Column of Honor 07.09.11: Return to Honor

Posted by Ari Berenstein on 07.09.2011

Jay Lethal, Jimmy Jacobs and Kevin Steen have all returned to Ring of Honor - what has been their influence thus far and what is their future in the company? Plus, news on Steen’s statement of intent, a Charlotte preview and more!

I was considering prying an Enigma "Return to Innocence" pun in the title to this week's column—Return to Honorsense? Well, thankfully I didn't go in that direction and we're all better off for not reading it. Oh, wait. Ey yah ey-i oh I, Welcome to The Column.

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=Wrestlers Leave, Return to Ring of Honor=





It's been a fast and frenetic two months for Ring of Honor-new ownership, championship changes and a new television show about to begin. This has definitely become a time of transition for the promotion and with that come some changes, especially in the roster lineup. Some wrestlers have chosen to leave for other promotions or word is out that they may be leaving soon. "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels is heading for a longer stay in TNA / Impact Wrestling while "The Notorious 18" Homicide signed an exclusive no-compete contract with Urban Wrestling Federation. The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) had their WWE try-out and an offer has been extended.

Interestingly, Ring of Honor hasn't fully written out any of these men in the past few weeks, but explanations have been put in place should these become long-term departures. Truth Martini wrote a letter published on the ROH website explaining that Daniels had been "questioning his purpose." However, Martini's column did not throw his House of Truth member under the bus as he claimed that "Through deep thoughts and meditation he will regain his focus." His statements leave room for Daniels to return should ROH and TNA work out some sort of deal, but also give that stable and the promotion an "out" should that not be possible.

Meanwhile, Homicide gained a sort of pyrrhic win in his last match (for now) with the promotion at Best in the World 2011 against Rhino. However, Rhino had the last laugh when he smashed Homicide through a table, gaining vengeance for The Embassy. Homicide may be gone for now but ROH, the window is there should he return for a resuming of his war against Prince Nana's group. As for The Kings of Wrestling, Hero and Castagnoli have meant a lot to the promotion in recent years, especially helping to bring excellent quality matches in the tag team division. However, in the wake of their WWE tryout it is clear that ROH is trying to build other teams and slowly reducing the amount of attention they are receiving.

Yet while some wrestlers are asking a very famous question sung by The Clash ("should I stay or should I go?"), others have decided to return to the land of honor. Jimmy Jacobs and Jay Lethal have stood out as two men who had been gone for quite the while but are now back. Their returns have been met with positive responses. One other man-Kevin Steen, has also returned, but on his own terms and not at all with the approval of ROH brass. Let's look at how all three men made their returns to ROH and what the future may hold in store for them in the months to come:

Jimmy Jacobs: I wrote several years back that the next character progression I'd love to see Jacobs take on is that of becoming a mature adult. It's interesting that Jacobs began that character development in Dragon Gate USA, which was in the wake of his departure from ROH and the end of nihilistic revolutionary efforts of The Age of the Fall stable.

The direction for Jacobs in DGUSA seemed to be his attempt to live right, to redeem himself and to find a new purpose in pursuing The Open the Freedom Gate title. Then DGUSA booked him to lose his first several matches in pursuit of that goal and I was puzzled. Several months later, Jacobs found a second opportunity within Ring of Honor. He has been slotted into the role of Steve Corino's support system as they both look to reform their evil ways.

It's such an intriguing angle, one that has only been focused upon once before in ROH when Alex Shelley was dumped from Generation Next and looked for forgiveness from the fans and the wrestlers. That babyface turn angle resulted in the wrestlers still not trusting him and another heel turn. We are now six-months into this Corino redemption storyline and similarly he is not finding many people in the locker room that will forgive him or forget the previous year of destruction he wrought alongside Kevin Steen. Now, Jacobs has been inserted as someone who can be that back-up for Corino and it looks like the storyline will continue for both men as to their possible reformation. On the other hand, there is also a thread that remains of both men "giving into temptation" that unwinds the whole effort.

