Sign Steen Sign

Kevin Steen finished all of his prior bookings last month. This afternoon it was announced, via a picture on Triple H’s Twitter account, that he had signed with WWE. That’s in addition to the Network being launched in a variety of countries that are not the United States of America. It’s been a busy day for the world’s leading provider of sports entertainment.

Steen, like every new signing these days, will relocate to Florida to begin training at the company’s Performance Centre (note them caps, yeah?). When he’s deemed ready he’ll be promoted to the bright lights, glitz and glamour of everybody’s favourite Monday night wrestling show, RAW. In all likelihood that’s a way off and he’ll do a stint on the weekly NXT show beforehand.

Look at all those empty seats. Triple H is no draw...

The prospect of Steen appearing on the NXT television programme is a good thing. It’s WWE’s most consistently enjoyable show, offering competitive matches, interesting gimmicks, storylines that make sense, and no filler. Everything happens for a reason and wrestlers have so far seemingly been pushed according to a mixture of ability and popularity, a trend that will hopefully continue for a long time.

It’s also a show that emphasises wrestling over storylines, as opposed to the main WWE shows which does the reverse. Both approaches have their merits but I personally prefer the wrestling-centric one, and it’s an approach I believe will lend itself nicely to Steen’s personality and ability. The thought of him interacting with the likes of Tyler Breeze, CJ Parker, Enzo Amore, Bull Dempsey, The Vaudevillains, fellow new recent signees Prince Devitt and KENTA, and of course his old tag partner and rival Sami ‘El Generico’ Zayn within the confines of the slickly produced and easy-to-enjoy NXT package is tantalising.

Now that Steen is officially a WWE employee speculation on how far he can make it in the company seems worthwhile (doing so before now seemed presumptive). I think he can make it to the top, personally.

Arguably the greatest attribute needed by a WWE wrestler is a ways with words. That’s what Steen is best known for. He can give an impassioned speech that leaves you desperate to see him win or gloat and snark enough to make you want to see him receive his comeuppance. He knows how to tailor what he says to get the desired reaction from fans and has a sense of humour too.  You could ask for nothing more from a WWE Superstar™.

Anyone who’s watched any of his work in ROH, PWG or elsewhere will know he’s a good enough wrestler too. He has a penchant for ringside brawling that won’t look at all out of place but he’s also capable of staying in the ring and wrestling a more traditional match. What’s important to note is his ability to interact with crowds during his matches. Steen clearly understands the importance of drawing people into his performance, whether he’s talking or wrestling. And he’s good at it.

It could be argued that he doesn’t have the WWE look. I’d mostly agree with that but it’s become less and less important over the last few years. Daniel Bryan does not have the archetypal company look but he managed to do pretty well for himself. On the subject of looks Steen has demonstrated that he’s willing to get himself into shape, which is still very much a part of the WWE experience for a wrestler. He’s shed an impressive amount of weight in the last year and deserves credit for doing so. I imagine his dedication there played a part in getting signed in the first place.

The only thing I can see stopping Steen from making it in WWE is disinterest from the creative department. That could be a more serious hurdle than you might think. WWE have shown a bewildering willingness to do nothing with wrestlers who are clearly incredibly talented and popular (yeah, I’m thinking of Dolph Ziggler too). These falls from favour come seemingly at random with no rhyme or reason to them. It’s this that he will need to avoid, because it seems incredibly tough to come back from and must be excruciating to endure.

Steen has the attitude, experience, and mind to succeed in WWE. I hope he does and I think he will. Succeed Steen, succeed.

That Wrestling Podcast Episode 45

That Wrestling Podcast Epsode 45 by Dave Hatton on Mixcloud

So. Jim Cornette. As you’ll find out while listening to this episode I’m mostly against the concept of him. I understand that he’s accomplished booker and manager, and that he’s respected within the wrestling business. None of that matters to me.

 

His apoplectic outbursts towards anyone and everyone that’s ever fired him, for completely justifiable reasons, make him a hard character to warm to. As does his opinion that wrestling has had very little to offer since the dawn of the nineties. Everyone has their favourite eras of wrestling but to disregard everything as inferior, especially when you’re continuing to work in and contribute to the business is foolish, childish and irritating.

 

The Cornette shout-and-point. A classic

His approach to booking Ring of Honor is what really turned me against him. Seeing a company that was more about athletic ability and pure, technical wrestling than storylines Cornette decided that ROH would be the perfect promotion to try and revive the dated style and approach he loves. ROH, a promotion that had built its reputation on being ahead of trends, was not the right place for Cornette’s usual booking style, but he employed it anyway.

 

Not only that but he’s stated he saw nothing in Kevin Steen and El Generico. Despite this Steen was the most popular wrestler on the roster while Cornette was in charge and remains so today. Generico, on the other hand, was signed by WWE and is one of the most popular men in NXT. This, to me, proves Cornette does not have a good eye for picking out talent.

 

This argument is presented more coherently in the accompanying podcast. So give it a listen if you’re at all interested in what’s been said so far.

The NXT Wolves

Over the last few years Davey Richards has intimated he’s going to quit Ring of Honor on two occasions. The first was in 2010 when he stated outright that he was going to leave wrestling behind to become a full-time fire-fighter. That didn’t happen. He instead re-signed with Ring of Honor and was front and centre for the horrendous reign of error inflicted on the company by Jim Cornette.

The second time was when he signed his current ROH deal. He announced that the contract lasted through to August of this year and when it expired he would take a look at his options. That’s wrestler speak for seeing if WWE’s interested.

And in fairness who can blame the guy? Davey Richards has been slogging his guts out as a wrestler since 2004. In that time he’s built up a reputation for working hard and putting on spirited, energetic performances. He’s travelled the world learning his craft and is at an age where he’s probably thinking about whether he’s ready to trade in the creative freedom of the indies for the opportunities only WWE can offer.

