Ring of Honor – three words that became synonymous with the independent wrestling boom of the early to mid 2000s that saw the rise of not only future wrestling superstars, but also the changing of pro wrestling’s very in-ring dynamic presentation. Using monthly issues of “Pro Wrestling Illustrated”, various websites usually connected to angelfire.com, and the trading of VHS tapes, I became familiar with names such as “Reckless Youth”, “The Fallen Angel”, Cheetah Master, and Trent Acid just to name a few.
Ring of Honor was meant to be a true showcase for all the budding or solidified indie wrestling talent. Instead, ROH turned into one of the premiere wrestling organizations in North America by capitalizing on the fall of wrestling’s “Attitude Era” with a product more similar to mixed martial arts than Extreme Championship Wrestling. Being a fan of ROH since its inception in February 2002, I’ve witnessed a majority of the company’s moments both significant and less-so live or through video. And just like any wrestling promotion, there have been decisions made and circumstances play out leaving this ROHbot wondering, “What if…?”
Today I ask: “What if Jimmy Jacobs truly found love with Lacey?”
What Really Happened?
The miniature Berserker, Midwest native Jimmy Jacobs started off as a ROH preliminary wrestler in 2004; usually teaming with or mostly fighting Alex Shelley. Jacobs was rather aimless during his early days in ROH, but made the most of every opportunity afforded him; resulting in a shocking turn of events in 2005 when he and BJ Whitmer were paired up following the removal of Dan Maff from the roster. After losing the ROH World Tag Team Championship twice over the course of 2005, Jacobs & Whitmer found themselves being coerced by wrestler & manager Lacey. A fellow Midwesterner, Lacey made waves as one-half of the Minnesota Homewrecking Crew alongside Rain, but ROH didn’t have much of a women’s division for her to flourish at the time; becoming a manager of what she dubbed “Lacey’s Angels”. But championship glory, let alone title shots dried up the longer Whitmer & Jacobs stayed under Lacey’s management. Unfortunately for Whitmer, his “little brother” was more concerned with impressing his manager than winning titles as Jimmy had fallen for Lacey.
Eventually Whitmer cut ties with Lacey’s Angels; infuriating his former leadership. With Lacey proclaiming disrespect, Jacobs took it upon himself to defend the honor of his love. What came from Jacobs attempting to fight for Lacey were wars between himself and Whitmer that saw several literal near-death moments including Jacobs almost landing on a concrete floor from the top rope during a power bomb gone wrong – Jimmy clipping the ring’s edge instead of splatting on the floor in Chicago. A couple of months later it was Jacobs taking another super power bomb, but ending up in the audience during the “In Your Face” event. Over a year after the feud between Jacobs and Whitmer began it ended inside the confines of a steel cage. Just like their previous encounters, the “Supercard of Honor II” Cage match saw blood, weapons, and sheer brutality encompass the action until the final moments when Jacobs dove off the cage’s top to senton splash Whitmer through a table for the three count. But the match left both men injured. Whitmer’s battered neck put him out of action for several months and Jimmy Jacobs tore his left ACL.
The most interesting aspect of Jacobs & Lacey’s relationship was the simple fact Jimmy’s love wasn’t reciprocated. For the year-plus of physically sacrificing himself & his body for her honor, Lacey never responded in kind to Jacobs’ advances; openly mocking him for the songs he wrote for her and even going as far as to have sex with potential client & Jimmy’s one-time tag team partner Colt Cabana. Not long after the “Supercard” Cage match, Lacey gave Jacobs a chance to woo her. The revolutionary Youtube presentation known simply as “Jimmy Jacobs and Lacey” saw Jacobs fail in creating the perfect date scenario that would finally convince Lacey he was the one for her. Though Jacobs’ plan didn’t succeed as he would’ve hoped, his perseverance paid off and ended in a night of bliss between the two… or so everyone thought. With the cameraman sneaking into their hotel room, Jacobs was discovered with the woman of his dreams in his arms; but a look of sheer dissatisfaction contorting his face. Jacobs & Lacey wouldn’t be seen on ROH programing for several months; returning at the “Man Up” pay-per-view event sporting a new, more “emo”/“Gothic” look to compliment Jacobs’ new attitude: one that of a revolutionary looking tear down the system that victimized him & people like him. Thus the Age of the Fall was born.
What if…?
