NXT Versus ROH

Triple H wants to expand NXT. He's made many comments in various interviews and Q&A sessions that indicates he believes the league can be expanded to into something that could operate autonomously (or semi-autonomously) from WWE. We've seen steps taken towards this goal with the events held at the Arnold Sports Festival and in San Jose as part of WrestleMania weekend. It's still early days but the fact that these events were able to attract very healthy crowds, the passion fans and wrestlers have for NXT, and the fact that the endeavour is being bankrolled by WWE (essentially meaning they don't necessarily need to worry about making a profit) makes me think that the growth of NXT into a marketable second brand within WWE is an attainable goal. It can afford to run at a loss for a while as it expands, that's not a position wrestling promotions are usually in.

That said it remains a developmental league. It's a place for wrestlers to learn and hone their skills before being promoted to the main roster, where they can earn better money and contribute to the shows where WWE makes its profit. Some people are brought in closer to this point than others. Finn Bálor, formerly New Japan's junior heavyweight ace Prince Devitt, could probably have bypassed NXT altogether. Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Tyler Breeze are all as main roster ready as they're going to get. Hideo Itami is still finding a middle ground between his stiff-as-nails NOAH style and the softer, safer approach taken by WWE's sports entertainers and working on his English. These things aside he's ready too.

But these names are in the minority. Most NXT wrestlers need NXT for the learning environment it was designed to be, not the WWE-owned indy fed people (not least Triple H) seem desperate for it to become. For the main roster to benefit from NXT as it's meant to a middle ground needs to be found, one that allows people like Enzo Amore, Alexa Bliss and Baron Corbin to become confident in-ring performers while also drawing sizeable crowds in its own right.

The solution WWE have apparently settled on is targeting indy talent with a proven ability to fill buildings of the size NXT will be holding events in as it expands. Essentially this means they're going after Ring of Honor guys. ROH operates on a smaller scale than WWE and is generally able to draw a couple of thousand or so people to their bigger shows. Although the ROH brand name contributes to this it's not enough by itself. It's the wrestler that deserve the bulk of the credit there. WWE understand this and want to sign these guys to help NXT and set back the competition. And while ROH is not direct competition to WWE it will be to an expanded NXT.

This would go down well with NXT crowds. Or any crowds, for that matter.
But my point still stands: ACH would be a good hire.

There are four wrestlers in ROH that I think WWE would be particularly interested in. At the top of the list is ACH. The most obvious reason is his dazzling aerial ability. He never puts on a foot wrong on his flying moves and never has a bad match. He can make himself look tremendously sympathetic when taking a beating, always handy for a smaller lad. He's precisely the sort of guy that could be signed strictly for use in NXT. This isn't to say he couldn't go far on the main roster, he could, but his style is well-suited to the more indy-flavoured NXT. With WWE on the hunt for a new lead high-flyer, and seemingly unaware that Kalisto is ideal for the role, ACH could be a great acquisition.

The second and third guys are Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly. As reDRagon they've been ROH's most reliable in-house tag team for the last two years. Three weeks in the summer of 2013 and the Young Bucks' two month reign last year aside, they held the ROH tag team titles from March 2 2013 until April 4 this year. They're a team ROH has invested a lot of time in and an act the company continues to rely on for selling tickets, VOD streams, and tickets. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the Fish and O'Reilly team has been one of ROH's greatest booking triumphs of the last few years.

ROH can't outbid WWE but even if they could it's possible reDRagon might be tempted away. ROH have treated them very well but there's nothing fresh left for them to do aside from beat the Briscoes for the longest cumulative days as tag champs, something they're only around four months away from accomplishing. Even their first match with the new Roppongi Vice team happened at the first opportunity, a sure sign that ROH booker Delirious is aware of how new things need to be done with the duo.

In NXT the team would have an entire roster of fresh opposition. They likely wouldn't get to display the dominance they have in Ring of Honor but I think it's fair to assume they'd be allowed to look immediately competitive with tag champs Blake and Murphy. It's also worth noting that aside from those two and the Enzo-Big Cass team there aren't that many teams kicking around in NXT right now, the Lucha Dragons having been promoted and the Vaudevillains having disappeared. A renamed reDRagon would be a welcome addition.

That they lost the tag straps to The Addiction, a talented pair of guys but men WWE are unlikely to have interest in, could indicate that reDRagon have announced they intend to leave ROH soon. Getting the titles off of them now avoids any sticky booking situations arising later. Of course it could just as easily be a switch made to tell a story and freshen up the doubles scene.

Bullet Club T-Shirt there. It's very much the new nWo shirt.

Another team WWE could show interest in from ROH is the Briscoe brothers. They've got a solid track record of good matches and have worked out their characters. The only stumbling block that presents itself is that Jay Briscoe is still the same man who made comments about shooting people if they tried to teach his son homosexuality was acceptable. Which, y'know, is a problem. ROH is a company that can get away with publically slapping down a guy like that and then getting back to business as usual. WWE isn't. It would be too big a deal (rightly so) for their sponsors. It could be assumed he's learnt the error of his ways but would they want to take that risk when they don't need to? I'm not sure they would.

Jay Briscoe is also a guy I think ROH would put up a fight for. Like reDRagon he's benefited from some strong booking over the last few years. He's not been pinned for around the two year mark and is only the second man ever to enjoy a second reign as the ROH world champion. He's a company stalwart who has, famously, been there since day one. Losing him would create a big gap in their man event scene. It could also send the message that even the most loyal ROH wrestler is willing to leave if they're offered more cash.

But Jay Briscoe isn't the fourth guy I think WWE would definitely be interested in. He and Mark are guys that I could see WWE hiring but not trying their hardest to lure away. The fourth name is Adam Cole. He's got everything  WWE looks for. The look, the wresting ability, the mic skills. There's nothing about Adam Cole WWE wouldn't embrace. He's probably the most signable member of the ROH roster.

The most important thing to note about Cole is that he would be an ideal replacement for Finn Bálor. They don't work especially similar styles but they can both slot into the experienced babyface role well. With a call-up to the main roster looking likely for Bálor a replacement who has as much appeal to live audiences would be desirable. Cole could fill that role nicely. As with Jay Briscoe I could see ROH making a counter offer but it wouldn't be one that WWE couldn't match. If they wanted him they'd get him. And if they're serious with their expansion talk, which we're assuming they are, they'll want him.

There are a handful of other guys WWE could be interested in. At 29 Jay Lethal is still young enough to enter the developmental system and have a meaningful main roster career. The same goes for 23-year-old Adam Page. Despite having lost steam over the last year or so Michael Elgin remains someone who'd make a solid mid-card addition to WWE and he'd look completely at home in NXT. ACH.

#streamers

Samoa Joe, who last wrestled for ROH at Supercard of Honor IX on March 27, doesn't feel like a true ROH guy after only working four matches for them in the last five-plus years, but he's worth mentioning here. Because obviously Joe could be a draw for NXT and do great things with everyone on the roster. With him being conspicuous by his absence from future ROH show line-ups, most notably the New Japan co-promotions, it seems safe to assume he's going to WWE. I wouldn't be surprised if they next quarterly special ended with him confronting NXT champ Kevin Owens.

But none of these guys other than Joe can be said to be the attractions that ACH, reDRagon, Cole and Briscoe are. They're reliable, exciting, in-ring performers who could benefit both WWE and NXT in the long run but they're not the instant fix that is required for NXT's expansion to work before this time next year. If NXT is going to grow and ROH stars are being targeted to help with that, Cole, O'Reilly, Fish, ACH and Joe are the guys I'd expect to get signed.

ROH Best in the World 2014 review

For the last few years Ring of Honor has produced a June show called Best in the World. While no event produced under the name has ever been the best card of the year they have generally been very enjoyable affairs with worthwhile main events and compelling undercards. This show was amongst the best BITW instalments. The main event was a satisfying exchange that paid off over two years of build-up (although that build-up should ideally have paid off last year). It was supported by one of the better undercards of an ROH show this year, and they’ve been doing a pretty good job in that area.

