golDRagon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unbreakable Spirit

On the second night of last year’s Showdown in the Sun two parter Michael Elgin had the match of the year, and the best of his career so far, against Davey Richards. It was a predictably stiff encounter that most people had expected to be good, but not as good as it turned out. It surprised a lot of people and made ‘Unbreakable’ stand out from his peers on the ROH undercard.

The match created that rare feeling that there could be an unexpected title change. It’s something Ring of Honor had done before, most notably when Austin Aries defeated Samoa Joe at Final Battle 2004. Switching the world championship onto a competent worker with little to no build-up can make a new name in one night and refresh the promotion’s main event.

That ROH was in desperate need of new bankable stars (and still is) was one of the reasons that fans in Fort Lauderdale were so responsive to the match. Elgin and Richards convinced them to suspend their disbelief, sucked them into the match with a good story and compelling performances, and allowed them to believe they were going to witness a rare title change.

Elgin didn’t win the belt that night because of one man: Kevin Steen.

‘Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare’ had been selected to relieve Richards of the title one month later at Border Wars. Steen’s status as the most popular man in the company and the fact that he seemed to be the only person who had a storyline of any sort going on had seen fans rally behind him and demand he be given a shot at the world title by reluctant Exec Producer (or whatever his job title was) Jim Cornette.

Had the plan not been to switch the title onto Steen and push him as the biggest star in the promotion I’m sure Elgin would have dethroned Richards in a Showdown in the Sun rematch over the summer. ‘The American Wolf’s’ title reign had been mishandled and he was running out of steam. Steen was the natural choice to replace him. Had he not been an option the SITS match showed that Elgin was up to the task of carrying the company.

 

Is there a belt in this guy's future?

 

Unfortunately I think failing to win the championship after that sterling performance has done Elgin a lot of harm. Having proven that he could work a thrilling and believable encounter in the notoriously tough ROH headline position it seemed like it was only a matter of time until he became champ. The longer Elgin goes without winning the title the more it seems as though his outing against Richards was just a fluke. Or that ROH aren’t interested in getting behind him. Either way fans will lose faith and interest.

The remainder of Elgin’s 2012 was spent in enjoyable but ultimately meaningless iPPV and TV outings. Things perked up for him at the end of the year as his feud with Roderick Strong finally begun to hint at an actual match.

But in a way even that long-running programme being paid off harmed Elgin. Although the Elgin v Steen title match that closed Glory By Honor XI was an excellent contest it was overshadowed in places by Strong’s antics at ringside. It wasn’t as easy to accept Elgin as a man who was on the cusp of taking the belt from Steen because the match was so clearly being used to set up the battle between the House of Truth stablemates we saw a month later at Final Battle.

At the moment Jay Lethal is established as the main threat to ‘Mr Wrestling’s’ ROH world championship. Elgin is not a serious part of the title picture. A victory by Lethal could help ‘Unbreakable’ at this point. I can’t imagine Lethal being granted a long reign as the world champion. I think he’d lose the belt relatively quickly. Elgin being booked in a short feud that sees him chase Lethal for a few months and then decisively defeat him when he finally gets the title match he wants could sufficiently reheat him for a lengthy stay at the top.

That’s not guaranteed to happen though. If it doesn’t then ROH may have blown one of their best chances in years to create a new home-grown talent. I hope that doesn’t happen. Elgin is exactly the sort of man ROH needs to be putting on top if they are to have any sort of worthwhile future. They can’t keep guys in reserve forever.

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.

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.

Fantasy Booker: Making Ring of Honor the Best in the World

A few months ago I posted a short article (read it here) about what I’d do if I were suddenly (and inexplicably) put in charge of Ring of Honor. In it I stated that I was happy with the direction the company was going in and couldn’t come up with anything I’d do differently. In the end I simply stated that I’d have Andy ‘Right Leg’ Ridge join the House of Truth.

I’ve thought more on the subject since then and I now realise that there are several changes I’d make to ROH if I were put in charge. As usual with articles in which I state how I’d run a wrestling company I will attempt to be as realistic as possible and be mindful of ROH’s tight budget and current product. I shan’t, for example, suggest hiring Dave Bautista.

