Roderick Strong is the new ROH World Champion

[Thriller Ant]

Easy for this to be forgotten amid all the craziness at the iPPV last night.

So in what may have been the most obvious title change in ROH history, Roderick Strong defeated the departing Tyler Black. I haven't seen the show so I can't comment on the match, but instead I want to focus on Strong and his reign.

I personally hope he does feud with Homicide, as was teased at the end of the show last night. The first challenger won't be the one taking the title and I really can't see Homicide getting a second reign. I hope that eventually Davey Richards is the man to dethrone Strong. Davey confirmed last night that he won't be retiring at the end of the year, officially ending that talk, and that he wanted the World Title. I really don't understand why he wasn't the one to take it from Tyler, but that's neither here nor there. Roddy's reign will probably go at least until Final Battle, if not longer, when Davey Richards becomes the next world champ.

What do you guys think about the reign of Roderick Strong that is now upon us?

 

[Shay]

Meh i think he's a transition champion and a feud with Richards is looking likely that might happen after the possible homicide feud or maybe even a three way feud with some type of a storyline with homicide saying to richards no point hanging around you aint gonna win it while im around. im not really interested now that black is gone but good for Roderick strong i heard the match was good

 

[Joe's Gonna Kill You]

I was really happy to see that Roderick Strong won the title yesterday from Tyler Black at Glory By Honor IX in a pretty good match. I think that there are two people that Strong can feud with. The first person is Homicide who returned to ROH yesterday after being released by TNA, I think this could be a really good feud with some good matches. The second person I can see him feuding with is Davey Richards who said he's not retiring and will be going after the ROH world title, this could be another good feud with matches. These two feuds could be very interesting and I can't wait to see what is next for champ Roderick Strong.

 

[dman1373]

i just can't wait for a richards reign. He stated last night he is going for it. So this homicide strong fued is going to be great, but the big news last night came from richards

 

[The Bearded One]

First off, congratulations to Roddy. He's been busting his ass for years and finally got rewarded. But I hope it's not a long reign. It's not that I dislike Roddy. I love watching him inside the ring. But his mic skills are horrible and he just doesn't make me care about his matches, even thought they're always good. So he definately deserved the title, but I think he should be a transitional champion.

And the man who takes it from him will be none other than Davey Richards. Last night when he revealed he was staying, it was announced that he will fight Roderick Strong for the championship at Final Battle. This is what everyone wants to see. Roderick will have a nice 3 month reign, and I'm guessing some sort of mini-feud with Homicide after the way last night ended. At Final Battle, Davey Richards will prove that he is the best wrestler in the world.

I'm already way too pumped for Final Battle.

 

[jmt225]

I'm very, very happy for Roderick Strong.

In my opinion, he was the one guy remaining that was due in for a title run (you could make an argument for Colt Cabana, but Roddy gets the edge for me). The guy's been constantly working his ass off for that company for years now, and they could always count on him to deliver, no matter what. His matches against Bryan Danielson, KENTA, the Briscoes (when he was having that incredible tag run with Aries), Nigel,CM Punk, etc. are all legendary in my book, and some of the greatest matches in ROH history.

All that said, I fully expect this to be a transitional reign. Davey Richards is ROH, and there's no better person to hand the ROH Title over to him than Roderick Strong. And after Roddy does that, man... how would I love to see him awarded with a WWE Contract. He deserves that big pay day, but for now... I'll gladly settle with him holding that glorious belt around his waist.

 

[The People's Peep]

I like Roddy in the ring and his mic work is...tolerable. And while he deserves to be champion, I think he will turn out to be a transitional champion because Davey is the man that they need to belt on.

With Tyler gone, Davey is the star of ROH now (some might say he was the star even with Tyler, but thats another thread). Even more now with him backing out of retirement, it really looks like Davey is going to get the title in the near future. I would rather see Roddy and Davey than Homicide, which is what it looks like we might be getting.

I understand that putting Homicide ahead of Davey and other more deserving guys like Steen, Cabana, Daniels, and even Generico, allows for Roderick's transitional reign to be a bit longer, but I dont really agree with it.

 

[K_VonFong]

Listen, I can understand why some people like Roderick Strong - he's a long-time ROH guy, he's been involved in a lot of quality matches and storylines...an important wrestling in the company's history.

However, time can often lead to sentimentality and fans become blinded by their attachment (justifiably so usually), which leads to overvaluing a wrestler's potential or ceiling. Christian is a good example of this, or Colt Cobana's marks, and obviously IMO Strong as well.