Here’s how things went down.

The opening video was designed to put over the significance and history of ROH, as well as the fact that it produces the world of wrestling's superior names. It included old footage of Punk, Danielson, Joe and the like before switching to current roster members, all of whom said the words "the best", except for last man shown Adam Cole, who got to say "...in the world." It was vaguely embarrassing.

Kevin Kelly welcomed us to the show from ringside. The first shot of the arena in Nashville showed that ROH had pushed the boat out on production. The picture quality was better than both ROH's TV show and the internet broadcasts they'd been doing. The setup featured a big screen which switched between showing the Best in the World logo and match graphics. These things are ultimately kind of pointless but it added to overall look of the thing.

Kelly said he felt the stars were aligned (he actually used that phrase) for Michael Elgin to win the ROH championship. Steve Corino, decked out in a snazzy yellow jacket, disagreed. He felt that Elgin had had enough chances to win the title and was destined to be a perennial runner-up.

After the top bouts had been sufficiently talked it the opener got underway. ACH, Watanabe, Caprice Coleman, BJ Whitmer, Tadarius Thomas and Tommaso Ciampa faced one another in a six man mayhem match, the winner of which would get an ROH television title shot. For those wondering a mayhem match is ROH's way of denoting lucha rules: when someone's thrown out of the ring they are no longer legal and another participant waiting on the apron can take their place in the ring.

Watanabe played heel. He really gave it some wellie and obviously had a watch of some standard US heel tactics on YouTube, but there was something about it that didn't quite work. But then that's why he's spending time in Ring of Honor: to gone his craft. The match saw Caprice do his jumping northern lights, including an impressive double northern lights, ACH pump kick Tadarius over the top rope, and a spot on Project Ciampas to Caprice and ACH (broken up by The Decade). ACH won after a dive onto everyone at ringside and a 450 splash on Thomas back in the ring. Ciampa and ACH shook hands after the match but Ciampa spat in his hand first. Then Corino and Whitmer had a heated row outside the ring, just because.

That was followed by a recap video of the feud between Jay Lethal and Matt Taven. Or, more accurately, Taven and Truth Martini. This included recaps of MTV posing as The Romantic Touch to beat Lethal in a non-title match to earn a championship shot and the fire burning incident at Supercard of Honor VIII. That Taven was competing just a couple of months after that incident is probably one of the most ridiculous instances of no-selling in ROH this year. If you're going to introduce fire into a wrestling storyline it should be done to write someone off TV or explain the need for a mask or other clothing change. I've no idea why the fireball was included as there was clearly no long-term intention to pay it off.

The bout would see Truth handcuffed to a ring post. Because, y'know, he interferes in matches and nobody wanted him to here. Banning him from ringside was apparently not an option. Taven didn't get much a reaction then he entered. Nothing new there. Lethal was met mostly with indifference. He had Seleziya with him in addition to Martini. That was fine with me: I'm a fan of her work. Truth did some tiresome stalling before getting cuffed to the post.

The match was wrestled well and at a brisk pace. They avoided any major missteps, took impressive bumps and ensured their offence was crisp. But despite this the match never really seemed to get going. I think it was hurt by the audience taking a while to get invested. It's disappointing but understandable. I think the problem is that Taven as a good guy is hard to warm to. Beyond his issue with established heel Martini there's no real reason to cheer the guy.

The finish saw Truth pay off the head of security to keep Taven at bay, giving Seleziya the chance to break Truth's cuffs (apparently she tore them apart) and flee with her boss. Taven gave up on chasing them almost immediately, even though he definitely would've caught them with ease and we'd been told he wanted to get his hands on Martini more than regain the title. Instead he went back to the ring and attempted a frog splash on a downed Lethal. He was met with knees and a Lethal Injection for the loss.

Roderick Strong was accompanied to the ring by Adam Page and Tadarius Thomas for his submissions match against Cedric Alexander. If you're new then Strong is a member of The Decade, a group who feel they should be given respect based on their length of time with the company, and he's taken particular issue with Cedric Alexander because he's feels Cedric is disrespectful to the business.

The story of the match was that Strong had the experience advantage and was a far better submission artist than Cedric, who was presented as a high-flyer who's not known for submission proficiency. It was a logical story effectively told, both by the wrestlers and the commentary team.

Cedric tried gaining the win with various holds. He first used a guillotine choke, then a dragon sleeper, then a butterfly lock. None got him the submission but it was noticeable that he was going for more submissions than Strong. In fact Strong didn't go for any throughout the match, and ended up being forced to submit to his own Stronghold, after a back breaker onto the top rope and a lumbar check.

It was the right decision and it had the right finish. Cedric using Strong's own hold to defeat him will allow the rivalry to stay alive as part of Roddy's problem has been Cedric "stealing" moves. As well done as the finish was it was strange that Strong went the entire match without applying a single hold. Had he worked over Cedric's back and gone for the submission a few times Cedric's victory would have seemed like a bigger achievement: he'd have weathered the storm in addition to getting Strong to tap.

After the match Cedric offered a handshake. The fans chanted for Strong to shake but he walked out. The poor sport gimmick continues. The feud pretty much has to end with a handshake at this point.

That was followed by the tag team grudge match pitting the Briscoe brothers against Michael Bennett and Matt Hardy. The pre-match video saw the Briscoes talking about being dangerous men, showed Matt Hardy being awarded the "real" world title and turning it into the Iconic championship, and covered the trio of Hardy, Cole and Bennett forming The Kingdom. An actor called Nick Searcy accompanied Hardy. I've never heard of him before this show and I probably won't after. When it comes to outside guest stars ROH never quite manages to fully impress.

The match went for about five minutes before the heels got disqualified for smacking Jay with the Iconic championship. Jay took a mic and called the decision into question and asked Nigel McGuinness to make things right. Nigel did so, walking out into the arena to announce the match would continue under no DQ rules. Then he joined commentary because why not?

What followed was a brawl featuring chairs, tables, ladders and Maria interference. There was also some amusing pro-Hardy Corino commentary, the highlight of which was "Turner just Hebnered him!" after Jay kicked out after a Twist of Fate. Jay got the win after suplexing Matt off a ladder and through a table, following up with a Jay Driller for good measure. It was a fulfilling brawl. Which is what should be expected of the Briscoes at this point.

Footage of Elgin's mullet being cut off by Cole at a "live event" was shown. Elgin's wife MsChif ran out and begged Cole and Bennett to stop. She got slapped in the devastating figure four for daring to question the mighty ROH champ.

In the aisle Larry Mercer and Mandy Leon were with new ROH signee Moose. Sadly, the Bravado brothers weren't around. I still think ROH made a mistake not keeping them around. Moose cut an awkward babyface promo about wanting to earn his way to the top and not be handed anything based on his NFL accomplishments. He exhibited very little personality. Gabe knew what he was doing when he cast him as a minder. The Moose-centric festivities were interrupted by Veda Scott. She offered him her managerial services, citing the success of RD Evans as a reason to join her. Moose said he'd discuss it later and just wanted to enjoy the show. Veda and Ramone stormed to the back. It could hint at an Evans versus Moose feud but I doubt it. It looks as though they want to use Moose as a face and that won't happen if he's pitted against the über-popular 'Papa Bear'.

Kevin Steen and Silas Young were up after that. Both men got heavy streamer treatment, which was surprising in the case of Young. Steen was as popular as ever. Young showed a great deal of aptitude and skill interacting with the crowd and drawing them into the match. They were always going to react to Steen's offence because he's so popular, but it was a pleasant surprise from 'The Last Real Man'. Steen won after a top rope fisherman suplex and a package piledriver.

After the match ‘Mr Wrestling’ cut a promo about respecting Silas for trying to make a name for himself on the top guy (making a point of saying that he is the top guy) and getting to wrestle him on a big show before his contract expires. He offered a handshake and had it accepted. Steen acknowledged some signs thanking him before Silas gave him a sly chop block. So it looks as though Steen’s final ROH match will take place opposite Silas Young. Based on their match here I think that’ll provide a good way for the most popular ROH star of the last four years to bow out.

