Fish and O'Reilly, presumably wanting to prove that
they're the best tag team out there, requested that their scheduled non-title
match against the Forever Hooligans be turned into a championship defence.
Agreeing that it would improve the show and that the Hooligans were worthy
challengers Nigel granted the request.
And so it was that in the main event of the evening's
first episode (which will air this coming Saturday) the Forever Hooligans beat
reDRagon for the belts. It was a win that marked Alex Koslov's first title win
in the promotion. For Rocky Romero it's a third. He's previously worn ROH tag
gold alongside Ricky Reyes, as the Rottweilers, and Davey Richards, as members
of the No Remorse Corps.
The win also makes the Hooligans double champions. They
were already the NJPW junior heavyweight tag champs. It's an impressive feat
for both men, and one that elevates their reputation as a duo.
The Forever Hooligans with their hardware
reDRagon's contributions over the last five months
shouldn't be overlooked. The team deserves credit for their reign. Fish and
O'Reilly treated the titles as though they meant something. That's always a
good trait for champions. They wrestled exciting defences against the American
Wolves, the C&C Wrestle Factory and the men who'd eventually terminate
their run, the Forever Hooligans. They even made Cheeseburger look competitive
at A Night of Hoopla. That's not something they had to do, but doing it made
the match far more enjoyable than it would have been had they buried or mocked
him for twenty minutes.
Both improved their characters throughout the reign. Just
because ROH emphasises sportsmanship and match quality doesn't mean interesting
characters have to become obsolete. O'Reilly in particular has improved greatly
this year. He appears much more confident and has developed a confident persona
that meshes nicely with his ring style. Teaming with Fish has been of benefit
to him. I hope they continue to be used well and excel as a team.
reDRagon were going to defend the straps against the
American Wolves at All Star Extravaganza V. That won't even happen as a
non-title affair now, apparently: Fish and O'Reilly have announced via YouTube
that as they're no longer the champions they won't be attending the show. They
were omitted from the last swing into Canada too. I'm beginning to think Bobby
Fish has some sort of legal difficulty crossing the border (O'Reilly won't be
the issue: he's Canadian).
Instead Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards will be
wrestling the new champions for the belts. I'm sure it will be a very exciting
match, although I wish the Wolves v reDRagon match had remained on the card.
That would have left Romero and Koslov free to defend against the Young Bucks.
As the Bucks are the current Dragon Gate USA tag team champions it could have
been something of a dream match, albeit one in which the champions versus
champions, best versus best aspect would have been overlooked on commentary.
ROH are unlikely to acknowledge Dragon Gate anytime soon. In that regard
they're like the WWF used to be with WCW.
As it is the Bucks will take on Adrenaline RUSH and the
C&C Wrestle Factory in a match that will be every high spot lover's dream.
I can live with the omission of reDRagon with quality like this on the card.
I don't expect the Forever Hooligans to have a long
reign. They're over in Japan far too often to be convenient for Ring of Honor
to book. Them winning the titles feels like a way of shaking the division up a
little and making things a little less predictable. Which, by the way, is fine
with me: wrestling promotions should try to surprise fans more often. It's
possible that the change is also a way of switching the titles onto the
American Wolves without reDRagon losing straight to them, so as to prolong that
feud. If that's the case the Hooligans are credible interim champs but I hope
they get longer than a week with the gold. They deserve at least a couple of
months. Hopefully they'll get that.
However long their reign lasts, whoever they defend
against and eventually lose to, I'm pleased the Forever Hooligans' names have
been added to the list of ROH tag team champions. It shakes up the division and
puts a talented, entertaining and hard-working team at its head. You can't ask
for more than that, can you?
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