That Wrestling Podcast Episode 22

That Wrestling Podcast Episode 22 by Dave Hatton on Mixcloud

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

JIMMY RAVE!!

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

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

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

The Bennett Protocol

Of course there is a third option.

I’m talking, of course, about how I’d book Jay Briscoe losing the ROH world championship. While I think Michael Elgin is the ideal man to replace Jay as the long term champion I’m also of the opinion that he’d be well served by having a heel champion to chase and defeat for the gold. While having him replace Jay as the champion, either by beating him directly or winning a tournament, would cast the right man as the champ it would also deny Elgin and fans a feud with a solid culmination.

So… the third idea. Assuming Mike Bennett could be confirmed to appear on shows up to and including, say, Manhattan Mayhem V, I think he’d make a very good interim heel champion. He may not be the best wrestler in the company but the knowledge that he’s been negotiating with WWE should ensure he’d be hated by fans upon winning the belt.

Yes, it’s a rerun of the CM Punk title reign. But so was Tyler Black’s final storyline and I thought that was pretty enjoyable.

If I were booking ROH with ‘The Prodigy’ confirmed for every show until Death Before Dishonor XI and access to Jay Briscoe I’d announce Kevin Steen as the challenger for the July 12^th show in Milwaukee. It would also be made clear that that would be Jay’s final night in the promotion. It would be an all or nothing situation for ‘Mr Wrestling’.

Steen would lose clean to multiple Jay Drillers and shake hands with Jay after the match. Jay would then begin a promo about his time in Ring of Honor and moving on in his career alongside his brother. This would be interrupted by Mike Bennett. ‘The Prodigy’ would tell Briscoe he’s had some impressive title defences but Jay won’t have proven he’s beaten him.

Bennett would challenge Briscoe to make his final championship defence against him. Nigel McGuinness, at ringside for commentary, would tell Jay the decision’s his, but he’s happy to let him leave as champion and put a tournament together. Jay would say that he’s going to be best remembered by ROH fans for having some wild fights. He’d tell Bennett no to a match but yes to a fight.

The challenge would be accepted but before the bell Bennett would kick Jay with a low blow and then follow up with knee drops and a headbutt to the groin. The referee in the ring (probably Todd Sinclair) would pull Bennett off and check on Jay, with Jay very clearly still wanting the match to go ahead. Sinclair would reluctantly call for the bell and Bennett would pull the champ up and perform the Box Office Smash tice before pinning him to become the champion.

 

A potential ROH champion

 

Bennett would be handed the title belt by Carey Silkin (because that’s The Tradition™) and leave before Jay could get up. The show would be released on VOD and DVD as Battle of the Superstars. Because Bennett wrestles like a WWE Superstar™ and Briscoe would be heading off to become one.

The next evening in Dearborn Bennett would have a victory celebration. You know the sort of segment this would be: Team Sexy would gloat about having the gold before getting interrupted by a babyface. In this case it would be Nigel McGuinness standing up at commentary to tell Bennett who he’d be defending the title against.

Those defences would be Jay Lethal on July 27^th in Providence, Michael Elgin on August 3^rd in Toronto, and Roderick Strong at Manhattan Mayhem V.

Bennett would defeat ‘Black Machismo’ cleanly. He’d just manage to squeak passed Elgin, resorting to cheating and shenanigans to defeat him. After that the two would have a confrontation on television and Bennett would cost Elgin a televised bout. Elgin would be awarded a rematch for Death Before Dishonor XI.

Bennett would beat Strong in the main event of Manhattan Mayhem V after a distraction from Maria and a Box Office Smash. His feud with Elgin would continue on television, Bennett costing the number one contender matches and always just managing to get away. Their rivalry would end at DBD with Elgin winning the championship fair and square in the middle of the ring.

Replacing Briscoe

Just for fun, you ask, can you tell us how you'd deal with ROH's world title crisis? Ohhhhh, alright then...

I'll give two answers. The first will be how I’d deal with the crisis without any access to Jay Briscoe and working on the assumption that he's leaving for WWE without ever appear for ROH again. The second will be what I'd do if Jay appeared on the July 12^th and 13^th shows as he was originally advertised to, with those being his final appearances for the promotion.

So, without Jay I'd have Nigel McGuinness, Matchmaker, appear at the Milwaukee show on the 12^th to make an official announcement. He would explain that Mark and Jay have left ROH for spots in NXT, which would probably get boos (I know I'm going to be frustrated if this is what they have to do for real). Michael Elgin, as the only man with a world title shot officially announced, would be considered the current champion via forfeit.

Elgin would come to the ring to interrupt this. A promo would be devised for him that would cover a few points. He'd be torn. On the one hand he's wanted to be the ROH champion for a long time but on the other he's always wanted to earn it in the ring by beating the best the promotion has to offer. He wouldn't want it handed to him but he also wouldn't want to see such a prestigious belt vacated.

