Slaying reDRagon

Last Saturday's TV taping saw a significant development in Ring of Honor's tag team division. As Matchmaker extraordinaire Nigel McGuinness stood in the ring talking about bringing in outside talent and making the doubles scene truly world class he was interrupted by reigning champions reDRagon.

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?

Best in the World 2013 review

The title of Satursday’s Best in the World presumably didn’t refer to the quality of the internet stream. Yep, ROH had issues in that area again. I've written about ROH's streaming problems so many times that I'm bored of the subject. The sentiment I've expressed before is basically that ROH should have more respect for their fans than to continually offer shoddy streams and that being owned by a broadcasting company should mean these issues are far rarer.

Since Saturday it’s become something of a moot point. Finally admitting defeat, Ring of Honor announced that they are discontinuing their internet pay-per-view offerings. They will instead record their shows and upload them as video on demand content, allowing them to ensure the highest quality possible.

I think this is a move they should have made a while ago. Streaming issues have been plaguing ROH’s internet broadcasts for years, so much so that it had reached the point that a flawless stream was considered newsworthy. The lack of a live atmosphere and the floods of spoilers are a small price to pay for offering a reliable product that fans know won’t let them down.

Anyway…

Best in the World’s opening match saw BJ Whitmer tangle with Mike Bennett. Their match was nothing special. What happened afterwards was more interesting. Maria blamed 'Brutal' Bob for 'The Prodigy's' loss. She didn't really have much of a point: Bob had run into the ring and been immediately thrown out by Whitmer. He had no impact on the match outcome. Bennett lost clean after being hit with an Exploder suplex.

Maria shouted at Bob as she left with Bennett. Bob followed them, bellowing pleas for reason. I assume the group is being split to free 'The Brutal One' up to manage someone else once Bennett leaves for NXT.

The second match was the one I'd looked forward to most: the American Wolves versus Adrenalin RUSH. What I saw of it lived up to my high expectations. Thomas and ACH didn't look at all out of place opposing two former world champions. Richards seemed to be on form, having fun encouraging "Yes!" chants and good naturedly using traditionally heel tactics. Free of the pressures of the main event Davey is a far more enjoyable personality.

The Wolves won. Adrenalin RUSH put up a strong fight though. I'd like to see a rematch on TV at some point. Singles matches wouldn't go amiss either. Richards v ACH could be incredible.

Match three was preceded by footage of recent altercations between Adam Cole and Roderick Strong. The story was that Cole refused a handshake after losing to Strong in San Antonio, which irked Roddy. They shook hands here though, which Kevin Kelly theorised was Adam Cole admitting he was wrong to refuse it to begin with. If only we could block Kev out.

The streaming issue cuts seemed particularly prevalent in this match, so certain transitions were lost on me. What I managed to see was great. Cole and Strong work very well against one another.

Eventually they headed on to the ring apron. Chops (needlessly stiff ones of course) were exchanged, with Cole ultimately giving up on them in favour of a superkick. That sent Strong tumbling off the apron and through a table.

Cole made out as though he was torn on what to do, take the count out win or be the good sportsman and help his opponent. Corino screamed at him from the commentary position, telling him to think of himself and take the victory. Cole's conscience seemed to get the better of him as he slipped out of the ring to help Strong to his feet.

Cole revealed his true nature after a few seconds, pushing Strong down to the floor and getting back into the ring just as the ref reached twenty (yeah, they get a twenty count in ROH, deal with it). He seemed very pleased with himself. I was just pleased the stream had held out long enough for me to make sense of the sequence.

Steve Corino followed Cole to the back. The official heel turn is a step closer.

Yet another chunk of footage went missing after that. The next thing I saw after Corino gushing over Cole (not like that) was Kevin Kelly being joined by RD Evans and Veda Scott. For some reason Kelly said he'd rather have RD with him at ringside so Veda Scott left. If there was a point to her presence it was lost on me.

A man of questionable morals

The final match of the first half was Michael Elgin versus Tommaso Ciampa. The audience was split on who to support and remained so throughout the match. They did react more to 'Unbearable's' delayed suplex than to Ciampa's if that means anything to anyone. But then it's his move, so you'd expect that.

Thankfully the stream held out for the particularly exciting end sequence. Ciampa blasted Elgin with Project Ciampa and was astonished when he kicked out. 'The Sicilian Psychopath' took his foe out to the apron and gave him a Kryptonite Crunch, then took him back into the ring to attempt another Project Ciampa. Elgin reversed into a conventional power bomb and followed up with a buckle bomb. Ciampa managed to kick out and apply a triangle choke.

Elgin hoisted the mohawked one up and dropped him with a powerbomb but it wasn't enough to break the hold. Elgin went for another buckle bomb but 'The Dominant Male' rolled through and scored with a hard knee to the head.

That still wasn't enough to end the bout. Nor was the lariat that Elgin pounded Ciampa with seconds later. It would take three spinning back fists, a rolling elbow to the back of the head, and a final hellacious lariat for Elgin to finally put Ciampa down for the count.

The match, particularly the finishing sequence, was expertly paced. That's becoming one of Elgin's more obvious strengths as a performer. His bigger matches tend to build to frantic exchange of big moves and finishers.

After the match QT Marahall strolled to the ring. What he and the rather natty suit he was wearing got up to will remain a mystery as the video I watched cut out just as he neatly folded up his jacket. When it came back on QT and Evans were stood outside the ring. Presumably he attacked both Ciampa and Elgin. Maybe the two powerhouses will team up to take on the amusingly named Marshall Law? Hey, it's not like ROH prioritise turning Elgin into a star or anything.

The second half opened with a video that showed how the two triple threat matches came about. It was pretty well edited but it didn't do anything that Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness (who commentated the second half) couldn't have done with a sentence or two.

Matt who?

The TV title match was one of the more severe casualties of the streaking troubles. One moment I was watching Taven get introduced to some impressively loud boos, the next I was watching him land on his opponents at ringside to cheers. He followed that up with a Mark Henry impression, shouting "That's what I do!" into the camera. At least the stream managed to catch that!

The middle portion of the match was pretty slick. You'd expect that from MTV though: he's been in a ton of three-ways over the last few months (and I'm not talking about the Hoopla Hotties!). Everyone carried themselves well. It was a lively affair.