The financial situation in Ring of Honor is probably a good starting point. When the promotion started out the goal of every show was to break even. That meant making enough money to pay the talent and cover all the expenses that booking a venue entails. The idea was to make a profit on DVD sales. I think that’s a good model for a smaller promotion. It eliminates some of the pressure of promoting a show and encourages a keener focus on booking: if you want to make your money from DVD sales you’ll make sure to make every show as good as possible so that more people want to buy it when it’s released.

I would make an attempt to return to that philosophy. ROH has been criticised for not putting much thought into its live events (house shows, non-televised events, call them what you will) for a while now and I think if more effort was made with them it would marginally increase DVD sales (because fans would be encouraged to shell out on a greater number of purchases) and improve the quality of on-going storylines too because there would be a tighter focus on quality.

This man would be the face of my Ring of Honor

The number of shows ROH currently promotes is fairly sporadic right now. A regular touring schedule would benefit everyone involved. Fans would know when the company is next set to run a show, meaning no events would be forgotten or overlooked. More importantly the company’s contracted performers would be able to agree to appear for other organisations farther in advance because they would know what dates to keep free for ROH.

I think ROH should be running four live events and one television taping per month. The simplest and most effective approach would seem to be making the first and third weekends of every month house show weekends and the second weekend a TV taping weekend. That leaves the end of the month open to host internet pay-per-views as and when required.

Four non-televised events a month gives the company enough time to run shows in all of its current markets without becoming overexposed. It also leaves time for new towns and venues to be tried once in a while as well. The current Friday and Saturday night approach seems to be working for the promotion so I’d stick with that. If business becomes more brisk or a weekend of events is planned in a particularly strong market there’s always the option of adding a third show to the run on the Thursday or Sunday (and possibly even adding a fourth night too).

Currently the TV show is recorded every month or so in Baltimore. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand it’s good as Baltimore is home to the HQ of ROH owners SBG, allowing filming costs to be kept low. A regular audience is attracted too, which is a good thing for a company in Ring of Honor’s situation because it ensures the majority of people watching will be familiar with current storylines and passionate about the product.

On the other hand a regular location for TV recordings means that the majority of the company’s key angles and storyline developments take place in the same place, meaning other loyal viewers don’t get to see as many eventful plot developments. Ultimately I think I would keep filming the TV show in Baltimore to keep costs low and because my booking philosophy (as outlined above) would be to make house shows more worthwhile, meaning a greater number of meaningful events occur away from TV (but would still obviously be recapped on TV once they’ve happened).

I am currently not overly impressed with the television show’s content. The match quality is consistently high and the commentary is always dependable but the show generally feels very slow and formulaic. I actually preferred the HDNet approach. Generally speaking those shows featured a squash match or two, a match of decent length to open or the show or in the middle of the card and a strong main event.

I understand that the SBG output is designed to get over the promotion’s top stars but featuring more matches with less running time each gives more wrestlers screen time, thus meaning there’s a greater chance of someone new getting over. The key with the television show should be to expose as many members of the roster as possible. I also like matches featuring non-roster talent as a means of discovering potential new signings.

One of my goals would be to get the TV show into foreign markets. The TV show is already being made so why not try to sell it abroad and get some money from it? Germany, Ireland, Italy, and (of course) Britain are all countries that have plenty of wrestling fans in them so those should be immediately targeted by Ring of Honor. Longer term I would want to run a three or four date tour of Britain in 2013 and having a TV presence would certainly help with that.

The iPPV approach ROH is currently using is not great. Putting aside technical issues suffered on the last several live broadcasts my big problem with ROH’s supershow calendar is that there’s little regularity to it. I think the company should be promoting an internet pay-per-view at least once every two months. The company has announced its PPV output for most of the rest of the year but I would like 2013 to have a more regular approach. The last week of February should be the anniversary show, a new show could air in April (or perhaps Supercard of Honor could become an iPPV), followed by Best in the World in June, Death Before Dishonor in August, Glory By Honor in October and Final Battle in December. If things were going well other broadcasts could be slotted in on the “off” months but those would be the core six.

With attendance numbers currently low and critical acclaim hard to come by I would concentrate on keeping the league popular in existing markets. New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto, and the Carolinas should be getting at least two spectacular cards per year in order to keep interest high. What would this entail precisely? First of all those should be the only areas considered for PPVs. When a card isn’t going to be broadcast it needs to be treated as something special and have big title matches and grudge bouts announced for it. A by-the-numbers approach simply isn’t enough to keep the company afloat anymore.