Interestingly, Jacobs hasn't been booked in any matches yet, though it is now almost two months removed since his resurfacing in ROH and there have been four shows (including this weekend's stops in Richmond and Charlotte). Though this helps Jacobs in that he serves a purpose in ROH storylines while not having to take any extra risks, it does lead to the question of if Jacobs will actually be wrestling at some point in his ROH reprise. In storyline, Jacobs only has the authority to be Corino's second; he hasn't applied or been granted a "wrestling license" to work for the promotion…yet. I hope that something will move both Jacobs and Ring of Honor to reconsider that notion, such as the return of one of the more ruthless and psychotic antagonists ever seen in the promotion, namely Kevin Steen.

Kevin Steen: Steen's return to Ring of Honor was hinted at so heavily in promos by Steve Corino over the past month that his appearance at Best in the World 2011 in New York City was all but inevitable. Unfortunately, things did not work out so well for Corino—as Steen's betrayal and return to his evil ways was not merely inevitable, but it was swift, immediate and brutal. It cost Corino dearly. Corino's waving of the flag for Steen looked bad enough before the events of June 26th, but now it is clear that Steen humiliated and embarrassed Corino in public and hurt him badly. Kevin Steen has made it clear (see below) that ROH has not seen the last of him, even though Jim Cornette vowed on his mother's grave that Steen would never return. Though it seems that the big wigs in ROH understand that Steen's rampage was not necessarily Corino's fault and it shouldn't have any negative consequences on his standing with them, the outstanding issue remains.

It was clearly noticeable at Best in the World that Kevin Steen has improved his physique and his look—he is thinner but still very imposing physically. He has been kicking ass in the meantime on Canadian independents and in forming his super-team with Akira Tozawa in PWG, naming it the Nightmare Violence Connection.

It was amazing to see Steen come back for that riotous scene in New York City. It was more than six months since Steen lost what was essentially a loser-leaves-town bout during Final Battle 2010 against El Generico. In these days when other promotions usually don't even live up to their stipulations the first day after a match takes place, six months is more than enough time to have lived up to the stakes of that feud. Besides, there is a definitive clamor for Steen's return from the ROH fan base and…let's face it, the promotion is always more interesting with Steen involved than without him. ROH and Steen could have gone anywhere with this return—a real reformation, an attempted one that goes awry, a re-corruption of Corino, Jacobs or both and on it goes. However they went with the eventuality with immediate repercussions, an immediate betrayal of Corino's efforts to bring him back to ROH. I'd imagine there will be hell to pay by somebody at the hands of "Mr. Wrestling" Kevin Steen and that before too long, Steen will be back, whether as a rogue agent or upon the instance of Steve Corino and Jimmy Jacobs so they can deal with them more personally.

Another interesting twist I'd like to see is something along the lines of what happened during the first season of the F/X television series "Justified" and the character of Boyd Crowder as played by Walter Goggins ("The Shield"). That character was very evil man who came from a criminal family, who thought he heard the word of God after coming close to death and decided to "reform". Eventually that reformation was proven to be a very deranged and extremist form of that word, as he set up his own "vigilante" crew that only led to more trouble and the situation in his town and with his family becoming more out of control than ever before. I'd like to see if this Corino-Steen-Jacobs triangle can somehow utilize that dynamic in some way—an earnest attempt at redemption taken the wrong the way and gone too far.

Jay Lethal: I was surprised by the large amount of positive reaction to Jay Lethal coming in, not because he didn't deserve it, but just that people were excited to see him come in and do his thing. He had been bounced around like a yo-yo like many other wrestlers in TNA…though he did have his greatest moments in the spotlight there with the "Black Machismo" gimmick and his match against Kurt Angle. I think people appreciate his efforts with that persona and do realize that he has talent in the ring.

