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| Why didn't this go anywhere? Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
Promotion: Ring of Honor
What Happened in 2012: The year started out with Davey Richards firmly entrenched as Champion with no real challenger in sight. The wars with Eddie Edwards and Roderick Strong had seemingly run their course, but with Kevin Steen just having come back and Jay Lethal was still the Television Champion. That didn't stop them from kicking the wheels on the latter as a challenger, but the real story of the beginning of the year was more about whom ROH was working with than what was going on inside of the company.
Hallowicked and Jigsaw were given a "proving ground" match against the then-Tag Team Champion Briscoe Brothers, a match that saw the ENTIRE Chikara locker room spill out from the back in support of their brothers against the rude, crude Briscoes. The resulting brouhaha netted the Chikara sekigun a victory, and it ushered in a year of cooperation between the two companies. The partnership resulted in a double card in Chicago, a Team ROH that invaded King of Trios, and a yearlong feud between Steen and Eddie Kingston that culminated in them heading up their own cibernetico teams.
Back within the company, Steen didn't take long to get back into his ROH groove before he was off causing general chaos. He targeted the guy who ostensibly kept him out of ROH, Jim Cornette, and all his pet projects like World Champion Richards. He gathered an army, manned by Jimmy Jacobs and Steve Corino, and made a charge for the title. He won the title in his home country in May, and has held it since, fending off challenges from Richards, Lethal, Edwards, Kingston, Rhino, and Michael Elgin. His toughest one was a blast from the past at Final Battle. El Generico returned to ROH for the first time since Mania weekend to compete in the first ever singles Ladder War for the title. Steen won with a BRUTAL package piledriver through a ladder.
The other really big story was less positive for ROH. Adam Cole in the beginning of the year looked like he was going to be the next huge thing in the company. At their 10th Anniversary show, he teamed with Edwards against Richards and Kyle O'Reilly in a much-hyped dissolution-and-recombination of the American Wolves and Future Shock tag teams. Cole scored a fall on then-Champion Richards, which to any sane person would have signaled a feud and at least a title match. The Cornette-led ROH at the time thought it be best that his next iPPV appearance should be against Brutal Bob Evans and followed up with a seemingly lackluster Television Championship run. Apparently, the powers that be got sick of Cornette's shit and cast him to the side in October and put Hunter Johnston back in position.
It very much a year of dissolutions actually. Along with the Wolves and Future Shock splitting up, Tomasso Ciampa and RD Evans split with Prince Nana, leading to one of the most anticipated matches at Final Battle. The House of Truth was rocked at its core as Elgin and Strong exploded. After winning the Tag Team Championships, the All-Nite Express was rent asunder as Kenny King's contract expired, and he took dates with Impact Wrestling during their run up to Destination X. Even the Richards/O'Reilly pairing went to hell, as O'Reilly was even too rude for Richards' tastes.
The 2012 MVP: This could very well be the easiest pick ever - Kevin Steen. Even as the company went through doldrums dragging its feet on pushing guys like Elgin and Cole and running holding patterns on other stories, Steen remained the singular reason why ROH remained must-watch. Even though his antics weren't original, they were well-done and paired with top notch wrestling.
What's Going to Happen in 2013: First things first is what the World Championship scene is going to look like. With Generico vanquished, Steen looks to a new challenge in Lethal. Lethal threatened to disrupt the aftermath of the Ladder War at Final Battle to "cash in" a title shot, but thankfully, he waited and let the moment of Steen vs. Generico sink in. Of course, Steen and Lethal have history from October when Steen spat on Lethal's mother at a show in New Jersey.
The Briscoes have found themselves with the Tag Team Championships again. Right now, it looks like the most logical challengers are Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander. While in the ring, it'll be a great feud, I question whether the racial implications of that angle will remain on the up and up. But at least the matches will be good.
The major non-title feud of the year will most likely start out as Roderick Strong against Michael Elgin. Their issue is more than likely not over after their Final Battle match.
Five to Watch in 2013: Michael Elgin - Elgin already got a title shot and showed his promise, but this year has to be his if ROH wants critical success. After he's done with Strong and Steen is done with Lethal, they'll be on a collision course. If anyone has the best shot of unseating Steen, it's Elgin.