With this in mind it should come as no surprise that Richards and his American Wolves tag team partner Eddie Edwards are rumoured to be among the names attending a WWE tryout camp at the company’s new training facility in Florida. It’s these camps that WWE uses to determine whether or not prospective wrestlers warrant being offered a developmental contract and spot in NXT.

 

The American Wolves: future NXT tag team champions?

 

I don’t want to bang on about how good an idea it would be to sign Richards and Edwards. Anyone who’s seen them wrestle will know they could be an asset to WWE’s product, either as a tag team or as singles competitors (and the latter is far likelier). Both would have to work at cultivating suitable personas, their current approach is fine for ROH but wouldn’t go over well with WWE management or audiences. But that’s the purpose of NXT. Were they to sign developmental contracts they’d be amongst the top guys at that level immediately, and their deficiencies in the personality department could be improved.

The Wolves are booked on ROH shows up to September 28^th. Shows after that haven’t yet had appearance lists attached to them. As it’s been reported that the Wolves’ contracts expired in August I have to assume that they’ve either signed contract extensions or verbally agreed to appear at a few more shows.

Worth noting is that only one show actually has them listed in a match: at Death Before Dishonor XI they will challenge the Forever Hooligans for the IWGP junior tag titles. That the match has been announced makes me think whatever agreement the Wolves have in place covers that show. It’s reasonable to assume that the TV taping the next day could be covered by this too, as it will be held at the same venue.

Should Richards and Edwards get WWE developmental deals it’s entirely possible that those shows could be their last. Should that end up being the case I hope Ring of Honor breaks their recent trend and provides a fitting send off for Richards and Edwards. By that I don’t mean making sure they win, rather that they should be given enough time to ensure their final ROH match is an absolute classic.

Considering ROH bills itself as a promotion that promotes in-ring ability over anything else this should be a standard approach, but it’s not and hasn’t been for years. The last time a guy was allowed to go out on a tremendous match was El Generico at Final Battle 2012.But he wasn’t a regular at the time and that felt more like ROH cashing in on a popular feud one final time more than allowing Rami Sebei to give fans a reason to remember him fondly.

The last regulars I remember being given a chance to leave on a classic in a spot that befitted their standing in the company and its history were Nigel McGuinnes and Bryan Danielson. That was back in September 2009. Since then Richards and Edwards have been amongst the names that have kept the company going. If any performers deserve to go out on a high it’s them.

Mr Wrestling

I doubt Ring of Honor would have retained as much of its fan base as it has over the last few years without Kevin Steen. Turning on his pal and tag partner El Generico at Final Battle 2009 started a chain of events that eventually made him the most popular man in the company.

It started with the Generico v Steen feud. The former tag champions spent 2010 warring with one another and headlined Final Battle in a wild and allegedly unsanctioned brawl. A loss there meant Steen had to leave the promotion. When he returned six months later Jim Cornette’s booking had taken its toll on the product. Fans were losing interest. The American Wolves had senselessly been split up and shoved into a rivalry over the ROH championship and a poor job was being done of creating new names. If you think this is a trouble for WWE it’s even worse for a promotion operating at ROH’s level. They can’t rely on a handful of stars and a highly successful brand name, their success comes from a steady flow of exciting, fresh talent and high quality matches. But that’s by the by.

Despite being booked as a heel that wanted to tear Ring of Honor apart Steen was greeted as a face at the majority of ROH events in the second half of 2011 and early 2012. The reason for this is almost certainly that Steen tapped into the audience’s frustrations about the state of the company. He said things that those watching felt. His cries for change and the removal of Jim Cornette meant that fans were never going to boo him. He was calling for the things they wanted.

 

ROH fans just don't want to boo Kevin Steen

Things could have gone wrong for him when he won the ROH world title. ROH fans have a history of turning on popular wrestlers once they win the championship. Not only that but Cornette left the company five months into the reign. Without Cornette around Steen could have become directionless. Fans continued to support him. Perhaps they appreciated the hard work he’d put in across the preceding two plus years. I know I did.

In addition to his work in ROH he also appears regularly for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. His rise in PWG occurred alongside the rise he enjoyed in ROH as his war with Generico was a big deal there too. The turn and feud helped to fashion both men into top names on the indies. For Generico this led to tryouts with TNA and WWE and offers of work from both. Like any sane person Generico wound up opting to take up WWE’s offer. He can now be seen in NXT wrestling as Sami Zayn.

Steen remains on the indies. To the best of my knowledge he has had no tryout with either TNA or WWE. As far as WWE is concerned this is perfectly understandable. They have the money to be able to sign practically anybody they want to a developmental deal. Not only that but they have a roster full of guys in NXT ready to be moved to the bright lights of Monday Night RAW. It’s no secret that they like their guys to be in shape. It’s also no secret that Steen, while incredibly agile for a man of his size, is not in the shape WWE would require.

Basically WWE don’t need to concern themselves with Steen. As good as he is they can afford to overlook him. TNA, on the other hand, should be emailing, calling, tweeting and touting ‘Mr Wrestling’ every day to try and get him to become part of their product. He would be a fantastic addition to Impact Wrestling. He’s affable, funny and likeable enough to succeed as a face but can just as easily summon a brutal intensity to his actions and words, meaning he’d excel as a heel there too. Hiring him wouldn’t instantly turn their flagging TV show around but it would be a step in the right direction.

It’s likely that Steen is perfectly happy where he is. As one of ROH’s top names I imagine he makes a decent living, supplementing it with appearances with other, smaller companies. If he wants to make the move to WWE in the future he’s still young enough to do so, it would simply be a case of getting back into shape. I can’t imagine he’s distressed at the (assumed) lack of interest from TNA. It’s a sinking ship that would almost certainly do his career more harm than good.

I’d love to see Steen in WWE one day. Whether it happens I’m happy to see him doing well in Ring of Honor. And avoiding TNA.