What I assume was the ending sequence was bizarre. Scarlet entered the ring to distract Jay Lethal and got her top yanked off for her troubles. As the referee pawed at her (by which I mean gave her a towel) Truth Martini entered the ring, allowing Jimmy Jacobs to spear 'Black Machismo'. Truth begged off from 'The Zombie Princess' until Solicia (the other Hoopla Hottie, whose name is probably spelt incorrectly) got in between them. Jacobs pie faced her out of the way. It was a bit of a dodgy thing to book but he is a heel and fans are smart enough to know it's an act. What came next is far harder to shrug off. Solicia scooped Jacobs up on to her shoulders and then took a full force super kick to the face from Jay Lethal.

Pie facing someone is one thing, booting them in the head is quite another. On top of how uncomfortable it was to see it was also done by a babyface. They're the ones who are supposed to have moral fibre and a sense of honour. Or at least they used to. Apparently in 2013 it's absolutely fine for a good guy to kick a defenceless woman in the head.

What that led to I have no idea. The next thing I saw was Taven celebrating and Jimmy Jacobs angrily pushing his way backstage as Kelly intimated that he'd had the match, and the belt, won.

The technical issues really ruined the flow of the match. I've no idea how it started or how it finished. The middle was good, as was the beginning of the presumed finishing sequence, but it felt very disjointed.

The three-way tag team title match, reDRagon defending against the C&C Wrestle Factiry and SCUM boys Rhett Titus and Cliff Compton, was decent enough. It was never going to be anything special with Compton and Titus involved. The good news is that O'Reilly and Fish defended the titles against Coleman and Alexander in a conventional two-on-two match at Sunday's TV taping. We'll get what I'm sure will be a superior match for free. That's not bad.

Back to Best in the World. reDRagon retained their titles after Fish knocked out Alexander with a kick to the head. It was a believable, if slightly sudden, finish.

The evening's penultimate bout saw Matt Hardy defeat Kevin Steen. Before the match started Corino cut a cheap heat promo and provided an introduction for Matt Hardy. Not to be outdone Steen performed some mic work of his own, requesting that matchmaker Nigel McGuinness add a no disqualification stipulation. McGuinness complied, which allowed 'Mr Wrestling' to once again draw inspiration from the Attitude Era in a wild brawl that went all over ringside and saw various objects, including a crutch, a trash can, and a ladder, incorporated into the madness.

Naturally SCUM intervened. Titus and Jacobs were first out, saving Hardy a trip through a table. Titus got a Package piledriver for his troubles while Jacobs got an apron bomb. Hardy eventually gained the advantage after Compton hit Steen with a chair.

Steen came back with a Codebreaker variant and an F5, which 'The Wrestling Jesus' kicked out of. Hardy hit a low blow and one of the match's many side effects on to the ladder for a two count of his own. Hardy finally secured the win when he gave Steen a Twist of Fate through some chairs.

Corino announced the victory as part of another attempt to convince people he can do the overblown announcer shtick (which he can't). SCUM continued to beat up Steen as referees came to the ring and the bell was rung (because heels always stop beatdowns when bells are rung). Eventually they just wandered off. Nobody made the save. Presumably this was designed to illustrate that Steen is still an unpopular member of the roster.

It was not a good night for Kevin Steen

In what has to be considered one of Ring of Honor's worst ever production choices Papa Briscoe was interviewed before the main event. He said the word family around a dozen times. It was awful. He'd clearly enjoyed a drink or six throughout the course of the evening.

I really wasn't into the Briscoe v Briscoe match. Neither was the crowd. They came alive at certain points but they were quiet for a lot of the exchanges. I think a large part of the problem was the lack of a storyline feud. Matt Hardy would have been a far more sensible choice of challenger, especially when you consider he faced Jay the following evening.

The pair went overboard when it came to the finish. Mark kicked out of a Jay Driller so Jay lariated him and hit a second. That also got two. Jay hit a series of superkicks (during which audience members were shown for some reason) and then hit a third Jay Driller for the win. The audience livened up during points of this bit for the most part they didn't seem to care. Frankly, it was not the greatest of matches.

The following evening's TV tapings saw Jay retain the championship against Hardy. Reading that on Monday morning was a big surprise. If you've read anything I've written about ROH over the last few months you'll be aware that I was convinced Hardy would have the belt by late June in order to setup a future clash with Kevin Steen. Not only is that not happening but it appears the SCUM stable as we knew it is over: the faction lost a stipulation match at the tapings which means they must disband.

So, where next for ROH? In a way the move away from iPPVs will benefit them. They now have a greater degree of freedom when it comes to pacing their stories. Without the need to ensure bigger matches are reserved for pay-per-views any card can now be turned into a "supershow". Obviously venue size and the town the show’s being held in will still need to be taken into consideration to an extent but with every show now potentially becoming a VOD ROH can do more with some of their smaller shows.

Storyline-wise I think a union between Adam Cole and Steve Corino seems like a safe bet. I don't think Matt Hardy's going anywhere either. He nicked Jay's belt at the TV taping, which indicates he's going to get a second shot at the title. If he doesn't win it I think Adam Cole will. I can't imagine (nor do I want to) a world in which Jay Briscoe is the ROH champion until the end of this year.

Best in the World 2013 preview

This Saturday Ring of Honor will present its third annual Best in the World pay-per-view. Over the last two years the event has been used as a mid-year turning point for advancing or starting feuds and storylines, most notably the Eddie Edwards v Davey Richards rivalry in 2011. The previous BITW events have been worthwhile affairs, second only in importance to Final Battle.

This year's show is going to have its work cut out if it's to compete with its predecessors. The Jay Briscoe v Mark Briscoe main event does not, in my eyes, immediately scream "quality". That's not helped by the fact that I'm not the Briscoes biggest fan. Yes, they've been with the company "since day one", but they're a tag team. Tenure does not (or at least it shouldn't) entitle anyone in wrestling to a spot they're not necessarily cut out for. And I don't think the Briscoes, as opponents, are cut out for the main event.

The Briscoes battling for the ROH championship will, in short, be a peculiar sight. Hopefully their match will be kept under the twenty minute mark and they'll be allowed to brawl around ringside. That's the best way to handle the match, letting them play to their strengths.