This would bring out Adam Cole. He would inform Nigel that he'd accept the championship if Elgin had doubts about being able to carry himself as "the man". McGuinness would say no to that, adding that he respects Elgin's decision. McGuinness would announce a shakeup of the announced card in favour of the opening four matches of a two night tournament for the vacated belt.

This is a good point to address the status of the physical championship belt. Matt Hardy and Steve Corino apparently ran off with it at the end of June 23^rd TV tapings. I imagine this was done to keep the pair relevant to storylines with SCUM out of the picture. I’d have McGuinness reintroduce the belt with an explanation that it was retrieved from Hardy by police and lawyers. ‘The Icon’ could be reintroduced alongside Corino in some other fashion.

The opening round matches of that tournament would be Davey Richards v BJ Whitmer, ACH v Roderick Strong, Eddie Edwards v Mike Bennett, and Jay Lethal v Michael Elgin. Richards, ACH, Bennett and Elgin would win, setting up Richards v ACH and Bennett v Elgin for the following evening. The finals would see Elgin beat either Richards or ACH (I’m not sure who would win their semi-final match) to become the new champion.

ACH would be good in the challenger role. Generally speaking I think it's too early for him to convince a crowd he's about to become champion, but people could be encouraged to believe he might win due to the unusual situation. An Elgin v ACH final could have a good atmosphere to it. Obviously the match would be at least decent. ACH seems incapable of anything less.

The alternative, Richards versus Elgin, would be the obvious route to take. Fans would be far more split on who would win that match. Both are realistic replacements for Jay. The match quality would be great too. Showdown in the Sun proved that.

 

A potential tournament final

 

With access to Briscoe I think ROH could present two stirring matches and a great story across two shows. I'd have Briscoe’s final opponents announced as Michael Elgin and Adam Cole. They'd probably be announced on the website, along with an acknowledgement that the Briscoes have signed with WWE and that Mark's final ROH appearance had already been and gone.

As pointless as I find Jay's singles push I think Briscoe v Elgin could he a phenomenal match. Mainly because of Elgin. His excellent pacing ensures the closing moments of his matches are electric (not literally, that would be hideous). A five minute sequence stuffed with Jay Drillers, Elgin bombs, buckle bombs, crossfaces, and stomps could be, as they say, epic.

Elgin would win. Jay would raise his hand. The world would be happy.

Until Dearborn on the 13^th at any rate. I'd have Adam Cole cut a promo about being denied his rightful title match (because he'd be scheduled for a match with Briscoe rather than the champ). Nigel would tell him he should be honoured to face a guy like Jay in Jay's final match. Cole would probably respond that he's not interested in honour, he's interested in the championship.

Elgin would wrestle a non-title match on the show. Cole and Briscoe would go on last. The event’s name would be chosen as something appropriate for hosting Jay’s final bout.

I like the idea of Cole v Briscoe being a no DQ match. That would permit Jay to do all that brawling he loves and also allow interference from Matt Hardy and Steve Corino on behalf of 'The Panama City Playboy'. Elgin would make the save and, if possible, Mark Briscoe would make a surprise appearance too.

Jay would probably win. It would be a popular decision that would allow the Briscoes to go out as winners, which is what ROH fans seem to desire. A win for Cole would be better in the long run and would set him, Hardy and Corino up as a strong faction for the future but I don't think a heel win could be justified. It would dampen spirits a little too much.

Either scenario would have Elgin striding into the summer as the ROH champion. My dislike of multi-time ROH champions (because it's something the company has, Austin Aries aside, avoided promoting) means I wouldn't feel comfortable placing the title on Richards, Edwards, Steen or Strong, who are all wellsuited in principle to replace Jay as the leading man. In the case of Steen I think it's too early for him to regain the belt anyway. He only lost it in April (and I bet ROH are regretting putting it on Jay now).

Having the right mix of wrestling ability and intriguing character Elgin is the right choice to represent the company as the leading man for the foreseeable future. Given a long run he could become one of the biggest names associated with the title. He’s the ideal candidate and perhaps if Jay does leave he’ll finally get the world title reign he’s deserved for a long time.

Anti-Authority

Why is it that every wrestling promotion under the sun (well, the ones in North America at any rate) feels the need to clog up valuable minutes of air time with authority figures? WWE is the prime culprit. This year we've seen AJ Lee become the GM of RAW only to be fired a few months later for "inappropriate relations" with a talent, Booker T appointed as the new SmackDown boss with his assistants (Teddy Long and Eve) bickering and one-upping each other continually, and, of course, the entire John Laurinaitis saga. The latter was a holdover from one of last year's central stories.
 