The Generic Superstar

The big news over the last couple of days has been the signing of Remi 'El Generico' Sebei to a WWE developmental contract. His final match on the independent circuit may not be too far away. It's possible it's already taken place, depending on the terms of his new agreement.
 
'The Generic Luchador' signing with WWE is good news for sports entertainment fans and terrible news for the indy scene. Generico is one of the most reliable headliners the conglomeration of small feds has had access to, routinely being booked to give shows some star power and ensure they have a killer match. In 2012 he spent most of his time in PWG, CHIKARA and Dragon Gate USA, returning to ROH after a six month hiatus to battle Kevin Steen in the promotion's last iPPV main event of the year. Big and small indy companies alike have relied on him and there is no clear successor to him.
 
In WWE the masked man would find a wealth of new opponents. If permitted to play his current character (with the obligatory WWE name change) and given time to get over via his ring work he could be an essential part of the mid-card.

Future NXT champ?

 
What should help is that there are already men on the roster who we know can have exciting bouts with Generico. Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins and Antonio Cesaro are three names that leap to mind, and Kassius Ohno in NXT is another. It would be interesting to see how Generico pairs up with the likes of Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler and Adrian Neville too.
 
Something else that Generico has going for him is his native tongue. He's from Montreal, which means he's happier speaking French than English. With WWE touring Europe twice a year, as well as promoting shows in Quebec, the need for a French speaker to take part in media tours is obvious. That he already knows Cesaro, another French speaker, means the two could be paired up with a strong chance of some (Alan Partridge quote alert!) cracking banter. Showing that WWE stars are affable, funny people should, in theory, encourage ticket sales.
 
WWE has shown willingness over the last couple of years to push smaller wrestlers. The success of Daniel Bryan shows that shorter, slighter wrestlers can succeed in the world of sports entertainment. Hopefully Generico will be able to follow in his footsteps and make his years of toil on the indies pay off.

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

Máscara Campeón

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

Next world champ?

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

Cruiser-vision

A show focusing exclusively on cruiserweights has long been rumoured for the upcoming WWE Network. Can a company that famously favours tall, muscular workers over smaller, more athletic men really produce a worthwhile programme that only features lightweights? I think they can, as long as the right people are put in charge.

In order for a cruiserweight show to work Vince McMahon and Triple H would need to limit their involvement. Both men are driving forces behind WWE’s bigger is better attitude and while I’m sure they appreciate the skill and athleticism required to work the style synonymous with smaller wrestlers they don’t enjoy watching it themselves. That means they don’t promote it in the correct way.

The company should look to hire two or three writers to work exclusively on the cruiserweight programme, ideally people who actually appreciate the style. The hiring policy they have used for the past decade or so is to look for writers who have television experience, with an interest in wrestling said to be a disadvantage for the position.

Personally I don’t like this approach but it’s unlikely the company will change the habit for a show focusing on smaller guys. However, it’s not too much to hope that WWE brings in a keen, knowledgeable fan or someone with wrestling and TV experience to work on the show. A cruiserweight show is something completely different for WWE viewers and should have a different feel to RAW, SmackDown and the rest of the promotion’s output. The best way to do that is to have someone working on the show that would not usually be considered for a writing gig.

The format of the new NXT would actually be perfect for a cruiserweight show. The smaller venue of Full Sail University promotes a more intimate atmosphere and attracts a knowledgeable and respectful crowd. I think those fans would be very appreciative of an all cruisers TV taping.

Even if WWE didn’t want to use Full Sail (which would be understandable, too many shows in one market would risk burning the audience out) I’m sure a similar venue could be found somewhere in the United States. Universities seem a good idea for WWE tapings. There must be dozens who would be willing to enter into a similar partnership with a company that can offer what WWE does (revenue, TV experience for students, etc.).

Rey Mystterio could benefit an all cruiserweights show with sporadic appearances

Not having any backstage segments (or at least keeping them to a bare minimum) at all allows for the action to take centre stage, exactly what a cruiserweight show should be about. Storylines on NXT are based around winning and losing. Simple and effective. That approach would benefit this hypothetical show (and RAW and SmackDown as well for that matter, but that won’t be happening anytime soon).

As far as announcers go I think WWE would be wise to go with a three man unit. One veteran announcer who can keep up with the action and lead the trio, one colour commentator, and one fresh hire who can be groomed for a larger role within the promotion at some point in the future. The obvious candidate for the veteran position is Jim Ross. He always does an outstanding job and has helped make NXT a phenomenal viewing experience.

Personally I wouldn’t pick him though. WWE has the ideal commentator already under contract: Joey Styles. He is wasted toiling on the company’s website, is well versed at calling fast paced matches and would be able to pass his own experience and wisdom onto the crew. Styles, more than JR, is perfect for calling faster matches featuring a plethora of moves rarely seen on RAW and SmackDown.

The new hire obviously isn’t someone that can predicted, but they should be keen on a career in the wrestling business and passionate about making the best show possible. That may seem an obvious thing to say but we’re discussing the company that happily promotes Michael Cole as its lead broadcaster.

The colour commentator could be almost anybody on the roster who would be interested in a commentary spot. Wade Barrett has worked in the role during his time in FCW. Christian seems a natural choice for a commentary gig too. WWE could even reach out to Rey Mysterio, easily the most successful small guy to ever work for the promotion, and see if he would be interested in a broadcasting job. His involvement could really enhance the show.

Something I think that should be avoided is the reinstatement of the cruiserweight title. Introducing a championship as soon as the show starts would take at least some of the focus off the wrestlers. We should get to know the men (and perhaps women) wrestling on the show long before we start caring about which of them has a championship.

Give it six months or a year and then think about a tournament to crown a champion. By then the best workers will have risen to the top and the audience will have chosen their favourites. Those are the wrestlers who should be at the top of the card and they can only get there with time.