I expect Jay to win. The champion will defend the title against Matt Hardy at Sunday's TV taping and I expect the belt to change hands there. Having Jay lose to Mark only for Mark to lose to Matt the next night doesn't strike me as something ROH would do. Mark doesn't strike me as a world champion either (but then neither did Jay). I think it'll be Jay entering Sunday's match against Hardy with the belt.

 

Jay Briscoe, centre stage on another poster

 

Speaking of SCUM, the group has been included in Best in the World's other two title matches. This is the result of storyline complaining from Steve Corino about his boys being locked out of title contendership. I was perfectly happy with the original matches that were announced. ROH could have afforded a night light on SCUM.

The tag team title match will see champions reDRagon defend against Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander and SCUM members Cliff Compton and Rhett Titus. The prospect of C&C facing Fish and O'Reilly alone appealed to me far more. I've wanted to see them given a larger role for around a year now and it seemed as though they were finally going to get that here. Perhaps the match will be revisited in the future. I remain hopeful that Coleman and Alexander will get their turn as a top team eventually.

As far as the match goes I think the addition of Titus and Compton will hamper the quality. The original match could have seen some fast and slick exchanges. A triple threat will make that trickier to accomplish.

I'm going with reDRagon to win. They still have plenty left to do as champions. They could lose the titles and then win them back later but what would be the point? The current approach seems to be longer reigns for the secondary titles.

The other match SCUM have been added to is the TV title match. It was originally going to be Matt Taven defending against Jay Lethal. MTV will now defend against Jimmy Jacobs as well. This will be the third iPPV of the last four that sees the television belt defended in a three-way match. Someone should remind the booking team that it's not the X Division championship.

Unlike the tag match I think the inclusion of 'The Zombie Princess' could enhance this match. He's had some highly regarded matches with Lethal this year, which bodes well for some good exchanges in this bout. Taven's not a slouch himself, he'll contribute to the match too. It could be a surprise match of the night.

I'm going to predict a successful defence for Taven, but that's as much wishful thinking as anything else. I like his current status as a slightly unworthy champion who has to rely on Truth Martini and the Hoopla Hotties to win. We could just as easily see Jacobs benefit from SCUM interference to win his first ROH singles title or Lethal become the first multi-time TV champ. Long term it's Taven that needs the title most.

Speaking of the TV title two former holders of it will clash at Best in the World: Roderick Strong and Adam Cole. A few months ago Strong was a heel. Without any particular turning point or change in character he has become a babyface. Cole'a the opposite. He was a happy, smiley good guy into hand-slapping and morals a few months back. Losing the television title to Matt Taven and then failing to defeat Jay Briscoe for the world title has made him bitter. He is now an out and proud bad guy.

There's not a particularly interesting reason for this match to happen, not that that matters. Strong and Cole will tear it up and do their best to have the match of the night. Both men could do with a win because their iPPV records this year aren't the greatest. I think a Cole win would make more sense so that's what I'm going with.

I originally said that Tommaso Ciampa v Michael Elgin would be held off until after this show. Looks like I got that wrong. I think it could be a great match. The story is basically that 'The Sicilian Psychopath' feels he could have made it to Elgin's spot on the card had he not been injured last year. For his part Elgin wants to beat Ciampa to prove he's the more worthy of an ROH title shot (which, for the record, he's already earned).

I'd like to see Ciampa win but I think Elgin will get the nod. He's not had a huge amount to do lately and is closer to being a major star than is Tommaso. Perhaps a loss will be used to tip Ciampa over the edge and make him a heel, although he's had stirring responses since his return so perhaps not.

Perhaps the least interesting match on the card is BJ Whitmer v Mike Bennett. Whitmer is like the Briscoes, respected more for the length of time he's worked for ROH having hard-hitting matches as for the quality of his wrestling. I like Bennett as a character, and it's always nice to see Maria at ringside, but his wrestling style always feels a little out of place in ROH. He has improved since debuting a couple of years ago though. That's a positive.

I'd like to see 'The Prodigy' win this match. There are still rumours floating around that he's heading to NXT. ROH could make use of that by building him up with plenty of wins, making a loss in his final appearance mean more. If that happens then it could be ROH trainee 'Cheeseburger' that gets the honour of a stature enhancing victory over Bennett. He's been moved into a rivalry with Bennett by kissing (or sexually assaulting, call it what you will) Maria so a match between the two seems likely.

All that said I've predicted a lot of heel victories so far (and I'll be predicting another below). I don't think the promotion will present such an unbalanced card so I'm going to predict a win for 'The Buzzsaw' here. Perhaps 'Cheeseburger' will interfere to protect 'The Prodigy' in defeat. I'll be cheering for Bennett.

The second tag match on the card will see the American Wolves face ACH and Tadarius Thomas, who have picked the team name Adrenalin RUSH. As far as actual wrestling goes this is the match I'm most looking forward to. Both teams are fast and I think the intensity of the Wolves will work well with the high flying of the RUSH boys. That Richards and Edwards are very generous when it comes to making their opponents look good wont hurt either. It should be a fantastic match.

A month ago I thought Adrenalin RUSH were being built up for a title match with reDRagon, so I was puzzled when they lost a number one contenders match on TV. That loss now makes sense. It was done to keep them free for this match. Winning here would make them very credible challengers but I don't think it will happen. I think the Wolves will win a tough contest, only barely overcoming the younger team.

Finally there's the storyline main event: a singles match between Kevin Steen and Matt Hardy. As I mentioned above I think Hardy, 'The Jesus Christ of Professional Wrestling', will be winning the ROH world title on Sunday. That creates reasons for him to both lose to and beat Steen.

If Hardy defeats 'Wrestling's Worst Nightmare' and goes on to capture the top prize then there will be a natural story of Steen having to spend six months earning a title shot at Final Battle. The audience would be encouraged to be more supportive of him whenever his title match with Hardy came because he would have been cast in the underdog role by the BITW loss. Beating Steen would also make Hardy even more unpopular than he already is. The win would also allow Hardy access to the cowardly heel tactic of refusing a title match because he's already beaten 'Mr Wrestling'.

Steen beating Hardy on Saturday would give him a legitimate argument for a title match as soon as Hardy's the champ. Hardy could then spend six months avoiding a rematch with Steen, creating more heat, before finally having to face him at Final Battle.

