Random ROH Thoughts Thread

[dhads7161]

Yeah last week's cards were very weak for a tour that has very high expectations every year. Attendance for WOTW suffered because the biggest stars from NJPW were LIJ's tag team wrestlers.

[monster mafia]

By Kevin Eck

Here’s the latest ROH news and notes:

Ever since Jay Lethal lost the ROH World Title to Matt Taven in the Triple Threat Ladder Match at G1 Supercard last month, fans have wondered when he would enact his rematch clause.

We now know the answer. Lethal will face Taven (or whoever is the champion) at Manhattan Mayhem on July 20 at the Manhattan Center’s Hammerstein Ballroom, which is just minutes away from Madison Square Garden, where Lethal lost the championship.

As seen on this past weekend’s episode of “Ring of Honor Wrestling,” Bandido pinned Shane Taylor in a match taped prior to Taylor winning the ROH World Television Title in a Four Corner Survival Match at War of the Worlds in Toronto on May 9. As a result, Bandido will challenge for the ROH World Television Title against Taylor (or whoever is the champion) at the Best in the World pay-per-view on June 28 in Baltimore. …

The Soldiers of Savagery (Moses Maddox and Jasper Kaun) made their shocking debut on “Ring of Honor Wrestling” on this past weekend’s episode by attacking LifeBlood’s Bandido, Mark Haskins and Tracy Williams and laying them out. Bully Ray and Taylor were both out there when the attack took place, and they appeared to be as shocked as anyone.

I have it on good authority that SOS was indeed acting alone. Maddox and Kaun have been training at the ROH Dojo for months and it was considered just a matter of time before they got the call to join the main roster. Apparently they were tired of waiting, so they decided to take matters into their own hands.

I’m very familiar with these two men, who dominated the tag team division in MCW Pro Wrestling in Maryland. Despite their youth and inexperience, SOS will be a force to be reckoned with in ROH. Maddox and Kaun are talented, hungry and willing to succeed by any means necessary.

Gordon, Haskins and PCO will join ROH World Champion Taven in a Defy or Deny match at State of the Art in Portland, Ore., on June 2. In this elimination match, if the ROH World Champion wins, whoever is eliminated last cannot challenge for the world title as long as he remains champion. (Note: If Taven loses the title to Williams the night before in Kent, Was., Williams will replace him in this match). Should one of the three challengers win, they will receive a future ROH World Title shot. …

Also signed for Portland is a tag team gauntlet match for a future shot at the ROH World Tag Team Titles. I’ve been told that in addition to the tag teams on the ROH roster, the match will also include a wild-card team that has been put together by ROH officials. …

Two big first-time-ever singles matches have been signed for Kent: PCO versus Jay Briscoe, and Haskins versus the undefeated Jeff Cobb. …

All the women who attended the recent ROH recruitment combine impressed ROH officials and will receive future opportunities with Women of Honor. ...

[Big Red Machine]

I'm not a big fan of Shane Taylor as TV champ (he has good chemistry with Cobb, but I struggle to think of other good matches he's had). Generally speaking, I appreciate their booking of the TV title, where they mostly keep it on established / over guys so that when they want to try giving someone a push using the TV title, it has some prestige to share. But Shane Taylor might be the toughest ask of that belt to date. Taven in 2013, Kenny King in 2017 and Punishment Martinez in 2018 were slightly surprising. But Taven was brand new, King was brand new to singles competition and Martinez had been pretty well protected, even if he was kept near the bottom of the card. But Taylor has been a glorified jobber for two years with no consistent character psychology, switching back and forth between face and heel on an "as needed" basis and rarely wrestling on big shows. It will be interesting to see whether ROH has actual plans here or if this will be a short transitional reign to Bandido or whomever.

My thoughts exactly.

[TYFDK]

*Main Event* Matt Taven’s main eventing Arena Mexico again next Friday.

small correction

*Main Event* Matt Taven wound up not actually working that show for some reason.

He’s scheduled tonight for Arena Coliseo, not in the main event because they’re probably worried Taven will outshine the melvins who are in it.

[TYFDK]

Aaaaaaaaaand he’s been replaced by Templario.

[BurningHammer]

Aaaaaaaaaand he’s been replaced by Templario.

I might be misremembering this, but I think Taven said he only found out he was booked for this show when he went online and saw the announcement, he has spoken with them to work a later date.

[BurningHammer]

Ian, sorry to bother you, but can I ask is the intro to the TV show ever going to be updated, as Best Freinds are still highlighted, as well as others wrestlers who might not be that important anymore. There also isn't a focus on Taven as champ and the new future ROH is building towards.

[monster mafia]

bad ass promo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNsNdn4G78I

[kovs27]

bad ass promo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNsNdn4G78I

I hope the content of this promo becomes Shane's story for the next 2 years.

