Disc One

Interview

Jacobs and Whitmer first met in 2001, and began interacting with one another more significantly in IWA Mid-South. Their first time in the ring with each other was in a four way at “Wrestlerave ‘03”, and was both Jacobs and Shelley’s ROH debut match. What I didn’t know was that Johnny Kashmere was originally the fourth man in the match, but was replaced by Tony Mamaluke. They would square off quite a bit in IWA Mid-South in 2003, and during that time developed a friendship hanging out at “Wrestle House Indiana.”

The next time they faced one another in ROH was early 2005 when Whitmer was one-half of the tag team champions with Dan Maff. They defended the titles against Jacobs and Delirious in Dayton during the Third Anniversary weekend. Two months later, an issue with Homicide and Maff would result in Maff leaving Ring of Honor, and Jacobs was put in with Whitmer and they became tag team champions. Friend of this website Jake Ziegler actually drove Jacobs from Southern Illinois to New Jersey for that event, the night after Jacobs won the IWA-MS championship from Danny Daniels. Jacobs was happy because he felt he had been spinning his wheels in ROH at that time, while Whitmer was regularly featured, so being paired with him provided some stability. Both of them felt that their tag title run produced some good matches, but Jacobs also admits he had a hard time transitioning from goofy undercard character to a featured main event player. Booth Jacobs and Whitmer were also puzzled by the amount of shows they weren’t booked on as tag champions.

After some discussion of the pressure to produce DVD selling matches in ROH, they transition into discussing their time as a team after dropping the tag titles and Lacey becoming their manager. Jacobs mentions how disappointed the fans were with Tony Mamaluke and Sal Rinauro as their mystery opponents in New York for “Joe vs. Kobashi”, because The Briscoes return to ROH had been rumored, and The Dudleys non-compete clause with WWE had just ended. The match at “Unforgettable” the next night against Deranged and Izzy where Jacobs and Whitmer turned heel and Lacey became their manager was so terrible it was cut from the DVD. It also became clear to all parties involved that Whitmer and Lacey had no chemistry on-screen, so it was agreed by everyone that it was time for Whitmer and Jacobs to split.

Like he did in his solo interview, Jacobs once again talks about his come to Jesus phone call with Gabe Sapolsky and how producing “The Ballad of Lacey” saved his ROH career. Jacobs knew how easy it would’ve been for him to be written out of ROH at that time, as Whitmer was involved with the CZW feud. However, Gabe decided to continue the issue between Jacobs and Whitmer. Their singles match in Detroit is forever remembered for the super powerbomb flub leading to them both falling to the floor and Whitmer’s ankle breaking. Whitmer also praises Jacobs for the judgment call of Jacobs not accepting his hand shake at the end of the match, knowing there was nowhere for their issue to go had Jacobs done so. They also go into deep detail with the super powerbomb into the crowd at “In Your Face.” The next week they had a triple threat with Bryan Danielson in a World Title match, where they teased the top rope powerbomb again. That became a cornerstone of the rivalry.

While no other company attempted to book a match between them while their ROH feud was happening, they were put together twice in IWA Mid-South in 2008 when the rivalry was over. The stipulations for these were I Quit and No Rope Barbed Wire matches. I was surprised Jacobs hated their barbed wire match because I thoroughly enjoyed it. They mention that Ian Rotten did try to book them to lose to the Iron Saints while they were ROH Tag Champions, but Whitmer wasn’t going to let that happen. Allegedly it would’ve been done just because Ian had beef with Gabe. Whitmer toughed out his ankle injury he incurred in Detroit to finish out the CZW storyline and to be part of ROH’s England double shot, but then was written out in a match against Jacobs at “Gut Check” so he could get surgery. Whitmer felt like if he didn’t have the Jacobs story to return to after his surgery, he would have been dead in the water. For Jacobs, that “Gut Check” match was his biggest singles win to date.

They discuss the cast of characters that weaved in and out of their rivalry, and how Whitmer spiking Lacey at “The Chicago Spectacular” in December 2006 allowed the intensity of their rivalry to be ramped up. They both felt the cast of characters kept the feud fresh as it allowed them to do so much more than a series of singles matches with various stipulations. They talk about how at the “Fifth Year Festival: Finale” show where they had a Falls Count Anywhere match, Whitmer bled so much it looked like half of Jacobs’ body had been tanned, and how it seemed to have ruined Jimmy Rave’s plans for his match with Nigel McGuinness later that night. Before talking about their final singles match, Whitmer says his only regret regarding their rivalry was not investing more into his own promos, and not incorporating more from Jacobs’ promos into their bouts.