The tag team title match was preceded by a Fish Tank skit. Basically it was Fish and O'Reilly sitting in armchairs talking about redefining tag team wrestling (and possibly the laws of physics, that bit was a little unclear) and having things in common with Bad Influence (the metrosexual gimmick, specifically). The returning Daniels got a loud reaction and a predictable "Welcome back!" chant. Plus streamers. Lots and lots of streamers.

reDRagon isolated Kazarian early on, working over his arm with kicks and submission holds. Kaz made a comeback, wiping out the champs and escaping a guillotine choke before tagging in Daniels, who immediately tore through Fish and O’Reilly. ‘The Ring General’ tried a BME but O'Reilly avoided it. ReDRagon took turns charging Daniels in the corner then hit a back breaker and knee drop combo on him. Bad Influence managed to fight back, Kazarian downing Fish with an ace crusher and Daniels again going for the BME. It was Fish’s turn to avoid it, rolling out of the way and catching CD with a Samoan drop. He tried a moonsault of his own but that was also avoided. A pin attempt after Angels Wings was broken by O'Reilly. Daniels missed a sitdown moonsault to the outside and got run into the apron by Fish. Yeah, there were a lot of missed moonsaults in this match.

Back in the ring Kazarian gave O'Reilly a Flux Capacitor but landed on his own elbow, causing him to pause for a few valuable seconds before making the cover. When he did go for it Fish pulled the referee out of the ring. O'Reilly tried a schoolboy with a handful of tights but only got two. Kazarian got tripped by Fish, allowing O’Reilly to knee him in the head and reDRagon to connect with Chasing the Dragon. Kazarian stunned the crowd by kicking out. Undaunted O'Reilly slipped smoothly into an armbar as Fish leapt on Daniels to stop him making the save. Kaz tapped to end a satisfying tag title match.

These are two of the best teams in wrestling and this match demonstrated why. TNA’s stupid decision to release Bad Influence is definitely ROH’s gain. I’m looking forward to more meetings between the teams. Bad Influence interacting with the rest of the roster should be fun too.

The pre-match video for the main event focused on the importance of the ROH championship and Cole and Elgin both being spoken of for years as the future of the promotion. Both spoke about their history and what the title means to them. Elgin said he doesn't want to just be a guy who's wrestled for ROH, he wants to join the list of ROH champions. Cole did a more generic heel bit about being the best in the world. It was a strong verbal performance from the usually limited Elgin.

The early going worked in ringside brawling, featuring an Oklahoma stampede on the entrance ramp. The story was that Elgin was focused and not letting Cole get into his head, ignoring his mind games and powering him around like a boss. Elgin debuted a new move: a stomach blower from a concrete slam position. It's the sort of thing that I can imagine him using frequently. He’s good at slotting his repertoire into interesting sequences.

Cole kneed his way out of Elgin’s stalling suplex and hit a brain buster onto his knee. Elgin came back with a Crippler crossface and then drop kicked Cole as he tried a springboard to the top rope (having escaped the crossface, natch). That led to the deadlift second rope suplex, but he modified it into a falcon arrow. Cole gave Elgin a top rope hurricanrana, a reverse-rana and a Florida Key. All for a delicious two count.

Cole leapt off the second rope and was met with a pump kick from Elgin. The champ struggled back up to his feet and missed a super kick, belting the ref and knocking him out. Elgin did a buckle bomb and an Elgin bomb but there was no one to count. This kicked off a sequence that played on the history of so many Elgin title challenges and Cole title defences featuring outside interference and ref bumps.

Cole’s Kingdom buddies Bennett and Hardy ran in and kicked away at Elgin. He shrugged it off, escaping a Twist of Fate and dropping both interfering heels with the fall away slam-Samoan drop combo. Next he elbowed Cole in the back of the head and then Awesome bombed him on to Bennett and Hardy. Maria slapped Elgin, causing him to chase her around ringside. That led to him getting walloped with the title belt and dropped with a Florida Key.

At that point Hanson and Rowe arrived to even the odd, brawling backstage with Bennett and Hardy. Maria tossed the title belt to Cole and distracted the ref. MsChif ran out and gave her a green mist as Elgin ducked the title shot and blasted Cole with a buckle bomb and an Elgin bomb. Cole stunned the crowd, who had started throwing streamers, so convinced were they that the match was over, by kicking out. The audience chastised themselves with a chant of “We fucked up!”

Cole gave Elgin a drop kick to the knee and then smacked his knee into a ring post. He even applied the Bret Hart hanging figure four for good measure. He went to apply the figure four in the ring but got rolled into a pinning position. That only got two, but Elgin immediately applied a crossface. Cole refused to quit and then Elgin’s knee gave out as he ran towards Cole for a clothesline. Cole capitalised on the situation by giving him a super kick and a Canadian destroyer.

Naturally Elgin kicked out. The champ went for a sunset flip but Elgin powered out and pounded Cole with a trio of power bombs to earn himself the three count, the victory and the championship. The final couple of minutes of the broadcast were given over to Carey Silkin presenting Elgin with the title and Elgin celebrating. Kelly and Corino talked Elgin up as 'The Best in the World' and a worthy champion.

It was a year too late but hey, at least he finally got it.

ROH and New Japan Global Wars review

It was in February at the 12^th Anniversary weekend that Ring of Honor announced they had formed a partnership with New Japan Pro Wrestling. It was big news, obviously. Firstly, it came with confirmation that ROH and New Japan would be co-promoting a pair of shows in May. It’s not every day that New Japan wrestlers appear in North America, especially on the same card as one another. That alone made it a big deal.

Most people were understandably only bothered by the chance to see New Japan talent either live or on an internet pay-per-view with English language commentary (the latter is not currently something NJPW offers). That meant that the importance of the partnership to Ring of Honor was overlooked. Which is understandable but still a pity because it’s a significant thing for ROH.

Less than a year before their February announcement Ring of Honor had been in a partnership with Pro Wrestling NOAH. The gap between NOAH and New Japan is enormous. Over the last several years, through a combination of poor judgement and bad luck, NOAH has fallen from being the jewel in the puro crown to a promotion struggling desperately to stay afloat. For anyone wanting to know more I’d suggest taking a look at articles by Cewshof Cewsh Reviews and Joe of Voices of Wrestling (click the names for the links).

New Japan has rebuilt itself in the same period. New stars have been built and scores of great matches and hot shows have been promoted. In 2014 New Japan is miles ahead of any other wrestling promotion in Japan. They are easily the number two company in the world, and I’m sure there are people that would argue they’re number one.

That such a successful company wants to affiliate itself with Ring of Honor is a compliment and a vote of confidence. New Japan would not want to be associated with a second rate operation as it would only harm their painstakingly rebuilt image (note how they distanced themselves from TNA as it became increasingly evident that TNA had no idea how to succeed). The partnership was a signal that ROH is a company of significance with a good standing in the eyes of its peers.

The first of the co-promoted shows replaced Border Wars and mostly featured matches presented by one of the two promotions. There was an inter-promotional match on offer (Michael Elgin v Takaaki Watanabe) but for the most part the ROH versus New Japan matches were saved for the following weekend’s War of the Worlds event. It struck me as a strange decision at first. There are, after all, enough stars from both companies to put on several ROH v NJPW cards without worrying about repetition. But having seen the show I think it worked well. I suspect it was intended as a primer designed to introduce people with little or no knowledge of either company (though let’s face it I mainly mean New Japan because this came across as an ROH show guest starrign New Japan) to the main players.

The show started, as wrestling shows tend to, with a video recap. This one started out focusing on Kevin Steen, who said he's refocusing on the ROH world championship after a year of being side-tracked with peripheral feuds. Current champ Adam Cole said he'd beat him. That was followed by shots of New Japan wrestlers wrestling matches. No voiceovers or anything with that though. The language barrier wasn't an issue, Kevin Kelly (or whoever) could have been given something to read over it, which makes me wonder why ROH didn’t bother getting him to.