While authority figure storylines are a WWE speciality they're not the only ones at it. Over the last few years TNA has become a pustule of unsightly continuity plots with match-making power tossed around seemingly at random between Sting, Eric Bischoff, Hulk Hogan and Dixie Carter. Not content to simply rotate established names through an existing job a new role was also created: GM of the Knockouts division. Designed exclusively as a way to get Brooke 'Hogan' Bollea onto television it's a move that hasn't improved Impact at all.
 
Even Ring of Honor, the company all about emphasising in-ring competition and downplaying frivolous stories (supposedly), has seen an above average amount of time dedicated to match-makers this year. Executive Producer Jim Cornette was the main rival of world champion Kevin Steen before being written off TV (because of his real life dismissal from the booking squad) to be replaced by Nigel McGuinness.
 
In 2012 there is no need for these figures to be featured so prominently. Yet they are. Their prominence is a holdover from the days of the Attitude Era, where the Mr McMahon character first gained notoriety and become a money draw. People had filled similar roles before, but never had they gotten over so well. Vince was so fantastically good at the heel owner shtick that the promotion’s writing team (which was installed during the Era’s latter years) became used to writing with such a character.

The man who started the trend

Authority figures have become a crutch to the WWE writers. They rely on them for easy storytelling and eliciting the desired reaction (usually boos or cheers) easily from fans. It’s a habit that needs to stop. Wrestling shows do not need weekly appearances from General Managers, Executive Producers, Managing Consultants, commissioners or any similar fictitious role.

That’s not to say that these roles should be done away with completely. There’s always a need for authority figures in wrestling. A GM, commissioner or owner is someone who can explain the storylines and book the matches on screen. It’s a good way of getting retired or limited performers (or over non-workers) onto television. They just shouldn’t be on every week talking for twenty minutes.

TNA, WWE and ROH are all just as guilty as one another when it comes to this. All three need to decrease the amount of time dedicated to these performers and start focusing on signing and pushing new acts whom they will be able to rely upon in the years to come. People won’t buy a pay-per-view to see matches being made. They’ll buy a pay-per-view to watch matches being wrestled.

Year of the Wolf

I’m not Davey Richards’ biggest fan but I was fully expecting him to hold onto the ROH world championship for at least a few more months. That he lost the belt to Kevin Steen came as a huge shock to me. It may have seemed obvious to some that ‘Wrestling’s Worst Nightmare’ was going to walk out of Border Wars victorious but I was convinced that Richards would retain the gold and drop it Steen in a few months’ time. He seemed the first candidate in a long time to enjoy a title reign that would equal those enjoyed by celebrated champions Samoa Joe, Nigel McGuinness or Bryan Danielson.

I thought this for a couple of reasons. First of all it seemed too early in the Steen-Richards feud for a title change. I assumed Steen would lose and then somehow obtain a rematch (this is wrestling, stipulations such as “this will be your only title match” are overturned all the time) and leave as champion then. It’s uncharacteristic of Ring of Honor to put the title on a wrestler at the peak of their popularity, they usually procrastinate and end up putting the title on popular stars months too late.

That was originally the case with Richards himself. Following his unsuccessful challenge against Tyler Black (who himself was kept waiting too long to win the ROH title) on June 24^th 2010 everyone knew it was just a matter of time until he became champion. That “matter of time” ended up lasting a full year, by which point Richards, while still undeniably popular, was not as over as he had been a year before. The fans were not as desperate to see him as the company figurehead because ROH had waited too long.

My point is that it is far more like ROH to keep a wrestler as the popular challenger for just a little too long and it was surprising that they deviated from this annoying habit with Steen. It’s the right move and one I’m personally happy with (I much prefer Kevin Steen to Davey Richards) but it’s still surprising.

We're not going to be seeing this sight for a while. Some may say that's a good thing...

The second reason is that ‘The American Wolf’ was only just beginning to hit his stride as champion. He’d had the belt for eleven months and the first half of his reign was completely forgettable. During his first four months he defended the title only three times, once against non-ROH competitor Tommy End, once against entertaining non-threat Colt Cabana, and once against Roderick Strong. This was not Richards’ fault, ROH had scaled down the number of shows they running during this period in preparation for their 2012 relaunch. But the point still stands: Richards was not being given the best opponents possible.

Another problem was that much of Richards’ reign was characterised with matches against Roderick Strong and Eddie Edwards. All three are great wrestlers and they never produced any matches that disappointed but there are only so many times you can see three men clash with one another. It was a lack of variety that damaged the majority of the Davey Richards ROH title reign.

What’s frustrating is that he was just beginning to defend the belt against a wider variety of opponents. By all accounts Richards’ matches against Jay Lethal and Adam Cole were impressive and his main event match with Michael Elgin at Showdown in the Sun was an astonishing display. More defences like that against different names plucked from all levels of the roster could have really helped Richards make more of his time as champion. Had Richards been facing those sort of guys from the start of his reign (rather than the small cadre of main event talent at Ring of Honor’s disposal) I think we’d be looking back on a far more impressive reign.