Their final match was a Steel Cage match at Supercard of Honor II in March 2007. Jacobs and Whitmer wanted to use a Scramble Cage platforms to do their powerbomb/Frankensteiner reversal off of the cage to end the feud the way it more or less started. However, the platforms were warped due to weathering. Their next suggestion was a flaming table, which Gabe said no to, but they went over his head to Cary Silkin and he said yes. Gabe got wind of the plan however and shut it down, knowing how fire got ECW kicked out of buildings in the past. They’re both ultimately glad it got cut, as they felt the flaming table would have overshadowed the emotional element of the bout. Cornette told them it was one of the best cage matches he had seen in a long time. Jacobs’ tooth was chipped and the surgery to fix it cost more than what he made from the match, and he was also disheartened that the fans didn’t boo him more. After this match, Jacobs left to get knee surgery, while Whitmer was a bit of a lost soul. Jacobs calls the “Prom Night” promo, the one he cut the night before the cage match, one of the best of his career. Both felt like they developed a brotherhood during their tag team, and their rivalry brought them even closer together. One thing Whitmer reminds Jacobs of that Jacobs forgot was the night the Hangmen 3 faction announced their name and were made an official group was the same night the Age of the Fall debuted. You can imagine how the crowd didn’t give a hoot about the Hangmen 3 after seeing Jay Briscoe hung upside down from the ceiling bleeding onto Jacobs.

They go back to discussing their IWA Mid-South singles matches from early 2008. Whitmer replaced an injured Jack Thriller in an “I Quit” match and both he and Jacobs felt it was one of their best matches together. The match went over so well Ian asked them to do a barbed wire match the following month. Both of them asked for the same money Whitmer made for his barbed wire match against Necro, and to their surprise, Ian agreed. Jacobs mentions his whole life was in shambles at the time, which helps to explain why he didn’t like the match very much, in addition to him being genuinely scared of the barbed wire. They also had singles matches in HWA and AIW in 2011 before Whitmer ultimately returned to ROH in 2012. They had a singles match at “Live Strong” in June 2012, but they deliberately did not want to revisit their initial rivalry, as they believed it was too much pressure to try and live up to their matches from 2006-2007. It’s nice to hear that they remained friends even when Whitmer was gone from wrestling and that they both think fondly of their feud. Of course, when Jacobs left ROH in March of 2015, they would have one final singles match, which I think was certainly the right way to close that chapter of their careers.

This interview was so much fun to watch. It was a very comprehensive look at Jacobs and Whitmer’s partnership and rivalry in ROH during the Gabe era, and I am glad they didn’t include the stuff from the Sinclair days, as it would have felt totally disconnected. Second to only Steen’s Hell Rising” interview, this is the best of the ROH interviews they produced during this time.

Matches

Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer vs. Alex Shlley vs. Tony Mamaluke
“Wrestlerave ‘03” – Philadelphia, PA – 6.28.2003

The fans are already into Jacobs’ HUSS gimmick, thanks to the word being written on his tush. Mamaluke, Shelley, and Jacobs all vie for control on the mat until Whitmer blind tags himself in and exploder suplexes Shelley and Jacobs at the same time. Mamaluke sweeps out Whitmer’s leg. Whitmer deadlifts Mamaluke into a back suplex to escape a cross armbreaker. Mamaluke puts Whitmer in a parachute stretch and then a Camel Clutch. Shelley tags in and face wash kicks Mamaluke in the head while Whitmer has him in a Camel Clutch. Jacobs boots Shelley but then gets booted to the floor by Whitmer. After taking down Shelley with a running back elbow for two, Whitmer hip tosses Jacobs into the ring from the apron as a tag. Jacobs gives Shelley a straightjacket backbreaker. Mamaluke Saito suplexes Shelley for two. Mamaluke and Whitmer put him in a double armbar until the referee makes Whitmer exit the ring. Mamaluke crotches Shelley onto the top turnbuckle. Whitmer ends up crotching Shelley after Shelley shoves Mamaluke down. Jacobs sends Whitmer to the floor and then tries a super Frankensteiner on Shelley. Shelley ends up dropping him face first onto the top turnbuckle! Mamaluke leg sweeps Shelley into a submission which Whitmer breaks with a diving headbutt. Jacobs almost has a pin with a senton, but Whitmer muscles him up into a Blue Thunder Bomb. Whitmer lariats Shelley after Shelley breaks his pin. Mamaluke rolls Whitmer into a cross armbreaker, but Jacobs double stomps Mamaluke to break it. Mamaluke divorce courts Jacobs’ arm and puts on a single arm Cattle Mutilation. Shelley breaks the hold with a Superfly splash. Shelley gets the ropes to stop a half crab from Mamaluke. Shelley enzuigiri’s Mamaluke into a lariat from Whitmer.Shelley small packages Whitmer to block an exploder suplex, but Whitmer gets it on the second try. Whitmer and Jacobs fight while Mamaluke puts Shelley in a submission. Whitmer gives Jacobs an exploder suplex for the pin at 14:35. This had a lot of action and everybody had the chance to showcase themselves. Whitmer, being the most prominent roster member at the time, got the honors, but the fans reacted well to everyone. ***¼