The roster is obviously something that people are going to be very interested in, but we won’t know who’s going to be appearing on our screens until closer to the show’s (and the Network’s) launch. A hefty portion should be newcomers though, wrestlers signed from the independents based on their ability to work a fast, entertaining match.

Inevitably the show will need big, established names. I mentioned Rey Mysterio above in relation to a commentary spot. I don’t think he should be a regular wrestler on the show, but the occasional match here and there, such as on the debut episode, would help draw ratings and expose the less famous talent to the audience.

Alex Shelley is expected to join the show. He’ll be a good hire. Other names that could be considered are Jimmy Rave, Jack Evans, Homicide, PAC, Akira Tozawa, El Generico and most of the members of Chikara, Dragon Gate USA, and Ring of Honor’s locker rooms. WWE is not above scouting those companies for talent to use on its new shows.

If and when a WWE cruiserweight show rolls around it will have the potential to be great. There’s a lot that can go wrong with the venture (mainly because, as stated above, the promotion has a long history of dismissing smaller guys) but if done right I think it could help WWE create plenty of new stars and encourage a healthy viewership. Follow the outline above and it could be a highlight of the WWE Network.

Overcoming a Nightmare

Shortly after Eddie Edwards won the ROH world championship in March last year I put up a post looking at people who had the potential to beat him for the belt (read that here). I posted vaguely similar thoughts when Davey Richards captured the gold three months later (read that here). As we now have another new ROH champion (well he won the gold a month ago but that’s still fairly fresh by Ring of Honor’s impressively lengthy title reign standards) in Kevin Steen I thought it would be interesting to do the same again.

So, who on the roster could defeat ‘Mr Wrestling’ for the gold?

One name that immediately springs to mind is Kyle O’Reilly. He may not be the likeliest person to achieve the feat but he’s certainly in with a chance. O’Reilly is one of the few men who could accurately be described as an ROH star of the future, which immediately makes him a potential shock winner. Perhaps a better reason for thinking he could win the title is that Richards, the man Steen beat for the belt, is O’Reilly’s on- and off-screen mentor. The younger man winning the belt could be a catalyst for a Richards v O’Reilly rivalry which would work very well as a title feud.

Steen’s ex-tag partner and now bitter rival El Generico has to be considered a possibility too. ‘The Generic Luchador’ has fallen far down the pecking order since the heights of his sizzling 2010 feud with Steen but his nemesis having the belt would be a natural way to restart his push. Generico would be perhaps the most gimmicky ROH champion ever but I think he has the talent to work well in the role.

Considering how popular Steen is there’s also the intriguing option for ROH’s booking team to turn the masked man heel and have Steen continue in his anti-hero role. The dynamic there would be different from anything else in wrestling right now and would freshen up not only Generico’s character but the two year feud between the former Steenerico teammates.

Who will take the ROH world title from this man?

Previous champion Davey Richards could potentially win the belt back. ROH has only ever booked a multiple time champion once before but Richards seems so popular with Jim Cornette (a man involved in the booking process of the company) that I could easily see him regaining the gold at some point. Will that be at Best in the World in a few weeks, which will apparently be his only title shot during Steen’s reign? I’d be surprised if that were the case. It’s taken ROH years to match up a popular wrestler with a title reign, to take the gold off of Steen after less than two months would be utterly pointless.

I could see Richards earning another title shot in several months though, and possibly regaining the belt back then. His first reign was anti-climactic (so much so that I wrote about it at length here) so if he does become a two time champion let’s hope he gets a wider variety of opponents this time.

Adam Cole has a slight chance of taking the belt, based on his pinfall victory over Davey Richards at the Tenth Anniversary Show. At the time it seemed as though there were big plans in store for Cole. While he’s not risen through the ranks as that win seemed to indicate he would it’s clear ROH management feels positively about him.

As ever there’s the chance the Steen will have the championship for so long that someone currently fairly low down on the roster will be his successor. Jay Lethal, Kenny King and Mike Bennett could all rise to the top of the card if given the right chances to shine and could be ready for a surprise run as ROH world champion by the end of the year. It’s not likely that will happen but any of them could make help improve Ring of Honor’s barren main event scene with a shock win. Kenny King in particular would make a tremendous addition to ROH’s top tier.

Personally I’m of the opinion that the man to beat Steen will be Michael Elgin. He’s an incredible strong style performer and is a beast of a man compared to some of the other men on the roster. His unsuccessful outing against Davey Richards at Showdown in the Sun Night Two was not only an incredible display but arguably the best title match of ‘The American Wolf’s’ reign.

Elgin’s popularity has grown considerably since he was able to show how good he is against Richards, and he continues to impress when given the chance to wrestle ROH contracted performers (as opposed to random, squashable jobbers). With his look and ring style, and taking into consideration his burgeoning popularity, ‘Unbreakable’ is the perfect man to build up as Steen’s replacement. A feud with former world champion Roderick Strong would be a natural programme for him which could potentially produce some classic matches, and the inevitable beating he would give Truth Martini should ensure he gets over as a babyface early on.

It’s important to remember that sooner or later somebody will take the title away from Steen. When that happens try to remember what you’ve read here. I’m confident one of the guys mentioned will be the new champion.

Sundown

What a catastrophic weekend for Ring of Honor.

I was unable to watch Night One of Showdown in the Sun myself but I’m informed by friends who did purchase the event, as well as various reliable websites, that technical difficulties made the show practically unwatchable. It’s a terrible pity that this happened on the biggest wrestling weekend of the year, when some people were bound to be checking out the ROH product for the first time. They will have been left with a negative view of the promotion and aren’t likely to shell out their money for any events in the future. I wouldn’t be surprised if some long-time fans hadn’t been driven away too.

Night Two should have opened with an apologetic statement from either Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness in the ring or a pre-recorded message from Jim Cornette. That would have gone some way to assuring fans that ROH were aware of the disappointing events of the previous evening and regretted short-changing fans. No such announcement was made… and then later on in the show the stream went dead.