I agree with everyone who's said that Strong is a transitional champion, that's likely the case here. And I'm not trying to simply bag on Strong. He's a valuable commodity for the company and a decent talent. He's earned this title reign and I'm happy for him. But bottomline: Strong isn't a legit main-event star and can't carry ROH as its champion.

Strong's problems revolve around His Look and His Gimmick.

His "look" could use some improvement. You can't be named STRONG and be some skinny, unimpressive, normal looking guy. Also, his "in-ring" style pushes his wrestling background, he uses a lot of lifts, slams, backbreakers, ect. So, it would go a long way towards his credibility if he could bulk up and actually look like a physically strong, muscular, and intimidating guy.

His "gimmick" is starting to head in the right direction since he's joined the house of truth, but he still has a long way to go. Strong is just plain, boring, nothing special. Some guys ooze out charisma naturally, other guys need a little help. Strong is much better as a heel and I hope he thrives in the role and shows a lot growth, similar to AJ Styles this past year.

Having Strong wear black suites helps to define his character, gives him a bit more depth and personality. It also legitimizes him, makes his seem distinguished, important, more of a MAN instead of some young kid with a lot of potential. He could use a hairstyle change and some better ring gear as well. All these suggestions might seem like trivialities, but it's often the subtle details that round out a gimmick and make the wrestler standout.

No amount of booking or title wins will get Strong over until he has a better defined gimmick and more "character".

However, I think Corny knows what he's doing and he seems committed to giving Strong a push (or perhaps he knew that Strong was the wrestler that would benefit most from a title reign). Either way, It'll be fun to watch him grow and develop as a wrestler in the upcoming year.

 

[vampireblade]

Im loving this right now Ive been telling everyone since the match was announced that he would win he deserves it. he busts his ass everytime that he wrestles im glad they gave him the belt and i truely hope he keeps it for quite awhile

 

[RVDgurl]

It's been a long time coming for Roderick. Personally I think he should have been the guy to take the title off of Aries, but that's water under the bridge. It was pretty evident that Strong was going to go over Black at GBH, but where he goes from here should be an interesting ride.

The victory itself was completely overshadowed by the return of Homicide and the announcement that Davey Richards was already slated for a title shot at Final Battle. Additionally, its customary for the locker room to come to the ring when a new champion is crowned- and that didn't even happen. Unfortunately, it looks as though Roderick Strong is going the way of Jerry Lynn and will be nothing more than a transitional champion to either Richards or Homicide.

 

[vampireblade]

Unfortunately, it looks as though Roderick Strong is going the way of Jerry Lynn and will be nothing more than a transitional champion to either Richards or Homicide.

I agree it is a shame because he deserves this he has all the talent in the world and now it looks as if he won it just to drop it to homicide which sucks because homicide left ROH for TNA and when he gets fired he come back and just gets thrown in the World Championship mix like he deserves it which he doesn't he hasn't proven anything in ROH because he hasn't been there I think he should have to prove himself before he gets the championship I hope that Strong gets to keep the title for quite a while

 

[RVDgurl]

I agree it is a shame because he deserves this he has all the talent in the world and now it looks as if he won it just to drop it to homicide which sucks because homicide left ROH for TNA and when he gets fired he come back and just gets thrown in the World Championship mix like he deserves it which he doesn't he hasn't proven anything in ROH because he hasn't been there I think he should have to prove himself before he gets the championship I hope that Strong gets to keep the title for quite a while

Stranger things have happened- maybe Roddy will be presented with the opportunity to show what he can do as champion. Final Battle doesn't take place for another 3 months so plans can change numerous times until then. For Roddy's sake, i hope he goes over big time and ROH allows him to have a lengthy title reign. He deserves it.

As far as Homicide is concerned, I think his return is great and ROH fans have always love him. It makes complete sense for him to jump back into the main event scene. After all, Homicide was part of a group of ROH wrestlers who were pulled by TNA when ROH inked the PPV deal. It wasn't necessarily his choice to leave ROH- hell, he was the champion at that time. Homicide could prove to be the guy that puts Roddy over as champion.

 

[TheCultClassic]

Strong to me is the most impressive wrestler in wrestling now(Yes over even Daniel Bryan). Why? Strong is a traditional, yet modern wrestler. It is a crying shame he will not have the title long. ROH is finally begining to sour I feel. They are easing closer to being the Commericial sell-out TNA has become....if you do not believe me, wait two years. I hope to god Im proven wrong.