ROH Tag Team Championship
BJ Whitmer & Dan Maff vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Delirious
“Third Anniversary Celebration Part 2” – Dayton, OH – 2.25.2005

Whitmer & Maff have been champions since 2.19.2005 and this is their first defense. Whitmer and Maff rush Jacobs and Delirious before the bell. They double team Jacobs while Delirious recovers on the floor. Delirious is able to take down Whitmer when he re-enters the ring, but Whitmer backdrops him back to the floor and takes him out with a baseball slide dropkick. He sends Delirious crashing into the barricades as Maff stomps and headbutts Jacobs in the corner. Maff press slams Jacobs into a back senton. Whitmer and Maff maul Jacobs for several minutes until Jacobs moves out of the way of a corner senton from Maff. This gives him the moment to tag Delirious, who knocks Maff off the apron and hits the Panic Attack on Whitmer. Maff stops Delirious with a spinebuster and locks him in a figure four leg lock. Jacobs sentons onto Maff and looks to bring down Whitmer with a Frankensteiner. Instead, Whitmer tries a powerbomb, and Jacobs gives him an avalanche Frankensteiner! Delirious then hits Shadows Over Hell, and incredibly Whitmer kicks out from the subsequent pinfall. Maff takes out Delirious with a modified powerbomb. Whitmer then gives Jacobs a wrist-clutch exploder suplex. Maff and Whitmer throw Jacobs head first into the barricades. A burning hammer from Maff to Delirious gets the champions the pin at 9:28. Whitmer and Maff felt like they had something to prove after losing the titles on their first defense in their subsequent title reign, and that’s just what they did in this match. They beat the hell out of Delirious and Jacobs, and while it was mostly one-sided, it wasn’t boring and the crowd was very into it. The Whitmer and Maff pairing had certainly run its course by this point, but I can’t argue against the way this first title defense was done. **¾

ROH Tag Team Championship
Jimmy Jacobs & BJ Whitmer vs. Samoa Joe & Jay Lethal
“Best of the American Super Juniors Tournament” – Asbury Park, NJ – 4.2.2005

In storyline, Dan Maff (Whitmer’s tag partner) was taken out due to a car accident and new champions needed to be decided. In real life, a dispute between Maff and Homicide saw Maff boxed out of the company. The titles are vacated and Jacobs replaces Maff, hand-picked by Whitmer. Jacobs ends his opening exchange with Lethal by taking him down with a headscissors. Jacobs asks for Joe to be tagged in and Lethal obliges. After being hip tossed to the corner and taking several chops, Jacobs tags Whitmer. Joe peppers Whitmer with forearm shots to the face after taking him down to the mat. They engage in a forearm strike battle, ending with Joe tripping Whitmer into a basement dropkick. As Jacobs looks for a version of the Contra Code, Lethal counters with a back suplex. From here, Jacobs and Joe isolate and beat down Jacobs in their corner. Jacobs eventually evades a double bulldog attempt and goe for the Contra Code on Lethal. Joe catches Jacobs, but Jacobs is able to send Joe into Lethal with a headscissors and tag in Whitmer. He rolls through Lethal’s crossbody attempt and gets two with a brainbuster. Lethal fights out of the wrist-clutch exploder suplex and drops Whitmer with a Flying DDT. Jacobs breaks the pin. Whitmer superkicks Joe, but Joe then drops him with the STJoe. Whitmer drops Joe on his head with an exploder suplex to block a soccer punt. Jacobs and Lethal tag back in and exchange chops. Jacobs escapes a dragon suplex and wheelbarrows up into a bulldog on Lethal Whitmer knocks Joe off the apron. He and Jacobs deliver a Doomsday Frankensteiner to Lethal for two. Lethal comes back with a heel kick. Joe tags in and cleans house with chops. Joe powerslams Whitmer. Lethal catches Jacobs’ senton attempt and throws him to the floor. Joe STJoe’s Whitmer into Lethal’s dragon suplex, but Jacobs breaks the cover just in time. Joe dives onto Jacobs with an elbow suicida. In the ring, Lethal ascends the ropes. Whitmer recovers and brings Lethal off the top with a super wrist-clutch exploder suplex and gets the pin at 18:05. The crowd was hot for this and both teams worked really well together. Whitmer and Jacobs showed that they had good chemistry despite being thrown together due to unforeseen circumstances. Them going over Joe and Lethal was a pretty big deal and in hindsight the beginning of something special. ***½

ROH Tag Team Championship
Jimmy Jacobs & BJ Whitmer vs. Generation Next (Roderick Strong & Jack Evans)
“Manhattan Mayhem” – New York, NY – 5.7.2005

