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AS THEIR FIFTH ANNIVERSARY APPROACHES, A LOOK BACK AT RING OF HONOR'S FIRST YEAR

When it comes to independent professional wrestling, perhaps no promotion has captured the imagination of diehard Internet fans over the past five years like the Philadelphia, PA-based Ring of Honor promotion.

Basing itself on hard hitting, in-ring action, the ROH promotion has cultivated a very unique audience that has debated, enjoyed, and found themselves emotionally attached in a way to indy wrestling that has not been seen since the dawn of the original Extreme Championship Wrestling.

Through the course of it's evolution, Ring of Honor has solidified many talented independent workers and turned them into bonafide stars to those fans, given legends a place to work and help younger stars learn, and most importantly of all, provided a learning ground for the stars of tomorrow to begin to test their mettle.

Indeed, The promotion has provided a launching pad for a number of stars on the national scene currently including Samoa Joe, CM Punk, Paul London, AJ Styles, Senshi, and Christopher Daniels, among others. While these talents were obviously on the road to success before they stepped into an ROH ring, Ring of Honor provided a platform for each of them to use as a springboard to the next level of their careers.

As much as ROH is a springboard for future stardom, it has also become a dock for veterans who are looking to rebuild or celebrate their careers, lending their expertise to the next generation of talent in the process. From Ricky Steamboat to Mick Foley to Jim Cornette to Jushin Liger to the Great Muta to Kenta Kobashi to Jamie Noble to the Midnight Express (to name a few), ROH has become something of an Ellis Island for the wrestling business. Established talents may not stay for long but they provide memorable moments that not only enrich their own career, but the company as well.

With ROH's fifth anniversary this Friday 2/23, PWInsider.com presents a special look back at the company's infancy, tracing their first year of live events, earliest successess and setbacks, as originally published during that timeframe.

For more on Ring of Honor, visit www.ROHWrestling.com.

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