Lethal's re-debut at Best in the World was exactly that—a large positive response based on his talent, ability, past demonstrations of that and of course a touch of the ROH fan base's desire to see anyone even remotely crapped on by TNA get their due. I'm just not sure how exactly he'll fit in with the current roster or what rivalries or feuds he can have that will truly capitalize on his character. It would be great to see a babyface against babyface match with the likes of Colt Cabana or El Generico, but as far as heel feuds go, I'm at a loss. Regardless, his first appearance was well received, so there is no reason not to bring back Lethal for more appearances in ROH…so long as it's not in his All Wheels Wrestling persona.

Who else will return or debut in the months ahead? There were certainly be an opportunity to make a huge mark on the promotion given the new television platform for ROH (which, for all of its pluses and minuses is still a major deal). In the same way that Christopher Daniels and Homicide rocked the crowd when they emerged out from the back and back into the world of Honor, a man with such an important historical connection to ROH such as Low Ki coming back on the first night of tapings would be tremendous, both making news for the promotion and pleasing the fans. However, in various interviews Low Ki has said he has not been contacted by ROH (though he is open to doing business).

Ki's recent TV appearance on TNA also throws somewhat of a monkey wrench into the works, though not as much as one would think if pen has not been put to paper. Likewise, it has been nice to see former ROH names like Austin Aries and Jack Evans get their chance to shine on SpikeTV for TNA, for however long it lasts and whatever it is worth. Though ROH can make a go of it with their current roster and they don't necessarily need any one wrestler to survive or thrive—it sure would be something to see the likes of them return to honor and contributing to the product.

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As of 07/09/11


=ROH World Champion=
Davey Richards

Champion since 06/26/2011 | 1 successful defenses
Best in the World 2011 defeated Eddie Edwards in New York, NY to win the championship.
Next Defense TBD in Chicago, Illinois on 08/13/11.


--Davey Richards defeated Tommy End in Barcelona, Spain on 07/04/2011




=ROH World Tag Team Champions=
Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team: Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin
Champions since 04/01/2010 | 3 successful defenses
Honor Takes Center Stage Chapter 1 defeated The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli) in Atlanta, GA to win the championship.
Next Defense TBD in Chicago, Illinois on 08/13/11.


--Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas defeated Jay & Mark Briscoe in Toronto, ON on 5/7/11.
--Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas defeated The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli), Jay & Mark Briscoe and The All-Night Express (Kenny King & Rhett Titus) in New York City, NY on 06/26/11.
--Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas defeated El Generico & Colt Cabana in Richmond, VA on 07/08/11.



=ROH Television Champion=
El Generico

Champion since 06/26/2011 | - successful defenses (New Champion)
Best in the World 2011 defeated "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels in New York, NY to win the championship.
Next Defense TBD in Chicago, Illinois on 08/13/11.




Obviously ROH only showed a small clip of the Davey Richards post-match celebration , but that should be enough to give you a taste of the great emotion that came out of that moment—probably the best of what professional wrestling can do is to make you feel emotion, whether its anger, fear, excitement, joy and so on, and that moment did its job well. The Truth Martini promo looked good (I like a good villain-in-repose monologue) but seemed to meander before getting to the point, plus the sunglasses were very distracting because I could see the video camera in the reflection. Also, I know that ROH needs to tape these promos at the shows, but man is it distracting when you can hear background noise (such as crowd cheers and chants from other matches taking place at the time of recording). This one wasn't even the worst of examples. I love that The Bravados used the "C&C Wrestling Factory" name for Cedrick Alexander and Caprice Coleman that was created on the forums (pst… the wrestling are reading the forums!), shouting out Colt Cabana ala CM Punk's Raw promo and borrowing Shelton Benjamin's WWE catchphrase. Awesome. Their hubris at believing Briscoe-Bravados would main event any show in the country is hysterical (in a great way). Jay Briscoe was the King of this week's Video Wire though, what with his launching of a can of Campbell's Chunky into the stratosphere, skirting (but not going over) some very fine lines of taste with his comments about NYC and parades (take lessons, Punker)and teaching us plebian folk that Five Stacks equals Five G's, and that's a lot of money.