Looking at the announced locations for future pay-per-views it seems that ROH has finally stopped relying on NYC for its supercards. That’s something I’d continue as having pay-per-views coming from different areas alleviates some of the negatives of having the TV show come from the same town every week.

Wrestlers currently contracted to Ring of Honor are able to work for most other promotions as long as they are not required on an ROH show. Basically they are free agents but their contracts mean that they must give Ring of Honor dates priority. I think that’s a fair approach as it allows wrestlers freedom but ensures that ROH will have access to its top stars when needed. I would continue the approach for all of the company’s key performers.

Now let’s get to the fun part: roster changes! Right now Ring of Honor is struggling to elevate new talent and is far too heavily reliant on its thin main event crew of Kevin Steen, Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards and Roderick Strong. Kyle O’Reilly, Adam Cole and Michael Elgin have all been recipients of pushes of varying strength but none of them are ready to move up to the top of the card permanently just yet.

I would set a goal of having O’Reilly, Cole and Elgin ready as headline talent by the beginning of 2013. The company can just about hang on with its existing four-men main event team if they aren’t booked against one another too often and are used to build up new stars and aid with the mid-card scene where possible. Tommaso Ciampa, Mike Bennett, Jay Lethal, PAC and TJ Perkins should be solidified as the stars of the middle ranks.

Right now the roster lacks depth. That’s something that could easily be rectified by hiring new talent. There’s no financial concern there because the ROH contract system is to sign guys to contracts that give ROH first dibs on using them on any particular date and paying them an agreed sum for any appearances they make. They are not given an annual salary or paid to sit at home. That means that Ring of Honor is in a position to sign a fair number of stars.

The first man I’d sign (and I will continue on the assumption that I’d be able to convince everyone I want to sign with the company to do so) would be John Hennigan (formerly WWE’s John Morrison). He’d be the ideal man to bring into the company as he wouldn’t look out of place in headline matches and is talented enough not to encourage resentment from fans or wrestlers. Realistically I imagine he’d sign a one year contract as I suspect he’ll be back in WWE by 2013.

The other former WWE talents I’d sign would be Harry Smith and Montel Vontavious Porter. Smith is big enough to look like a monster compared to the average ROH worker and I have what I believe to be a nice storyline direction for him (which will be outlined below). Having the son of the British Bulldog working in ROH would be a healthy talking point too. MVP would be hired because I believe he could teach many members of the locker room a lot about creating a successful gimmick, cutting a promo, and connecting with a crowd. He’s passionate about the independent wrestling scene too, which would come across when promoting the product.

I’d approach Alex Shelley and Jimmy Rave about returning at Best in the World (more on this below) and I’d do everything I could to encourage the Super Smash Brothers to sign a contract. I believe they would be a great addition to the promotion’s tag ranks and could produce some sizzling encounters with the Young Bucks and the C&C Wrestle Factory.

I’d like to sign Sami Callihan, Johnny Gargano, PAC, and Tony Nese but I’m unsure of whether that would be possible due to their affiliation with Dragon Gate USA. I imagine I’d be able to sign at least some of them and I have at least now stated that that would be my goal. Callihan would join Cole, O’Reilly and Elgin as men I’d want prepared for main event spots by January 1^st 2013.

For clarity I will recap my intended roster below:

Adam Cole

Alex Shelley
Andy Ridge
Caprice Coleman
Cedric Alexander
Charlie Haas
Davey Richards
Eddie Edwards
El Generico
Grizzly Redwood
Harlem Bravado
Harry Smith
Jay Briscoe
Jay Lethal
Jimmy Jacobs
Jimmy Rave
John Morrison
Johnny Gargano
Kenny King
Kevin Steen
Kyle O’Reilly
Lancelot Bravo
Mark Briscoe
Matt Jackson
Michael Elgin
Mike Bennett
Mike Mondo
MVP
Nick Jackson
PAC
Player Dos
Player Uno
Rhett Titus
Rhino
Roderick Strong
Sami Callihan
Shelton Benjamin
Steve Corino
TJ Perkins
Tommaso Cimapa
Tony Nese

That’s a roster of forty-one. While that may sound excessive I believe it’s a number that allows enough flexibility for the booking process without being unwieldy. There would be less strain on the homegrown main event crew thanks to the signing of Morrison and MVP and a multitude of young stars being groomed for top positions in the near future. There are enough options in that list to sufficiently liven up ROH cards over the coming months with fresh matches and new booking options.

