Máscara Campeón

El Generico and Kevin Steen have quite a history at Final Battle. At the 2009 show Steen turned on Generico after a loss to the Young Bucks, ending their run as a tag team. The two men clashed in a heated street fight at the 2010 instalment which saw 'The Generic Luchador' pick up a victory that (per the pre-match stipulation) banished Steen from Ring of Honor. 2011 saw 'Mr Wrestling' regain a spot on the roster when he defeated Steve Corino. That match was followed by a brawl between Steen and, you guessed it, El Generico.
 
The 2012 iPPV will see the former tag team champions involved with one another again. Steen will defend his ROH world championship against Generico in a ladder match (dubbed a ladder war by ROH). It should be another wild encounter between two men that always bring out the best in one another.
 
When Steen captured the ROH title at Border Wars in May I said that Generico was one of the likeliest guys to defeat him (read that here). Seven months later I not only do I still believe this is the case but I think December 16^th is the ideal time for it to happen.
 
'Mr Wrestling' has been a good champion for ROH. He's made enjoyable defences against a wider variety of opponents than predecessor Davey Richards was permitted and has been one of the few constant sources of enjoyment for fans. The trouble is that it's difficult to know what there's left for him to do if he remains top dog in 2013. He has a grudge bout with Jay Lethal waiting for him but that's about it. He's not allowed to defend against Richards and he's already had a high profile match with Michael Elgin. He could work with Eddie Edwards but ‘Die Hard’ would need to be built back up first thanks to an insubstantial 2012. Making that programme even more unlikely is the American Wolves reunion.

Next world champ?

 
Generico as champion would create many fresh scenarios for the company, something that is sorely needed. Men such as Mike Bennett, Roderick Strong, Kyle O'Reilly, and Jay Lethal would all make excellent opponents for the masked man. Then there are the obvious big matches against Richards, Edwards, and, of course, Steen.
 
Looking a little further into the future it's not impossible to envisage fans turning on Generico at some point. It’s happened to pretty much every ROH champion who’s had a lengthy run. Should that happen an official Generico heel turn would create a new dynamic for his rivalry with Steen, not to mention reinvigorate him as a character in general and create another batch of fresh matches.
 
Generico is the sort of wrestler I can't imagine WWE or TNA going all the way with. That makes him the perfect man to build ROH around. He can be presented as a genuine alternative to the mainstream. That’s exactly what ROH is and should always be.