Two nights ruined by technical difficulties. They are either the fault of ROH or GFL. At this point ROH ought to be looking for compensation from GFL and a new home for their internet pay-per-views. GFL have ruined far too many ROH events and clearly cannot be relied upon for smooth and uninterrupted broadcasts. If Ring of Honor is to expand as a company fans need to be able to trust that when they buy an event they will get to watch it in its entirety at the advertised time of broadcast.

Thankfully what was shown of Night Two (for the reasonable-if-the-technical-difficulties-hadn’t-occurred price of fifteen dollars) was very enjoyable. Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness provided insightful commentary that enhanced the matches and the wrestlers, which is exactly what a commentary team should do. There are certain other companies that don’t seem to be aware of this.

An unadvertised match between El Generico and the newly-heel Jimmy Jacobs started the show. Jacobs (who’s ludicrous outfit reminded me of Peter Pan) had switched to the dark side the previous evening when he’d interfered in the Generico v Steen match, causing ‘The Generic Luchadore’ to lose. He revealed in a brief pre-match promo on Night Two that when he had stuck a railroad spike into Kevin Steen at the Tenth Anniversary that he had had his first “orgasm” in a year. I hope he was speaking figuratively.

It’s typical that the heel turn happened once I’d stopped predicting it.

Generico v Jacobs was a decent bout that was a little slow in places but was ultimately enjoyable. The most entertaining thing about it for me was the crowd chanting “Little Jimmy” and “Huss” at Jimmy Jacobs. Generico lost after the two men tussled over a railroad spike and Jacobs snuck in a rollup for the cheeky win.

Match two was Cedric Alexander v Tommaso Ciampa. Alexander had his tag partner Caprice Coleman at ringside while Ciampa had Prince Nana, Ernesto Osiris and RD Evans. I originally thought the match would be a quick victory for Ciampa but Alexander was allowed to look competitive and have an enjoyable match before his inevitable loss. ‘The Dominant Male’s’ winning streak continued after he hit the C&C member with two running knees into the turnbuckle.

After the match Nana performed his ridiculous dance and was accosted by Coleman. Ciampa made the save with an iffy-looking Project Ciampa. The heels went backstage as C&C sold. It was a nice heat-building addition to the show for Ciampa to leave both men battered.

The first several minutes of ROH’s TJ Perkins versus Chikara’s Fire Ant were great stuff. The two men engaged in some very fast counter wrestling that reminded me of Jody Fleisch and Johnny Storm. If they can ROH should look into bringing in Fire Ant as a regular. Sadly this match was where the stream cut out, meaning that Kyle O’Reilly defeating Adam Cole and the Young Bucks dropping the All Night Express in a street fight were missed. The stream was restored in time to catch the closing moments of Mike Bennett gloating about besting Lance Storm the previous evening. He then made out with real life girlfriend Maria Kanellis, which the crowd started out indifferent to then booed. They then entertained themselves with Daniel Bryan-esque chants of “Yes!”

The next match we were treated to was the Briscoes v Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team for the former team’s ROH tag team championship. It was an enjoyable enough match but another one that suffered slightly from pacing problems. It never seemed to reach the speed it should have done. ‘Dem Boys’ retained the gold when Jay countered the Leap of Faith (he was being held in position by Haas) and got a rollup for the win.

The former WWE employees were not happy about that and attacked the champions after the bell. Mark was disposed of and then Jay was crotched against the turnbuckle three times. That got Benjamin and Haas some healthy heat. They then posed with the belts as fans chanted “You got fired!” at them, before arrogantly strolling to the back as the champs sold at ringside.

Eddie Edwards and Kevin Steen were both met by cheers when they came out for their singles match. Steen did a hilarious job of tearing into a picture of Jim Cornette as he paced around the ring before the match, savagely whacking it against a turnbuckle and then standing on it to tear it apart. It was yet another laugh out loud moment from ‘Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare’.

Showdown in the Sun saw more memorable performances from Kevin Steen

The crowd started out split down the middle, with duelling chants of “Mr Wrestling” and “Eddie Edwards” filling the arena. The crowd’s allegiance gradually shifted throughout the course of the match with more people getting behind Edwards than Steen. ‘Mr Wrestling won them back around gradually with some impressive offence: notably a powerbomb on the ring apron and a cannonball to a seated Edwards on the stage. His crowd working abilities came in handy there too, a personal highlight being his “I have till five!” line, which prompted another “Yes!” chant.

Getting back into the ring they went back and forth for a few minutes before Steen attempted to lock in a Sharpshooter. Exhausted, he couldn’t turn Edwards into the hold, which allowed ‘Die Hard’ to reverse into his signature Achilles Lock. Steen sold that before countering with a small package for the surprise victory. He taunted Edwards as he headed backstage.

The penultimate match was TV champion Jay Lethal v Roderick Strong. This was originally scheduled to be a non-title match, but Tommaso Ciampa appeared at ringside before the contest began and said he would only return the television championship belt (which he’d been in possession of for a few weeks) if Lethal agreed to put the title on the line against Strong. Lethal agreed and the match began.

This was another match that seemed slow in places. In hindsight I think that may have been a deliberate decision designed to allow the crowd to rest up before the excitement of the main event. It was a competent match that came alive in the final two minutes: Ciampa walloped Lethal on the outside and then tossed him back into the ring where Strong his a backbreaker variant for the pinfall victory and the TV gold.

Ciampa tossed the belt into the ring before he left, causing McGuinness and Kelly to wonder what his motives were. Something tells me we’ll find out in the coming weeks.

That title change means that Roderick Strong is now the second ever ROH triple crown champion (the first being Eddie Edwards). Personally I’m never a fan of former world champions winning mid-card titles but Jim Cornette disagrees. It’s a nice accolade for the House of Truth member to have.

