Since its inception nearly a decade ago, Ring of Honor has set itself apart from other wrestling organizations by offering hard-hitting matches that often last upwards of 30 minutes, leaving the performers physically and mentally drained. To die hard ROH fans, the focus on mixed martial arts and Japanese strong style athletic displays offers a more realistic alternative to mainstream wrestling, with every match feeling like it could be the main event. To critics, the lack of buildup from opening matches through midard conflicts to main event payoff cheapens the overall product, mentally exhausting fans well before the dramatic climax of the main event.

With Gateway to Honor, which took place in Collinsville, Ill. Nov. 6, 2011, ROH looks to be changing its formula up a little bit (perhaps to appeal to the Sinclair Broadcast Group, which now owns the company). From offering first time matches like Mark Briscoe vs. World Television Champion Jay Lethal and the American Wolves vs. the All Night Express to a surprisingly competitive match between the diminutive lumberjack Grizzly Redwood and the House of Truth‘s powerhouse Michael Elgin, Gateway to Honor really showcases many of ROH’s strong points without overdoing things. There’s even a women’s match between the Embassy’s Mia Yim (in her first ROH match) and MsChif that is better than some men’s matches (let alone female contests) in other promotions. And with women’s matches being such a rarity in ROH, that is one area where the company really makes it count (which is something the bigger promotions can’t say, despite having their own women’s divisions).

Unlike most ROH events, Gateway to Honor actually treats the opening matches like an undercard, kicking things off with an exciting and quick (especially by ROH standards) conflict between the increasingly impressive Tommaso Ciampa and Andy “Right Leg” Ridge that includes plenty of interference from the Embassy and a comical save by Delirious that includes him laying a sloppy kiss on Yim. The second match, pitting Jay Briscoe against TJ Perkins, is another relatively short match that, despite being an entertaining bout with some good spots, mostly serves to show just how over the Briscoes are with the ROH crowd. The commentary (not typically one of ROH’s strong points) is dead on when one commentator (not sure if it was Kevin Kelly or Dave Prazak) says, “No matter where Ring of Honor goes, fans will always cheer for the Briscoes.”

Another thing that Gateway to Honor (and ROH in general) does well is showcase solid tag team wrestling. The always entertaining Bravado Brothers and the team of Jimmy Jacobs and Steve Corino offer a bit of comic relief while Future Shock (consisting of Adam Cole and Davey Richards‘ protege Kyle O’Reilly) puts up an impressive fight against World Tag Team Champions Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas, Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team (after which Benjamin commends the younger team by saying it’s only a matter of time before Future Shock is wearing the belts).

All of these matches (and more) build to the main event of Richards (who resides in nearby St. Louis and is honored in a pre-show homecoming that appears as a bonus on this DVD) and Eddie Edwards against Kenny King and Rhett Titus. Both the Wolves and the All Nighters pull off some great tandem teamwork, with King hitting some amazing moves outside the ring. The main event eventually builds to a typical ROH spotfest, with each man trading moves and punches with his opponent and giving his absolute best physical effort. And the conclusion of the match serves to establishthe  ANX as one of the company’s strongest tag teams while also furthering the growing rivalry between American Wolves partners Richards and Edwards as their impending match for the World Championship looms.

If Gateway to Honor is any indication of things to come for ROH (which it seems to be based on the events that have taken pace since then), then ROH is finding a great balance between what its loyal fans want to see and what might attract more casual wrestling fans who are used to an entirely different kind of product. And that’s something that past promotions such as Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling have been unable to do when trying to take the next step towards reaching larger audiences.

For more information, go to www.rohwrestling.com.