The All-Night Express look great on the streets of New York City, but this promo was too "try hard" if you know what I mean…that you could see Rhett Titus thinking about what he was saying as opposed to just letting it rip. Kenny King was closer to that, but I also think they're dipping into a few too many clichés. The Vanderlei Silva comment was sweet, though it would have worked even better had he not been knocked out by Chris Leben this past weekend at the UFC show in Las Vegas. On the positive side, they cut a promo in full view of the public, with people walking behind them and probably looking on, with street noise and such and they did it without losing focus, getting nervous or showing any signs hesitation. That's a great sign that they can pull off the promo in any environment.

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For lo tho ye walk in the valley of the shadow of death, thou shalt not fear it, for in it lies the miracle of Truth, that there is no life so rich and full that cannot be ripped asunder and no life so meager and wanting that cannot be built upon and improved. Ergo, listen ye well to this treasured advice found within The Book of Truth, for these words are worth their weight in gold. So sayeth The Truth, so sayeth The House:


There was a blind man who once approached a sage and asked him to restore his eyesight. The wise sage said that he did not have the ability to do such a thing. However, one could become whole again with his senses if he sought out The Man Whose Time Is Now. So the blind man went on the epic quest of his life, searching for The Man Whose Time Is Now so that his vision could be regained. It took years, traversing dangerous territories and visiting many towns, only using the generosity of others to help him move about from place to place. Finally, on the edge of a cliff in a remote mountain town, he found the elusive Man Whose Time Is Now. He went up to this man and spoke his piece. He explained his quest and his fondest desire to be able to see. The Man Whose Time Is Now pondered this request. He found the blind man to be an honest and genuine soul and so he spoke thusly: "Blind man, you can restore your eyesight, but only if you do what I say." The blind man agreed. The Man Whose Time Is Now directed him to open his hand and shake it back and forth next to his face repeatedly, saying the words "You Can See Me" over and over again. At first, the blind man was reluctant to fulfill this request, because even though he was a blind man he could tell this would make him look utterly and completely ridiculous. Finally though, he acquiesced and did as he was told. And Lo! It was a miracle, for the blind man opened his eyes and finally saw the world—and it was beautiful. "I'm sorry", The Man Whose Time Is Now said, "But Your Time Is Up". The Man Whose Time Is Now then threw him off the cliff, whereupon the formerly blind man who now was whole again fell and died.

-From The Story of John Cena, Chapter 8, Verses 3-21 in The Book of Truth

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-And as for the first appearance of Rhino, as I wrote in my preview for Best in the World, I have wanted Rhino to make an appearance for ROH for quite some time now. It's interesting though, I think Rhino likes being a heel more than a face since his time as a good guy never really seems to last, though it's always more fun to cheer for him than against him. That said, I think he's a great fit for The Embassy as its bruiser character (ala what Bison Smith used to do) However, I do wonder if it doubles too much on the persona and usage of Michael Elgin in The House of Truth. Regardless, I think as long as he stays motivated I'd welcome his presence on the card matching up against the likes of Colt Cabana, El Generico and other goody-goodies. Regardless, there's always room for Jello, and there's always room for GORE…GORE… GORE!

-Chris Hero and Delirious (Hunter Johnson) missed last night's show in Richmond, VA due to weather issues affecting flight travel in Newark, New Jersey. Jim Cornette supervised the show in Delirious' absence and the only thing changed was that the Hero vs. Titus match had to be scratched and replaced with a second Mike Bennett match, against Titus. Poor, unfortunate Richmond, Virginia. Two Mike Bennett matches in one night? Anyway, Hero and Delirious are expected to be there tonight in Charlotte.

You can check out results from the Richmond, VA show here. Looks like the main event of Wolves vs. House of Truth delivered, judging from the early reaction.

-Good ol' Mr. Kevin Steen has been keeping busy since his "one-off" last week in New York City. He released a missive regarding his actions to ROHWorld.com (since the official ROH website is now banning all mention of Steen there is no way they would publish it). It's an impressive epistle which explains his motivations and intentions. It is reprinted here, as is (and remember, English is not Steen's first language):


The second I heard it, I got a feeling in the pit of my stomach that I will never forget.