Jacobs & Whitmer have been champions since 4.2.2005 and this is their first defense. Even though Strong shows his strength advantage to start, Jacobs is able to hold him in a side headlock. He tags Whitmer, and when Evans tags in, he wants a dance battle with Whitmer, but Whitmer just slaps him in the face. Whitmer and Strong trade chops until Evans drags Strong to the floor. Whitmer assists Jacobs with a dive onto both members of Gen Next. Whitmer German suplexes Evans onto his head back inside the ring. He exploder suplexes Strong when Strong tries to blindside him. Strong backdrops Jacobs to the apron. He knees Jacobs in the face and places him on the middle rope, then backflips Evans so that Evans double stomps a propped up Jacobs onto his spine! Strong and Evans pummel Jacobs in their corner for a while. After Strong boots Jacobs in the throat, he tags Evans and hoists Jacobs up for a Doomsday crossbody. Jacobs spikes Strong with a reverse Frankensteiner, resulting in Evans crashing and burning, and Jacobs finally tags Whitmer. Whitmer rolls through Evans’ crossbody and brings him up into a brainbuster. Strong gives Whitmer a pair of backbreakers, and Evans lands a moonsault punt to Whitmer for two. Strong escapes Jacobs’ Contra Code, but Jacobs successfully spears Evans. A doomsday Frankensteiner to Evans only gets Whitmer a two count. Strong sneaks in a half-nelson backbreaker to Whitmer. Generation Next hit Ode to the Bulldogs on Jacobs with a Phoenix Splash to Whitmer, and Whitmer gets his shoulder up just before the three count. Jacobs brings Strong to the floor as Evans is up top with Whitmer. Whitmer is brought down with an avalanche Frankensteiner by Evans. Strong follows that up with a gut buster, but Whitmer blocks a Sick Kick with a lariat. As Strong is on the floor, Jacobs and Whitmer hit a Contra Code/powerbomb combo on Evans for the pin at 14:45. That was wild, with the New York crowd eating up the double team offense, and strongly getting behind Jacobs when he was beat down and isolated. Putting two teams in the ring who each have a partner that beats the shit out of people and another partner who takes scary as hell bumps, as it turns out, makes for a super fun match. ****

ROH Tag Team Championship
The Carnage Crew (Loc & DeVito) vs. BJ Whitmer & Jimmy Jacobs
“The Homecoming” – Philadelphia, PA – 7.23.2005

The Carnage Crew have been champions since 7.9.2005 and this is their second defense. The Carnage Crew defeated Whitmer and Jacobs just two weeks prior to win the titles at “Escape From New York.” Whitmer and Jacobs attack them as they pose with the titles in the corners. The two teams fight around ringside. Back in the ring, Loc drops Whitmer with a Saito suplex. Jacobs comes in with a flying forearm to Loc. DeVito backdrops Jacobs into a powerbomb from Loc for two. The Carnage Crew isolates Jacobs from Whitmer until Jacobs victory rolls his way out of a Doomsday Device attempt. He crawls through DeVito’s legs and tags Whitmer. Whitmer takes out Loc with a pair of suplexes. He boots DeVito and then powerbombs Jacobs onto him for a two count. Loc shoves Jacobs outside and gives Whitmer a neckbreaker. He somersault sentons off the top onto Whitmer, and DeVito follows that with a top rope moonsault for two. Jacobs takes down DeVito with a super Frankensteiner and Loc with the Contra Code for two. Whitmer saves Jacobs from a superplex. Whitmer and Jacobs drop DeVito with a Super Contra Code to regain the tag team championship at 9:22. This fell a bit short of the “Escape From New York” bout, but was still a solid match. The brevity of Carnage Crew’s tag title reign was certainly for the best, and it wouldn’t be long until they were through with ROH entirely. **½

