The JBL and Cole Show Episode 71 review

If you've watched The JBL and Cole Show before you're probably wondering how anyone would go about recapping it. There's a fair chance you're wondering why too. I have no answer for the first question. We'll all find out together as I write this.

I do have an answer for why this is being written though. As this being WrestleMania weekend my intention was to write a string of posts covering all the major offerings from Dragon Gate USA, EVOLVE and ROH. But then I thought it was a nice chance to write about some different things going on. Things that exist on the fringes of wrestling. And when you talk about the fringes of wrestling you talk about The JBL and Cole Show.

It's The JBL and Cole Show, brother!

I'll provide an explanation at this point because while TJACS is one of WWE's better weekly offerings it's not actually on TV and so it's entirely possible some people reading this may not know what it is. As the name implies the show started out as a vehicle for Michael Cole and JBL. It initially featured sports natter and special guests but quickly evolved into a showcase for the vast number of WWE wrestlers under contract who don't get onto TV every week. In its current guise it's a collection of running gags, recurring characters and wrestling in-jokery presented in the style of the more comedic backstage skits WWE is known for.

It's also not featured Michael Cole in anything other than a minor cameo in months. So, y'know, it's got that going for it too.

The appeal of the show is its humour and creative use of wrestlers. Many of the characters that appear are naturally funny and the plots and stories that feature (more on which below) are designed to be absurd and frivolous affairs. Many WWE stars have benefited from appearances on the show, everyone from Torito to Corporate (and indeed non-corporate) Kane to Renee Young to Cesaro.

The two men I think many would agree have benefited from the show the most are Bad News Barrett and Cody Rhodes. Barrett actually picked up his Bad News moniker on The JBL and Cole Show and gets far more to do with it there (it’s completely wasted on the main roster). Meanwhile Rhodes has displayed a distinctly Frat Pack-esque sense of humour, a penchant for non-sequiturs and a willingness to send himself up.

The show's recent storyline, which had been running since late last year (who says WWE doesn't do long term booking?), concerns a controversial Cody Rhodes bowling victory. This has involved his golden boot prize being held in abeyance, Rhodes launching an investigation into alleged chicanery at WWE headquarters, the discovery of JBL’s secret nephew Clem Layfield, and a case being brought against Cody in wrestlers’ court (which is a real thing, for the record).

Episode 71 was little more than a recap show, reminding people of why what’s happening is happening and keeping a current voting poll, which will decide the fate of Cody’s JBL and Cole Show career (or possibly Bradshaw leave the show). The most significant aspect of the programme was the debut of Hulk Hogan. And that was more because he’s Hulk Hogan than because he did anything noteworthy. In fact it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he’s never watched the show. No, I’ll go one better than that. It would surprise me if he has.

*** 

At time of writing this episode of The JBL and Cole Show can be watched here.

Supercard of Honor VII preview

It may not make as much money but the likelihood is that ROH's seventh Supercard of Honor will provide a more satisfying viewing experience for fans than WrestleMania will two days later. Ring of Honor's recent return to form has seen them produce two stellar iPPVs in Final Battle and the 11^th Anniversary Show. Supercard of Honor looks like it will be a hat trick for the group.

I'm also looking forward to seeing how the SCUM storyline is progressed. The addition of more members seems unlikely, the group's already got a nice bulky roster, but we could see further hints of a split between Kevin Steen and the rest of the group. There are plenty of things that could be done with the faction and the unpredictability of it all makes for compulsive viewing.

Speaking of which, SCUM founding member and ROH world champion Kevin Steen will headline SOH VII against Jay Briscoe. Jay is a former eight time tag team champion and one of the most tenured men on the roster. While this is his first time headlining a pay-per-view in a singles match it's not his first shot at the ROH world title. Will he beat Steen? No. Briscoe is a respected and valued member of the roster but he's a tag team guy. There’s a very slim chance he could become the champ in years to come (ROH losing a swathe of key players to WWE could trigger that) but he's not the guy who will beat Steen.

I'm not the biggest fan of 'Dem Boys' but I think the style they work will match up well with 'Mr Wrestling'. It should be an enjoyable brawl. Going back to the SCUM plot I mentioned above I wouldn't be surprised to see Steen saving his opponent from a beating at the hands of his cohorts, most likely after the bout. Anything could happen though. Which is obviously a good thing.