So many things went through my mind...how could I end up in this situation? What can I do to fix it? Is it too late to change things? And most of all...how could I live without Ring Of Honor?

I heard the sound that signified my career in ROH was over and my heart sank. Actually, it felt more like it started bleeding.

You have all figured out by now that the sound I'm talking about is the referee coutning to 3 as Generico is pinning me for the victory at Final Battle. But many people thought that feeling in the pit of my stomach was regret...but as I showed everyone at the iPPV, it wasn't.

I spent 6 long months trying to get rid of that feeling...the feeling of undeniable rage and betrayal that festered inside of me ever since that phone call. Remember that call Jimmy? The one where you told me back in October that if Generico and I didn't stop this war immediately, one of us would have to go? I told you there was no way you'd have the guts to get rid of one of us and the next week, I decided to call your bluff and lay out the challenge for Final Battle.

I expected you to lose your fucking mind after I did it and I was right. You did. What I wasn't right about is the fact that you'd beg me to reconsider. I'll admit it, on that one, I was way off. I realized pretty quickly that you weren't going to be manipulated like everyone else I dealt with. You made the match official and it got quite clear quite quickly who you and every other ROH ''official'' were rooting for.

The match was 2 months away and I could already see all of you plan for ROH without Kevin Steen. It made me sick. I knew there was no way I could win this thing. Regardless of how the match went you'd just screw me over if you had to. You couldn't have me running around beating the shit out of everyone and licking people's blood when you were negociating with that nice big corporation that wanted to buy the company, which would ensure that the almighty Jim Cornette would always have a job in ROH and still matter in the wrestling world.

I really tried to let go of that anger but nothing I did helped. The closest thing to relief was when I got to compete in a PWG ring. But even that was bittersweet because after every match, people would come up to me and say ''How are you not in ROH anymore?''

Then I saw what they made Steve do...and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Steve Corino is the best. My idol. He is an exemple for everyone that wants to leave a mark on this industry. He's one of the guys I watched as an aspiring wrestler that made me say ''I want to be like that guy!''

Of course, that was before he sold his soul for that company. That was before Steve Corino made the decision to cut his own balls off so that he could stay in ROH.

Steve Corino is a fucking legend and instead of embracing that, he turned himself into a apologetic, self-deprecating, pathetic shell of what he really is.

Steve used to come to the ring and beat the shit out of people. He used to come to the ring, bleed buckets and make people bleed. Now he comes to the ring wearing hockey jerseys and says he's sorry so that fans applaud him. He wants to help the younger generation. He tries to make buddy-buddy with a fucking lumberjack. What kind of bullshit is that?

Where's the Steve Corino that would take a fork and cut people open? Where's the Steve Corino who pushed me to get more sadistic and evil than I ever even knew I could? Where's Steve Corino, King of Old School?

I don't know whether he genuinely believes this shit or whether he's doing it to kiss ROH's ass but I'll say this, FUCK him for demeaning himself and FUCK ROH for either LETTING him or FORCING him to do it! And as far as Jimmy Jacobs is concerned, I don't know him as well as I know Steve but it seems to me he got brainwashed into ripping his own balls off too. The unfortunate part is Steve made the mistake of thinking that he could change me as well. I actually can't believe that possibility even occured to him. Maybe Jacobs put that in his head?

All I know is this: Steve, you need to understand that I don't hate you. It's quite the opposite. You are still my idol. I still respect you more than anyone I've ever met in the wrestling business. I still think of you and Colby as family.

But I will never castrate myself in order to make ROH, Cary Silkin, Jim Cornette or you, happy. I am the monster I am and I will never change. My name is Kevin Steen and I am the Antichrist of pro wrestling. I don't need to drink or do drugs to be who I am. I am here to beat the fuck out of people and create as much chaos, pain and mayhem as I can and that's always going to be my purpose.