Bobby Fish - Fish spent a lot of his time in EVOLVE just as a straight man wrestler, but he's embraced things like playing up the crowd. Even though his nickname is slightly off-color, he's still a guy that ROH is going to love having on the roster.
Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander - With SCUM without titles and Shelton Benjamin rumored to be headed back to WWE, the most tenured team left in ROH to challenge the Briscoes are this Southern team. Thankfully for us, they're really, really good. Even if they don't win the titles, they'll be sure to have great matches.
Eddie Edwards - Why list a guy who had already reached the pinnacle of the company? Well, his run was truncated in favor of becoming an accessory to Richards' pseudo-MMA vibe during his run on top. He's definitely a guy who has the chops to be at the head of ROH, and he'd be a worthy feud for either Steen, Lethal, or Elgin if not another guy who could carry the gold.
Veda Scott - I know, I know. Every year, we get teased with the Women of Honor reboot, and every year, the best we get is maybe MsChif squashing someone they brought in for a match once during a TV taping. However, their resident nerdy interviewer has accrued a major award (PWI Rookie of the Year), so maybe they'll see that and put her in the ring with regularity. One can only hope!
Three Things I Want to See in 2013: 1 - A little more urgency in bringing guys along the card - The way Adam Cole has been treated is an embarrassment. He should have at least gotten a highlight feud after beating Richards instead of going right into Brutal Bob Evans and having to wrestle (and lose to) Matt Hardy at Final Battle. Cole, Elgin, Ciampa, O'Reilly, and Fish are all guys who could bring about another age of riches for the company. That can only happen when you're bold.
2 - Women of Honor, NOW - Far be it from me to tell someone what to put on their wrestling show, but don't give us Allysin Kay as a sacrificial lamb for MsChif and not follow it up with anything meaningful. Shit or get off the pot. OR hey, if it's not too much to ask, why don't you get with the times and integrate along the gender line?
3 - Continue the working relationship with Chikara - Just because it's a new year doesn't mean that old partnerships should die. Chikara has a roster base that could be used for special attraction matches and spot title defenses. It's evident that Chikara's national profile is on par with ROH's right now. They both have things to gain by continuing the relationship.
What Happened in 2012: The year started out with Davey Richards firmly entrenched as Champion with no real challenger in sight. The wars with Eddie Edwards and Roderick Strong had seemingly run their course, but with Kevin Steen just having come back and Jay Lethal was still the Television Champion. That didn't stop them from kicking the wheels on the latter as a challenger, but the real story of the beginning of the year was more about whom ROH was working with than what was going on inside of the company.
Hallowicked and Jigsaw were given a "proving ground" match against the then-Tag Team Champion Briscoe Brothers, a match that saw the ENTIRE Chikara locker room spill out from the back in support of their brothers against the rude, crude Briscoes. The resulting brouhaha netted the Chikara sekigun a victory, and it ushered in a year of cooperation between the two companies. The partnership resulted in a double card in Chicago, a Team ROH that invaded King of Trios, and a yearlong feud between Steen and Eddie Kingston that culminated in them heading up their own cibernetico teams.
Back within the company, Steen didn't take long to get back into his ROH groove before he was off causing general chaos. He targeted the guy who ostensibly kept him out of ROH, Jim Cornette, and all his pet projects like World Champion Richards. He gathered an army, manned by Jimmy Jacobs and Steve Corino, and made a charge for the title. He won the title in his home country in May, and has held it since, fending off challenges from Richards, Lethal, Edwards, Kingston, Rhino, and Michael Elgin. His toughest one was a blast from the past at Final Battle. El Generico returned to ROH for the first time since Mania weekend to compete in the first ever singles Ladder War for the title. Steen won with a BRUTAL package piledriver through a ladder.