BJ Whitmer vs. Jimmy Jacobs
“Dragon Gate Challenge” – Detroit, MI – 3.30.2006

Lacey is in Jacobs’ corner. Whitmer reverses Jacobs’ wristlock and takes him to the mat. Jacobs gets distracted by Lacey and Whitmer decides to go after her. Jacobs pescado’s out but Whitmer catches him and throws him into the barricades. Whitmer back elbows him in the ring for a two count. He’s proud of his leg lariat even though it only also gets a two count. Jacobs headscissors him face first into the second turnbuckle and stomps on the back of his head. He dropkicks Whitmer’s head into the side of the ring post for two. He stomps on his chest a few times with assistance from the ropes. Whitmer manages to give Jacobs an exploder suplex. Jacobs ducks a boot. He goes for the Contra Code. Whitmer blocks it with Snake Eyes and a German suplex, then rolls Jacobs into a Dragon suplex. Jacobs counters a powerbomb with a sunset flip. A kamikaze suplex sends both guys to the floor. Jacobs tries a huracanrana. Whitmer counters by powerbombing Jacobs into the barricades. He gets two with a brainbuster back in the ring. Whitmer heads up top. Jacobs crotches him. He wants a super Contra Code. Whitmer sets up for a super powerbomb. Whitmer trips though, and both men come tumbling down to the floor! Jacobs’ head hit all three ropes and the ring apron while Whitmer went straight to the floor. It is just as terrifying as it sounds. All that madness only gets Whitmer a two count! A somehow alive Jimmy Jacobs nails the Contra Code. He’s about to go for a pin but Lacey tells Jacobs that he wants Whitmer dead and instructs him to put Whitmer through the timekeeper’s table. Jacobs takes too much time between placing Whitmer on the table and climbing to the top turnbuckle, that Whitmer has recovered and superplexes Jacobs. Whitmer then lariats Jacobs for the pin at 15:15. The fact that both guys kept wrestling after nearly dying after spilling to the floor shows just how tough (or stupid, or both) they really are. The match was pretty crazy before that, but that spot changed everything and is one of the most memorable moments in the company’s history. I know it was totally by accident, but that worked out so well in terms of raising the intensity in their rivalry. ***¾

Disc Two

ROH World Championship #1 Contendership Match
BJ Whitmer vs. Jimmy Jacobs
“In Your Face” – New York, NY – 6.17.2006

The winner of this match faces Bryan Danielson in six days for the ROH World Championship. Lacey is in Jacobs’ corner. Jacobs attacks Whitmer during his entrance. They brawl around ringside before the bell, sending each other crashing into the barricades. In the ring, Jacobs takes down Whitmer with a headscissors and dropkicks his head into the ring post. Whitmer sends Jacobs face first into the turnbuckle to break a chin lock. Jacobs comes back with a top rope dropkick for two. Whitmer takes down Jacobs with a brainbuster. Jacobs takes down Whitmer with a Death Valley Driver, but Whitmer gets his knees up to block the subsequent top rope senton splash. Whitmer then blocks a Contra Code with a jumping tombstone piledriver for two. Lacey interferes. Whitmer kisses Lacey, and an enraged Jacobs takes him down with a spear. He wipes out Whitmer with a suicide dive and tosses him into the crowd where he meets him with a forearm smash. They fight back to the top turnbuckle. This time, Whitmer’s super powerbomb attempt is successful, but instead of falling backwards into the ring, Whitmer pushes both himself and Jacobs crashing over the barricades and into the crowd! Both men have landed in a pile of ROH dojo students. Neither of them are able to make it back into the ring, and referee Mike Kehner throws the match out at 14:34, officially noted as a No Contest. That ending moment is absolutely wild, and the action before that was intense and engaging. It was a really great way to follow up their Detroit battle, and although a No Contest is never ideal, it set the table for the next show’s title match very well. ***½

ROH World Championship – Elimination Match
Bryan Danielson (Champion) vs. Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer
“Throwdown” – Detroit, MI – 6.23.2006

Danielson has been champion since 9.17.2005 and this is his twenty-fourth defense. Despite their issues, Whitmer and Jacobs decide its best to work together against Danielson in the early going. That is until Jacobs takes out Whitmer’s legs for a two count. They slap each other in the face and then trade forearms. Danielson dropkicks Whitmer to the apron. Jacobs tries a headscissors and Danielson turns it into an airplane spin. Whitmer dropkicks Danielson to stop it and dropkicks Danielson to the apron. Lacey admonishes Jacobs as he recovers on the floor. Jacobs gets on the apron but gets his neck snapped on the top rope by Danielson. Danielson also puts Whitmer in the Romero Special. Jacobs chops them both and dropkicks Danielson in the neck for two. Danielson dropkicks and strikes Whitmer to keep him on the floor as he wears down Jacobs. Jacobs comes off the top rope with a dropkick. Whitmer comes back in and back elbows Jacobs. Danielson German suplexes Whitmer who simultaneously sends Jacobs out with an exploder suplex. Danielson Dragon suplexes Whitmer for two and then locks in Cattle Mutilation. Jacobs sentons onto Danielson to break the hold and then gets a two count on the champion. Jacobs gives Whitmer a Death Valley Driver for two. Danielso tries a belly-to-back superplex on Jacobs. Whitmer sneaks in from behind, and he and Jacobs bust out their Doomsday Frankensteiner onto Danielson. Whitmer goes for a super powerbomb on Jacobs. Danielson by this point has recovered, and he assists Jacobs with a super Contra Code onto Whitmer. Both of them pin Whitmer, eliminating him at 13:24.