Live in the Ted Reeve Arena the audience were rowdy and Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino were on commentary. Having 'The King of Old School' was a boon for ROH here, his history in Japan allowed him to bring additional knowledge and insight. It lent an air of credibility to the commentary booth. Had Kevin Kelly had to research the background knowledge Corino dropped in throughout the night the play-by-play would have been drier than usual. And I think we can all agree Double K’s commentary is not known for being packed with personality.

ACH v Michael Bennett was the opener. It was a satisfactory match, a good choice to go on first because of the popularity of ACH and the intense dislike most fans have for Bennett. The action centred around Mr Attitude, Charisma, Heart targeting Bennett's knee, which was apparently injured last year but wasn't operated on. It was a way of evening things up between the two men. Bennett won with a Dominator after he'd knocked Todd Sinclair, causing him to crotch ACH on the top rope. 'The Prodigy' continued to sell his knee after the match, although he also slung Maria over his shoulder(necessary because ACH had avoided a Bennett spear and she’d ended up taking it) and carried her backstage. Consistent selling continues to be a problem in Ring of Honor.  

Takaaki Watanabe was the first New Japan wrestler to enter the arena. His opponent was number one contender to the IWGP heavyweight championship, Michael Elgin. Both got good reactions. Elgin's was slightly better because he's Canadian (national pride and all that). They set a faster pace than the opener, impressive when you remember ACH had been involved in that.

Elgin did his stalling suplex spot then booted Watanabe in the face. His corkscrew senton attempt wasn’t as successful, Watanabe rolling out of the way and dropping Elgin with a running neck breaker. Big Michael returned with an enziguri, a code breaker from the second rope, a rolling elbow and a stalling German suplex for a two count. Watanabe avoided the apron suplex but was nailed with a spinning back fist as he leapt from the top rope. A buckle bomb and Elgin bomb did him in.

It was a short match that didn't allow Watanabe to leave much of an impression. The focus was more on giving 'The Unbreakable One' a solid win over a New Japan guy in preparation for his challenge for the IWGP strap. Watanabe is not NJPW's biggest name so it wasn't surprising the match went this way. It was good for its length but not amongst Elgin's best offerings. I can't imagine it was a notable Watanabe outing either.

Match three was the first of two three-way tag team matches. Decade members BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs were accompanied by new young boy Tadarius Thomas. They all got booed. reDRagon got cheered, because they've gradually slotted into the cool heels role (or perhaps it’s because wrestling fans can’t resist tough-guy hipsters). Team three was Jay and Mark Briscoe. They got the most cheers. Because they're massively over. I've never fully understood why.

It was another short, action packed encounter. The Briscoes won after Jay hit a gorilla press into a Death Valley driver on Jacobs, following up with a Doomsday Device. They haven't been teaming much lately so it was a good decision to give them the win. reDRagon didn't need it and The Decade are a middle of the card pairing. The Briscoes going over reminds everyone of why they're so highly regarded. The less they lose the more it means when they do. After the match Bobby Fish complained that Todd Sinclair had had no control in the match. That might lead to some sort of future story. But it probably won't.

The Roderick Strong v Cedric Alexander match was preceded by a video package looking at their feud. They've been given a good story: Strong and his Decade pals feel that young wrestlers, Cedric in particular, need to respect the locker room veterans. Cedric felt he'd been respectful and that he needed to stand up for himself. Part of the reason it's been effective is that the "newcomers must earn respect" mentality seems prevalent in wrestling, and has occasionally been linked in interviews and on commentary to Strong. They've implemented other real life aspects like The Decade questioning whether Cedric's wife and child are proud of him, which wasn't entirely necessary but hasn't hurt anything. Cedric in particular has entered some spirited microphone performances. It's a good example of everyone involved striving to turn something good into something better, a mentality from which everyone benefits.

It was a spirited, storyline driven match. Cedric wanted the win to prove he belongs. Strong wanted the win to prove he doesn't. The fans got behind Cedric and his offensive flurries. Back breakers played a part too: they'd been the original spark for the feud with Roddy, 'The Messiah of the Back Breaker' remember, feeling that Cedric should be respectful and not use "his" moves. That setup various near falls. A particularly good one saw Cedric catch Roddy as he attempted a sick kick, hoisting him up and nailing him with a back breaker. That was seconds before the finish: after kneeing Cedric in the head Strong went for a suplex but got caught with a surprise small package.

After the match Jacobs, Thomas and Whitmer ran to the ring and smacked Cedric about. The most significant moment saw Strong hitting a release suplex through four tables. The feud's clearly not over yet, which is good as there are plenty of matches that can still be booked. A stipulation rematch between Strong and Alexander is almost certainly at the top of the list.

Match four was the first New Japan match of the evening. Forever Hooligans (Alex Koslov and Rocky Romero) and Time Splitters (KUSHIDA and Alex Shelley) challenged the Young Bucks for the IWGP junior heavyweight tag team championship. The three teams have worked against one another a lot in New Japan so I expected slick exchanges and plenty of double team work. And I was right to. The match was easily the best thing on the show until that point, and it had by no means been bad beforehand. What's more it ended up as the match of the night too. The six men put on an incredible performance that elevated the entire card, not to mention the junior tag belts they were scrapping over. The Bucks won an electric encounter with More Bang For Your Buck on Koslov.

The second half opened up with RD Evans (now 104-0) and Ramon walking to the ring. They got a mixed reaction. I didn't appreciate that. Evans is tremendous and deserves standing ovations for being one of the most entertaining acts in Ring of Honor. He reminded us he had wrestling's only current winning streak. After the usual shenanigans (during which Evans dubbed himself 'Papa Bear') The New Streak continued with Evans cleanly defeating mighty ring announcer Bobby Cruise with a schoolboy.

Part two proper kicked off with NJPW Intercontinental champion Shinsuke Nakamura teaming with Jado to take on Jushin Liger and 'Mr Air Guitar' Hiroshi Tanahashi. The IC champ and Tanahashi are among New Japan's three biggest stars (they could arguably be considered its top two) while Jado is half of highly respected junior heavyweight tag team The World Class Tag Team with his partner Gedo (with the two also being the company's bookers, being credited with the resurgence over the last few years). Liger is one of the most accomplished junior heavyweights in wrestling history. Basically there was a lot of star power in the match.

Tanahashi and Nakamura, who have had a spirited rivalry dating back years, started off in the ring and gave an enjoyable, if not overly elaborate, sequence. From there the match delivered what it needed to. Liger delivered his signature light routine spots. Nak and Tana had further energetic exchanges. Jado acted like a heat magnet, a role he was particularly well suited to because he is not as prominent a figure as the match's other figures. The faces took extended beatings before making spirited comebacks. Tanahashi got the popular win when he hit a frog splash (not the High Fly Flow because he didn't do the double) on Jado. It was a good match but it never felt any of the four were striving to do more than was required. Perhaps it was simply that they didn’t want to upstage anyone.

Jay Lethal ,the first ever two time ROH TV champion, followed that, defending his title against Silas Young, Matt Taven and Tommaso Ciampa. The first thing I'd like to note is that Taven, while a good wrestler, is not as popular as he could be. His split from Truth Martini late last year may have been a little premature. Conversely I think ROH made the right decision turning Lethal. The crowd got on him from the moment he entered and they stayed on him throughout the match. Not only that but he's got new opponents to face and a fresh twist to put on his matches with the new dynamic being a heel and having a manager brings.

The match started with some ringside brawling. Highlights there included Ciampa taking a wild back drop into the audience, Young performing a superplex off the guard rail, and MTV performing a beautiful plancha. Once they hit the ring the four started swapping signature moves and stiff shots, as is the ROH way. The near falls racked up quickly. Ciampa hit the Celtic Cross. Taven dazzled with a moonsault from the turnbuckle to the outside. Young walloped various people with lariats.