Of the two stories I think the one that would most make sense is the first. I think Matt Hardy will win and that Corino will spend months claiming that Steen's loss means he doesn't deserve to get in the ring ever again with Matt Hardy.

Of course I could be wrong about everything regarding the next six months for ROH. Perhaps Jay Briscoe's reign is going to stretch into 2014. Who knows?

I've really enjoyed the pay-per-view and TV product of Ring of Honor over the last six months. They've got a strong central plot with the SCUM invasion and they've finally expanded the roster and started pushing new talent. I'd love to see Best in the World get the second half of the year off to a good start for the company. I think it will.

Predictions summary:

Jay Briscoe to defeat Mark Briscoe
Matt Hardy to defeat Kevin Steen
reDRagon to retain the tag team championship
Matt Taven to retain the TV championship
American Wolves to defeat Adrenalin RUSH
Adam Cole to defeat Roderick Strong
Michael Elgin to defeat Tommaso Ciampa
BJ Whitmer to defeat Mike Bennett

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

Final Battle: Doomsday preview

It's been a tough year for Ring of Honor. The company has faced backlash from fans over Jim Cornette's maddening approach to booking while lurching from one iPPV blunder to the next and failing to create any new bankable stars.
 
It would be unfair to say all of this is a result of the ROH's new owner, the Sinclair Broadcasting Group, failing to understand what a wrestling audience wants from a wrestling product. A shrunken talent pool and reduced scheduled haven't helped matters. Sinclair aren't blameless though. The parent company is indirectly responsible for many of the roadblocks ROH, and fans, have had to put up with.
 
Things are looking up as 2012 draws to a close. Cornette has been removed from both his on- and off-screen roles, replaced by Nigel McGuinness and Delirious respectively. Hopefully he will be given the creative freedom to get ROH back on course.
 
Final Battle: Doomsday will be a good indication of where the new (or, to be more precise, reinstalled without Cornette) booker will take the product. It typically draws one of the league's largest audiences of the year which makes it the perfect time to introduce new feuds and switch titles. It's perfectly place to work as a reboot show, and I hope Delirious seizes upon that opportunity.
 
A very good looking card has been put together using Ring of Honor's sparse team of regulars and two outsiders (both of whom have worked for the company before). Considering how long it's been since anyone new was introduced to the group that's quite a feat, and a promising sign.
 
The first outsider is former ROH world champion Jerry Lynn. He will face Mike Bennett. 'The Prodigy' had a trio of matches earlier in the year with celebrated technical wrestler Lance Storm. It feels to me like ROH is trying to emulate that here. Not that that's a bad thing. Anything that places more of a spotlight on Bennett, one of the most overlooked acts at the company's disposal, can't be all bad. I'm hoping he and Lynn have a cracking bout.
 
The winner of this one should be Bennett. Lynn has announced he will retire on March 23 next year and ROH have stated this will be his final appearance for them, so return bouts unlikely. 'The Prodigy' has far more to gain from a win than does Lynn so he should be the man getting a tick in the win column.
 
The second outsider is Bobby Fish. He will team with Kyle O'Reilly to tackle the American Wolves. This will be the first time Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards have teamed in over a year and a half. I expect them to get a very positive reaction from the New York fans and for Kyle O'Reilly, who's been booked like a petulant child for months now, to get drowned in boos. I think this match should be one of the show's highlights. The Wolves are my choice because I think they need to play an important role in the tag team division early in 2013.
 
O'Reilly's former Future Shock partner and current television champion Adam Cole will wrestle a non-title match with the luckiest man in wrestling, Matt Hardy. Lucky because he's managed to stay relevant and gain work with major promotions despite being an average worker with no proven money drawing ability.
 
That said I like what's been done with him since he joined ROH. The story is that Hardy believes himself to be better than everyone else in the company based on his WWE stardom, which has led to condescending remarks which have rubbed the roster the wrong way. What is it they say? The best wrestling gimmicks are based on reality?
 
Why Adam Cole has been lumbered with Hardy is anyone's guess. Must've played politics with the wrong people. I'd much rather see him face someone like Johnny Gargano, TJ Perkins or Sammi Callahan if outside talent are being brought in. With Cole involved it should be an above average match, but the youngster deserves better.
 
The victory should go to Cole but I've a feeling Hardy will win to set up a title match. That will be won be Cole.
 
Former TV champ Jay Lethal will face Rhino. I'm not entirely sure why this match is happening. It feels like an excuse to get Lethal onto the card.
 
The dissolution of the House of Truth makes me think 'The Man Beast' could be off the roster fairly soon, and Lethal's recent turn to the wild side would provide the perfect way of writing him out of the company. Perhaps the former 'Black Machismo' (he really needs a new moniker for me to use) could wrestle so ferociously that he ends up getting disqualified, leading to a post-match beating of Rhino. Alternatively he could lose and assault his foe in frustration. Or he could lose on a rollup and go nuts. Whichever was chosen Lethal would be presented as a wildman and Rhino would be gone.
 
This assumes ROH is getting rid of the final ECW champion, of course. It also assumes Lethal will remain a heel. And it would require a fair amount of suspension of disbelief to accept Lethal destroying a man as stocky as Rhino. None of this seems far fetched but its still a bit of stretch to see all of that come together.
 
I'll predict a win for Jay as he's more likely to feature in the world title scene than Rhino next year. Don't expect a pretty bout though.
 
The feud between Rhett Titus and Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team started well over six months ago when Titus was still teaming with Kenny King as the All Night Express. When King left for TNA he was replaced by BJ Whitmer. The new team have not excited audiences as ANX did and as such it's harder to care about their confrontations with the former WWE superstars.
 
It feels like the rivalry has been rumbling on forever. I hope Final Battle is the last encounter between the teams for a while. All four men would benefit from something fresh. With that in mind I'm going to predict a win for the babyfaces. They need a boost more than Wrestling's Greatest.
 
The last tag team match to preview is the three-way pitting champions SCUM against the brothers Briscoe and the C&C Wrestle Factory. I'm not a fan of this match. Mark and Jay have become overexposed thanks to the profound lack of new teams, meaning they've already had several shots at the doubles gold already. Meanwhile the title reign of Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs feels like a waste. They became the champions in a tournament that should have been used to introduce and showcase new units but instead just gave us stuck safely to the tried and tested names and approach. Coleman and Alexander should have made it to the finals and won the belts. That they didn't was a massive disappointment. I'm hopeful that that wrong will be righted on Sunday and we'll finally get some champions that can make the ROH tag scene interesting again.
 