Title matches being presented as the biggest thing on a wrestling show? What a novel concept

One match SCUM will definitely be involved in is the ten man tag team match. ROH representatives Mike Mondo, Mark Briscoe, BJ Whitmer, Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander will face SCUM boys Jimmy Jacobs, Cliff Compton, Rhino, Rhett Titus and Jimmy Rave. With so many men involved it's unlikely to be an orderly affair. I imagine everyone will be given a spot or two but it's mainly going to exist to deteriorate into anarchy and keep the SCUM v ROH programme running. SCUM to win to ensure they're viewed as a threat for future shows.

Jay Lethal and Michael Elgin will wrestle one another to determine which of the two gets a future shot at the ROH championship. One of the many areas the company's improved recently is the schedule for title defences. We already know that Adam Cole and BJ Whitmer have title matches coming up. Adding Elgin or Lethal to the list will take us to three. I can't remember the last time the ROH champion had three challengers announced. It must have been years. It adds a “real sports” vibe to the promotion.

Elgin v Lethal could go either way. Lethal had a title match on last month's anniversary card which may make 'Unbreakable' slightly more likely to win here. Personally I'd like to see that happen, I think Elgin has been poorly handled over the last year and he needs a substantial storyline and series of matches to rebuild him. A credible outing against 'Mr Wrestling' would accomplish that. Their match at Glory By Honor XI was very good. A rematch at Best in the World wouldn’t be a bad thing.

ROH's second tier title will be on the line too. New champion Matt Taven will defend against Matt Hardy and Adam Cole in a three-way. This is a rarity in that it's a three-way feud that actually makes sense. Matt Hardy had a TV title match scheduled against Adam Cole but Cole lost the title to Matt Taven before he could wrestle Hardy.

I like Taven and Cole and enjoy Truth Martini at ringside. That should be enough to combat Matt Hardy being in the match too. I'm not a fan of him being anywhere near an ROH contract. I'd expect this match to go on somewhere in the middle of the show and be at least decent. A title change seems unlikely as Taven only won the belt a few weeks ago. I'm picking the House of Truth boy to win.

At the 11^th Anniversary Show ROH brought in The Forever Hooligans for a match with The American Wolves. It was a return to an old booking approach: bringing in outsiders to pit against full time members of the roster. The same will be done at Border Wars with Naomichi Marafuji and Taiji Ishimori while Supercard of Honor VII will see an appearance from Karl Anderson.

'Machine Gun' Karl Anderson is the former tag team partner of Giant Bernard, better known as WWE's Tensai. Together they won the NOAH and IWGP tag team titles, setting the record for the longest reign (which still stands now) with the former. Don't judge him by the Tensai association, by all accounts he's pretty good and Tensai was presented far as more of a force in Japan than he is in WWE.

Anderson will face Roderick Strong.  It will be his first match for the company in over five years. If I thought he was going to become a regular I'd say he was going to win. That doesn't appear to be the case. This seems to be a one-off deal, so I expect 'The Messiah of the Backbreaker' to go over.

In what is likely to be the opening match ACH and Tadarius Thomas will wrestle QT Marshall and a mystery opponent. QT and his buddy will be managed by RD Evans unless Evans turns out to be the partner, which is unlikely but not impossible (Evans is a trained wrestler but only works as a manager for ROH). I think there's a chance ACH and Thomas could be managed by Prince Nana. He's still listed on ROH's roster page but hasn't appeared in a while. The storyline is that Evans stole all of Nana's money, which means that if Nana returns anytime soon it's likely to be as a babyface. That would be something new for the tried and tested Nana character. I think it could work.

I've no idea who QT's partner will be. Mike Bennett seems like a possibility. He's about the only noteworthy person not booked for the show with no clear way onto it.

An alternative is that Thomas will turn on the popular ACH and join Evans' stable. That could then set up the return of Tommaso Ciampa to turn babyface and team with ACH against the man that cost him the TV championship last year. What would be good about this scenario is that Nana could return alongside Ciampa and form a face incarnation of The Embassy, something we've not seen before.