I waited for 6 months to get a chance to come out, stand in the middle of an ROH ring and scream to the world what I've been feeling and I finally got to do it at Best In The World. But I didn't do it just for me. I did it for a lot of people. I did it for the guys that gave years of their careers to ROH and got discared with no explanation like Necro Butcher, Austin Aries and Jimmy Rave. I did it for Gabe Sapolsky. I did it for my buddy Adam Pearce who poured his soul into that company before being thrown out like grabage. But most of all I did for myself, my wife and son, and for the old Steve Corino... the one that died in December when I got kicked out of the company.

There's so much more I want to write about here but I feel this has been long enough already so let me close this off with one last thing.

Jim Cornette, please remember this:

You cannot keep me out of ROH. You can swear on your mother's grave all you want...your mother's grave doesn't mean shit to me.

I will show up in ROH again, sooner or later. And when I do, it'll be with one goal in mind...

To bring the whole fucking company down, for good.

See you soon..
Love,
Kev


Interestingly, this letter and the mention of Gabe Sapolsky motivated the former ROH booker to clarify on Twitter and on the F4W / Wrestling Observer boards that he is not a part of this storyline nor did he wish to be involved in it. Sapolsky did not want the Dragon Gate higher ups or wrestlers under his two rosters for DGUSA and EVOLVE to start asking those kinds of questions, so he put the word out immediately that he is not involved, although he did offer Steen a slot on the EVOLVE 9 show in NYC if he wanted it.


-All three ROH championships will be on the line for the first SBG television tapings on August 13th in Chicago Ridge, Illinois. That is a famous date in ROH history by the way, as six years ago CM Punk finished his run in the promotion at Punk: The Final Chapter. Colt Cabana defeated Punk two-falls-to-one in a two-out-of-three falls match, followed by one of the most awesome celebrations / farewells in ROH history, with massive streamer parades, a diet Pepsi toast and all.

-It appears that ROH will allow for more international defenses of the World Championship, as they sanctioned a defense by Davey Richards against Tommy End in Spain.


-Defy or Deny Thoughts: A fantastically consistent show (and one of the better quality shows when it comes to video capture) that unfortunately has been lost amid all the critical acclaim for ROH's major shows that happened afterwards. Castagnoli / Richards builds and builds to a frenzied but appropriate finish. Mark Briscoes' last match as a pure babyface is a blistering one against Kyle O'Reilly that asserts O'Reilly as a man who is definitely learning the right things necessary to get over with the ROH fan base using the ROH style of hard-hitting impact moves. I actually only paid the main event four-way elimination half-mind through the opening ten minutes or so, but it really gets cooking once it is down to Generico and Strong. If you look at their pairings in the first half of 2011 you'll notice how well they work as opponents for each other. Their feud has been a "B-plot" for this year, but it's A+ effort and results. Hero and TJ Perkins also have a great match and I'd certainly like to see more of Perkins with the roster in transition and needed some more depth on the undercard. Ciampa has his best match of his ROH stint against Adam Cole and both men prove to be great compliments for the other (babyface fire and crazy comebacks versus heel strength and displays of power). Mike Bennett has a huge test in a ROH TV Title Match against Christopher Daniels, but their attempt to turn the Massachusetts crowd doesn't work all that well (I mean differentiation of one town over being superior to the other is kind of weak). They have a good, but generic bout. The best Bennett material actually comes from the interactions with Steve Corino, as the latter's redemption storyline works wonders pitted against someone who represents a diametric opposite in the form of arrogance.