Prince Nana and RD Evans' disagreement will come to a head in a scuffle (you can't call it a match). The dispute, for those who don't know, centres on Evans nabbing all of Nana's dosh and taking control of The Embassy for himself. The fiend!
 
It will almost certainly be a comedy affair. Nana is capable of wrestling a normal match (or he used to be) and Evans is an active wrestler in other promotions (most notably as The Mysterious And Handsome Stranger in CHIKARA) but the characters they play in ROH are not the sort to wrestle a competent bout. I'll be interested to see Nana playing face and who he brings to ringside to combat QT Marshall. My top picks are Jimmy Rave and Tommaso Ciampa (The Outcast Killers seem unlikely). It’s a perfect point to bolster the ranks of The Embassy or start a new heel stable. Evans to win via shenanigans.
 
The match pitting Roderick Strong against 'Unbreakable' Michael Elgin feels very late arriving. The two have been rivals for most of the year but due to both being members of the House of Truth a match between them has never materialised. The trouble with stories like this is that they can only be stretched out so far before they become boring and-or counterproductive. Strong and Elgin should have faced one another months ago and then had a proper feud.
 
I'm expecting a lot from this one now that it's here. Strong is one of the most reliable men in ROH and Elgin is (or was) one of its best hopes for a future star and capable of phenomenal showings if given the chance. This is easily a match of the night contender.
 
Had this contest happened while both were members of the House of Truth and Truth Martini had been at ringside I would have probably selected Strong to get a tainted victory. As that's no longer the situation I'm instead hoping for a clean victory for 'Unbreakable'. If Ring of Honor is to have a good 2013 it needs to elevate Elgin. That will be tough to do if he loses to Strong on the final big show of 2012.
 
Finally there's the ladder war between former friends, teammates and tag champions Kevin Steen and El Generico. I wrote an article on Monday in which I said that Final Battle would be the ideal time for a title change and that 'The Generic Luchador' would make a good replacement for Steen at the top. That can be read here. Basically I think Generico is sufficiently different from the men pushed by other companies to be an ideal top star for ROH. He would allow the promotion to present itself as alternative, which used to be one of its strengths.

As posters go I find this uninspiring

 
Just because I think it would be a good idea doesn't mean I think it will happen. Generico has a more varied schedule than 'Mr Wrestling', working for a wider variety of promotions. This places limits on him appearing for ROH which I expect they'll be willing to work around but will preclude the masked man from getting the championship. ROH will want their champion available for every show and I don't think they'll get that with Generico.
 
The ladder war would be an ideal way of introducing a new star to the roster, or reintroducing someone from the past. If a newcomer interfered, helping either man, then a new programme would be created that could be featured on shows early next year.
 
Ring of Honor doesn't have an easy job attracting buys for this show up against the might of WWE and the TLV pay-per-view but I think anybody that does tune in will be rewarded. Final Battle is always a satisfying event that features genuine surprises and the best performances. This year's instalment should also give us an indication of the direction Delirious's booking will take. It's worth a look for that alone.
 
Predictions summary:
Kevin Steen to defeat El Generico
American Wolves to defeat Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly
C&C Wrestle Factory to defeat SCUM and the Briscoe Brothers
Matt Hardy to defeat Adam Cole
Michael Elgin to defeat Roderick Strong
Mike Bennett to defeat Jerry Lynn
Jay Lethal to defeat Rhino
Rhett Titus and BJ Whitmer to defeat Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team
RD Evans to defeat Prince Nana

Dem Boys From Sandy Fork

Mark and Jay Briscoe are one of the few examples of men that have been consistently pushed by Ring of Honor over the last two years. Kevin Steen has been absent from the company for large chunks of time. Eddie Edwards and Roderick Strong have drifted up and down the card. Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly and Michael Elgin have not been elevated as aggressively and effectively as they should have been.
 
All the time this has been going on the Briscoe brothers have enjoyed a featured spot. At one point they were being presented as good guys but were getting heavily booed on any ROH show they appeared on. The decision was made to turn them, but fans then decided that they enjoyed the new characters the brothers exhibited (thanks in part to some captivating promos from Jay). They were switched again, only this time they kept aspects of their heel personas.
 
This could be taken as a booking team doing a good job: an act was unpopular and steps were taken to rectify the situation. I think it's more a case of a booking team getting something wrong. The fans were sending the company a clear message when they booed the Briscoes. That message was that people were tired of 'Dem Boys' being so heavily featured. It was ignored.
 
Mark and Jay have been with Ring of Honor since day one (which they are happy to point out). They have faced every notable double act that has passed through the company. That includes everyone on the current (and incredibly thin) roster. They are one of the most heavily pushed and protected acts, routinely beating other tandems that deserve to rise up the ranks and being awarded title matches on TV and iPPV that others deserve.

Since day one...

Final Battle is a perfect example of this. ‘Dem Boys’ will challenge SCUM for the tag team titles along with the C&C Wrestle Factory. There’s nothing wrong with a three-way tag title match but did it really need to involve the Briscoes? Coleman and Alexander should be the only challengers, they shouldn’t be sharing the spotlight.
 
With the Briscoes incapable of having any fresh matches without new or outside talent being brought in wouldn't it be a good idea to give the pair a break? The money spent on them could be used on another duo, such as BLKOUT or the Young Bucks, who could provide the company and its fans with some fresh content. New matches always need to be a priority for any promotion.
 
At the very least the Briscoes could be excused from TV and iPPV for a while. That would stop the problem of their overexposure and ROH's reliance on repeated matches but still allow them to be used at house shows. They'd still be drawing fans but wouldn't be clogging up precious minutes of air time.

20 Ideas to Improve ROH

Ring of Honor has been in something of a slump for a while now. The creative direction seems stagnant, the same old faces are in the same old spots, new names are struggling to get the exposure they need, and the company seems reluctant to try anything new. If things are to be improved something has to change.

ROH operates on a very tight budget and as such its options for making alterations are limited. It cannot simply hire a big name or increase the number of shows it runs. The strict finances mean that even tweaks to the formula that cost nothing are heavily scrutinized in case they do more harm than good and place the company into a worse financial situation.