There are a lot of maybes in there but none of it’s impossible. You heard it here first! I'm going to pick the heel team to win as ACH got a win on the last iPPV.

Former Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team partners and ROH tag team champions Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas will wrestle one another. This match came about because Haas turned on Benjamin. That's the storyline reason anyway. The backstage reason is that Benjamin is expected to leave ROH to return to a mid-card spot in WWE. With that in mind I think a win for 'The Outlaw' seems likely.

Speaking of former ROH tag team champions The American Wolves will try to become two time gold-holders when they challenge reDRagon. This match happened, without the belts involved, at Final Battle. It was one of the best matches on an excellent show. That bodes well for Supercard of Honor.

At Final Battle Richards and Edwards went over. That alone makes me thinks it's the turn of Fish and O'Reilly to win in New York. Also in reDRagon's favour is the fact that they've only had the belts a few weeks. It's far from impossible that they could lose the titles so quickly but it would seem a little strange. They appear to be due for a reign of at least a few months.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the champions pull out some shady tactics to retain their titles. That would set up future matches and add to the already rich story between O'Reilly, Edwards and Richards. It could be the Wolves' night though. Look how many predictions I got wrong for the last show.

Ring of Honor always tries to put on a good show over WrestleMania weekend. It’s a good move as it allows them to piggyback some success off of the marketing juggernaut that is WWE. The weekend has become a celebration of wrestling in general, not just WWE. It’s something for wrestling fandom as a whole, not just the viewers of one company. Expect an eventful card and a rambunctious crowd at the Hammerstein Ballroom.

As a complete show I'm looking forward to this more than WrestleMania XXIX.

Predictions summary:
Kevin Steen to defeat Jay Briscoe
reDRagon to defeat The American Wolves
Matt Taven to defeat Matt Hardy and Adam Cole
Michael Elgin to defeat Jay Lethal
SCUM to defeat Team ROH
Roderick Strong to defeat Karl Anderson
Charlie Haas to defeat Shelton Benjamin
QT Marshall and his mystery partner to defeat ACH and Tadarius Thomas

WrestleMania XXVII predictions

On Sunday April 3^rd Atlanta’s Georgia Dome will host the biggest wrestling event of the year. As the hype videos are all too keen to tell you, this is the Super Bowl of wrestling. A British analogue would be the World Cup. It is the show WWE spends more money and time preparing than any other. No wrestling event this year, no matter how artistically rewarding, will make as much money as WrestleMania.

Looking at the card that’s been put together over the last few months certainly builds hope that this could be one of the better WrestleManias of recent times. After a couple of years of supershows that didn’t meet financial expectations the company has pushed the boat out and hired former megastars ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and The Rock, along with reality TV sensation (in the States at least) Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi, hoping that these big names will help to attract viewers.

Without doubt the biggest of these names is The Rock. Fans have wanted to see him back for years, and by finally giving in and bringing him back Vince McMahon has given himself the best chance possible of achieving a seven figure buyrate, without ‘The Great One’ even needing to wrestle. Rock’s greatest strength has always been talking, so as long as he does that live in the ring (he will) and gets involved in the WWE championship match in some fashion (again, he will) the crowd will be satisfied.

My intention is to do a rundown of the announced card, giving thoughts and predicted winners on each match as I go. As far as predicting winners goes I’m giving the name of people I think will win, not necessarily who I want to win or think should win.

WWE United States championship – Daniel Bryan v Sheamus (c)

This match has been cobbled together fairly quickly to give both men something to do. Sheamus isn’t really somebody I rate highly in any regard, but Bryan ‘Daniel Bryan’ Danielson is tremendous and will get at least an average match out of the current ‘King of the Ring’. I don’t think this match will have enough time to be anything special and will likely end up as filler between more important bouts, or very possibly the show opener (but that is a lucrative spot as the crowd’s always energetic at the start of the evening, and I can’t see Danielson being granted that boon).

