2021 Predictions

[Montana]

Ok, about a month late for this; but i'm curious to see what some of the other ROH fans predictions for 2021 are. I'll make a few bold one's to start off;


1) By the time live events start rolling around... Mecca will get a top 3 crowd reaction heel/face.

2) Dak Draper will hold gold in 2021

3) Lio Rush & Chris Hero will return to ROH

4) EC3 stays with ROH

5) Bennett wins multiple gold; in the next 18 months. (multiple title reigns/different championships)

6) The Foundation turns heel. (Too squeaky clean, and fans revolt)

7) ROH & NJPW renew their relationship and the AEW/Moxley working agreement is short term.

8) DanHausen either joins Righteous or feuds with Righteous for a extended period of time.

9) The TV & Pure Title will merge into one championship.

10) ROH signs a major MLW star.



I know these are extremely likely; but some are more likely than others.Some may take more than a year. What do you think?? What's your predictions?

[BurningHammer]

Don’t know about predictions, my hopes are

Gresham becomes World Champion

Dragon Lee becomes a real contender for the title and they really build something between the two. Same for Woods, King, Taylor and Bandido.

MexiSquad do well across the whole company and pick up a number of titles, wins

Yehi, Yuta and Deppen cement themselves as real core members, maybe a trios run together would be interesting.

Walters gets moving through the roster.

Isom and LSG be given a real spotlight to shine more than ever before, a tag team between the two could be interesting. If not seeing Isom in STP would be a real shot for him.

The Foundation win out changing the core of the company and ultimately its focus on people being used.


The Dojo guys Keys, Martin etc get the TV and mat time to really explode this year.

Soldiers of Savagery improve enough to win the tag titles.

Can def see Danhausen with Vinny, he’s used a similar character style before.

Can see OGK with the tag titles soon. Look forward to a series with Gresham and Lethal, the single matches sound great to me, also. Would like too see them add another member to challenge for the trios titles.

Would love to see Hero and Lio back

Just listing all those names I realise how good the roster is and how they could easily loose a number of older talent and build up again.

A number of ROH guys retire from the ring to help freshen the product. The Briscoes, PCO and others are starting to feel past it now.

[famicommander]

The Briscoes are in their mid 30s. No way they should retire soon.

[Lynx]

Hard to predict things when they can change any moment due to Covid. Only thing that I'm 100% sure is that we are going to get Rush vs Gresham, world champ vs pure champ program.

[BurningHammer]

The Briscoes are in their mid 30s. No way they should retire soon.

Then they need to start looking like it, the huge amounts of grey and tired looking bodies aren’t helping. It’s one thing you can really give AEW credit for they are making sure their talent for the most part looks younger than they really are. ROH just lets everybody do what they want, there isn’t a culture of being in the top condition like their used to be.

[famicommander]

The Briscoes are in their mid 30s. No way they should retire soon.

Then they need to start looking like it, the huge amounts of grey and tired looking bodies aren’t helping. It’s one thing you can really give AEW credit for they are making sure their talent for the most part looks younger than they really are. ROH just lets everybody do what they want, there isn’t a culture of being in the top condition like their used to be.

Uhh have you seen Chris Jericho lately? He has that Steiner sunken chest going.

[supersonic]

Rather than retiring, how about a fresh, final coat of paint?

AEW would appear to be the perfect "AJ Styles in WWE" career culmination and closing chapter for the Briscoes. No house shows, smaller schedule, get to be on a mainstream cable network in prime time, numerous fresh programs to work in tags and singles.

The Revival are not the only team to never face the Briscoes. According to Pentagon's Cagematch match catalog, neither have Lucha Bros.

[famicommander]

Y'all are nuts. The Briscoes should stay right where they are.

[Montana]

Rather than retiring, how about a fresh, final coat of paint?

AEW would appear to be the perfect "AJ Styles in WWE" career culmination and closing chapter for the Briscoes. No house shows, smaller schedule, get to be on a mainstream cable network in prime time, numerous fresh programs to work in tags and singles.

The Revival are not the only team to never face the Briscoes. According to Pentagon's Cagematch match catalog, neither have Lucha Bros.