That brings me (neatly, I feel) to what exactly I’d be booking. I’ve chosen Best in the World as a starting point as it provides a good time to draw rivalries to a close and kick off news ones. Here’s the current announced card:

ROH world championship – Kevin Steen defends against Davey Richards

ROH world tag team championship – Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team defend against The All Night Express
ROH world TV championship – Roderick Strong defends against Tommaso Ciampa and Jay Lethal
Fit Finlay v Michael Elgin
Eddie Edwards v Homicide
Adam Cole v Kyle O’Reilly
Mark and Jay Briscoe v The Guardians of Truth

I’ll start at the bottom and work my way up. Right now it’s not been revealed who Truth Martini’s lined up to face the Briscoes. This is what I alluded to when I mentioned having Rave and Shelley return at Best in the World. I’d bring them back as a regular tag team unit, managed by Truth, to give the tag team division a boost. Their return would really need a promo attached to it: they would get a strong babyface reaction despite being the allies of a heel, so they’d need to get some heat in order to encourage boos.

Alex Shelley would be returning to ROH to join the House of Truth

Cole and O’Reilly, as mentioned, are two guys I’d be trying to elevate to the headline level of the promotion. In order for the booking plans I’ll reveal below to work effectively Cole would need to go over here, setting him up as the faster rising star of the two young men.

I would have Edwards beat Homicide because (as the eagle-eyed among you will have noticed) ‘The Notorious 187’ is not included in my roster list above. He’s a very good wrestler and character but I just don’t know how I’d use him in my Ring of Honor. Post-match I’d have Mike Mondo run-in and jump Edwards to kick off a brief programme with ‘Die Hard’.

Finlay v Elgin would be booked (and likely will be booked) as a very stiff encounter. I’d keep it short and have Elgin dominate the veteran for the most part. If Finlay is going to be used on the roster he needs to be putting guys over decisively. He’s not on my roster either, but I’d consider bringing him in for the occasional TV taping or iPPV.

The three-way TV title match would go on before intermission and would see Lethal eliminated first and Ciampa second. ‘The Sicilian Psychopath’s’ elimination would be via a desperation rollup so as to keep him looking strong in defeat. This is the match which should have either seen Ciampa’s losing streak end or become the new TV champion. I’d keep the gold on Roddy as I have someone better in mind to take it from him.

The tag title match would get around fifteen minutes and would feature a clean win from ANX. Titus and King have been kept waiting for far too long to have a run at the top. They’re ready for some increased exposure and would be getting a nice lengthy run as champions.

The main event “anything goes” match between Steen and Richards would get around twenty-five minutes. That’s a good length of match for both men as it discourages ‘The American Wolf’ from trying to cram too much in and makes it less likely that Steen will become winded. Steen would win via Package Piledriver.

I don’t know what the current plans are for TV tapings or how many episodes are already recorded but as soon as possible I would begin taking the TV output in the direction I want. That would begin with the announcement of a “bonus” iPPV in July.

That pay-per-view would focus on an influx of new talent and would be called something like Regeneration or Reboot (probably the former). An announcement declaring it as a way for new talent to get noticed would be made by Jim Cornette, who would also reveal that Adam Cole would be challenging for the ROH world title in the main event. This would bring out Kyle O’Reilly, who would want to know why he isn’t getting a world title shot against Steen. The answer there would be that Cole won at BITW. O’Reilly would be booked in a match against the debuting PAC instead.

The other major storyline development between Best in the World and Regeneration (I’ll refer to it as that for ease) would be Davey Richards’ new focus on the tag team division (because his loss to Steen would mean he gets no more title matches during Steen’s run). He would tease teaming more frequently with O’Reilly before revealing that he has encouraged his apprentice to pursue Steen and the ROH world championship. His new tag team partner would actually be revealed at Regeneration in a match opposite the C&C Wrestle Factory.

Regeneration’s other big match would be for the TV championship. A four-way number one contendership match would be held on TV with TJ Perkins coming out on top. If there was time TJP would get a televised win over Rhino before the big show, to further the gimmick the he’s used to target people the House sees as a threat to Strong.