-As great as it was to see it all live, matches from Manhattan Mayhem IV translated superbly well on DVD. For instance, I was amazed at the intensity of The Briscoes / All-Night Express match and post-match fight, thanks to the right camera work and close-ups of each wrestler as the fight went on and led to the double-turn. You could see the body and facial language changing as everyone wore on—and the dive from King onto everyone on the floor looked as bad-ass on television as it did live and in person. The ROH World Title match also received the benefits of a great live show-to-DVD capture—as Eddie Edwards' upset win actually became less upset and more a natural outgrowth of his outmaneuvering and outhitting Roderick Strong. Plus ROH is able to get a great close-up of Strong's chest as it starts to bleed thanks to the velocity of Edwards' chops. That moment is something which helps to tell the story and leaves an impression in the viewer's mind about how well Eddie is doing in the match. Obviously, one scary moment that becomes even more frightening is the Davey Richards close-call when he was caught on the top rope after the Shooting Star Press attempt. The match looked great until then and again, the DVD transfer once again helped as along with the commentary one could see the psychology of the Pure rules and using submissions on the ropes and top turnbuckles.

-The awesome theme music for The All-Night Express is Waste Management's "First Thing's First" and you can cop it (that's what the cool people say, right, "cop it"? Yeah that's the ticket) through this link.

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= Ring of Honor July 9th, 2011 in Charlotte, North Carolina=

Metrolina Tradeshow Expo
7:30 pm belltime
7100 Statesville Road
Building C
Charlotte, NC 28269


Main Event- Steel Cage Match-World TV Champion El Generico vs. Roderick Strong with Truth Martini

These two will finish up a six-month long grudge that has involved Roderick Strong cheating to retain his title and using The House of Truth to take out El Generico. Truth Martini even corrupted Christopher Daniels with The Book of Truth, which led to The Fallen Angel beating down mercilessly on the Generic luchador at Honor Takes Center Stage Chapter 2. Fortuitously, Generico gained his revenge on Daniels two weeks ago by defeating him for the TV Title and chasing Daniels out of the promotion, at least for now. That leaves it back to Generico and Strong, and while this one is for bragging rights, the stakes are very high given the dangerous environment of the steel cage.

Roderick Strong has an excellent steel cage match record including wins against Jack Evans and two Steel Cage Match victories on winning teams. El Generico has not fared as well, losing a tag team cage match against Steve Corino and Kevin Steen last year on HDNet as well as having a Steel Cage loss to The Briscoes back in 2007 while teaming with Steen. That record does not bode well for Generico coming into tonight's main event.

El Generico will have to use every bit of willpower and stamina to push past the brutal beating which will surely come at the hands of Strong. Even though both men will be locked in the confines of a steel cage, he's going to have to beat back interference attempts from Truth Martini and possibly Michael Elgin. He's going to have to win without much or any back-up. Yet, if there's one thing Generico has done this past year, is that he has learned how to win when his back is against the wall. Generico has learned how to win when it seems defeat is certain. El Generico has learned how to win. He's a champion now and with that comes confidence—and hopefully that kind of growth will prove the difference between this and previous cage match experiences.

Tag Team Challenge Match-The American Wolves (ROH World Champion Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards) vs. Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly

This is the most intriguing bout of the evening and could end up being one of the best on the show. Richards and Edwards are back as a tag team just two weeks removed from one of the best matches of the year-a hellacious battle where they threw down on each other. First of all-how much did that take out of their physical well-being? Secondly, are they going to be on the same page and back in the rhythm of The Wolves at their best? This bout also has the sub-plot of Richards wrestling against his protégé O'Reilly for the first time ever in Ring of Honor. They're training partners and have certainly sparred with each other. Richards probably didn't take it easy on him in the gym, but will he go all-out against him when it counts? I'd bet on "yes" to that one. Cole and O'Reilly are going to have to use all of their dynamic double teams and their youthful desire to prove themselves in order to make it through, because if Edwards and Richards get on a roll, it's going to be difficult to stop them.