Prediction: Sheamus

Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater and Ezekiel Jackson v Santino Marella, Vladimir Kozlov, Big Show and Kane

The only match on the card more hastily dashed together than Bryan v Sheamus. It’s irritating, because the booking has been hinting at this for weeks, and various websites have listed various combinations of babyfaces as opponents for the Corre. Had there been a quicker decision as to who the faces would be this could have meant more, as it is it’s just a disposable undercard match that will likely be placed between two far bigger matches.

I’m pleased Christian’s not involved, he’s better utilised as a distraction or corner man in the World heavyweight title match, but I’m disappointed Kofi Kingston’s not been given a spot on the team. He would have been more of an asset than Kane or Show. My guess is that there will be some sort of injury angle on a face, most likely Kozlov, and Kofi will be announced as the replacement.

The match won’t be good and it won’t get very long. I’ll pick the face team as winners, only because when a match has no reason to happen it’s always best to book a fan friendly finish.

Prediction: Marella, Kozlov, Kane and Big Show

Cody Rhodes v Rey Mysterio

This match has the potential to be a real highlight. Rey always enters a good performance and Cody’s been improving every week during this feud, so this should be good at the least. I think Cody Rhodes really needs to prove himself to the fans and the company’s decision makers during this match, to show that this spot isn’t wasted on him and that he can perform when relied on to do so. I hope they get enough time to provide a satisfying conclusion to what has been the best booked feud on WWE TV this year. The right decision would be for Cody to win, he needs the win over Mysterio far more than the other way round and as long as they don’t open the show (because it’s always best to start off with a babyface win where possible) I think that’s the result we’ll get.

Prediction: Cody Rhodes

Randy Orton v CM Punk

The uncertain status of the Nexus is something that probably deserves a mention here. I don’t think they’re going to be back until after WrestleMania, if at all. I suspect they were written off television having been dismissed as too green. Hopefully Orton and Punk will wrestle with no distractions, or just one big distraction at the end of a bout that’s been allowed to entertain the crowd.

I think the logical choice here is for Orton to win, as neither man really needs the win to move them further up the card while Orton, as a face, would theoretically get the best reaction. It should be a quality, heated match, and a contender for match of the night.

Prediciton: Randy Orton

Trish Stratus, Snooki and John Morrison v Layla, Michelle McCool and Dolph Ziggler

Does anyone really believe Snooki is going to be universally cheered at WrestleMania? While Laycool may be effective heels they’re also trained wrestlers, which fans are going to respect more than an untrained celebrity like Snooki. This is always the trouble with outside personalities wrestling at WrestleMania: fans have to pay hundreds of dollars for ringside tickets, which means that only the most dedicated fans will be near the ring and, knowing that the celebrities are there for a paycheque, they will be very vocal with their displeasure. It’s understandable. You’ve paid a lot to see wrestling, not an untrained reality TV star.

Hopefully WWE will realise this and leave the majority of the work to Morrison and Ziggler, two men who should be in big singles matches at WrestleMania XXVIII. If their work is interspersed with action from Laycool and Trish while Snooki is left to get involved in the finish then the fans’ wrath should be kept to a minimum. That’s the best anyone can hope for: damage limitation.

I’m going to pick the face team as the winners, as celebrities tend to be used favourably when they wrestle for WWE. Snooki getting the pin wouldn’t surprise me.

On a related note, let’s hope that the commentary team know who can wrestle who in this match, to save getting more bickering as we did on the March 21^st RAW.

Prediction: Trish Stratus, Snooki and John Morrison

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler v Michael Cole

Speaking of the commentary team brings us neatly to one of the most eagerly anticipated matches ever to feature a non-wrestler. While this match has been expertly drawn out and built over a number of months it does illustrate how shallow WWE’s talent roster is right now. Michael Cole has become a great on-screen character, and I think he’s very good in the role of an obnoxious heel. Frankly I think he’s better at that than he is at announcing (and that’s not to say I think he’s a bad announcer). Unfortunately, Cole has been made to look a lot stronger than the majority of WWE’s mid-card heels. That’s not a good move in the long-term.

It’s a similar story with Jerry Lawler. While he’s a trained wrestler, he’s also a sixty-one year-old. Because he stood up to a smug play-by-play man he is now one of the company’s top babyfaces. That’s nice for him, but not that great for WWE’s business, because he doesn’t wrestle regularly and doesn’t even appear on house shows. While this feud has been getting TV time it’s not helped sell tickets for any untelevised events because the two men involved don’t appear on them.