Fittingly it was the main event that earned Match of the Night honours. ROH champion Davey Richards defended the gold against ‘Unbreakable’ Michael Elgin in what I am convinced is the greatest match of 2012 so far. The two men put on a fantastic back-and-forth display stuffed with near falls and stiff exchanges that did a fantastic job of elevating Elgin. Richards sold perfectly, enough to make Elgin look like the dominant monster he should always appear to be whilst being careful not to harm his own image. It was a textbook display.

Elgin kicked out of some insane moves (including a super quick Shining Wizard and a top rope German suplex) and refused to tap when trapped in the Ankle Lock submission hold. He eventually went down to a kick to the head after the champ had weathered a flurry of kicks, punches, powerbombs and a series of knees to the jaw that managed to win over the fans and stir some “Elgin” chants.

After the match Richards cut a promo putting over ROH and Elgin himself, giving the younger man a high compliment by saying that he would one day be the world champion. In Ring of Honor that’s a statement that means something. He ended his speech by telling Elgin that it’s the support of the fans that gets you to the top in ROH, not the management of men like Truth Martini. Presumably that will lead to an Elgin face turn sometime in the future. I doubt it’ll be immediate though.

The matches that were on offer made Showdown in the Sun Night Two well worth watching. It’s just a shame that ROH and GFL let down their fans by not ensuring that everything that was advertised made it to air. Those failings marred two of the company’s biggest events of the year and cannot afford to happen again.

Showdown in the Sun preview

As has become tradition Ring of Honor will present shows this weekend in the host town of WrestleMania. I always think it’s a smart thing to do. Thousands of wrestling fans will be in town for ‘Mania and a large number of them will never have seen ROH live before. Many won’t even have heard of the promotion. This weekend’s shows make it easy for established fans and newcomers to check the promotion out. The pay-per-view audience is available for them too: for the two nights before WrestleMania people are going to be hungry for wrestling action and ROH is going to take advantage of that.

I’ve said before that I don’t understand why TNA doesn’t emulate this approach. I think that even more this year with WrestleMania being held just a few hours south of their Orlando base.

I’ll start this preview in the logical place: Night One.

One of the most notable matches of the weekend is Kevin Steen v El Geneirco. This will be the first time the two men have faced each other in Ring of Honor since Final Battle 2010 fifteen months ago. That match saw ‘The Generic Luchadore’ get the win in a wild and bloody mask versus career match. Steen earned his job back at Final Battle 2011. A rematch with Generico has been inevitable ever since.

I don’t expect this match to top the insane display both men put on at Final Battle 2010. I expect there to be blood and brawling but they’re unlikely to be in the main event slot this time around and the match isn’t as highly anticipated as their 2010 clash so there’s no need for the combatants to half kill themselves for fan approval. That’s a good thing because both men would, and it’s not healthy.

I’m going to predict a win for Steen here. Generico won last time around and ‘Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare’ is heading into a feud with ROH champ Davey Richards so he needs the win more.

Of all the people ROH could pit against the tremendous technical wrestler that is Lance Storm they’ve chosen Mike “Sports Entertainment” Bennett. It’s not that I dislike Bennett, I think he’s got a good look, talks well, and has a nicely rounded heel act with ‘Brutal’ Bob and Maria at ringside. It’s just that his matches typically look like they belong more on an episode of Superstars than in ROH. Couldn’t Storm have faced Edwards, Richards, or Strong instead? Storm v Steen would have been a particularly nice match too.

What we have is Storm v Bennett in a match billed as ‘Icon v Prodigy.’ I’d be interested in knowing what Sting thinks of that marketing. I’m predicting a win for Bennett in this one. As the younger star appearing for the company regularly he needs the win more than Storm does. I wouldn’t be surprised if an angle took place to set up a match sometime in the future between Storm and someone else on the roster. Perhaps that’ll be Steen and I’ll get the match I want after all.

Jay Lethal defending the ROH TV championship against Kyle O’Reilly should be a great match. O’Reilly is becoming one of the promotion’s go-to guys for upper mid-card matches, which is a good spot to be in in ROH because guys who reach that level typically crack the main event sooner or later. I think we’ll see a great match but I don’t think we’ll see a new champion. Lethal will hold onto the belt for a while longer and drop it over the summer, that’s my prediction.

The first night of the Dual Duel (the two teams will face off on both Night One and Night Two) between the Young Bucks and the All Night Express could go either way. Either each team will get one victory each, likely prompting a deciding contest at some point in the near future, or the Bucks will cheat on one or both evenings to get two victories. I think the former’s more likely so I’m going to pick a win for the Bucks on Night One and a win for ANX on Night Two.

ROH world tag team champions the Briscoes will be in a non-title match against non-entities Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste. That you’ve almost certainly never heard of Nicholls and Haste (I hadn’t either) should tell you who’s going to win. If the Briscoes lose I’ll be very surprised. This is likely to be a short match designed to allow ‘Dem Boys’ to stiff some youngsters and give the fans a nice, quick babyface victory to enjoy.

Under “Scheduled to appear” for Night One are Michael Elgin, Tommaso Ciampa, Adam Cole, WGTT and the C&C Wrestle Factory. From that list I can see two matches being made: WGTT v C&C and either Ciampa or Elgin facing Cole. Assuming those bouts take place I’ll predict a win for Benjamin and Haas (because they’re a very talented combo who ROH seem to like to keep looking strong) and a loss for Cole no matter which of the other two he faces (I could see him beating a random jabroni but think such a match is unlikely). Elgin and Ciampa are both getting such strong singles pushes that I just can’t see them losing. In the event of a three-way between them I’ll predict Cole getting a cheeky rollup elimination on ‘Unbreakable’ and then being hit immediately afterwards with a Project Ciampa for a ‘Dominant Male’ victory.