It was another good match that left us wanting more thanks to a shorter than usual running time. The finish came when Truth wound up in the ring, where he distracted Taven with his punchable face long enough to allow Lethal to perform a Lethal Injection for the win.

The penultimate match saw Gedo team with Kazuchika Okada against 'Machine Gun' Karl Anderson and AJ Styles. Anderson is a longstanding member of Bullet Club, NJPW's lead heel faction, and half of the IWGP tag champions (alongside former Aces and Rights stalwart 'Handsome' Doc Gallows). Gedo is the other half of The World Class Tag Team mentioned above, and also the manager of Okada. Okada is a former two time IWGP heavyweight champion whose second reign had been ended just seven days before Global Wars by Styles. That had been Styles's first bout as a contracted New Japan performer, making winning the strap an even bigger deal. Plus he's the first westerner to hold the title since Brock Lesnar vacated it in the summer of 2006. 'The Phenomenal One' has also taken over as the head of Bullet Club. All of this makes it pretty clear that New Japan consider him a big deal and want their fans to as well.

The champs played heel, a peculiar choice considering his popularity in North America. That Okada was until recently about as close to a top heel as NJPW had further highlighted the peculiarity. Not that the match was bad. It wasn't. It was a satisfying affair, more so than the earlier New Japan tag offering. The decision to have AJ work as the bad guy worked out well, fans booing his and Anderson's cheating and rallying around super worker Okada. Either this match or the main event were the second best match of the night.

Gedo fell to a Pele kick, an Ace crusher and a Styles Clash, all while Okada was held back by Anderson. After the match Elgin showed up and bickered with Styles in the ring. Okada briefly got in on that. A three-way between those guys wouldn't go amiss. Not that that seems likely.

Adam Cole defended the ROH championship against Kevin Steen in the main event. A slugfest kicked proceedings off. Steen got the better of that, naturally. They spilled outside the ring where Steen remained in control, smashing the champ into turnbuckles and guard rails. Eventually Cole managed to take the advantage, super kicking Steen's knee and following up with a kneeDT, smacks into the ring apron and knee-centric submission holds. Cole even busted out Bret Hart's hanging figure four. Considering they were in Canada the use of the move didn't get as much heat as I would have expected. Maybe the fans no longer associate the move with hit man.

Steen gave Cole apron bombs on every side of the ring then rolled him into the ring and hit a Swanton bomb for a close two count. Cole escaped an F5 into a Death Valley neck breaker. Steen avoided a top rope hurricanrana and hit a fisherman buster for a two count which got a loud reaction. The champ avoided a cannonball. His package piledriver attempt didn't work because of his weakened knee, allowing Cole to spin out and apply a figure four leg lock. Steen flipped over to force a break. Moments later he hit a pop up power bomb on Cole and applied a Sharpshooter. It wasn't on for long but it get one of the loudest reactions of the night. That's one move Canadian fans do react for.

Steen nailed a sleeper suplex for two. Bennett showed up to try and aid his pal Cole but was swiftly eliminated by a package piledriver. Cole super kicked the challenger in the back of the head and gave him a Florida Quay for a convincing two. He was once again in the Sharpshooter shortly afterwards, this time getting a break using the ropes. A boot to the head floored Steen, giving Cole time to climb to the top rope. That proved a bad decision: Steen dropped him with El Generico's top rope brainbuster for the false finish of the night.

Cole got a small package for two. Steen went for a package piledriver but Cole rolled off his shoulders and thumped him with a super kick. That got him the three count and kept him the title.

Global Wars can’t be considered anything but a success. I don’t know how many people watched online but it was the fastest ticket sell-out in ROH history. That indicates that there was plenty of interest in the event, which should have resulted in big business on Ustream. In the ring it was a great show. I’ve mentioned that several of the matches were shorter than expected but that ended up a good thing: Ring of Honor matches tend towards the too long over the too short. It was (quite literally) a nice change of pace. The quality of the matches never dipped below good and there were three matches I wouldn’t be surprised to see crop up on many match of 2014 lists come December (the junior heavyweight tag match, Styles and Anderson v Okada and Gedo, and the ROH championship main event). I’m eagerly looking forward to War of the Worlds, and any future collaborations the two leagues care to throw our way.

That Wrestling Podcast Episode 22

That Wrestling Podcast Episode 22 by Dave Hatton on Mixcloud

I’ll start with an apology. Due to circumstances beyond our control there’s some pretty irritating background noise on this episode (more so than usual). The conversation can still be heard, it just requires attention.

JIMMY RAVE!!

The topic? It’s another Mount Rushmore discussion. Last time we discussed a hypothetical Rushmore for World Championship Wrestling, which was fairly straightforward because there aren’t a huge number of names that can realistically be suggested. This time we tackle Ring of Honor. It’s harder because ROH has had a larger number of names pass through that can be strongly associated with them.

This leads us on to a tangent about Jimmy Rave and Prince Nana. I reminisce about the period of time when they were the promotion’s top heel act. ROH has arguably never had a more effective bad guy than ‘The Crown Jewel’.

Also featured is a chat about how wrestlers carry championship belts. It’s niche but we manage to get some damn fine chat out of it. And yes, that was supposed to sound Alan Partridge.

From Sandy Fork to New York

The Briscoes are off, apparently. It's been rumoured many times over the years that the brothers would leave Ring of Honor for WWE. The latest iteration started circulating last weekend when it came to light that neither Jay nor Mark would be appearing on any ROH shows for the foreseeable future.

The situation has become more bizarre as the week's gone on. Various websites have reported that the Briscoes are heading to WWE, while Ring of Honor has maintained that the Briscoes are taking time off to heal, which, frankly, sounds like a load of old cobblers. Wrestlers, particularly those without the wages of WWE Superstars™, are not in the habit of taking time off unless they have absolutely no alternative.

There's also a worrying rumour that the Briscoes contracts have expired. This is very similar to the situation that arose last year: the tag team titles were won by the All Night Express when the company knew that Kenny King was either working without a contract or soon would be. That was a stupid move. Doing the same thing with Jay Briscoe would be worse.

Not only should ROH and their owner SBG have learnt from last year's debacle, they should have also taken the championship off of Briscoe when they had the chance. If they didn't want to switch it to Matt Hardy then they could have had someone else issue an impromptu challenge to Jay for an unadvertised second world title match at the TV tapings.

Maybe Adam Cole should've won this match

 

The truth of all of this seems evasive. I don’t believe Jay would leave ROH without dropping the championship. He and Mark both strike me as men who think enough of Ring of Honor and its style of presentation to do the right thing and put someone over on his way out.

Their absence from future line-ups could truly be due to them being given some time off to rest. Both work most ROH shows and with the next big event not being until August (Manhattan Mayhem V) it's entirely possible they're on holiday as opposed to leaving.

Of course what throws a spanner into the works there is that ROH have announced that there will be an announcement made regarding the status of the title “soon”. It’s teased in said announcement that Michael Elgin could be awarded the title by forfeit as he was due to be the next challenger. I’d by disappointed at the avoidable disruption to the lineage of one of wrestling’s most meaningful titles were anything like that to happen, mostly because it could so easily have been avoided.

That an announcement is imminent means there’s something to announce. I can’t see what else it could be than Jay being relieved of the gold.

Perhaps it’s all a lot of misdirection and ROH know Jay will be at an upcoming show to drop the title in a surprise, unadvertised bout. I’m not going to get my hopes up for that though. Again, the simplest thing to do would have been for him to lose the belt last Sunday.

It's also interesting that not all of the regular sites took note of this story. Some cover ROH more than others but all of them would cover something like a pair of major stars (which the Briscoes are) leaving for WWE. That not every major wrestling website covered the story makes me think it may not be entirely true.

This isn't to say that I don't think WWE would be interested in them. I think the Briscoes would fit with the fed's recent interest in top indy talent. They've been told before that they don't have a marketable WWE look. That's true as far as the standard WWE look is concerned, but it also appears to be less of an issue than it was five years ago. Sami Callihan has been signed to a contract and as good as he seems to be he doesn’t look like a traditional WWE Superstar™ either. He's been signed so the Briscoes certainly have a shot.