Both men are good announcers, and hopefully their roles will be toned back down following WrestleMania. I do think that WWE ultimately made the right decision by booking a match involving them on pay-per-view because they were capitalising on real emotions shown by their fans.

I imagine this match will get a fair amount of time and will feature a lot of stalling from Cole and an almost ECW level of interference from Jack Swagger and Alex Riley, and possibly some others too. It’s not going to be a classic, but fan emotion and the involvement of ‘Stone Cold’ will help to make it memorable. There’s no way Cole’s leaving without being pinned and getting a Stunner.

Prediction: Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler

World heavyweight championship – Alberto Del Rio v Edge (c)

The odd thing about this match is how unexcited I am by it. I’ve been a fan of Edge since 1999, and I think Alberto’s tremendous. I enjoy Broadus Clay, Roberto Rodriguez, and Christian too, all men who are likely to be at ringside and become involved in the match at some point. That’s five men I’m a fan of involved in one match, but I’m just not that bothered about seeing it. It’s not that I think it won’t be good, because I know everyone involved will make it very enjoyable. I think it’s more that this has been a slow moving feud.

Probably the biggest downside to the match is its predictable outcome. Most people believe that Edge is going to drop the belt to Alberto, allowing the Mexican to fulfil his “destiny”. The main source of uncertainty is whether or not Christian will betray Edge. It’s a shame, because with some thought this could have become a really hot feud.

Prediction: Alberto Del Rio

Triple H v Undertaker

With this match being contested under no holds barred rules expect to see all the regular ringside brawling shortcuts utilised. There’s a more than good chance Hunter’s trusty sledgehammer will be brought out to get a cheap pop too. And if any match is going to be permitted to feature blood (which I think there’s a slim possibility of), this one will be it. I can’t imagine they’re going to reach the heights of ‘Taker’s WrestleMania outings against Shawn Michaels, or even Edge or Batista, but it should be solid.

Finally, there is no chance Triple H is going over, but they’ve done a good job convincing some people he will.

Prediction: Undertaker

WWE championship – John Cena v The Miz (c)

While the match Cena v Miz, it’s definitely been a three man feud. The third man? WrestleMania’s host, The Rock. Over the last few weeks Rocky has indicated in interviews that he’s open to the idea of wrestling again, and that news has to be factored into the booking of this match. The likelihood is that no matter who leaves as champion, Rock will wrestle both men. At a guess, I’d say we’ll be seeing The Miz v The Rock at SummerSlam and, if WWE can keep themselves from rushing it, The Rock v John Cena at next year’s ‘Mania. The big question there is “can WWE hold off on that match for a year?”

But where does that leave us for this match? I think both men are going to be met by a lot of boos, but I think Cena’s will be closer to outright hostility. The hardcore fans of WrestleMania never warm to Cena, and I think that Miz is due for a face turn sometime this year, so the defending champion needs to be ready to play face.

I have really enjoyed Miz as champion, partly because I like his act and partly because it’s been nice to see someone break into a top spot that has worked hard for it and continued to improve whilst there. I don’t want (or need) to see Cena with the belt again. But I don’t see Miz getting the win. I think the company’s ready to put the belt back on Cena to get him across as “the man” for his upcoming feud with The Rock.

When Rock originally returned and directed negative comments at Cena I thought it would all end with Rock endorsing Cena as the new flagship of WWE. That was possibly the original plan, but after this Monday I don’t see it happening. What’s more likely is that Rock will end WrestleMania by giving Cena a Rock Bottom and People’s Elbow.

It’s a fascinating match to try and predict as there are so many variables involved. I think the ring work will be solid, but there are going to be better matches lower down the card.

Prediction: John Cena

That concludes this WrestleMania XXVII preview. I think overall it looks like a very strong card, with several matches having the potential to steal the show. There being no Money in the Bank match is a minor surprise, as it had become a regular feature and a nice way of including some of the younger talent. But its removal allows more time for the rest of the matches, so it’s not the worst decision in the world.