Grudge Match #1 - Jay Briscoe vs. Rhett Titus
*Mark Briscoe and Kenny King will be handcuffed to the post at ringside

Grudge Match #2 -Mark Briscoe vs. Kenny King
*Jay Briscoe and Rhett Titus will be handcuffed to the post at ringside

The All-Night Express & Briscoes war continues and it continues to be personal, including this show where each man will be handcuffed to the other in their respective singles matches. Rhett Titus is going to be on the short end of the stick against the mastiff, in-your-face fighting style from Jay. Meanwhile Mark and Kenny could end up slugging it out but their aerial abilities would likely lean them towards a speedier contest based more on ducking-and-weaving and landing bombs where possible. More than likely, someone from one of the teams is breaking out of the cuffs during these matches (maybe more than once) and all hell is going to break loose then.

Non Title Tag Team Match - World Tag Team Champions Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas vs. The Bravado Brothers

Ring of Honor's greatest tag team (they have the championships to prove it) are also the promotions' most pissed off tag team (and that's no easy feat when you've got KOW and The Briscoes on roster) after Jay and Mark beat them down with steel chairs at Best in the World 2011. They're ready to take it out on anyone and everyone in their way and well… Harlem and Lance Bravado are another set of brothers who just happen to be in their way. Haas and Benjamin are going to bring the pain, and Harlem and Lance will need to bring more than their sweaters. I don't know if their grandmother told them about how to avoid being turned into jelly by world-caliber wrestlers, but if she didn't, they better start thinking about a plan because otherwise, this should be a cakewalk for the ROH World Tag Team Champions.

Special Challenge Match - Chris Hero with Shane Hagadorn vs. Colt Cabana

This may be the 318th time these two have crossed paths in Ring of Honor, but luckily it has been a while since that's happened so this match does have some (but not too much) renewed novelty. Hero will be bringing his hard-knock style while Colt will look to counter with his ability to outmaneuver and frustrate his opponents. Not too much is at stake here, but Hero's W-L record this weekend could lend some insight into his long-term future with Ring of Honor.

"The Prodigy" Mike Bennett vs. Andy "Right Leg" Ridge

Bennett needs a rebound win after the Jay Lethal loss back in New York City. Ridge could be that easy win, but not if he's taken lightly. Ridge has the resourcefulness and a sharp-as-heck kicking ability. It could be enough to gain the upset if Bennett isn't careful. Then again, Bennett has shown a capability to use different moves for the win and any one of them could be the trick against a younger wrestler.

The House of Truth (Michael Elgin & Truth's Newest Recruit vs. Caprice Coleman & Cedrick Alexander

I like the athleticism and positive mental attitude of the relative veteran Coleman and the youthful Alexander, but that's only going to get one so far when running into the brick wall that is Michael Elgin. The muscle behind The House has been on a tear lately and it will be difficult to contend with his power and brute force. The one x-factor that may be to C&C's advantage is the unknown—Truth Martini's newest recruit may be boom, but he may be bust as well. If this unknown mystery guy is not up to par, then Cedrick and Caprice may have the edge as a team to take him down.

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At the beginning of the year, "The Prodigy" Mike Bennett vowed that within one year that he would become the Ring of Honor World Champion. So let's see how he's done so far, eh?


ROH World Titles Won: 0
Days Left to Reach Goal: 172


Last night Mike Bennett lost to both members of The All-Night Express and now he has to wrestle Andy Ridge. Seems to me like starting from the bottom all over again. It's going to take some time before Bennett can launch himself back into contender status. Anyways, be sure to keep track of how Mister Bennett's progress is doing. That man, he's quite the prodigy at winning championships.

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I'm still going strong on Twitter so head on over to TwitterNation and follow me at: http://twitter.com/AriBerenstein.


Jack Bramma gets the Ring of Honor trifecta award this week. He has his own play-by-play and review of Best in the World 2011 internet Pay Per View and an awesome look at the Bryan Danielson vs. Takeshi Morishima five-match series that took place from 2007-2008. Bramma continues the retro-look back with Final Battle 2008, which had the final Danielson-Morishima bout and the Aries-Black match and A-Double heel turn. Good stuff.


…And that's three. Next time out, who knows? Results from Charlotte and some other stuff. Thanks for reading.

BROOKLYN!
DAH EM BAH SEE FOR-EVAH! EH!
--Ari--