I’ve never run a wrestling company (obviously) but I’ve watched the sport for long enough to have an idea of what audiences want to see. Below I’ve come up with a list of twenty ideas (the clue is in the name of the article) that I believe could help Ring of Honor get itself back on track. They either cost a relatively small amount of money or none at all.

Because I’ve tried to remain realistic and bear costs in mind I have not mentioned production values on TV and iPPV. That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be a priority though. If ROH wants to be taken seriously it needs to sort out the production blunders and present clear, crisp shows. They’re owned by a TV company. There’s no excuse for errors.

I believe all my suggestions are realistic. I’ve not recommended they enter a bidding war with WWE over John Cena, for example. Everything fits with the established direction and style of the promotion and the majority could be put into motion immediately.

So, in no particular order…

1. Change the bookers
 
Completely remove Cornette from the booking process and let Hunter Johnston work alone. The company needs a fresh direction and it can't be said that Delirious has definitely had a chance at establishing his own ideas. He deserves the chance to succeed or fail on his own merits.
 
If after an agreed upon amount of time (six months strikes me as fairly reasonable) there has not been sufficient change in the company's direction or profits (again criteria would need to be agreed upon beforehand) then a new booker should be found. This new showrunner should ideally be somebody already working in ROH. Steve Corino is an obvious candidate but is a short term solution: Ring of Honor needs someone who could bring a fresh approach to the product.
 
2. Approach Paul Heyman

Heyman would be the ideal man to replace his old rival Jim Cornette as a booker for the company. He understands the need to help the wrestling business progress to stay relevant and compete with new rivals such as UFC. His approach to and knowledge regarding character development, storylines and gimmicks would benefit every performer on the ROH roster and the company itself.

Convincing Heyman to come on board as a full-time booker is unlikely (and likely impossible due to his current deal with WWE). The next best option would be to get him to agree to become a consultant. Perhaps he could attend TV tapings and iPPVs to work with talent and current booker Delirious. The worst that could happen if he were approached is that he’d say no.

For more on this idea read here.
 
3. Get rid of Kevin Kelly
 
This suggestion sticks firmly with the theme of the first two. While I've nothing against Kevin Kelly he is not the finest play-by-play man in all the land. I'd like to see Jim Cornette replace him in the role. It would mean ROH loses none of Corny’s experience and gets a better commentator while getting rid of his 80s-style booking philosophies.
 
4. Improve the quality of house shows

This again ties into the booking of the company. When ROH was founded in 2002 the idea was that the company would break even when promoting a show and make their money on DVD sales. It was a business model that met with mixed success in practice but provided wrestling fans with some classic cards.

Since being purchased by SBG Ring of Honor has been reformatted into a company built around its television show. Ensuring that each card now has unmissable matches on it to attract as many DVD purchases as possible is no longer a priority. The company now saves its biggest matches for internet pay-per-views and television. The lack of roster depth has only made the problem of house show quality worse.

While I appreciate that ROH cannot be run under the DVD model anymore I still think there’s an argument for presenting more intriguing cards at house shows. Not only would doing so encourage stronger DVD sales it would also help Ring of Honor become established in new markets and regain its ‘King of the Indies’ crown.

Improving quality doesn’t necessarily mean guaranteeing every big name is at every house show. If booked with thought then enjoyable cards could be booked with two headline stars. Pitting each headliner against a mid-carder helps to spread the star power across the card and creates fresh or rarely seen bouts. Or two main eventers could each team with a mid-card grappler for an interesting main event.
 
5. Rework Mike Bennett's gimmick to be a WWE wannabe

‘The Prodigy’ was first introduced as a wrestler who wanted to use ROH as a stepping stone to a career in Hollywood. The gimmick has always felt like it’s designed to actually refer to Bennett pursuing a career as a sports entertainer in WWE. That’s never been stated though. I think it should be.

The heat Bennett would receive if he insinuated that he wanted to go and “sports entertain” elsewhere would be great. Ring of Honor attracts very loyal fans, and even the most popular wrestler can find themselves hearing jeers when it’s revealed they are heading to one of North America’s other wrestling companies.

 

Ties make anyone look like a Superstar™

 

There would be lots of options for subtly presenting Bennett as a sports entertainer rather than a wrestler in order to help the gimmick get over. He could start off the TV show with an in-ring promo, be given a new T-shirt designed to emulate the ones worn by WWE grapplers, and wrestle an exaggerated version of his already sports entertainment-esque ring style.

Bennett has the “WWE look” and even wears gear that looks like that of a WWE Superstar™. It would be a natural and believable development for the character and would help to set him apart from the various other heels that have worked for the company over the years.

6. Bring in big name outside talent for the larger iPPVs

As the promotion prides itself on not stockpiling WWE and TNA castoffs this suggestion would require a bit of thought. Fans would probably not take kindly to someone like Batista being brought in for a show. There are names available that the company could consider hiring for iPPV events though.

One name that springs to mind is Ric Flair. It’s almost guaranteed that ‘The Nature Boy’ will wind up back in WWE at some point in the future, but because of a legal battle with TNA it’s not likely to be soon. He may be past his best but I believe Flair could still work an enjoyable brawl with someone like Kevin Steen if he were allowed to blade and use weapons.

Such a match could attract a decent audience, both online and in the arena. Seeing a man of Flair’s status would ensure a feisty crowd, and it would give Steen’s title reign a boost. How many other ROH world champions can say they’ve defended the belt against Ric Flair?

The company could also consider bringing in more Japanese stars. This worked well for them several years ago. It creates matches that can help shift tickets and DVDs. That’s what ROH needs to be doing.

Which brings me to…
 
7. Establish a working relationship with a Japanese promotion

Establishing a formal working relationship with a company like NOAH or NJPW would allow ROH to send its performers over to Japan, where they could work with a wider variety of opponents and progress as performers. Such an agreement could also be used to help ROH promote another tour of the country, something which would again help their DVD market and allow them to look like a bigger outfit.

A working agreement would also allow Ring of Honor access (in theory at least) to some of the top workers in Japan. Promoting matches between US and Japanese stars has worked very well for ROH before and I see no reason it wouldn’t now. Flying in a headliner for an iPPV could help attract a few more buys.