Rock as the host is going to be something special and will persuade a lot of people to watch on pay-per-view. Both Undertaker v Triple H and Miz v Cena would be fitting main events, and whichever goes on last I think the fans will give the competitors a warm reaction. By paying out for the big name stars of the past that people still want to see and creating a strong undercard WWE has created a show that will hopefully earn them a healthy buyrate and outdo the one match shows of the last couple of years.

This pay-per-view deserves to succeed. Everyone involved has worked hard for it.

Honor Takes Center Stage predictions

Over the last few years the top independent wrestling companies of North America have used WrestleMania weekend as a way to reach a new audience. By promoting shows in the town hosting the sports entertainment extravaganza the companies make themselves available to crowds hungry for wrestling action before WrestleMania airs on the Sunday evening. The weekend is now something more than just a chance to see WWE’s premier show, it’s the chance to sample what’s going on elsewhere in the business too.

This is not only great for the fans who get to attend these events and the companies putting them on, it’s good for the business in general too. The right crowd on the right night could help give someone the break they’ve been searching for or create a career high performance.

Atlanta will get this treatment this weekend, as Ring of Honor presents two internet pay-per-views on Friday and Saturday. As has been the case for a year or so now, there will be a distinct emphasis on tag team wrestling. RoH have realised that neither WWE or TNA are particularly interested in giving their audiences a strong tag division and are doing a fine job of filling a gap in the market. The league’s strong tag team landscape will be evidenced on Saturday evening as the American Wolves reunite to take on Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team in what is bound to be a fitting main event to the two iPPVs. The night before that Eddie Edwards will make his first defence of the Roh world title against a man he has yet to beat: Christopher Daniels.

Honor Takes Center Stage – Chapter One:

Homicide v Tommaso Ciampa with the Embassy v Colt Cabana v Caleb Konley with Truth Martini

Ciampa and Konley are essentially working in the same role (newcomers to established factions), so the decision to put them in a four man match together is unusual, but not necessarily bad. More different, I suppose. Being in the ring with Homicide and Cabana, two of the company’s most over performers, will help them gain acceptance as men on the rise in the company, and will ensure the quality of the match is high.

This would work as a fun opener or pre-intermission match, with Homicide the most likely to get the win to keep him as a strong contender to the RoH title.

Prediction: Homicide

Sara Del Rey and Serena Deeb v Hiroyo Matsumoto and Ayumi Kurihara

I’ll be honest and say I’d never heard of Matsumoto or Kurihara until they were announced for these events, because I don’t follow Japanese wrestling. I would imagine they’re solid workers because RoH wouldn’t go to the trouble of bringing them in and giving them a lucrative pay-per-view spot if they weren’t. I think ‘Death Rey’ is one of the best female workers in the world today, and Serena Deeb deserved better treatment from WWE, but I think they may end up losing a quality match to make Matsumoto and Kurihara look stronger going into their tag title shot on Saturday night. I also think there may be some “CM Punk” chants when Deeb comes out.

Prediction: Hiroyo Matsumoto and Ayumi Kurihara

El Generico v Michael Elgin

Generico is always popular with Ring of Honor crowds and Elgin is getting over fairly quickly as a monster heel. He reminds me a little bit of Rhino when he first appeared for ECW: short, stocky, and bristling with power moves. I’ve like the two or three matches I’ve seen him in and think that Generico’s a good opponent for him as he’ll be able to sell a beating well.

With the House of Truth banned from ringside this would be the perfect time to give Elgin a clean win over Generico to establish him as a real force in the singles ranks. I have a feeling the win will go to Generico though, as he’s being used as a title contender a lot right now.

Prediction: El Generico

Jay and Mark Briscoe v Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly

I think this match is going to be a test for Cole and O’Reilly. If they can take a stiff beating from the Briscoes they’ll have proved they belong in the company, to the locker room as well as the audience. I like them as a team more than I like the Briscoes, and I want to see them progress, but the trouble right now is that there’s such a gap between RoH’s top teams (the Briscoes, the Kings of Wrestling, the All Night Express and Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team) that it’s impossible to imagine a twosome like Cole and O’Reilly or the Bravados getting a clean victory over any of them.