This is the card I’d book for Regeneration:

ROH world championship – Kevin Steen defends against Adam Cole

ROH world TV championship – Roderick Strong defends against TJ Perkins
ROH world tag team championship – The All Night Express defend against The Young Bucks
The C&C Wrestle Factory v Davey Richards and a mystery partner
Michael Elgin v El Generico
Kyle O’Reilly v PAC
The Super Smash Bros. v The Bravados v The Guardians of Truth
Sami Callahan v Johnny Gargano v Tony Nese v Jay Lethal
Eddie Edwards v Mike Mondo

As I stated above, this card would be designed to put the emphasis on new talent and introduce some of the new faces I’d signed to the roster. In addition to those matches it would be announced that John Hennigan would be at the show. He would come out for a promo at the end of the show’s first half and be interrupted by Truth Martini and select members of the House of Truth. Their aim would be to recruit him to their stable. That wouldn’t happen. Instead we’d have a fresh Hennigan v HOT feud established nice and early.

Edwards would beat Mondo handily in their match. The four-way match featuring the three newcomers and Jay Lethal would be designed as a way of highlighting the newcomers and making Lethal look like a rising star. Callihan is the one I’d have the biggest plans for so he’d get the win (likely over either Nese or Lethal so as to keep Gargano protected a little too).

The three-way tag match would be designed to get over the two newcomer teams. Rave and Shelley are over enough to be able to not be harmed by an early elimination so that would happen in order to leave the two new teams on the roster to battle between themselves. The SSB would go over to give them a solid start in the promotion.

O’Reilly v PAC would probably be one of the best matches of the show. I’d want to keep the Team Richards member winning so he’d beat PAC at around the fifteen minute mark: enough time to produce something special and show how good PAC is. Elgin v Generico would again be designed to show how dominant ‘Unbreakable’ is so wouldn’t go longer than seven minutes. Generico wouldn’t be going down too easily but Elgin would look dominant.

The new member of Team Ambition (and Davey’s new regular tag partner) would be Harry Smith. This team would play on the fact that Richards has been favourably compared to Dynamite Kid and that Harry is the son of Davey Boy Smith, who teamed with Dynamite as the British Bulldogs. They would beat C&C in what I hope would be a match that shows how good all four men are.

The tag title match would be a continuation of the recent Bucks v ANX feud. While both units are already on the roster full time (I know the Bucks and TJP have “been given the summer off” but I think that’s a stupid decision so I’d ignore it) Titus and King would just be getting started on their first tag title reign and the Jackson boys are young enough to be considered future stars of the promotion so I would feel justified in putting this match onto the “rising stars” iPPV.

The TV title match would see TJ Perkins beating Strong clean in the middle of the ring for the belt. I think TJP is an excellent choice to build a mid-card division around as he could have great title defences against so many guys on the roster. On the subject of the television belt, once a guy has been a world champion they would not ever be booked to challenge for the TV gold again: it’s a title for rising stars, not former world champions who have nothing else to do.

The main event of Regeneration would be designed to get Cole over as a potential future champ by having him take ‘Mr Wrestling’ to his limit. After the match Steen wouldn’t shake hands (that’s completely out of character for him) but he would be asked to do something to indicate he sees potential in Cole.

TJ Perkins would not be getting the summer off on my watch

Then he’d return to the ring to give Cole a Package Piledriver. Just to keep him unpredictable.

Regeneration would be the real start of my booking plans. From there I’d place the emphasis on building new stars, keeping the tag team division interesting, and making Steen’s world title reign as varied as possible.

Years ago it wasn’t uncommon for ROH championships to be defended every weekend. Over the last several years title bouts have become far less common. Davey Richards had the ROH world title for eleven months but only made ten successful defences and the Kings of Wrestling held the tag straps for almost a year but only defended them nine times. All Ring of Honor’s titles would be defended with a greater degree of regularity, and I would strive to vary Steen’s reign in particular as much as possible.

After July’s Regeneration the next scheduled iPPV is Death Before Dishonor on September 15^th. For that show I would build up a three-way rivalry between Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly and Kevin Steen. O’Reilly would become increasingly bitter about Cole’s success as a singles grappler and Cole would claim that he always wanted to make Future Shock work but gave up and focused on his own career because O’Reilly had no interest in their team. Steen would do all he could to play the two former teammates off against one another.