 
8. Film the TV show somewhere other than Baltimore

The reasons for doing this should be obvious. The Baltimore crowd, while far from bad, is not the hottest wrestling audience you could find. What’s more the city is not known as wrestling hotbed. One of the things ROH did right with its HDNet show was record it regularly in Philadelphia, a city known for its wrestling action and having good crowds. Recording the show there helped ROH portray itself as a serious wrestling company. Filming in Baltimore comes across as a cost-cutting measure. That’s not a good message to send out.

Taking the show to other locations would help to convince fans in different towns that they’re going to see something worthwhile and would make ROH look like a national company. It’s already being done with the iPPV schedule. I think the next step is to do it with TV tapings too.

9. Release BJ Whitmer, Jimmy Jacobs, the Guardians of Truth and Homicide

Homicide has been coming and going from the roster since September 2010. It’s clear from this sporadic run and his current lack of a meaningful storyline that the booking team doesn’t know what to do with him. Either a plan needs to be devised for using him or he needs to be shown the door. He may be a big name form the company’s past but he can only help to attract the fans of yesteryear if he’s given something meaningful to do.

The same could pretty much be said for Jimmy Jacobs and BJ Whitmer. ‘The Zombie Princess’ at least has his affiliation with Kevin Steen to keep him vaguely relevant but I have no idea why Whitmer is on the roster. The money going to these two would be better spent on two or three young guys keen to make names for themselves.

The only positive thing I can think to say regarding the Guardians of Truth is that they bulk up the numbers of the House of Truth. That’s a good thing but, again, the money going to them would be better spent on some young guys plucked from indy obscurity for a shot at making names for themselves and bringing something new to ROH.
 
10. Establish Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly and Michael Elgin as headline acts

The current main event stars at the company’s disposal are Kevin Steen, Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, and, at a push, Roderick Strong. That’s a worryingly low number and one that severely limits the company’s booking.

The smart thing to do would be to establish Cole, O’Reilly and Elgin as main event draws as soon as possible. The aim should be to have them ready to headline cards in six months’ time. The easiest way to do that is to put them into feuds against the current crop of headliners.

A programme between Elgin and Strong has been teased for months. Booked correctly it would be a good way of turning ‘Unbreakable’ into a breakout babyface. Perhaps Strong could cost Elgin the world title at Glory By Honor XI, setting up a match between the two at Final Battle. Elgin could win that, plus a rematch or two, and then come back to challenge for and win the world championship at the Eleventh Anniversary Show next year.

 

This guy needs to be readied for the top of the card

 

Cole would make a good underdog opponent for Kevin Steen, and could also continue his respectful rivalry with Davey Richards. Allowing him to pin either man (or both) would help him gain acceptance as a credible act, as would giving him a lengthy reign as TV champ.

O’Reilly has a natural programme waiting for him with Davey Richards and I imagine that’s the way the company is going to go. I also think he’d be well served by a feud with Eddie Edwards. They could produce some high quality matches and a win over a Triple Crown winner would give O’Reilly a boost up the ranks.

How it’s done isn’t really the issue here. That it gets done as soon as possible is key.

11. Use TJP and the Young Bucks on as many shows as possible

That TJ Perkins and the Young Bucks were “given the summer” off was ludicrous. It was either done to cut costs or because the booking team had no idea what to do with them. Neither reason is good enough.

If it was a cost cutting measure then there are other names who could have been lost first. The men I mentioned under point nine all should have gone first (or not been brought back at all) and the Briscoes would have benefitted from a break. If it was a case of Cornette and Delirious not knowing what to do with them then that’s just another reason the company needs a shake-up in the creative area.

These guys should be the core of the company’s mid-card. They are the guys who should be prepared for a push into the main event once O’Reilly, Cole and Elgin are established. A wrestling promotion can never have too many popular acts. These three men have gained popularity despite misuse (and I’m not just talking about ROH, the Bucks got treated poorly in TNA too). They are exactly the sort of wrestlers ROH needs to remain credible and popular.
 
12. Approach Low Ki, Paul London and Brian 'Spanky' Kendrick about returning

Those three men were partially responsible for the promotion’s early success. Their eagerness to put on the best match possible helped ROH gain a reputation for excellence and being great value for money. Any or all of them returning would help to create a buzz and help to create a feeling that the promotion is getting itself back on track. It would create some much-needed fresh matches too.

Any of them could be immediately slotted into a main event position. They could work exciting matches with the current top line crew of Richards, Edwards, Strong, and Steen and help with the elevation of O’Reilly, Cole, and Elgin. London and Kendrick could even be put together as a team to spice up the doubles division.

13. Put dark match try out matches onto the ROH website

Unaired try out matches are a regular part of any wrestling company with a television deal in 2012. They’re designed to allow the booking team and company management to evaluate wrestlers for addition to the roster.

If these matches were put online it would allow the fans to voice an opinion on the prospective talent. It’s true this would open the company and the talent up to some negative comments but properly monitored that shouldn’t be too much of an issue. What’s more important is that it could reveal someone who is unexpectedly popular.

A wrestler that decision-makers may have otherwise decided they aren’t interested in could prove unexpectedly popular with fans. If that were to happen then it would be a strong indication that the competitor would be worth using more.
 
14. Make good use of Davey Richards during his final year in wrestling

Richards is rumoured to want to be out of the wrestling business by this time next year. I expect this will be his announcement when he makes his first appearance since June at Death Before Dishonor X. While he’s not my favourite ROH wrestler I appreciate how important he is to the company and what a difficult task replacing him will be.

If Richards is to leave then his last year needs to be a creative and commercial success for the company. He needs to be used at every iPPV against as many big names as possible as this will give the company a back catalogue of desirable bouts that they can flog on DVD for years to come. His TV and house show appearance should feature him in competitive battles with rising talent like TJP, Cole, the Bucks, C&C and O’Reilly.

I wouldn’t advise he begin putting over everyone he faces. Richards should be kept strong for his final year so that he remains a draw and fans still care about him when his final outing rolls around. Any losses he takes should be for a reason and for someone who will form a part of the headline crew in the future.

‘The American Wolf’s’ last match needs to be meaningful. One final outing against whoever holds the world title would be poignant, as would a match with Eddie Edwards. Personally I’d build up to a clash between Richards and O’Reilly, with the match being used as a way for Richards to pass the torch to the man most likely to keep his style alive in ROH and to turn O’Reilly babyface. 
 
