The Bearded One
Love is not admissable evidence.
ROH will be presenting its next internet pay-per-view June 26 from the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. The card is as stacked as any ROH card in a long and offers a good variety of match types. If you have been thinking about watching ROH for the first time, this is the perfect card to jump on with because it will feature several big name wrestlers along with the culmination of a couple of storylines. Let's take a closer look at each match.
ROH World Title
Eddie Edwards defends against Davey Richards
The fans have been chanting "Next world champ" and "Best in the world" for Davey Richards for a couple of years now. Everyone thought he would be the one to win the title from Roderick Strong, but he lost his only opportunity to beat Strong at "Final battle" last December. His American Wolves partner Eddie Edwards shocked the world at "Manhattan Mayhem IV" by defeating Strong to become the ROH champion. Richards has been putting off challenging Edwards for the title because he doesn't want to end his best friend's dream of being a champion, but Edwards feels the need to prove that he is the ebst in the world and the only way he can do that is by beating Richards.
This match is going to be awesome. The history between Edwards and Richards is there. A lot of the fans thought Richards is the man, although Edwards was the one who got the pin to win the Tag Team Titles for the American Wolves, as well as beat Richards to become the first ever TV champion. The build over the past few months has been great and it's going to come to a head at the iPPV. There is no way this match is going to be anything less than amazing. I'm a huge Eddie Edwards fan, so I hope he wins, but I cannot honestly make a good pick one way or the other.
ROH World Tag Team Title Elimination Four Way
Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin) defend vs Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli) vs The All Night Express (Kenny King and Rhett Titus) vs Jay and Mark Briscoe
This match is either going to be great or a giant clusterfuck. Either way, it's guaranteed to be entertaining. I fully expect WGTT to retain the belts heading into the new TV deal so new fans will see recognizable faces when they start watching, but I see this as a tool to further get ANX over as a face team. ANX have had a great series of matches with the Briscoes over the past few months with the Briscoes getting a majority of the wins. I think ANX will eliminate them first. I also think it will come down to WGTT and ANX with the Briscoes running in and costing King and Titus the match to continue the feud.
World TV Title
Christopher Daniels defends against El Generico
This feud goes back to the beginning of April at "Honor Takes Center Stage: Chapter Two" when Daniels joined the House of Truth and beat down generico and Colt Cabana. Generico has since beaten him in a non-title match, so here is his shot at becoming the TV champion.
This should be another very good match. I think Daniels should win here, but lose the belt to Colt Cabana before the first TV tapings. I see Daniels winning with some kind of underhanded tactic to win this match. If it wasn't for the Edwards vs Richards match, I would say this has the chance to steal the show, but I don't think anything will be as good as the main event. Still, this should be a very good match.
Steve Corino w/ Jimmy Jacobs vs Michael Elgin w/ Truth Martini
It sure is good to see Jimmy Jacobs back in ROH and I think pairing him with Corino in the current storyline is an absolutely perfect fit. Elgin has been very impressive in his short time with the company and I see him as a major player for a long time in ROH. This should be a good, solid match. I think it will be more about the Corino and Jacobs storyline than putting on a great match.
Mike Bennett vs Jay Lethal
When ROH announced Jay Lethal was going to be at this show i got all kinds of excited. I was really hoping to see him wrestle El Generico, but I'm fine with the Mike Bennett match-up. I, unlike a lot of ROH fans, actually really like Bennett as he brings something different to the product and I think he is a future superstar. He has the charisma, the look and the "it" factor that Vinnie Mac loves, so it's just a matter of time before he gets signed by the WWE. I can't pick a winner in this one because I'm not sure how long Lethal is going to be around. If it's going to be an extended run in ROH, I think he'll win. But if it's just a one-time thing, then Bennett should pick up the win.
No Holds barred Street Fight
Homicide vs Rhino w/ The Embassy
Homicide has been a thorn in the side of Prince Nana and the Embassy for months now, so Nana called in a new bodyguard for New york City to take out Homicde. That bodyguard is Rhino. I've always liked Rhino and I think he and Homicide will be able to put on a great hardcore brawl. I don't think he will be around long, but Rhino is perfectly fine for something like this. There are rumors that Homicide has signed a no-compete clause with Paul Heyman's UWF, although I'm really not sure if there is any truth to that. If it is true, Rhino could be used to take him out of the ROH universe. That would give the Embassy some much needed credibility.
Colt Cabana vs Tommaso Ciampa w/ The Embassy
This will most likely be the opening match of the show as Cabana is really good at getting the crowd into his matches and ultimately the show. This should be a good match, but I haven't been too impressed by Ciampa's ROH run thus far. Of all the new guys brought in since Delirious took over booking, I think he has looked the weakest. I still expect him to pick up the win here to help further his push.
There is also a dark match being taped for the DVD that is Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly vs Generation Me. I really wish this was on the PPV because it's going to be awesome, but I know it can't be because of GenMe's TNA status. I'm picking Cole and O'Reilly to win to keep their build going.
On paper, this is the best iPPV ROH has put on since "Final Battle" last December. It airs on iPPV at 4:00 pm Sunday June 26. I can't wait for this show. It only costs $15, which is a great deal in my opinion as you can watch the show as many times in the future as you'd want.
Anyone else buying the show?
