Honor news, the promotion announced they are putting their TV "on hiatus" until May.
  
  The official version is that the existing staff is overloaded trying to edit the TV show and commercial tapes on one computer system, with too much work and not enough equipment. Ring of Honor tapes have been taking 8-10 weeks to get out show tapes out and even longer for DVDs, and wants to to get out tapes out 2-3 weeks after the event, and is now 4 shows behind.
  
  Booker Gabe Sapolsky is reported to be taking courses to operate the editing system (thus doubling capacity) that will last until May.
  
  It's understood that RF Video is a video company first. But the fact of the matter is...is that TV is seen in this market as part of the cost of doing business.
  
  In Philadelphia...CZW has TV.
  
  XPW has TV.
  
  3PW doesn't, but brings in major name talent at high cost.
  
  Even the Pottstown-based PWF has TV.
  
  Ring of Honor staff seems to be of the opinion that the Internet will bring in fans to shows, but based on the web traffic their site brought in (while the counter existed on their website), the website didn't bring in that much traffic to be the sole source of direct advertising.
  
  Given that a show is coming up in New York City on February 8th (which will be running head-to-head with CZW's next Philadelphia show) and a show in Philadelphia on March 22nd; running a show without their most visible advertising support, is a questionable decision at best.
  
  It also calls into question Ring Of Honor's relationship with the projected Zero-One USA show in Valley Forge, PA this spring, given the fact that Ring Of Honor TV will not likely return until after the show takes place. PWF's TV will, however, be available to publicize the Zero One USA show.
  
  The recent ROH slogan has been "If you don't see Ring of Honor High Impact TV, you're only getting half the story". Ring of Honor's Philadelphia fans have to wonder if that's the case here as well.
  
  On the positive end of things for the promotion, ROH announced a new Boston area venue and a show there on March 15th...right in the Boston metropolitan area at the the Massachusetts National Guard Armory, 450 Concord Avenue (Fresh Pond Circle) in Cambridge, MA.

Until next time...

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(If you have comments or questions, I can be reached by e-mail at bobmagee1@hotmail.com)