Danielson uses a handshake to bait Jacobs into an uppercut. He drapes Jacobs across the top rope and dropkicks him to the floor. Danielson sends Jacobs crashing into the barricades and then stomps a chair onto his head. With Jacobs laid out, Danielson confidently wears him down back inside the ring. He makes a nearfall after a diving headbutt, then locks on Cattle Mutilation. Jacobs gets his foot to the ropes to escape. Jacobs blocks a rolling forearm with a spear. He nails an enzuigiri and gets two with the Golden Gate Swing. Danielson boots down Jacobs in the corner, but is caught off guard with a spear. Danielson blocks the Contra Code and gets two with a bridging Regalplex. He looks for the Crossface Chicken Wing but Jacobs gets the ropes before it’s fully applied. Danielson blocks a super Contra Code. He tries for a diving sunset flip. Jacobs kneels down and hooks Danielson’s legs for a nearfall. Jacobs successfully pulls off the Contra Code for two, and then decides to try his own Cattle Mutilation. Daniels escapes and throws Jacobs out of the corner. He reigns down with elbows to the side of Jacobs’ head before locking on the Crossface Chicken Wing. Jacobs taps out at 24:46. The match was good when it was all three of them, but Jacobs did such a great job as the underdog that things picked up tremendously when it boiled down to just him and Danielson. It also helps that Jacobs was the hometown “hero.” I think this justified the No Contest decision from “In Your Face.” ***¾

BJ Whitmer vs. Jimmy Jacobs
“Gut Check” – Chicago Ridge, IL – 8.26.2006

Whitmer did some damage to Jacobs using the barricades, but Jacobs ended up with the upper hand by throwing Whitmer back first into the barricades by his ponytail, and then by dropkicking Whitmer’s head into the ring post. Jacobs pummels Whitmer in the ring for a while. Whitmer stops a flying dropkick with a powerbomb. Whitmer goes for an Awesome Bomb to the floor where Jacobs had set up a table, but settles for a buckle bomb. Whitmer goes for broke and calls for a top rope powerbomb into the crowd ala “In Your Face.” Jacobs fights his way free and puts Whitmer through the ringside table with an avalanche Frankensteiner. Referee Todd Sinclair determines that Whitmer has only a ten count to get back into the ring, so Whitmer guts through the pain and ignores the help of officials and students and makes it back inside just before the count. Despite Whitmer getting in a few shots to Jacobs, Jacobs manages to waistlock Whitmer into a schoolboy for the pin at 11:01. Jacobs then attacks Whitmer’s ankle with a chair, writing him out so that he can get ankle surgery. This was a more diluted version of their other matches, but it achieved getting Whitmer his time off and giving the rivalry a hot moment before it took a short respite. **¾

Grudge Match
BJ Whitmer vs. Jimmy Jacobs
“Dethroned” – Edison, NJ – 11.25.2006

They start brawling during Whitmer’s entrance. The referee is wiped out and no opening bell is called.The gith all around ringside using the barricades to hurt one another, with Jacobs hopping off of the barricade to pull off a Frankensteiner. Whitmer manages to catch a charging Jacobs with an exploder suplex onto the entrance ramp. Jacobs cuts him off back in the ring with a spear to stop a chair shot. Jacobs pulls a spike out of his boot and not only busts Whitmer’s head open with it, but strikes referee Paul Turner with it too! Whitmer ends up in control of the spike and uses it on Jacobs. Whitmer chases Lacey with the spike, with Jacobs stopping him with a dropkick to the top of the head. Jacobs also spikes Whitmer on his head with a reverse Frankensteiner, only for Whitmer to come back with a lariat. Lacey makes her way into the ring and slaps Whitmer as she’s barking at Jacobs to finish him off. Daizee Haze runs out and pummels Lacey on the mat until she runs to the back. Haze calls for people from the back to come out and separate Whitmer and Jacobs. This whole thing went about 13:00, but was not an actual match. It was entertaining, got Haze in the mix, and set the table for the next Edison show – all good things.

At “The Chicago Spectacular: Night 2” Jacobs and Whitmer were on opposite sides in an eight man tag team elimination match. At one point, Jacobs was ready to use his spike on Whitmer. Cabana intercepted and Whitmer ended up with the spike.As Whitmer charged at Jacobs to spike him, he ducked and Whitmer nailed Lacey in the face with the spike! Jacobs immediately tends to her and heads backstage. He would come back later and attack Whitmer’s injured ankle with a chair, eliminating himself from the match. This match was featured on Delirious’ compilation DVD, and you can read my review of the match in its entirety here.