The other really big story was less positive for ROH. Adam Cole in the beginning of the year looked like he was going to be the next huge thing in the company. At their 10th Anniversary show, he teamed with Edwards against Richards and Kyle O'Reilly in a much-hyped dissolution-and-recombination of the American Wolves and Future Shock tag teams. Cole scored a fall on then-Champion Richards, which to any sane person would have signaled a feud and at least a title match. The Cornette-led ROH at the time thought it be best that his next iPPV appearance should be against Brutal Bob Evans and followed up with a seemingly lackluster Television Championship run. Apparently, the powers that be got sick of Cornette's shit and cast him to the side in October and put Hunter Johnston back in position.
It very much a year of dissolutions actually. Along with the Wolves and Future Shock splitting up, Tomasso Ciampa and RD Evans split with Prince Nana, leading to one of the most anticipated matches at Final Battle. The House of Truth was rocked at its core as Elgin and Strong exploded. After winning the Tag Team Championships, the All-Nite Express was rent asunder as Kenny King's contract expired, and he took dates with Impact Wrestling during their run up to Destination X. Even the Richards/O'Reilly pairing went to hell, as O'Reilly was even too rude for Richards' tastes.
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| CHAMP, STEEN, CHAMP Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
What's Going to Happen in 2013: First things first is what the World Championship scene is going to look like. With Generico vanquished, Steen looks to a new challenge in Lethal. Lethal threatened to disrupt the aftermath of the Ladder War at Final Battle to "cash in" a title shot, but thankfully, he waited and let the moment of Steen vs. Generico sink in. Of course, Steen and Lethal have history from October when Steen spat on Lethal's mother at a show in New Jersey.
The Briscoes have found themselves with the Tag Team Championships again. Right now, it looks like the most logical challengers are Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander. While in the ring, it'll be a great feud, I question whether the racial implications of that angle will remain on the up and up. But at least the matches will be good.
The major non-title feud of the year will most likely start out as Roderick Strong against Michael Elgin. Their issue is more than likely not over after their Final Battle match.
Five to Watch in 2013: Michael Elgin - Elgin already got a title shot and showed his promise, but this year has to be his if ROH wants critical success. After he's done with Strong and Steen is done with Lethal, they'll be on a collision course. If anyone has the best shot of unseating Steen, it's Elgin.
Bobby Fish - Fish spent a lot of his time in EVOLVE just as a straight man wrestler, but he's embraced things like playing up the crowd. Even though his nickname is slightly off-color, he's still a guy that ROH is going to love having on the roster.
Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander - With SCUM without titles and Shelton Benjamin rumored to be headed back to WWE, the most tenured team left in ROH to challenge the Briscoes are this Southern team. Thankfully for us, they're really, really good. Even if they don't win the titles, they'll be sure to have great matches.
Eddie Edwards - Why list a guy who had already reached the pinnacle of the company? Well, his run was truncated in favor of becoming an accessory to Richards' pseudo-MMA vibe during his run on top. He's definitely a guy who has the chops to be at the head of ROH, and he'd be a worthy feud for either Steen, Lethal, or Elgin if not another guy who could carry the gold.
Veda Scott - I know, I know. Every year, we get teased with the Women of Honor reboot, and every year, the best we get is maybe MsChif squashing someone they brought in for a match once during a TV taping. However, their resident nerdy interviewer has accrued a major award (PWI Rookie of the Year), so maybe they'll see that and put her in the ring with regularity. One can only hope!
Three Things I Want to See in 2013: 1 - A little more urgency in bringing guys along the card - The way Adam Cole has been treated is an embarrassment. He should have at least gotten a highlight feud after beating Richards instead of going right into Brutal Bob Evans and having to wrestle (and lose to) Matt Hardy at Final Battle. Cole, Elgin, Ciampa, O'Reilly, and Fish are all guys who could bring about another age of riches for the company. That can only happen when you're bold.
2 - Women of Honor, NOW - Far be it from me to tell someone what to put on their wrestling show, but don't give us Allysin Kay as a sacrificial lamb for MsChif and not follow it up with anything meaningful. Shit or get off the pot. OR hey, if it's not too much to ask, why don't you get with the times and integrate along the gender line?
3 - Continue the working relationship with Chikara - Just because it's a new year doesn't mean that old partnerships should die. Chikara has a roster base that could be used for special attraction matches and spot title defenses. It's evident that Chikara's national profile is on par with ROH's right now. They both have things to gain by continuing the relationship.