I doubt we will see the Briscoes leave ROH for AEW... but i think if the two sides ever do work together; i would love for The Briscoes to show up on Dynamite; as like an invasion; and basically say; Hey; we're the 11 time ROH tag champs, Baddest Tag team on the planet; and basically feud with a few select teams. FTR is kind of an acquired taste. While it would be a great match, i'm not dying to see it. Lucha Bros would be Epic; LAX, Jurrasic Express, Private Party would all have great matches with the briscoes.

Highly doubtful in my mind, as i dont see the Briscoes being friends with Cody/Bucks. Briscoes basically called them soft/suckers on their way out.

I imagine later in 2021; we'll see ROH pair up a few more wrestlers into regular tag teams. Below are the current rankings:

RANKINGS
1- The OGK
2- Tracy Williams & Rhett Titus
3- Dragon Lee & Kenny King
4- S.O.S.
5- The Righteous

Literally how many tag team matches have ALL of the teams in the top 5 won in the last 5 months?? I'm willing to bet it's less than 5 tag team wins; across all 5 teams. I don't even know if King/Lee have ever tagged. Seems like it's SOS that is going to get a big push.

The start of 2020 had lots of Tag Team Options:
Castle/Hendry may be done now
CObb/Maff - For sure done now
Woods/ Silas - Not quite sure, but they haven't really been teaming much. Think they would be a top contender. Maybe Silas has an injury or something.
BCB/ Milonas - Maybe they are done.

[supersonic]

Y'all are nuts. The Briscoes should stay right where they are.

The Briscoes were stale in ROH a decade ago, and other than Mark getting a "gold watch" run with the title, there's now even less to explore with them after Jay's runs with it since then.

AEW would give the Briscoes something they've honestly not had since the programs against the Wolves, KOW, and Steen/Generico - BUZZ as a tag team. Reminder that ROH gets very little buzz in general.

They would also be a throwback contrast to the rest of the AEW roster. There's nothing "soft" or "beta" about the Briscoes, for better or worse. They truly epitomize the aura of being prepared at any time to get involved in physical violence, with an incredible flavor of charisma that nobody else really has broken out with in the business besides AJ Styles.

It would give them the mentioned platform that SBG can/will not provide ROH with. It would give them access to all-time minds in tag team wrestling to become even better (Arn & Tully.)

With AEW's platform, I've no doubt the Briscoces would also have the opportunity to end their careers with a run that would cement them as Hall of Famers as the mentioned Styles reached after thriving in WWE. Right now, they'll never be recognized as such, and this would theoretically be a possibility while still having time for their other interests.

[Wavelet Transform]

Y'all are nuts. The Briscoes should stay right where they are.

With AEW's platform, I've no doubt the Briscoces would also have the opportunity to end their careers with a run that would cement them as Hall of Famers as the mentioned Styles reached after thriving in WWE. Right now, they'll never be recognized as such, and this would theoretically be a possibility while still having time for their other interests.

That would be the big benefit of them leaving. The Briscoes are way under-appreciated and most wrestling fans will never know how great they were/are and that's a shame.

[BurningHammer]

The Briscoes are in their mid 30s. No way they should retire soon.

Then they need to start looking like it, the huge amounts of grey and tired looking bodies aren’t helping. It’s one thing you can really give AEW credit for they are making sure their talent for the most part looks younger than they really are. ROH just lets everybody do what they want, there isn’t a culture of being in the top condition like their used to be.

Uhh have you seen Chris Jericho lately? He has that Steiner sunken chest going.

I have, have you seen Bateman, Vinny, The Bouncers, The Briscoes, Williams, CB, SLEDGE, PCO all look nowhere near what should be presented even on a traditional wrestling show. To see so many balding, going grey, with many lost teeth, bodies ravage after years of the business, age and certain diet styles never changing. Just look at the last few episodes all of them have been in their and it just feels old and hanging onto something that ROH and themselves shouldn’t be. When Bestia genuinely looks in better shape than some of the roster it’s time to worry.