15. Reform the American Wolves

Part of Davey Richards’ final year in wrestling should be the reformation of the American Wolves. The falling out of Richards and Edwards was a key storyline for the company last year but neither man went heel on the other so the door is open for a gradual storyline which sees the two men regain each other’s respect.

Part of what would make this work is that Richards can no longer challenge Kevin Steen for the ROH world title. Richards could suggest the two reform their tandem and challenge for the ROH world tag team titles, stating that he wants to hold the belts one final time before retiring. It would make for a different sort of story and one that fans would likely be keen on.

Reforming the American Wolves would also widen the number of wrestlers Richards could help to elevate during his final year. A clash between the Young Buck and the American Wolves would be great and could help to make the brothers stand out as the future flag bearers of the company’s doubles division if they won.

All of which brings me neatly to…

16. Emphasise tag team wrestling

Neither WWE nor TNA, the closest thing Ring of Honor has to competitors, give wrestling fans enjoyable tag team wrestling. It used to be something ROH did very well but it seems to have tailed off over the last year.

The departure of the Kings of Wrestling and Kenny King hurt the promotion’s doubles division but little has been done to resurrect it. I’m a fan of Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team, but they have been pushed far too strongly, to the point where it has damaged other units. The Briscoes have become overexposed thanks their long run with the league. They could do with a year of so that they can come back feeling like a fresh act.

Promising teams have been overlooked. The Young Bucks were excused from service for the summer and the C&C Wrestle Factory have been given little to do since becoming regulars on the roster. The focus is too strongly on veterans and that needs to change.

The reformation of the American Wolves would inject a popular act into the division and create fresh matches. Bringing the Bucks and the Bravado Brothers back full time would be a step in the right direction and pushing Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander would be good sense too. The Bucks and C&C look like the future of the division to me right now.

17. Put the tag team titles on the C&C Wrestle Factory

Another point that flows neatly from the previous one.

The recent tag team title tournament (necessitated by the departure of Kenny King) was the perfect opportunity for ROH to relaunch the tag ranks. It was promising to see C&C, the Young Bucks, the Bravados and the debuting unit of BLK OUT put into title contention.

Unfortunately ROH got things spectacularly wrong. Instead of using the tourney as a way of giving underutilised acts a chance to shine the decision was made to have Rhett Titus and Charlie Haas, the Briscoes, and Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs advance. Of the four acts that deserved the chance to shine only Coleman and Alexander progressed beyond the opening round.

 

If it were up to me these guys would be the next ROH tag team champions

 

ROH can still use the tournament as a way of reinvigorating its tag team scene. C&C could and should be booked to capture the tag gold in the tournament finals at DBDX. Having them as the company’s lead duo would allow the underutilised teams of the Bucks and Bravados to be used as challengers. BLK OUT could be brought back to the company as regulars and a clash between C&C and the American Wolves could be built up as a big clash over a course of months.

We don’t need an eighth Briscoes title reign. We don’t need a continuation of the Titus versus WGTT feud. We don’t need Corino and Jacobs winning the belt and doing an “all the belts in one stable” gimmick. We need young talent being given a chance to portray ROH as a company that’s not all about veterans.
 
18. Make Final Battle and the Eleventh Anniversary Show memorable cards

Obviously all pay-per-view cards should be memorable but with ROH’s recent slump it’s even more pressing that they start getting their big events right. Realistically I think it’s too much to ask for Death Before Dishonor and Glory by Honor to be action packed cards. The booking team needs time to turn things around and prepare some intriguing matches that will draw money. Being three months away Final Battle seems a realistic target.

It should be a show that casual viewers feel they cannot miss. Big matches should be presented and title changes should be planned. The fanbase needs to be convinced that the company is heading in the right direction again and still capable of producing an excellent card from start to finish.

If the lacklustre approach to supershows continues I don’t believe ROH will have a long future ahead of it. Changes need to be made while the promotion still has a reasonably sized regular audience.
 
19. Concentrate on the UK

I’ve mentioned this before. ROH has run very successful shows in Britain on several occasions. The country has a very healthy number of wrestling fans who would attend live events and watch the TV show. Getting a British television deal should be a priority as it could be used as a promotional tool for an annual tour.

The argument against this is the cost. It requires a lot of money to fly a roster from the US to the UK. The answer is to offer ROH talent to British promoters in exchange for them paying part of the air fare. It’s also worth noting that not everyone needs to be flown over. I believe ROH could present an authentic and entertaining card with nine or ten regulars along with eight or nine British workers.

TNA routinely promotes its biggest shows of the year in Britain. That’s not a fluke: fans in this country are very passionate and keen to support their favourite companies. I’m not suggesting that ROH could sell out the Wembley Arena but they could certainly manage two or three sell outs in venues holding a thousand or so fans.

 

Read more on this idea here and here.

20. Encourage every member of the roster to attempt to steal the show

This is perhaps the simplest way of improving the product. It’s the approach that made ROH stand out in the first place. Neither TNA nor WWE do it. By encouraging every wrestler to try and have the best match possible the company would regain its reputation for excellence and have a greater number of satisfied fans leaving events. Those satisfied fans would be more inclined to suggest attending shows and buying DVDs to friends, helping to bring in more money.

The approach was also originally used to gauge a wrestler’s popularity. If someone went out and stole the show on a regular basis they would get themselves over, thus earning a push and becoming a bigger star for the company.

It’s basic and it works. Encouraging guys to have the best match they can is the best way for ROH to mean more in the eyes of fans.

Closing statement

Realistically the company could not do everything on this list. It could do some though. I believe it should. As I stated at the beginning of this article the company has become directionless and its creativity has declined. There are no truly exciting feuds or characters and the rising talent are not being given the opportunity to establish themselves and give fans a reason to see ROH as a promotion that focuses on young talent.

I did not write this simply to lambast the promotion’s decision-makers. I understand they’re in a tough position, both creatively and financially, and have done what they feel is right for the future of the company. They have sustained things for now, but for the company to truly grow something different has to happen.

The change should begin as this article did: with a shakeup in the booking department. If anyone at SBG wants me to replace Cornette and Delirious I can be reached through Twitter.