BJ Whitmer & Colt Cabana vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Brent Albright
“Final Battle 2006” – New York, NY – 12.23.2006

Albright at this time was a “gun for hire” and was paid by Lacey to be Jacobs’ partner in this match. Daizee Haze was in the corner for Whitmer and Cabana. Whitmer and Cabana had a solid handle on their opponents for a while. Albright saved Jacobs from being put through a table on the floor. Jacobs then took out Caban on the floor, giving Jacobs and Albright the chance to isolate Whitmer in their corner. Whitmer finally tags Cabana when he sidesteps a corner attack from Albright and takes both him and Jacobs down. Cabana wipes them both out with a lionsault press. Albright 61knees Cabana into a spear from Jacobs. Whitmer takes out Albright with a spinebuster and Jacobs with an exploder suplex. Whitmer scored a two count after a buckle bomb and brainbuster. Jacobs takes out Cabana with the Contra Code and headscissors Whitmer. Albright then powerbombs Whitmer to the floor and through the table! After numerous German suplexes from Albright to Cabana, Jacobs lands a super senton onto Cabana for the pin at 13:49. This was a fine way to keep Jacobs’ two singles rivalries going. The match didn’t have anything spectacular outside of Whitmer’s table bump, but it made Albright a force to be reckoned with, as he basically won the match for Jacobs and Jacobs got the glory of getting the fall. ***

Last Man Standing Match
BJ Whitmer vs. Jimmy Jacobs
“Battle of the Icons” – Edison, NJ – 1.27.2007

Lacey is in Jacobs’ corner. Whitmer delivers a chair shot from behind as Jacobs comes down the aisle and hits him with another chair shot in the ring. Jacobs bridges the top rope which sends Whitmer to the floor. Jacobs clotheslines Whitmer into the crowd and throws chairs at him. Whitmer fights back and also throws chairs at Jacobs. When they make their way back into the ring, Jacobs hits Whitmer in the head with a chair. He props a chair up in the corner and then drives his spike into Whitmer’s head several times. When Whitmer stands up, Jacobs accidentally spears the corner chair. Whitmer then gives Jacobs a spinebuster onto two chairs. He breaks a chair by giving Jacobs a brainbuster through it. Jacobs makes it up just in the nick of time, falling against the turnbuckles. Lacey grabs Whitmer’s ankle as he stands on the ring apron, which allows Jacobs to spear him into the barricades. Jacobs props up a table in the corner. He goes for a spear but gets stopped with a chair shot. Whitmer sets up Jacobs for a powerbomb when Brent Albright runs in. He suplexes Whitmer through the table and blows snot onto him. Another boot from Albright keeps Whitmer down for a full ten count, giving Jacobs the win at 15:47. I actually thought the finish worked, as it gave Jacobs a technical win but not in a way that put any finality to the story. It was suitably violent, but the crowd was too quiet and the show was too insignificant for it to be a memorable part of this rivalry. Colt Cabana ran out to stop Albright’s post-match attack on Whitmer. ***½

Street Fight
BJ Whitmer, Colt Cabana & Daizee Haze vs. Jimmy Jacobs, Adam Pearce & Lacey
“Fifth Year Festival: Philly” – Philadelphia, PA – 2.17.2007

Pearce was hired by Lacey due to his ferociousness which he showed in the CZW feud. She is hoping this will help to bring out Jacobs’ ferocity. Most of this match involves a pair of people fighting in the ring while the other pairs fight around the ring or in the crowd. Jacobs uses his spike to escape being hung by a belt over the top rope by Whitmer. After more spikes in the corner, Jacobs attempts the Contra Code, but gets halted on the top turnbuckle. Jacobs however spikes Whitmer with a reverse Frankensteiner. After Cabana breaks up the pin and gives Jacobs an Air Raid Crash, Pearce chokeslams Cabana. Lacey blocks the heart punch and drops Haze with an Implant DDT. Jacobs drives Lacey’s high heel shoe into Cabana’s throat. Jacobs duct tapes Cabana’s arms around his back and places a chair around his throat. He ascends the turnbuckles, but Whitmer saves Cabana and catches Jacobs on the top turnbuckle. He brings down Jacobs with an avalanche exploder suplex for the pin at 13:31. This was nothing more than a fun brawl to keep both of Jacobs’ singles rivalries going, but it totally satisfied this audience and achieved that goal. ***

Falls Count Anywhere
BJ Whitmer vs. Jimmy Jacobs
“Fifth Year Festival: Finale” – Liverpool, England – 3.4.2007

This match actually begins in the crowd. The classic theater look of the Liverpool Olympia makes the building brawl really interesting. Jacobs scores two back-to-back nearfalls, one with a leaping headscissors takedown, and another with a high crossbody off of the second floor balcony to the first floor. When they finally get into the ring, Jacobs busts Whitmer open with his spike. Jacobs is so sick that he purposefully gets Whitmer’s blood on himself. Whitmer takes a reverse Frankensteiner, but counters the Contra Code with an Adrenaline Spike. Whitmer sends Jacobs onto the entrance ramp with a forearm shot. Whitmer gives Jacobs a brainbuster onto the entrance ramp and pins him at 12:32. With Whitmer bleeding buckets and Jacobs’ balcony dive, this crowd was bananas for just about everything. It didn’t overstay its welcome and felt different from their other matches, which I greatly appreciated. This was a great way to give the UK crowd a taste of this feud and serve as a harbinger for their cage match at the end of the month. ***½