ROH needs to really look at its age demographic and where it’s sitting because right now it’s way abouve where any company should be. Jeez people are nailing WWE for their lack of youth and ROH is a tone worse when you consider who is getting prime minutes or has done over past couple of years. I doubt many are watching and going I want to look like him or be him. I realise contrast is important in wrestling and everyone looking the same never helps but you need youth and shape to feel believable. Same also goes for Todd as a ref his weight, age and general apathy just aren’t helping the products look and feel. Overall there needs to be a new younger energy to ROH that younger or at least not well known faces will bring. Also this trend for beards in ROH needs to go, way to many with that look.

Briscoes just feel done, Mark can’t get over the ropes without a chair, which genuinely brings a sense of stupidity to every match as surely it’s illegal and it just goes by the wayside. They’ve done everything they ever could do in the company and they should get one last run at the top to give themselves the financial security they’ll need in later life.

Every company should look to evolve else you’ll just end up re-hashing the same old tired notions. I’m really hoping this will be the final year for quite a few of the guys in the company, else ROH will continue where it’s at.

[indyfan]

Though i agree that Briscoes would benefit from going to AEW. i have a feeling it would be disastrous to ROH. Jay Briscoe is the top mic guy in the company and generates interest in everything Briscoe related.

A lot of fans love the Briscoes and losing them would also give people less reasons to check out ROH.

im not sure what the best idea is but i can see the stale side as well

[supersonic]

The last thing I'm worried about is how it would hurt ROH. The days of it being the "en vogue" federation died in summer 2011, and although some "en vogue" resurgence would spring up here and there thanks mostly to talent that also worked NJPW, the truth is that Impact and ROH are what they are... in their little niche lanes that'll never have any substantial period of buzz ever again.

[Wavelet Transform]

Briscoes just feel done, Mark can’t get over the ropes without a chair, which genuinely brings a sense of stupidity to every match as surely it’s illegal and it just goes by the wayside. They’ve done everything they ever could do in the company and they should get one last run at the top to give themselves the financial security they’ll need in later life.

I think Mark using the chair is a choice, not something he needs to do that move. Makes him look crazier/different than everyone else using it, I guess? A lot of big (i.e., fat) guys can do a somersault plancha as long as they can prop off the ropes while they jump. It's the Kenny Omega-style, no-hands variety that's tougher and I'd venture Mark could still pull that off.

The point about freshening up the roster with young talent is valid, but where will that talent come from? AEW/WWE vacuum up talent these days. Talent that first got noticed in PWG often subsequently ended up in ROH years ago, but they end up in NXT/AEW now (e.g., Jungle Boy, Jake Atlas, Orange Cassidy, etc...).

Maybe with Gresham running the dojo, we'll get some decent ROH trainees on the roster....

[famicommander]

I think Mark is underappreciated due to comparisons to his ridiculously great brother. And I think Jay himself is capable of having a great match against anyone, under any rules, anywhere in the world, anywhere on the card. He's a god on the mic. He's been in ROH since the very first match and he's still in his prime. There's no way you let a guy like that walk away if you can help it. The Briscoes don't need anything else to validate their careers. 13X World Tag Team Champions (ROH, NOAH, NJPW), 3X World Trios Champions (ROH, NJPW), 2X ROH World Champion (Jay). They've done Tokyo Dome, they've done Arena Mexico, they've done MSG.

ROH has quite a bit of young talent. Look at WWE; there were only 2 guys under 30 in the Rumble and they lasted less than 4 minutes combined. The average age of Royal Rumble participants this year was over 39. Edge is challenging at Mania, Tommy Dreamer just main evented a PPV world title match for Impact, Sting is wrestling for AEW at 62, 58 year old Muta just snagged the GHC bet and y'all trying to ship the Briscoes outta here at 37/35.

If there's anyone that probably needs to be phased out it's PCO and Sumie Sakai.

[BurningHammer]

Briscoes just feel done, Mark can’t get over the ropes without a chair, which genuinely brings a sense of stupidity to every match as surely it’s illegal and it just goes by the wayside. They’ve done everything they ever could do in the company and they should get one last run at the top to give themselves the financial security they’ll need in later life.

I think Mark using the chair is a choice, not something he needs to do that move. Makes him look crazier/different than everyone else using it, I guess? A lot of big (i.e., fat) guys can do a somersault plancha as long as they can prop off the ropes while they jump. It's the Kenny Omega-style, no-hands variety that's tougher and I'd venture Mark could still pull that off.