The main event of Night One will see Davey Richards defend his ROH World championship against ‘Die Hard’ Eddie Edwards and Roderick Strong. That should be great with lots of stiff kicks and chain wrestling. These three men have been around the top of the card for around a year now and I’m surprised ROH have managed to hold off presenting a three-way for this long. I’m pleased they have though because it means there’s more history between the combatants now, making the match mean more.

I’ve said before that I think Richards is due to have a long reign as champion. He won the title nine months ago (from Edwards) at Best in the World 2011. By the standards of most wrestling companies that would be a long run but it’s about average for Ring of Honor. I expect ‘The American Wolf’ to become one of the longest reigning ROH champions ever and for that to happen he’ll need to keep hold of the belt for another six months at least.

I expect a great match but no title change.

Probably the best pure wrestling shows you'll see over WrestleMania weekend

Night Two is another strong card. The match that stands out as the most intriguing is ‘Technical Lightning’ TJ Perkins v Fire Ant. Fire Ant is a wrestler from Chikara, known for his quick pace. I’ve never seen a complete match of his before but I’m interested to see him face off with the equally speedy TJP. It should be a fun match. Expect the ROH regular to go over.

The battle between former partners Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly should be something special. There’s a YouTube match (that you can watch at this link) from a couple of years ago that gives an idea of how enjoyable their matches against one another can be. Having teamed for a while and progressed as performers I expect their match at Showdown in the Sun to be far more memorable.

It’s difficult to predict a winner because both men are linked to the Richards v Edwards rivalry that’s chugging along nicely at the top of the card. I’m going to pick O’Reilly because I think ROH has bigger plans for him in the future and I’ve predicted a loss for him in his announced match on Night One. I’d be surprised if he lost two advertised bouts in one weekend.

The Briscoes v Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team could go one of two ways. It could either be a solid pure wrestling match with the story being that ‘Dem Boys’ want to prove they can “rassle” or it could be a wild brawl with Hass and Benjamin attempting to beat Mark and Jay at their own game. Whichever way it goes I don’t think we’ll see new champions crowned: the Briscoes have found their niche after a couple of years treading water and I can’t see ROH being unwise enough to throw that away without a reason. I’d like to see the Briscoes either lose the belts to a team that have never won them before (such as ANX or the Bucks) or either Edwards and Cole or Team Richards as part of the main event feud between Edwards and Richards.

One of the final three matches announced for Night Two will be for the ROH World championship. Each match involves one of the participants of Night One’s three-way main event. Whoever enters Night Two with the gold will defend it in their match. I think that’s a neat little twist and a nice way of emphasising the “real sports” approach ROH takes with its booking.

The first potential world championship bout is Eddie Edwards v Kevin Steen. This is a match I find very hard to predict because it could go either way. Both men are important parts of the promotion’s main event picture and could realistically win this. It’s a tough call but I’ll go with Edwards as my prediction because I’ve predicted a loss for him on Night One while I have ‘Mr Wrestling’ winning his match against Generico. That seems the most logical way of approaching this match.

I actually think Steen v Edwards could be the standout match of Night Two. I’m interested to see how the fans react to each man.

TV champion Jay Lethal will not defend his title (should he still have it) against Roderick Strong on March 31^st but Strong will defend the ROH world title should he win it on March 30^th. I can’t see that happening though. Lethal v Strong is an appealing match that I expect will get a decent amount of time and finish with Strong going over.

The match I’m expecting to see finish up the weekend is Davey Richards v ‘Unbreakable’ Michael Elgin for the ROH World championship. If you want a stiff contest featuring an underdog babyface champion battling against a ferocious monster this is the one for you. Richards may not be the most charismatic wrestling champion the world has ever seen but he’s very good in matches against larger opponents. Elgin, as the monster, will likely dominate a portion of the match before Richards comes back with a flurry of kicks and the ankle lock to finish him off.

Showdown in the Sun looks like a very good weekend of wrestling on paper. Each night has something every for everyone, which is always important when booking a show you want to appeal to newcomers. That’s what these shows are designed for and on that basis I’d say ROH have done a good job so far. I predict I’ll be saying the same thing on Sunday morning: these line-ups don’t look like they can disappoint.

Predictions summary:

Night One:
Davey Richards to defeat Eddie Edwards and Roderick Strong
Mike Bennett to defeat Lance Storm
Jay Lethal to defeat Kyle O’Reilly
Kevin Steen to defeat El Generico
The Young Bucks to defeat The All Night Express
The Briscoes to defeat TMDK
Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team to defeat The C&C Wrestle Factory

Night Two:

Davey Richards to defeat Michael Elgin
Eddie Edwards to defeat Kevin Steen
Roderick Strong to defeat Jay Lethal
The Briscoes to defeat Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team
The All Night Express to defeat The Young Bucks
Kyle O’Reilly to defeat Adam Cole
TJ Perkins to defeat Fire Ant

Final Battle 2011 preview

Final Battle is always one of the biggest ROH shows of the year. As the first pay-per-view offering since the launch of the SBG TV show the 2011 instalment should be particularly noteworthy. Two returning names plus the second world title contest between American Wolves partners Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards should provide the highlights.
 
The first of the returnees is Kevin Steen, who was forced to leave ROH after a loss to El Generico in the main event of last year's Final Battle. 'Mr Wrestling's' journey back to the company has taken place over the intervening twelve months. You can catch up on the story here and here.
 
The match itself will probably be decent but nothing especially memorable. This is more about characters and storylines than it is about wrestling. That it's one of the hottest feuds in wrestling right now should tell ROH something about their approach: namely that sometimes fans do want more storylines and less wrestling.
 
I'll be very surprised if Steen loses this one. He's massively popular with fans (despite technically being a heel) and not someone ROH can afford not to use. He's returning for good. A swerve turn by Cornette, who will be at ringside, or Jimmy Jacobs, who'll be the special guest referee for the match, seems likely. How else is Steen going to win? Jacobs is probably the likelier to turn because it would allow ROH to book Corino alongside mid-card babyfaces against the dastardly "invading" heels. It would make sense from a storyline point of view.
 