Keeping everything the same up to the moment Jacobs won his Steel Cage match is a necessity considering the “Jimmy and Lacey” Youtube videos that spawned a faction unlike any other in ROH history. But there could’ve been a different group headed by Jacobs if he felt satisfied about finally conquering love. After that night with Lacey, Jacobs’ would’ve felt vindicated for all the sacrifices made to get the girl. But Jacobs’ character had been built on a premise of someone always looking to prove himself be it as Alex Shelley’s superior, a worthy partner to BJ Whitmer, and being the man Lacey truly needed in her life. Instead of becoming a revolutionary bucking the system, Jacobs would continue to fight for love while attempting to bring world to his girlfriend – the world being the ROH World Championship. After all, Lacey was a manager who wanted to succeed both in the ring & out. Returning to ROH, Jacobs’ mission would be to prove his love right for believing in him with the intent of toppling the Pro Wrestling NOAH export and then-ROH World champion Takeshi Morishima. Coming up short in brutal fashion against Morishima, Jacobs wouldn’t be deterred in his mission thanks to the love & support of his manager & girlfriend. Before Jimmy could gain another title opportunity, Nigel McGuinness dethrones the titleholder; putting Nigel in Jacobs’ crosshairs.
McGuinness, unfortunately, would be hindered from defending his title due to injuries including the night of “Final Battle ’07” where Jacobs – having won a top contender’s match the night before at “Rising Above” – would get his next crack at the gold. With no ROH World title match due to a concussion suffered by McGuinness at “Rising Above”, a lamenting Jacobs stumbles upon a young man too licking his figurative wounds: Tyler Black. Black, a wrestler brimming with potential, was on the receiving end of a tongue lashing by his girlfriend similar to what Jacobs suffered from at the hands of Lacey a year prior. Jacobs takes it upon himself to not only help fix their relationship by becoming something of a personal counselor, but also starts teaming with Tyler in an effort to become ROH World Tag Team champions. Black would gain opportunities including his ROH World Championship match with McGuinness at “Take No Prisoners” that sets the stage for him to eventually become the ROH World champion.
But Jacobs’ focus on helping Black understand the power of love be it in the ring or out causes Jimmy to unintentionally ignore Lacey while taking her attention for granted. Lacking the same type of affection from Jacobs she didn’t know inspired her to be a better person mostly throughout 2007, Lacey’s heart begins searching for something else. That “something” becomes “someone” as Austin Aries discovers a bond with Lacey that would culminate in Lacey having to break up with Jacobs to start a new relationship alongside Aries. No matter how much Jacobs begged for Lacey to give him a second chance it is too late for them. This breakup transforms Jacobs as he starts lashing out at interviewers, other wrestlers and even Tyler Black; leading to a rift between the two.
With Jacobs’ attire reverting back to its darker, pre-“Supercard of Honor II” appearance, Jimmy’s new friends represented his recent personality shift including Necro Butcher (a hardcore grappler known for wrestling barefoot, throwing stiff punches, and being tough as nails), Zach Gowen (a one-legged wrestler known for his time in WWE feuding with Vince McMahon who had fallen on hard times), Joey “Mercury” Matthews (a former WWE Tag Team champion who made his name on the East Coast indie scene during the late 1990s), and even his old tag team partner BJ Whitmer. Jacobs’ obsession with proving to Lacey that she picked the wrong figurative horse in the race between himself and Aries cultivates a war leading to the mental breakdown of Jacobs, Austin ending their feud in an “I Quit” match during the “Rising Above ’08” pay-per-view, and Jacobs physically assaulting Black for leaving him behind in pursuit of the ROH World Championship with the latter moment leading to a feud over the World title Black won at “Final Battle ’08” and ending with Jacobs exiled from ROH by the summer of 2009.
Remain or Change?
The most important thing to question is the importance of the Age of the Fall in the grand scheme of ROH’s history. After a sickening debut featuring a bloodied Jay Briscoe being hung upside-down so the blood could coat Jacobs during Jimmy’s promo, the AOTF became one of the company’s focal points. But one of the main reasons for the group’s success comes in hindsight with the launching of Tyler Black as a future World champion – the same thing accomplished with this alternate take. There’s also the aspect ROH fans wanted nothing more than to cheer Jacobs after “Supercard of Honor II” and they would’ve gotten both that and what Jacobs evolved into for his feud with Austin Aries in 2008 while breaking up Jacobs and Lacey in the process. In a lot of ways the reality and the what if are two sides of the same coin as both would produce the same outcomes: Jacobs losing Lacey, failing against Aries, turning on Black, Tyler getting on the road to the ROH World title, and Jacobs leaving the company in 2009. The dependance on what side of the coin someone would want to choose is greatly dependent on how much they are attached to the Age of the Fall and what the faction did or didn’t do for ROH between 2007 and 2009.