During the build for that feud Steen would make title defences at house shows against the likes of Lethal, Strong and Edwards. I’d try bringing in Lance Storm and Finlay for live event title bouts too. I like the idea of Steen being in tag matches with Jimmy Jacobs and-or Steve Corino on a Friday against his title match opponent for the Saturday. That would be the format I’d try and use.

Sometime in August I’d book Steen in a title defence O’Reilly on a Saturday and have then book Steen, Jacobs and Corino v Richards, Smith and O’Reilly on the Friday. That’s just an example of the sort of approach I’d be trying to take with these house shows. Without typing out every single card I can’t be much more specific (and I have no intention of writing out card after card for shows that will never happen), but it gives you an idea of the approach I’d be striving for.

Following that three-way feud (which I’d want to climax in September) I’d shift Steen gradually in the direction of Michael Elgin. I’d build towards a title match between the two at Final Battle and begin foreshadowing it from around September, which should hopefully get fans geared up for it. At Glory By Honor XI on October 13^th Steen would defend the title against John Hennigan. I think by that point the former ‘Monday Night Delight’ would have had time to embed himself in the promotion and be over as either a face or a heel (see below for how I’d use Hennigan). Whatever he was over as he’d be a heel at GBH: it’s being broadcast from Canada, proud home of ‘Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare’.

The autumn is when I’d really varying the wrestlers getting title matches with Steen. Charlie Haas, Kenny King, Jimmy Rave, and Shelton Benjamin would be towards the top of that list, and newcomers like Harry Smith, PAC and Tony Gargano would hopefully be ready too.

I’d put Survival of the Fittest on iPPV in November, and have Steen defend his gold against Roderick Strong. Part of the build for that match would be the increasingly fraught relationship between Elgin and the rest of the House of Truth: ‘Unbreakable’ would want the title for himself but the House’s “chosen one” would be Strong. It would be designed to lead into their the Steen v Elgin clash at Final Battle.

Before I get to Final Battle let me take a step back and detail the star building process and the booking of the tag team division.

The All Night Express would be the lead tag team in Ring of Honor for the foreseeable future. I would have no plans of taking the belts off of them until at least 2013, and would instead focus on giving them a run that allows them to face a variety of opponents and show how good they are as a unit. Title reigns that continue getting the champions over are always the best.

Their feud with the Young Bucks would be scaled back but would be an ongoing theme. I’d want the Bucks to be seen as an ever-present threat to the championship. The same goes for the Briscoes, although I’d wait a while before promoting a match between those units because they only feuded last year (which is recent on the ROH timescale). WGTT would be promoted as being one of the bigger threats too, although there would be no mutual respect between them and ANX because the former WWE boys are dastardly heels.

For ease I’ve listed the regular combos I’d be booking below (yes, another list!):

The All Night Express – Rhett Titus and Kenny King

The Bravado Brothers – Lancelot and Harlem Bravado
The Briscoe Brothers – Mark and Jay Briscoe
The C&C Wrestle Factory – Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander
The Guardians of Truth – Alex Shelley and Jimmy Rave
Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs
The Super Smash Bros. – Player Uno and Player Dos
Team Ambition – Davey Richards and Harry Smith
Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team – Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas
The Young Bucks – Nick and Matt Jackson

I think that gives the tag team divison some nice depth and provides plenty of variety for ANX’s reign. In addition to regular tag bouts they’d be defending in three- and four-way matches on occasion, to keep things varied, and I’d be keen on booking units of established main eventers or rising mid-carders together once in a while to change things up and have some different faces in different positions (which used to happen years ago and was usually highly  enjoyable). As an example I think a live event would be nicely spiced up by having Eddie Edwards and Roderick Strong or Johnny Gargano and Sami Callihan being granted a tag title match.

I would allow Team Ambition to rise through the ranks slowly, giving them feuds with teams like the Young Bucks and WGTT to keep them occupied. That’s not to say that they wouldn’t be getting a title match at any point but if they were to challenge for the belts they’d lose due to interference from a team they were feuding with. I would want to save a proper ANX v Team Ambition feud for the end of the year so as to promote a clash between the two teams at Final Battle.

The star building process would, as I’ve mentioned, be something I’d want to concentrate a lot of time and effort on. If ROH is to survive indefinitely new stars need to be created who can keep existing fans satisfied while also attracting new ones.