The second man making his ROH return is Jimmy Rave. After several years away (a substantial amount of that time was spent in TNA doing not very much) Rave will return to Ring of Honor in a match against 'The Dominant Male' Tommasso Ciampa. I have mixed feelings about this match. I've been a huge fan of Rave since I first watched ROH, but his best work has always come as a heel associated with Prince Nana. Ciampa v Rave should be enjoyable but I'm not convinced fans will rally behind the former 'Crown Jewel'. Fans used to chant "Die, Jimmy, die" at him so I'll believe Rave can get over as a face when I see it.
 
I imagine Ciampa's undefeated streak will continue into 2012 to build him up as an opponent for the world champion, which necessitates a Rave loss. I'd love to see this match become some sort of angle with Rave returning to the Embassy but I doubt that’s going to happen.

Speaking of returns, Roderick Strong has an open challenge to be accepted at Final Battle. I think it will be answered by ‘That Young Knockout Kid’ Chris Hero. Hero last appeared for ROH back in August at the inaugural SBG TV tapings, losing a tag team match to Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team alongside Claudio Castagnoli (now Antonio Cesaro in FCW). Hero was originally rumoured to be heading to WWE but medical checks revealed a problem that led to them not signing him. Hero would make a great addition to the ROH main event scene, ideally as a babyface.

Hero v Strong would be my ideal match for the open challenge. It’s not confirmed and it’s entirely possible somebody else will be facing the House of Truth member but if it does go ahead I’ll pick Hero to win, hopefully setting him up as a major title contender for 2012. Nothing against Strong, but he’s faced Richards and Edwards multiple times. I’d like a change.
 
The rest of the undercard looks enjoyable for the most part. Michael Elgin v TJ Perkins will likely be a short and sweet showcase designed to further the Elgin push and give TJP some exposure. The tag team gauntlet match involving the Young Bucks, Future Shock, the Bravado Brothers, the All-Night Express and Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander should be a fun, fast-paced affair, and it will be nice to see Alexander, Coleman and the Bravados get a chance to wrestle on internet pay-per-view. It’s a match that could go to anybody, but I’ll pick Future Shock as they’re clearly seen as the future (no pun intended) of the tag division.

Haas and Benjamin defending the ROH world tag team championship against the Briscoes has the potential to be good, though the teams have wrestled quite a few times this year and I prefer the Briscoes’ characters to their wrestling. New champions? I doubt it. I think Haas and Benjamin are going to have the titles for a while yet.

The three-way match for the TV title should provide a culmination to several months of seemingly on-and-off storyline between Mike Bennett, El Generico and defending champion Jay Lethal. Lethal and Generico could have a great singles match but Bennett’s involvement will inevitably slow the pace and put a sports entertainment spin on proceedings. I have a feeling ‘The Prodigy’ will walk out as the new ROH world television champion: he’s been built up as a hot young prospect all year and I think the company will want to follow through on the hype fairly soon. What better way than by putting the mid-card championship on him?

The main event will see Davey Richards face off against his American Wolves tag team partner for only the third time in ROH history. This time it’s Richards who will be the defending champion, having dethroned Edwards in their first clash at Best in the World in June. This will be a match of the year contender, as was their BITW encounter, and should provide a fitting end to the year (something ROH takes more seriously than some companies I could mention).

 Look at the intensity!

Edwards has been trained by Dan ‘The Beast’ Severn for this match, which means we’re going to see more submission holds from ‘Die Hard’ than would normally be the case. Severn will apparently be at ringside, as will Team Richards members Kozina and O’Reilly. That should add a big match feel to the fight, similar to what you’d see in boxing, MMA or Japanese wrestling. This being ROH it’s not a guarantee that all the seconds will end up brawling around ringside. I’d say we’ll either see nothing much from them until after the match or Severn will take out Team Richards and allow Edwards to win back the title by either interfering or providing a distraction for Edwards to capitalise on.

I’m not actually predicting an Edwards victory. I think that if he does win it will be in the nature described above but I think it’s more likely Richards will retain the gold and hold onto it well into 2012. I’m still upset Edwards’ reign only lasted three months because he made a great babyface champion and is a far better all-rounder than Richards. The switch was made for a reason though, and that reason is that ROH wants to build the promotion around ‘The American Wolf’. They traditionally keep titles on guys for lengthy periods of time and as Richards has only been champion for six months (not a huge amount compared with some previous title reigns) I think he’ll retain. Of course ROH could now be heading in a new direction with the booking of their champions and Eddie Edwards becoming a two time champion could be a part of that, which would make my reasoning wrong. So be it. I’m still picking Richards.

I also think a heel turn is on the cards. Edwards could easily be booked to lose and then turn on Richards in a fit of anger after the match. The storyline so far has been that Edwards wanted to prove he was better than Richards and couldn’t, which cost him the title. That one-upmanship has carried over into the American Wolves’ tag team matches resulted in several high profile losses for the former tag team champions. Edwards turning heel would be a natural progression to the story and create some fresh feuds for 2012. Babyface Chris Hero versus heel Eddie Edwards, anyone?

ROH shows are rarely disappointing, even the ones that don’t have amazing line-ups on paper. As this one has several matches confirmed for it I think it ought to be a highlight of 2011 wrestling. The return of Kevin Steen and Jimmy Rave, as well as the second meeting between the American Wolves, have put ROH in a very good position to end 2011, and begin 2012, with a bang.

Predictions summary:

Davey Richards to defeat Eddie Edwards

Kevin Steen to defeat Steve Corino

Chris Hero to answer and win Roderick Strong’s open challenge

Tommasso Ciampa to defeat Jimmy Rave

Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team to defeat the Briscoes

Mike Bennett to defeat El Generico and Jay Lethal to become the new TV champion

Future Shock to win the tag team gauntlet

Michael Elgin to defeat TJ Perkins