If they do wind up in WWE (which I'm not convinced is happening yet, remember) I think they could make a real difference to the product. They've got over a decade of experience working as a team and would work pretty well as good guys on the main roster with a modified version of their current act. They'd probably need to tone down the farmhands bit a little (and, in Jay’s case, avoid the rampant homophobia) because I can't imagine Vince McMahon liking it (or even comprehending it) but otherwise I think they'd be ready. It's the Briscoes, not the Wyatts, that I think would work well as opposition for The Shield.

Of course if they have signed or do sign they'll have their obligatory stay in NXT. Expect 'Dem Boys' to become the doubles champs there very quickly.

If Jay does need to drop the title and returns to do it I think Adam Cole is a strong contender to beat him. He'd work as a heel for ROH's bounty of babyfaces to chase and wouldn't be considered a ridiculous choice of champion as Matt Hardy would have been (although the fact that fans would have hated a Hardy title reign is the main reason I think it would have worked).

Whatever the Briscoes have planned, whatever titles they chase next, and wherever they end up working, I wish both men all the best in their future endeavours. I’ll be less inclined to extend those wishes to ROH if it turns out that they’ve let another champion’s contract expire.

golDRagon

Two weeks ago at ROH's 11^th Anniversary iPPV Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish won the promotion’s world tag team championship. I said at the time that this was a surprising and positive title switch. What I didn't say is that I think reDRagon are the ideal team to head up the tag team division, both short and long term.

I've been calling for Ring of Honor to do something with O'Reilly since last year. When he renounced Davey Richards as his mentor at Best in the World (moments before ‘The Lone Wolf’ had a world title rematch with Kevin Steen) I thought something major was going to follow. I was wrong. O'Reilly spent the majority of the remainder of 2012 wrestling in meaningless matches which were rarely long enough to give him a chance to stand out. This instead of building him up to be one of the company’s leading stars.

As the year came to a close O'Reilly was paired up with Bobby Fish for a tag match opposite the reunited American Wolves at Final Battle. It became clear at the start of 2013 that that hadn't been a throwaway addition to the final ROH show of the year. They would be a regular combo.

There are a few reasons reDRagon are the ideal team to be on top right now. First and foremost they're both very good wrestlers. That's obviously a good attribute to have in any wrestling promotion. It’s particularly useful in Ring of Honor, where work rate is what fans looks for above everything else.

They're a fresh pairing too. The majority of the other teams on the roster have yet to face them in a regular encounter. The return to bringing in non-regulars for select shows will mean even more fresh matches involving reDRagon. The Forever Hooligans, BLKOUT, the Young Bucks and the Super Smash Bros would be my top choices from outside ROH to come in and face the champs. If the recently announced working agreement with Pro Wrestling NOAH is going to be an ongoing thing then that could mean even more great matches for the pair.

A tip for Mr O'Reilly: work on your sneer

There's also the established rivalry with the American Wolves. It took a while but the Kyle and Davey dispute finally paid off. The Wolves versus reDRagon was a hot, well received encounter. The Wolves won, which should guarantee them a future match for the tag belts. More matches of that calibre wouldn’t be a bad thing. There's a lot that could be done in a prolonged reDRagon v Wolves programme. The history between Davey, Eddie and Kyle could generate months of material.

What else is nice about this scenario is that there's not one team who will clearly be the next champions. The American Wolves are certainly favourites but they haven't been set up as the men who will definitely dethrone Fish and O'Reilly. It could just as easily be one of the teams mentioned above, given a shot out of the blue. The Briscoes could add yet another reign to their tally. Or the men I've been saying should be the ROH tag champs for over six months, the C&C Wrestle Factory, could finally reach the top. Even if they don't win I expect Coleman and Alexander to get a title match sometime soon, and to have a noteworthy outing when they do.

The tag team division is just one area of ROH that Delirious has improved since taking control of the booking. It's an area that was particularly drab under Cornette so its improvement stands out more. I hope it keeps getting better.

ROH 11th Anniversary Show review

On Saturday March 2^nd Ring of Honor promoted what I’m convinced was their strongest show in years. The 11^th Anniversary Show did the business on every conceivable level. The only complaints that could be fired at it were either minor or trivial. It was both a celebration of the promotion’s history, pushing young talent to the fore and emphasising the style that made ROH stand out in the first place, and a launching point for future rivalries and storylines.

Maybe we should have paid more attention to this poster

The first match of the night was a six man mayhem match. That’s something that used to be an ROH staple. They were popular with previous booker Gabe Sapolsky because they allowed him to get multiple names onto a card while not overloading on matches. They fell by the wayside when Gabe left due to a ruling from Carey Silkin that cards should feature no more than eighteen wrestlers. Unsurprisingly, putting a third of the card into one match never caught on.

The 11^th Anniversary six man did exactly what it needed to, providing the show with a fast opener that got the fans vocal and excited for the evening. Everyone got a chance to perform a big move but it was ultimately ACH that got the win (pinning Silas Young). That was the right call, ACH was massively over with the Chicago (Ridge) fans. If he’s not used prominently over the next few months there’s something very wrong in ROH.

The showdown between SCUM boys Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs and C&C followed the lightning quick opener. It was an equally lightning quick tag match. Despite its surprisingly meagre runtime a lot was packed into the match. Coleman and Alexander  looked trememndous. Sadly it was the veterans that won.

So much for building for the future.

In fairness it wasn’t a clean win. ‘The King of Old School’ used what Kevin Kelly described as a “hunk of metal” to strike Alexander and then hit a spike piledriver. C&C were at least protected a bit in their loss.

BJ Whitmer got a surprising win (to me anyway) over Charlie Haas in a 90s style garbage match. This was referred to as a street fight, a falls count anywhere match, and a no holds barred match at various points. These kind of simple inconsistencies are bush league and very easy to fix, yet Ring of Honor has been plagued by them for years. It’s not a big deal but it doesn’t really paint the promotion in the right light.

The two men took some insane bumps through tables, chairs and ladders, with BJ kicking out of every big move he was subjected to. Haas kicked out of his fair share but was made to look fallible when the referee stopped the match and awarded it to Whitmer as ‘The Buzzsaw’ rained down knees on Haas’s head. Fans seemed disappointed by this call. I thought it was a realistic finish considering the torture the two men had inflicted on one another.

There was a pre-match video for the American Wolves v Forever Hooligans match that featured Davey Richards talking about his time teaming with Rocky Romero in Japan. They also held the ROH tag titles together, but he didn’t mention that (unless you consider his “No remorse” comment at the end). Any excuse to namedrop New Japan, eh, Davey?

Like something out of the 1980s Alex Koslov insisted on singing the Russian national anthem before the match. The crowd heavily booed this, naturally.

The four men constructed a great match. As with everything else on the show until this point they set a breakneck speed early on and kept it up. There were touches of comedy in the opening minutes between Romero and Richards (rare in a Richards match) but the match became serious and the two teams exchanged stiff shots and a wide variety of double team moves. The Wolves won a great bout with a power bomb and top rope lung-blower combo.

The four shook hands after the bout, with the former No Remorse Corps members hugging to a cheer from the crowd.

Following intermission we had the battle of the former House of Truth members, Roderick Strong and Michael Elgin. My first thought as ‘Unbreakable’ entered was that he needs to drop the fetishwear. Entering in a long leather coat doesn’t do him any favours. It doesn’t fit with his character either.

Elgin picked up the first fall with a buckle bomb within two minutes. The match then spilled to the outside and Strong managed to grab the upper hand with a belly-to-back suplex on the floor and some manly barrier shoving. He eventually evened up the fall count with a backbreaker onto the turnbuckle followed by a suplex into a backbreaker in the ring.

The closing moments didn’t seem to pick up as much as steam as I’d expected. Strong managed to connect with a power bomb, only for Elgin to kick out and come back with an Elgin bomb of his own. Strong kicked out of that and then found himself locked into the Crossface. He tapped to it instantly. No trying to reach the ropes here.