ROH World Title
Eddie Edwards defends against Davey Richards
The fans have been chanting "Next world champ" and "Best in the world" for Davey Richards for a couple of years now. Everyone thought he would be the one to win the title from Roderick Strong, but he lost his only opportunity to beat Strong at "Final battle" last December. His American Wolves partner Eddie Edwards shocked the world at "Manhattan Mayhem IV" by defeating Strong to become the ROH champion. Richards has been putting off challenging Edwards for the title because he doesn't want to end his best friend's dream of being a champion, but Edwards feels the need to prove that he is the ebst in the world and the only way he can do that is by beating Richards.
This match is going to be awesome. The history between Edwards and Richards is there. A lot of the fans thought Richards is the man, although Edwards was the one who got the pin to win the Tag Team Titles for the American Wolves, as well as beat Richards to become the first ever TV champion. The build over the past few months has been great and it's going to come to a head at the iPPV. There is no way this match is going to be anything less than amazing. I'm a huge Eddie Edwards fan, so I hope he wins, but I cannot honestly make a good pick one way or the other.
ROH World Tag Team Title Elimination Four Way
Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin) defend vs Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli) vs The All Night Express (Kenny King and Rhett Titus) vs Jay and Mark Briscoe
This match is either going to be great or a giant clusterfuck. Either way, it's guaranteed to be entertaining. I fully expect WGTT to retain the belts heading into the new TV deal so new fans will see recognizable faces when they start watching, but I see this as a tool to further get ANX over as a face team. ANX have had a great series of matches with the Briscoes over the past few months with the Briscoes getting a majority of the wins. I think ANX will eliminate them first. I also think it will come down to WGTT and ANX with the Briscoes running in and costing King and Titus the match to continue the feud.
World TV Title
Christopher Daniels defends against El Generico
This feud goes back to the beginning of April at "Honor Takes Center Stage: Chapter Two" when Daniels joined the House of Truth and beat down generico and Colt Cabana. Generico has since beaten him in a non-title match, so here is his shot at becoming the TV champion.
This should be another very good match. I think Daniels should win here, but lose the belt to Colt Cabana before the first TV tapings. I see Daniels winning with some kind of underhanded tactic to win this match. If it wasn't for the Edwards vs Richards match, I would say this has the chance to steal the show, but I don't think anything will be as good as the main event. Still, this should be a very good match.
Steve Corino w/ Jimmy Jacobs vs Michael Elgin w/ Truth Martini
It sure is good to see Jimmy Jacobs back in ROH and I think pairing him with Corino in the current storyline is an absolutely perfect fit. Elgin has been very impressive in his short time with the company and I see him as a major player for a long time in ROH. This should be a good, solid match. I think it will be more about the Corino and Jacobs storyline than putting on a great match.
Mike Bennett vs Jay Lethal
When ROH announced Jay Lethal was going to be at this show i got all kinds of excited. I was really hoping to see him wrestle El Generico, but I'm fine with the Mike Bennett match-up. I, unlike a lot of ROH fans, actually really like Bennett as he brings something different to the product and I think he is a future superstar. He has the charisma, the look and the "it" factor that Vinnie Mac loves, so it's just a matter of time before he gets signed by the WWE. I can't pick a winner in this one because I'm not sure how long Lethal is going to be around. If it's going to be an extended run in ROH, I think he'll win. But if it's just a one-time thing, then Bennett should pick up the win.
No Holds barred Street Fight
Homicide vs Rhino w/ The Embassy
Homicide has been a thorn in the side of Prince Nana and the Embassy for months now, so Nana called in a new bodyguard for New york City to take out Homicde. That bodyguard is Rhino. I've always liked Rhino and I think he and Homicide will be able to put on a great hardcore brawl. I don't think he will be around long, but Rhino is perfectly fine for something like this. There are rumors that Homicide has signed a no-compete clause with Paul Heyman's UWF, although I'm really not sure if there is any truth to that. If it is true, Rhino could be used to take him out of the ROH universe. That would give the Embassy some much needed credibility.
Colt Cabana vs Tommaso Ciampa w/ The Embassy
This will most likely be the opening match of the show as Cabana is really good at getting the crowd into his matches and ultimately the show. This should be a good match, but I haven't been too impressed by Ciampa's ROH run thus far. Of all the new guys brought in since Delirious took over booking, I think he has looked the weakest. I still expect him to pick up the win here to help further his push.
There is also a dark match being taped for the DVD that is Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly vs Generation Me. I really wish this was on the PPV because it's going to be awesome, but I know it can't be because of GenMe's TNA status. I'm picking Cole and O'Reilly to win to keep their build going.
On paper, this is the best iPPV ROH has put on since "Final Battle" last December. It airs on iPPV at 4:00 pm Sunday June 26. I can't wait for this show. It only costs $15, which is a great deal in my opinion as you can watch the show as many times in the future as you'd want.
Anyone else buying the show?
), a fun looking street fight between Homicide and Rhino that will be a great change of pace in the show, then you've still got Christopher Daniels vs. El Generico and the returns of Jay Lethal and Jimmy Jacobs on the undercard! Looks to be one of the best iPPVs that ROH has done in awhile and I highly recommend people check it out if you're in the mood to watch a great, no-bullshit pure wrestling show with several different distinct styles on display. I'll be buying the show and doing a live review methinks.