The point about freshening up the roster with young talent is valid, but where will that talent come from? AEW/WWE vacuum up talent these days. Talent that first got noticed in PWG often subsequently ended up in ROH years ago, but they end up in NXT/AEW now (e.g., Jungle Boy, Jake Atlas, Orange Cassidy, etc...).

Maybe with Gresham running the dojo, we'll get some decent ROH trainees on the roster....

ROH not going with a lot of the young talent that have ended up in both NXT now as well as AEW has to me been their biggest failing for a while. Whatever my thoughts on Cornette, the guy did look for young up and coming talent that helped ROH for a while. To see the likes of Garcia and others get signed up to NXT while ROH keeps on Sledge and the Bouncers is honestly kind of sickening to me (slight over exaggeration I know). They now need to start making an effort to do that. I think there is plenty of talent out there, it just needs harnessing, rounding off the rough edges and with the roster ROH has they are perfectly in place for young talent to grow. You generally won't find a much better roster allround that has the experience of working in so many places, around the world that is of genuine quality. I look at the whole roster and the lower to middle card is pretty stacked on a singles level with real pro's that can really build matches but a lot of that is international talent too, and all it would take is two or three more young guys to freshen things and then it's the same for the tag title, I'm not asking for a complete revamp but just a nod that ROH is looking to phase out some with the future very much in mind. It also gives you the chance to have scramble matches, 4 ways etc and not take away too much from a card in the end.

I've got no problem with the recent Dojo guys, Keys really impressed me against Gresham, prob the best match I've seen him have, I think Martin has real potential and then really you need a high flyer, as well as a big power house (not Sledge) to round it all off.

[Montana]

I think Mark is underappreciated due to comparisons to his ridiculously great brother. And I think Jay himself is capable of having a great match against anyone, under any rules, anywhere in the world, anywhere on the card. He's a god on the mic. He's been in ROH since the very first match and he's still in his prime. There's no way you let a guy like that walk away if you can help it. The Briscoes don't need anything else to validate their careers. 13X World Tag Team Champions (ROH, NOAH, NJPW), 3X World Trios Champions (ROH, NJPW), 2X ROH World Champion (Jay). They've done Tokyo Dome, they've done Arena Mexico, they've done MSG.

ROH has quite a bit of young talent. Look at WWE; there were only 2 guys under 30 in the Rumble and they lasted less than 4 minutes combined. The average age of Royal Rumble participants this year was over 39. Edge is challenging at Mania, Tommy Dreamer just main evented a PPV world title match for Impact, Sting is wrestling for AEW at 62, 58 year old Muta just snagged the GHC bet and y'all trying to ship the Briscoes outta here at 37/35.

If there's anyone that probably needs to be phased out it's PCO and Sumie Sakai.

Agreed 100% ... I don't mind the more "rugged" look of the briscoes; but they can 100% still go. Even look at the "young Bucks" they are so banged up; and always hurt now. My guess is the briscoes are just as banged up; yet don't show it as much.

While i don't mind adding more young talent to the roster; but like Wavelet said; where is this "young talent" coming from?? It doesn't take much to get a NXT/AEW deal now a days. Look at Blake Christian / MSK / Top Flight/ Acclaimed/ etc. Years past it took years/decades to get noticed... Not now; after NXT/AEW has raided ROH. IF ROH did sign any hot younger talent (Lio Rush/ACH/Punishment Martinez) They got signed by WWE at first chance. So now WWE/NXT is looking where ROHs looks to sign talent.

That being said.... there is a need to use someone like Eli Isom... even if it means; you lose him after a few years. This should probably be more of what the Dojo focuses on ... talent under 25. If they don't pan out, cut them and they never are even seen. It would seem ROH & MLW should try and be on good terms; if not; consider signing guys like Jordan Oliver, Myron Reed, Von Erich's. My guess is they won't be easy to sign them either.

I'm also very pleased with Tony Deppen, Wheeler Yuta, and Fred Yehi. If they haven't earned a roster spot; than i don't know what does. They bring the hunger; that ROH has missed with "some" of the roster veterans. Lock up those guys and Lee Moriarty and I think you've added some depth to the CORE/Foundation of the ROH roster.