If there's an image guaranteed to get an independent wrestling fan salivating as we kick off 2012, it's this one. This popped up on ROH's Twitter feed today (I think today, anyway, but I can't access Twitter for the life of me), and damn if it isn't loaded with goodness. Ring of Honor returning to Philadelphia after destroying the city with constant television tapings. CHIKARA, arguably the best indy promotion out there, teaming up with ROH, the top dog of the indies. The Briscoes, ROH's best tag team, which heavily implies matching them up against one or more of CHIKARA's tag teams, of which there are many, and all of them excellent.
So what does it mean? ROH has used the Proving Ground theme before to have new wrestlers come in and show their stuff for an opportunity at more. The implication here is that ROH will work with CHIKARA for at least one show to give some of their tag teams a chance at facing at the champs and impressing in ROH. Who will the Briscoes face, one wonders? The Colony? The off again/on again duo of Quackenbush and Jigsaw? Hallowicked and UltraMantis Black, of the Spectral Envoy? The Throwbacks? Chuck Taylor and Johnny Gargano, for a champions vs champions battle? The Batiri? The reunited Roughnecks? Or, dare I say it, the most fearsome team in CHIKARA history...LOS ICE CREAMS?!
I can't answer that question, but I can make some guesses. I'd wager on a multi-team match. It's a style that everyone in CHIKARA, and certainly the Briscoes, is comfortable with working, and it lets ROH check out several top teams at the same time who might be able to make a serious commitment to ROH if they impress. I also expect those teams to be consistent, regular tag teams, of which neither member is really a singles star. That narrows down my picks to the Colony, the Throwbacks, the Batiri, and maaaaybe the Roughnecks. The Colony are logical picks - they're probably the most representative team in CHIKARA for tag team wrestling. The Batiri are something of the new dark version of the Colony, and probably future Campeonatos de Parejas. The Throwbacks are a fun team, and Sugar Dunkerton is a rising superstar. The Roughnecks are interesting, but there's a big caveat there with Brodie Lee being a DGUSA regular. At the same time, both he and Redwood have ROH experience, so it's possible they'll get a shot. We've seen that the DGUSA/ROH barrier isn't 100% rigid, though it is pretty tough to break.
I'm going to lay down a prediction for what I think happens here - a four way match between the Briscoes, the Colony, the Batiri, and the Throwbacks. Non title, but I wouldn't be surprised to see one of those three square off with the Briscoes for the titles in 2012. Getting all of these teams, potentially, in ROH regularly would be great for ROH - they need a little life in a tag division that just got strapped of the Kings of Wrestling and needs a little juice. Trust me, the Briscoes wouldn't be tag champions right now if ROH wasn't lacking tag teams.
Whether this leads to future cooperation between the teams, or between CHIKARA and ROH in general, isn't certain. In many cases, these Proving Ground shows are just an opportunity to get local talent on the cards. Sometimes it leads to more. The Dark City Fight Club got their ROH start on a Proving Ground show and had an extended ROH run.
What interest me is the potential for both promotions, and what it might mean for them in the future. I think a working relationship between ROH and CHIKARA could be brilliant for both sides. From a business standpoint, it's amazing for CHIKARA, with no downside for ROH. Getting CHIKARA talent to penetrate into all the markets that SBG provides for ROH's television program would be fantastic for CHIKARA's business.
But artistically, there's even more benefit to be had. One thing that you find people complaining about with regard to ROH is that it feels too serious. Alternatively stated, it feels like everyone in the main event wants to be doing MMA. This is a pretty fair criticism, when you consider the main event of Final Battle 2011 was Eddie Edwards vs Davey Richards, two guys who work heavily MMA influenced styles, and involved Dan Severn, the earliest example of a guy trying to bring MMA into wrestling. It all feels serious and stifling. On the flip side, a criticism of CHIKARA is that its too silly, which, again, is sometimes fair. It's a promotion where the snake man can hypnotize people, where demons and insects square off, and where two ice cream cones tag team. Now, neither of these labels are 100% accurate. We know that ROH has personality. Kevin Steen and El Generico both bring a ton of that. CHIKARA has its serious side, as we saw throughout the Grand Champion tournament this year, especially in its conclusion. Still, bringing the two promotions together would really help develop both sides of the coin for both promotions, and show them to new audiences, to the benefit of both audiences.
I might just be running wild with speculation here, but there's a lot of material contained in one little image. What match(es) will we see at Proving Ground 2012? Could there be a CHIKARA team getting a title shot - or a title win - in ROH in 2012? Will there be further cooperation between the two promotions? Will there even be a full fledged working relationship? Only time will tell.