I think this will be a match that gets a good amount of time and tells the story of the youngsters fighting on no matter what, with the ANX coming out towards the end and costing the Briscoes the match. That would further the Briscoes v ANX feud and also set up a Cole and O’Reilly v ANX match because of the unwanted interference.

I’m pleased the Briscoes finally got turned heel at Manhattan Mayhem IV, that’s been a turn I’ve wanted to see for a long time. As that event wasn’t broadcast we may be “treated” to a promo from the southerners, to establish that they no longer want fan approval.

Prediction: Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly

Roderick Strong with Truth Martini v Davey Richards

A rematch from last year’s Final Battle. In that match Davey fainted whilst trapped in Strong’s Stronghold, meaning Strong shocked the world and retained his world championship. As they had a lot of time to use during that previous encounter the pace started out fairly slow and got much quicker around the halfway point. This time they’re lower down the card with no title on the line and with Davey being booked to get decisive wins as he’s built up for his eventual challenge for the world title, so I think the match will be shorter and will be quick from the start. I cannot see Roderick winning here, which will not only keep Davey strong but further the storyline of Roderick gradually becoming disillusioned with the House of Truth.

Prediction: Davey Richards

RoH world tag team title match – The Kings of Wrestling (c) with Shane Hagadorn v Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team

This is the match I’m most looking forward to on the Friday show card. The two teams have met twice before, both in non-title affairs, and hold one victory each. I think Benjamin and Haas are a tremendous unit capable of having a good tag match with any two wrestlers around, and I think the Kings are the best team in the world today and the greatest act RoH has. This stands a very good chance of being the match of the night, with only the main event and Richards v Strong standing a real chance of bettering it.

I’m torn over who to predict. I think WGTT have been built up to be the team that dethrones (ahem) the Kings, but I also want the Kings’ reign as champions to continue for months to come, allowing them to have the definitive run with the tag belts that Samoa Joe had with the RoH world title. I wouldn’t be surprised if Haas and Benjamin won the belts, but I’m picking the Kings for being such an entertaining act (and because Benjamin worked that dark match for WWE a few weeks ago – it makes me think he may be headed back there).

Prediction: The Kings of Wrestling

RoH World title match – Eddie Edwards (c) v Christopher Daniels

This is a fine example of the sports-based storyline Ring of Honor tells so well. Edwards lost the TV championship to Daniels last December. Their rematch was fought under two-out-of-three falls rules, and ended in a draw at one fall each. The only thing left for Edwards to do is gain that decisive victory over ‘The Fallen Angel’ to end this feud. It’s simple, clever booking, and wrestling needs far more of it.

I think Edwards is due to take that elusive victory over Daniels. The feud has been built to give Edwards a strong and memorable first challenger to his World title run. They’ll deliver in the ring and provide a solid end to the first night of action.

Prediction: Eddie Edwards

Honor Takes Center Stage – Chapter Two:

Homicide v Tommaso Ciampa with the Embassy

I have a feeling this match has been put together to start up a feud between the ‘Notorious 187’ and the Embassy. It could see Homicide win, but I’m going to go with Ciampa winning as I already picked Homicide to win at Chapter One and I there will be enough distractions at ringside to do an interference finish without making Homicide look weak. It would also allow Ciampa to arrive in the company with an impact.

On a side note, I’d love to see one of these shows feature the return of Low Ki to Ring of Honor. Having Low Ki make the save as Embassy is attacks Homicide after the match would be a nice moment. I’m not sure we’ll get to see it though.

Prediction: Tommaso Ciampa

Christopher Daniels v Michael Elgin with Truth Martini

This is a non-title match, and I think it would be a nice way to set up a fresh challenger to Daniels’ TV title. Truth’s been effective getting wins for his team before and I think this could be another example of that.

Prediction: Christopher Daniels

SHIMMER tag team title match – Daizee Haze and Tomoka Nakagawa (c) v Hiroyo Matsumoto and Ayumi Kurihara

With Haze and Nakagawa having won the belts just last Sunday I don’t think they’ll be dropping them this weekend. Matsumoto and Kurihara have been brought in as a special attraction for the weekend and as high profile challengers to pit against the new champions in their first defence. I expect this will be a solid match that will receive a ton of appreciation from the crowd.