A recap of the Hot Prospect tournament finals, which saw Matt Taven beat Tadarius Thomas with help from Truth Martini’s shoe and then join forces with him, was followed by a nonsensical promo by the HOT boss. Matt Hardy hit the ring and cut a promo which was drowned in boos and negative chants. The fans didn’t care about Hardy’s feelings on the TV championship, they just wanted him to leave the ring.

Matt Taven entered with a slightly altered look which was completely overshadowed by his manager. Truth, not known for being shy and-or retiring, wore a tuxedo jacket and a pair of wrestling trunks with a bow tie on them. There was, as always, a top hat in the mix too.

‘The Sensei of Mattitude’ was on commentary for the match. He spent most of the time putting himself over. That’s part of his character. It doesn’t stop it being detrimental to the product or viewers’ enjoyment. Hardy was obviously scripted to behave in this fashion, but there was no need to bury the two men wrestling. That sort of thing never does anyone any good.

The match was slow but proficient. Cole was on defence for a lot of the run time, getting in occasional flurries which excited the audience. When the challenger was on offence the fans quietened down considerably.

The surprise result saw Taven beat Cole to win the gold.

Irritatingly the post-match scene focused more on Matt Hardy, who had been wittering on about being the man who would challenge Cole at the next day’s TV taping. Cole’s reaction was made out to be less important than Hardy’s, as was the celebration of the new champion. Hardy was the star of the scene, not the new champ or the former champ. It was a stupid move.

The tag team titles were on the line in the penultimate match of the night. It was a blistering display. There were numerous very convincing false finishes from both teams, which kept viewers guessing as to who’d win. The finish saw Mark Japanese arm dragged off of the apron, leaving Jay to eat a Doomsday Device and Chasing the Dragon.

The right team won. The Briscoes have been overexposed for a long time. Putting the belts on the fresher team should liven up the doubles scene. A match between redDRagon and The American Wolves seems likely for Supercard of Honor VII. That should be very good.

 

O'Reilly looks very pleased. Perhaps this was taken just after he was told he and Fish were getting the belts

 

As Kevin Steen made his entrance for the main event Kevin Kelly screeched, “He is the ROH world champion not because he has fans that like him but because he is the best wrestler in the world today.” It felt like a not-very-subtle dig at The Rock. If it was it was a weird move. WWE and Ring of Honor have very different criteria when it comes to selecting their champions.

Steen and Lethal started off slugging away at each other in the centre of the ring before breaking off into a surprisingly fluid wrestling match. The story of the bout was that Lethal had scouted Steen well and was able to avoid all of the champ’s standard moves. Doing so allowed him to remain competitive against the stronger, bulkier ‘Mr Wrestling’.

Steen’s SCUM teammates ran in after a ref bump. They hit their second spike piledriver of the evening on Lethal. It wasn’t enough to keep the challenger down though. Corino went to use a chair on him but Nigel McGuinness ran out and chased him off. ‘The Zombie Princess’ tried to interfere but got an enziguri instead.

Lethal connected with two dragon suplexes. Steen kicked out. The champion smashed the challenger with an elevated power bomb. Lethal kicked out. Steen charged a corner but Lethal dodged him and nailed him with five super kicks, a Lethal Combination, and a Macho Elbow. Steen, again, kicked out.

Locking in a Koji Clutch Lethal tried to win the title via submission. It didn’t work: ‘Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare’ managed to roll to the ropes and force a break. The two clambered to their feet and Lethal looked as though he was planning a move that would take Steen out of the ring. Instead Steen gave Lethal an F5 through the timekeeper’s table.

Despite having his foot grabbed by Jimmy Jacobs, who was still skulking about at ringside, Lethal made it back into the ring before the count of twenty (yeah, it’s a twenty count in ROH). He was immediately met with a package piledriver, which he kicked out of for a very close near fall. Perhaps inspired by Truth Martini, Jacobs offered the services of a loosened shoe (or, y’know, the spike he keeps there) to the champion. That was turned down and Steen told Jacobs to leave ringside, shoving him and getting caught in a rollup by Lethal for another convincing two count.

Lethal then hit yet another super kick on Steen, who retaliated with a lariat. Moments later they were back up and on the turnbuckle. Lethal went for a Macho Elbow but Steen leapt up and blasted his foe with El Generico’s turnbuckle brainbuster. That finally earned him the victory in a tremendous main event.

Post-match Steen took a microphone to make a speech but was interrupted by Rhino. ‘The War Machine’ charged into the ring and Gored Lethal. The Briscoes came to the ring, knocking Steen down before brawling with Jacobs and Rhino. ‘Dem Boys’ were disposed of quickly but were replaced by valiant young bucks C&C. They cleaned house on the heels until Jimmy Rave ran in through the crowd, sporting a natty SCUM shirt, and tossed them out of the ring.

Next out in the ECW-inspired run-in session (which I thoroughly enjoyed, by the way) were BJ Whitmer and Rhett Titus. Within seconds Titus drop kicked his tag partner and tore open his ROH shirt to reveal, you guessed it, a SCUM shirt. Elgin came down and sliced through a few guys before yet another SCUM member debuted, tossing powder into ‘Unbreakable’s eyes.

It was Cliff Compton.

As the SCUM boys gave C&C, the Briscoes, Elgin and Lethal a good kicking Steen stood at the edge of the ring watching. The Wolves and Adam Cole hit the ring but they ended up going down too, Cole being taken down by (sigh) Matt Hardy, who was also decked out in SCUM merch.

Corino returned to the ring, sporting glasses, to announce that ROH was going to die SCUM, you see, is waging war on Ring of Honor, using guys who have been mistreated by its fans over the years. This logic does admittedly make Matt Hardy a perfect fit for the gang. Rave too, considering the amazing levels of heat he used to get.

Steen didn’t speak but seemed less than enthused by the turn of events. An official face turn for him seems very likely.

The 11^th Anniversary Show was a triumph. The show-closing angle, the restocking of SCUM, was executed wonderfully and provided several genuine surprises for fans. Even if that’s overlooked the show has to be considered a success. There wasn’t a single bad match on the show, there were title changes that should freshen the promotion up, and there was a match of the year candidate in the headline slot. What more could have been asked for?

I’m keen to see where the SCUM v ROH angle goes. The decision to bulk up the group of villains to the point where they’re practically a mini roster could indicate that this feud is going to go on for a while. As long as it provides good matches and doesn’t outstay its welcome I’m all for it.

ROH 11th Anniversary Show preview

I remember reading about the first ever Ring of Honor show in Power Slam magazine. I was mainly drawn to it because of the prominent photograph of Eddie Guerrero. I wasn’t especially interested in his opponent, Super Crazy. I wasn’t at all concerned by anybody else on the card. I’d never heard of Bryan Danielson, Christopher Daniels, Spanky or Homicide. I’d only ever come across Low Ki thanks to his work as a WWF enhancement talent on weekend show Metal (remember that?). But I read the article and was intrigued. It sounded like The Era of Honor Begins had been a good show.

Over the following months I followed the story of ROH’s rise and the crowning of their first champion online and in Power Slam. I wanted to see a Ring of Honor show but as far as I was aware video tapes weren’t region free (I’m still not sure on this but I’m still fairly sure they’re not). DVD players hadn’t become widespread enough for me to have one by this point.

By 2004 I had a DVD player. I bought an ROH show on eBay, after making sure that their DVDs were definitely region free (they were and are, so feel free to buy some). I decided what to buy based on a combination of price and who was on the card. I got both Weekend of Thunder show for six quid. The price was the biggest factor. CM Punk wrestling was a secondary one. I’d seen his name mentioned a lot in PS and online and had seen him wrestle at British Uprising 2. I knew him being on each DVD guaranteed me at least two good matches.

