The last time ROH fans saw a Ladder War was at the "Man Up" PPV taped on September 15, 2007. That night the brutal, bloody match pitted the then-ROH World Tag Team Champions, Jay & Mark Briscoe, against Kevin Steen & El Generico with the titles on the line. It is a match that needs to be seen to truly comprehend the brutality, but suffice it to say that multiple ladders were broken, blood was spilled, and all four men came out worse for ware. The Briscoes did come out with the World Tag Team Championship still in their possession, but the effects were felt by both teams for some time. As a matter of fact, ROH officials quickly decided that the Ladder War was much too dangerous to ever be repeated under any circumstances.
Times change, and based on everything that has happened over the last several months and culminating this past weekend at the "ROH on HDNet" TV tapings, so have the minds of ROH officials. Kevin Steen & El Generico won the right to determine the stipulations of their next shot at the Wolves when they defeated Edwards and Richards in Chicago at "End of An Age". Everyone knew what type of match Steen & Generico wanted, but ROH officials stood strong with their decision from two years ago. The Ladder War was not an option. But Kevin Steen isnt one to take no for an answer.
These two teams have fought in tremendous Tag Team Matches, Submissions Matches, and Tables Matches; the four fighters have gone one-on-one against each other numerous times, even in Anything Goes Matches, and that said, Steen & Eddie Edwards will do it again in Boston on September 25th. Pain has been inflicted, blood lost, injuries sustained, and feelings hurt seemingly with no resolution in sight. Steen has had to take on different partners after The Wolves injured El Generico but none of those men have helped to settle a score that had become more personal than anything else. Steen took every single one of those elements, laid them out on the table before ROH officials, and his voice began to be heard. He put it bluntly: If a resolution was wanted; the Ladder War was the only way to reach it.
Suffice to say that the actions of The American Wolves this past Friday night just added to those proverbial straws that broke the camels back, and ROH officials had already found themselves willing to relent on their edict. When Kevin Steen announced to the world that the Ladder War was coming to New York City on September 26th, he more than had the backing of ROH officials. The time has come for Steen & Generico to get the opportunity they earned, and to get it under the auspices of the match that they wanted more than the titles themselves.
So it is official: on Saturday night, September 26th, it will be The American Wolves of Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards defending their ROH World Tag Team Titles against Kevin Steen & El Generico in a Ladder War!!! The first time out a Ladder War left four men physically wrecked in ways theyd never felt before nor since. What will be left of Steen, Generico, Richards, and Edwards when all is said and done in New York?