Anything Goes
BJ Whitmer & Daizee Haze vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Lacey
“All Star Extravaganza III” – Detroit, MI – 3.30.2007

Commentary calls this a preview for Jacobs and Whitmer’s cage match the next night. Jacobs pulls out his spike super early but it ends up being stuck into the top turnbuckle before it is used on anyone. Lacey and Haze meanwhile fight around ringside. They fight into the ring after Jacobs Cactus clotheslines himself and Whitmer to the outside. Jacobs and Whitmer brawl into the crowd. Lacey chokes Haze with her belt as she has her in a tree of woe. Jacobs comes off the bleachers with a swinging Frankensteiner to Whitmer. Haze sits up out of the tree of woe and takes down Lacey with an Ace Crusher. When they get back to ringside, Whitmer sends Jacobs crashing into the barricades. Haze gets sent outside after Lacey blocks a kick to the side of the head. Whitmer teases the super powerbomb but Lacey crotches Whitmer to save Jacobs. Jacobs then aids Lacey by diving off the top with a double axe handle to Haze’s back. Jaocbs then spears Haze so hard her shoes fly off! The Implant DDT then gets Lacey the pin at 9:48. This was a little hard to follow but the ending was excellent, and seemed to do its job in getting the crowd fired up for tomorrow’s cage match. **¾

Lacey thinks Jacobs deserves a hug as a reward for his hard work and tonight’s victory. She promises Jacobs there will be a whole lot more to come for him if he is able to put Whitmer away in tomorrow night’s cage match. Whitmer chases both of them off with a barbed wire bat.

Steel Cage Match
BJ Whitmer vs. Jimmy Jacobs
“Supercard of Honor II” – Detroit, MI – 3.31.2007

Jacobs dives through the cage door onto Whitmer as he makes his entrance. Lacey and Daizee Haze are in their respective corners. Jacobs throws Whitmer into the barricades and drops an elbow off of a chair They make their way into the cage where Whitmer sends Jacobs back first into the steel. Jacobs then gets sent head first into the cage a couple of times. Whitmer dropkicks a chair into his face and Jacobs kicks the chair right back at him. Whitmer gives him a spinebuster onto the chair, but then gets sent face first into it with a drop toe hold. Jacobs is handed a railroad spike by Lacey. Whitmer reveals he has a spike of his own hidden in his boot, and he and Jacobs jab each other in the head repeatedly until they fall down covered in their own blood. Whitmer powerbombs Jacobs into the corner and boots him in the face. Whitmer gets handed a barbed wire baseball bat. Jacobs kicks it out of his hands and drives the bat into Whitmer’s head. He digs the bat into Whitmer’s arm as well. Jacobs then jabs Whitmer in the arm and forehead with the two spikes. He places Whitmer’s head onto the barbed wire bat and smacks him in the back of the head with a chair! He sets up a chair in the corner. He goes for a spear, but Whitmer sends him head first into the chair instead. He throws Jacobs overhead with an exploder suplex before collapsing. Whitmer rolls through a Frankensteiner and powerbombs Jacobs into the cage. He drives the barbed wire bat into Jacobs’ head and then gives him a brainbuster onto a chair! Jacobs kicks out, so Whitmer goes to escape the cage. Lacey slams the cage door into Whitmer’s head, and then Jacobs rams the bat into his head. Jacobs gets two with a top rope senton. Jacobs tries for a super Frankensteiner, but Whitmer holds onto the top rope and drops Jacobs face first onto the top turnbuckle. He strings together a few suplexes and a powerbomb for two. A table is entered into the cage. Whitmer goes for a top rope powerbomb, which Jacobs counters with a super Frankensteiner. He tries for the Contra Code which Whitmer counters with the Adrenaline Spike for two. Lacey enters the cage and tries to slap Whitmer, but she takes an Adrenaline Spike for her troubles. Whitmer misses a frog splash off of the top of the cage. Jacobs pulls off the Contra Code for two. He sets up Whitmer onto the table and goes to the top of the cage. Whitmer follows him up, but Jacobs manages to knock him down and onto the table again. Jacobs comes off of the top of the cage with a super back senton, getting him the pin at 23:41. That was wild and wildly entertaining. The atmosphere and action were crazy from before the opening bell and never ceased. They incorporated so many aspects of their previous matches throughout the bout which made it even more of a fulfilling watch. The only complaint I have is that having students serve as weapon fetchers was illogical and corny. Otherwise, this was a perfect way to end this feud. Without a doubt, this is the best cage match in ROH history and both Jacobs and Whitmer’s best match in the company. ****½