It’s been eleven years since ROH started up. That landmark will be celebrated with the imaginatively titled 11^th Anniversary Show on Saturday night. After the reign of (t)error inflicted on the company, and the fans, by Evil Overlord Jim Cornette ROH has become enjoyable again over the last few months, so there’s every chance TEAS will be a good show.

 

Eleven years of men who don't feel comfortable posing for wrestling posters

 

Let’s start at the bottom of the card and work our way up.

The SCUM (I’m still not sure what that’s supposed to stand for) team of Jimmy Jacobs and Steve Corino will take on the C&C Wrestle Factory. These four clashed in the semi-finals of last year’s title tournament. I wanted Coleman and Alexander to win. They lost. I’m hopeful that part of the reason for this bout taking place is to grant C&C the win they deserved to take last year at Death Before Dishonor X. They remain a pair that could be used as the future of ROH.

In another middle-of-the-card outing ‘The Outlaw’ Charlie Haas will clash with BJ Whitmer. I’m not a big Whitmer fan and I’m not especially interested in Haas as a singles wrestler. Without Shelton Benjamin at his side I don’t really think he has a huge amount to offer ROH, although his character has grown on me.

This match is happening because of the well-established troubles between Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team and Whitmer and Rhett Titus. That’s another aspect of the current ROH product I’m not overly keen on. So really there’s not much about Whitmer v Haas that interests me. I’m picking Haas to win, because for some reason he’s used as a formidable singles force.

Former House of Truth pals Roderick Strong and Michael Elgin will wrestle under two-out-of-three falls rules. Truth Martini, who we were told would retire at the end of 2012 but didn’t, is barred from ringside. That should mean we can expect a victory for Elgin, seeing as the reason he fell to Strong at Final Battle was outside interference from Martini.

Usually when a two-out-of-three falls bout is made fans can expect to see the third fall. I don’t think that’s necessarily the case here. Ring of Honor is the sort of company that isn’t afraid to brook convention, and giving ‘Unbreakable’ two straight decisions with Strong getting none would do a lot to rehabilitate him.

And he does need rehabilitating. Elgin was handled incredibly badly by Cornette. He went from being a hot prospect that everyone wanted to see ascend to the top of the card to a generic dude who likes power moves. Not shoving him to the top of the card was a huge mistake. I’m hopeful that Delirious is going to treat him differently and as such I’m expecting a decisive Elgin victory.

Truth Martini may or may not appear during the Strong v Elgin match. Just because he’s banned from ringside doesn’t mean he won’t sneak in. One match he’ll definitely be at ringside for is Adam Cole’s TV championship defence against Matt Taven. Because Martini is now Taven’s manager.

A title change isn’t impossible. It would be a shocking result, which is usually a good thing on a big show like this. Cole’s faced everyone he’s realistically going to as TV champ. A surprise loss of the title would be a great way of launching a Taven push and would free Cole up for a move up the card. Or to NXT.

I’m not going to predict that though. It would be a nice surprise and a way of creating a new star and keeping Martini relevant but I think Cole will have the belt for a bit longer. I’m looking forward to this match. I think it could be very good.

The ROH tag team titles will be defended by the eight time champion Mark and Jay Briscoe. Their opponents will be Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly. The challengers have the team name redDRagon. I missed the reason for this team name, if one was given. Given the emphasis of the DR of dragon I’ll assume it’s somehow related to Davey Richards.
 
This is likely to be one of the better matches of the show. For all they're overexposure 'Dem Boys' are a reliable double act who are at their best when facing opponents the audience reacts strongly to. O'Reilly and Fish fit the bill there.
 
What's a little annoying about this new team is that O'Reilly was only split from a regular team with Adam Cole this time last year. While Cole's gone on to become the TV champ O'Reilly has floundered. His heel turn was rushed and his split from mentor Davey Richards still feels underdeveloped eight months after it happened. O'Reilly's been wasted over the last year.
 
On the bright side he's being used properly now and he and Fish can be just as useful to the tag division as Futureshock would have been had they stayed together. I could see this match going either way. There's no obvious favourite. I'll pick the Briscoes though, mainly because they're the Briscoes and they win a lot. Hopefully O'Reilly and Fish get to win a rematch.
 
The reunited American Wolves will be in a "special attraction" match (a very indy term) against The Forever Hooligans. Firstly I want to state that Forever Hooligans is a pretty cool name for a tag team. Things like that are important. The team is made up of former WWE developmental prospect and NJPW regular Alex Koslov and the former ROH tag team championship partner of Davey Richards, Rocky Romero. Expect a lot to be made of the history between Romero and Richards by the commentary team. To the point where it becomes annoying.
 
This match could be the best of the show. The Wolves have had enough time to get reacquainted with teaming and both men are slick performers. The Hooligans are equally good. A fast match stacked with double team moves and impressive counters is what I'm hoping for.
 
I'm expecting the Wolves to win this match. A third title reign for them seems likely for later in the year. A loss here would only be a setback to that. I don't think it's likely but I’d love Romero and Koslov to become regulars. They'd be a tremendous asset to the promotion.
 
Finally there's the ROH world championship being defended in the main event. Champion Kevin Steen will wrestle Jay Lethal. It's a rematch from last October's Killer Instinct show. There Steen trash-talked Jay Letha’s mother (who was chilling at ringside) to send Lethal over the edge and cause a double DQ. Lethal went nuts and started smashing the set up in a Bret Hart-inspired worked shoot rampage. It was a peculiar direction for the naturally likeable Lethal to be sent in but it did end up with getting Corney written off TV so it wasn't all bad.
 
As a result of Lethal's unstable display Steen managed to get a ruling put in place that stated he'd never have to face Lethal in ROH. But then (shock, horror!) Lethal won the 2012 Survival of the Fittest, the winner of which receives an ROH world title match at a time of their choosing (although they have to have it officially sanctioned in advance, it's not like WWE's Money in the Bank gimmick). Lethal managed to get Steen to agree to give him his one and only title shot at the 11^th Anniversary Show.
 
Yes, it's another "the challenger must win this match" scenario in wrestling! Imaginative, no?
 
'Mr Wrestling' has been as reliable as any precious ROH champ when it comes to entering great matches. This match should be no different. Lethal has been in ROH long enough to be a credible challenger. He's one of the best wrestlers in ROH, and Delirious has smartly edged away from many of the heelish traits Lethal was displaying while Cornette was still running things. Lethal’s trouble is that he's just not believable as an anarchic tough guy, especially one that Kevin Steen, of all people, is supposed to be scared of.
 
As with many other matches on the card I don't think there's a clear winner for the main event. Honestly, I don't want to see Lethal win. He doesn't strike me as world champion material. He's a solid wrestler, but not every solid wrestler should get to be the champ. Wrestling is not the only factor, even in ROH. There are too many holes in Lethal's work (promo skills and playing a decent character being the obvious two umbrella reasons) for him to have an extended ROH title run.

That said I did write an article last month suggesting the exact opposite of this. My reasoning then was that Lethal could work as champion if the plan was for him to drop the title within a couple of months. I stand by that, and if he does win I’ll be hoping for a short reign.
 
I’m beginning to get the feeling that Steen won't be champion for much longer. I think this show, Supercard of Honor VII in April or Best in the World in June are going to see his reign end. I've not ruled out Lethal winning the strap on Saturday. Just because I don't want to see it happen doesn't mean it won't. I'm going to predict a Steen victory but add the caveat that I wouldn't be surprised to see him lose.
 
The 11^th Anniversary Show looks a lot better on paper than last year's card. There are a greater number of appealing matches booked featuring a greater number of marketable talent. If you've got nothing to do on Saturday (more accurately around one in the morning, British time) there are worse ways to spend a tenner than an ROH iPPV. Bear that in mind.
 
Predictions summary:
Kevin Steen to defeat Jay Lethal
The Briscoe Brothers to defeat redDRagon
The American Wolves to defeat The Forever Hooligans

Adam Cole to defeat Matt Taven
Michael Elgin to defeat Roderick Strong
C&C Wrestle Factory to defeat SCUM
Charlie Haas to defeat BJ Whitmer