That’s a large part of the reason I would bring in John Hennigan and MVP. They can help attract new fans while not being a deterrent to existing ones (I’m sure some people would say they would stop watching ROH if either or both of these guys were signed, but not enough to make any impactful difference on the company’s success).

As outlined above Hennigan would be introduced at Regeneration and would be placed immediately into a feud with the House of Truth. Working against an effective heel like Truth Martini should help establish Hennigan as a face and would open him up to immediate matches against Jimmy Rave, Alex Shelley, Michael Elgin and Roderick Strong. Those are all fresh pairings that should satisfy anyone watching.

I would want to gradually build Hennigan up for the aforementioned world title match at Glory By Honor XI in October. If he came in and immediately had a title match he’d be resented by wrestlers and fans alike, but after four months I think he’d have put enough time in to warrant a match without any backlash. His name value would hopefully aid the selling of that show too, especially if he was given a pinfall victory over Steen on TV in the weeks before the event.

From there I’d put him into a rivalry with Eddie Edwards, designed for Hennigan to gradually go heel. It’s possible his match with Steen would see him permanently switched anyway but even if not he’d be a full-on bad guy by the time he clashed with Edwards at Final Battle in December.

MVP (and if I was unable to use that name I’d ask him to use his old Antonio Banks moniker, possibly altered to Antonio Banks Cash) would be introduced on television as the newest member of the Embassy. I used to love the Embassy having members that didn’t really look right together and that would be the case with MVP (or ABC) and Ciampa. I’d consider adding Andy ‘Right Leg’ Ridge to the stable as well, just to bulk the numbers up a bit.

MVP would be used in a star maker role, feuding with new babyface talent like PAC and Johnny Gargano, as well as existing good guys like TJP and Jay Lethal. He wouldn’t be jobbed out, but his role would be to help other guys get over as mid-card talent. I think Nana and company would help him to stay on the heel side of the fence and not garner unwanted popularity. I’d sporadically book him in tag matches alongside Ciampa and, towards the end of the year, have him challenge for the world title at a live event.

The newcomers wouldn’t all be earmarked for top spots. PAC and Johnny Gargano would be used a mid-card babyfaces alongside TJ Perkins and would be considered for stronger, headline, pushes in the second half of 2013 (or sooner if ROH suffered a sudden talent crisis). Tony Nese would join Mike Bennet and Tommaso Ciampa as mid-card heels, and together this group of men would form the core of ROH’s middle card.

Sami Callihan is one new guy I’d be pushing towards the top immediately. A simple but effective storyline would be employed for him: he would announce his intention to face and beat every top star in Ring of Honor and eventually capture the ROH world championship. From there it would simply be a matter of having him defeat any mid-card wrestler he faces and suffering the occasional loss to main event names, before getting a victory over them in a tag battle or rematch.

I would want Callihan to be considered one of the company’s top names for January 2013, at which point he’d become heavily involved in the world title picture.

I’ve mentioned Final Battle a lot above, so I feel it would probably be a good idea to outline the card I’d book. The show’s date and location have yet to be announced, so I’ll say now that I’d like to broadcast it from Philadelphia on December 29^th. It’s been too long since ROH put on a show between Christmas and New Year and I’ve always liked Final Battle falling in that week.

Here’s the card:

ROH world championship – Kevin Steen defends against Michael Elgin

ROH world tag team championship – The All Night Express defend against Team Ambition
John Hennigan v Eddie Edwards
ROH world TV championship – TJ Perkins defends against Kyle O’Reilly
Adam Cole v Sami Callihan
PAC v Roderick Strong
The C&C Wrestle Factory v The Young Bucks v WGTT v The Bravado Brothers
The Guardians of Truth and Rhino v The Briscoes and Jay Lethal

Some of these matches may be considered filler (the four team match and the six man bout, I’m looking at you) but they’d be built up on TV beforehand and have a reason for happening. The four team match would very possibly be a number one contenders match for a guaranteed shot at whoever holds the gold at the Eleventh Anniversary pay-per-view in February.

PAC v Roderick Strong, O’Reilly v TJP and Cole v Callihan strike me as good matches to book to get those six men onto the show, and it would be easy to create disputes for them in the weeks leading up to the event. By this point all three members of Team Richards would either be displaying signs of a heel turn or would already have made the switch. I think that’s the best thing to do with Davey and his team right now and it could be done gradually over the course of the six months to Final Battle. Hennigan v Edwards, the tag title match and Steen v Elgin would be the three most heavily hyped bouts.