Prediction: Daizee Haze and Tomoka Nakagawa

Colt Cabana v Dave Taylor with the Embassy

Dave Taylor is 53. There must be a reason he’s been brought in for this event, but I don’t know what it is. Being a veteran of the British indy scene of decades ago he naturally uses the old school British style. That’s a style Cabana uses with a bit of Americanised posturing and comedy thrown in for good measure, so I expect the match will be a good technical encounter.

I don’t want to say it will be a comedy match, but with Cabana in the ring and Nana at ringside it’s going to come closer than anything else on the card. Cabana always does. He’s a great talent, and his personality is what keeps him popular, but sometimes it wouldn’t hurt to tone down the antics a bit (not in this match, but when facing more serious opponents). I think Dave Taylor’s range of facial expressions are often overlooked too. They’re going to add to the comedy.

It could either be really ugly or really good. I’ll hope for the latter.

Prediction: Colt Cabana

The All Night Express v Jay and Mark Briscoe

I’ve never been much of a fan of the Briscoes, and I love the ANX, so it shouldn’t take long to work out who I want to win here. It could go either way really, but I’m hoping it goes to King and Titus. They need to be kept strong and keep getting more serious as an act. They’re a great team and should be tag champs at some point in the future. It doesn’t really matter who wins here, because I think this is a feud that’s just picking up steam and is going to progress to some entertaining gimmick bouts before it ends.

Prediction: The All Night Express

Roderick Strong with Truth Martini v El Generico

The second rematch for Roddy in as many nights, this one from SoCal Showdown II back in January. Having predicted a loss for Strong on the Friday night I’m going to predict a win for Saturday. I can’t see him losing too many matches until he’s had his rematch with Edwards. Generico v Strong should be a nice match, probably relatively short and fairly lively, and hopefully without much interference.

Prediction: Roderick Strong

The Kings of Wrestling with Shane Hagadorn v Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly

I’m predicting that the Kings will be coming into this match still champions and Cole and O’Reilly off their biggest win to date against the Briscoes. Because of that I think the Kings will be successful here, but it will be another match in which the younger team pushes their more experienced opponents to the limit.

I think Cole and O’Reilly really need a big win this weekend to show they have the potential to work their way through the tag ranks and be a pairing fans can believe in. So if they happen to lose to the Briscoes I’ll be expecting them to pull off the even bigger upset against Castagnoli and Hero.

Prediction: The Kings of Wrestling

The American Wolves v Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team

This should be a phenomenal match. It’s the one I’m most looking forward to, and the one that’s making me consider ordering the show. With Edwards and Richards having been concentrating on singles accolades for the last few months I would imagine the story of the match will be that Haas and Benjamin have the edge as they’ve been working together regularly.

Predicting a winner is tough because future storylines hinge on the outcome to such a large degree. If Haas and Benjamin come into this as the champions but end up losing then Richards and Edwards become top contenders for a tag title shot. If either Benjamin or Haas manage to take a win over Edwards then they’ll be set up as contenders for the RoH world title, whereas if they pin Davey Richards a big singles match will be set up as Davey is on his quest to prove to himself that he’s worthy of the moniker ‘Best in the World’.

The result really could go either way, depending on where the booking team want to take the product. I like both teams, but I’ll pick Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team because of the tag team ring rust on the Wolves that I mentioned above, and for the fact that I’ve got both men winning on Friday with Haas and Benjamin losing. It balances everything out.

Prediction: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team

I tried to keep things brief, but it’s hard when looking at two cards! I think these iPPVs will do well and produce some top notch matches. Hopefully they’ll have been promoted well enough to attract a few newcomers to buy tickets and watch at home. That’s part of the point of presenting them the nights before WrestleMania.

The cards themselves have a lot of possibilities with regards to setting up future feuds, storylines and matches, which is exactly how a wrestling event should be. More companies should put in this level of detail and forethought to their writing all year round. When shows this good are put together regularly fans a more likely and more willing to buy into the product.

Everyone involved with RoH seems to work hard and want to put a quality product out there for people to see, and for that reason I think these shows will attain the success they deserve.