The results of the card would be decided closer to the time but I know some outcomes now. Smith and Richards would fail in their quest to take the gold from ANX and would heelishly attack the champions after the match to keep the feud alive. Their pal Kyle O’Reilly would be more successful as he would end TJ Perkins’ reign as TV champion and head into 2013 with the gold.

Most importantly Kevin Steen would lose the ROH title to Michael Elgin in the main event. That may seem a short reign for Steen (seven months) but I think by the end of the year Elgin will be the company’s hottest star and be ready to become the champion. I’d book him to turn on Truth Martini mid-match so that he becomes champion by himself and heads into 2013 as a strong face main event talent.

Early in 2013 I’d have an in-ring segment on ROH’s TV show in which a host of men come out claiming they deserve a shot at Elgin’s world title. Adam Cole and Eddie Edwards would say they’ve been winning for months and have earned a title match. Roderick Strong would say it was agreed Elgin would hand the title to him. Davey Richards would say he’s not had a title match in over half a year because of a “poor decision” made by Jim Cornette. Sami Callihan would say he’s beaten every top name ROH has to offer and is the future of the promotion. And finally, Kevin Steen would say he’s the former champion (and hopefully ad-lib something about every other man in the ring being boring) and so has a contractually obligated rematch.

After some storyline chit-chat from Cornette three singles matches would be announced for TV: Eddie Edwards v Sami Callihan, Roderick Strong v Adam Cole, and Davey Richards v Kevin Steen. Callihan, Cole and Steen would win those matches and face off in a three-way match to decide who challenges Michael Elgin for the world title at the Eleventh Anniversary Show.

Who would win? What else would be booked for that iPPV in February? It’s fairly ridiculous that I’ve thought even this far ahead without adding to the lunacy by saying who’d challenge ‘Unbreakable’ in February 2013. None of the above is going to happen in reality (or if it does it will be purely coincidental) but wouldn’t it be great if it did?

Hopefully I’ve some readers are a little more enthused about the current Ring of Honor product having read this. The potential for greatness is still there. The company just needs to find its form again.

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

Beast in the World

It was recently revealed (through the magic of Twitter) that Eddie Edwards is being trained by Dan ‘The Beast’ Severn for his Final Battle world title match with Davey Richards. Naturally this is part of a storyline but it’s an interesting direction for the rivalry to head in.

Training regimes have played an increasingly important role in ROH title matches over the last year or so. Part of the reason for this is the ascension of Davey Richards to the top of the card. ‘The American Wolf’ (it feels appropriate, given that moniker, that Edwards has aligned himself with a man that looks like a lumberjack) has always been presented as a serious competitor who places great emphasis on incorporating different fighting styles and training regimens for big matches, shunning the over-the-top gimmicks usually associated with wrestling. His entourage, Team Richards, is intended to aid in his portrayal as a serious athlete who is focused on excelling in the ring (it also has the unfortunate side effect of making Richards appear a nutcase who has no interests outside of training).

It has been subtly implied that part of the reason Edwards lost the title to Richards at June’s Best in the World is because of Richards’ approach to preparation. This hasn’t been stated outright but the company’s depiction of the current champion has made it clear that his win was in part due to the time he spent training and studying different fighting techniques.

This being Ring of Honor there’s a fair chance that Edwards will legitimately spend some time with Severn before the match takes place. I expect we’ll see him employ Severn’s signature belly to belly suplex and Beast Choker submission hold on December 23^rd. Both moves should form key parts of the bout.

Can ‘Die Hard’ become a two time Ring of Honor world champion? In the past the promotion has seemed reluctant to give people more than one reign at the top, with only one man regaining the title for a second reign in its nine year history. My initial feeling is that Edwards won’t capture the gold, but the current booking team seems less interested in epic title reigns than their predecessors have been and more inclined to surprise audiences so it’s not impossible that Edwards will leave as champion.

Right now I’m expecting Richards to win. That could change in the next few weeks as the event gets closer and we learn more about Severn’s role in Edwards’ preparation. One thing I am confident of is that both men will strive to better their excellent encounter from Best in the World. It should be a fitting final match of 2011 for the company that prides itself on giving fans tremendous action.