[Montana]

Mini ROH rant....

There is multiple areas that ROH needs to improve, especially now with wrestling world becoming a crowed space.

I think the main area that is the easiest to fix is the: Information Flow.... They NEED to change up how they present information to fans. Not everyone reads Kevin's Eck's files to figure out the matches on the upcoming shows. Put all that info in a weekly 3-5 minute youtube video... recap the feuds and the upcoming matches. ALSO put it under the upcoming live event card!!! If i click on Portland/Kent i should see what the matches are.

ROH NEEDS to be better at youtube, and generating hype. Future of Honor, Throwback matches, WOH matches aren't generating views/hype. If no one in the company wants to do it, get some intern/ existing wrestling Youtuber to create the content, and upload it under ROH.

Plus as AEW grows with their TV deal, ROH needs to stay relevant to survive. ROH already dropped the ball on making a bigger move earlier. Assuming you want to stay relevant, they probably need to revamp Honor Club to do two things. 1) i'd have a free base membership with free live events and past TV tapings. I'd have a cheaper 6.99 plan closer to what they are currently offering today with all PPV included. I'd also shot for 6 PPVs in a year. No reason why stuff like G1 Supercard, and Summer Supercard, and other main live shows can't be PPVs. ALso like others have said in the past, no reason why every ROH show isn't uploaded to the service yet.


They've got great wrestlers... they've got a really good product... they just need to avoid glaringly obvious flaws.

The all Elite website is up, and it's already much cleaner/more appealing / easier to navigate than ROH. Not saying ROH needs to compete with them, but more as a example that sometimes simple is effective. knowing your audience, and how they like to digest the product/services.

[BurningHammer]

I did message ROH on developing a video for the ECK files but never got a response. I think overall ROH needs to create far more video content for matches, personalities etc for it's online presence because of the lack of time on TV. If you had a youtube series much like BTE but without the tounge and cheak and it featured all the different wrestlers say from their journies on the road to story lines evolving at events etc that aren't seen live every week that would really help.

The inclusion of Quinn is a massive step forward and I think helped hugely to the product, even if I did have to check twitter for the backstage stuff, I think it can grow to be a key element in the end but there needs to be more outside of live events.

I don't think the ROH website is by any means fantastic, (very few websites are) I think it's far more serviceable than most and easy to get around, I think it can uncluttered in some areas though. All Elite Wrestling just looks like a blog page with photos, it looks bland and too much like a Instagram page, if AEW keep that as their website I will be incredibly surprised. It's also dealing with far less information than ROH and other promotions, considering it has fewer live events and stories to deliver on etc.

I doubt ROH is ever going to create such a cheap option, I doubt they don't have the financial support to help with the loss which I imagine both the Network and New Japan are making. ROH certainly needs to upload older content for Honor Club much quicker and it would even help with newer story lines coming through in some ways, but I have no idea of the structure behind the scenes in terms of editing old footage and making sure it's Honor Club ready. They also may see it as that it's focusing on the past again and developing newer content is far more important.

Overall I agree that there needs to be an infrastructure that focuses on a youger generation and a more idelogical fan base, considering the wrestlers and history ROH has it has actually delivered more for certain cultures etc than most companies but seemingly it is ignored.

[monster mafia]

i like taven but with the buzz of aew and stuff, cobb as world champion would not be a bad idea...i cant see this happening anyway...what do you guys think

[BurningHammer]

i like taven but with the buzz of aew and stuff, cobb as world champion would not be a bad idea...i cant see this happening anyway...what do you guys think

Bennett debut’s and costs Cobb the title, this version of the Kingdom is banned from ringside etc, brings everyone together all in one moment also gives Cobb a set up for a new feud and another title shot.

No way he is getting the title if he is in the G1 this year which I have a feeling he could.

[monster mafia]

oh yeah, he is g1 bound...also i imagine bennet its gonna have that 90 days non compete clause.

[kovs27]

I think BurningHammer hit the nail on the head (sorry for the bad pun). With Cobb being in the G1 there is no way he wins the title. Plus Lethal is getting his title rematch in New York and the G1 will still be going on during that show. The only other option would be Cobb winning in Baltimore and dropping the title in Philadelphia the next day.

[dhads7161]

oh yeah, he is g1 bound...also i imagine bennet its gonna have that 90 days non compete clause.

An expired contract doesn't have the non compete, only a terminated contract. Otherwise Moxley wouldn't have been at Double or Nothing.

[dhads7161]

That would be perfect though Bennett comes and aids Taven, they don't have to deal with Cobb for a month. Cobb returns to ROH at the big collaborative Toronto show to begin his chase to the title at Final Battle.

[BurningHammer]

This also could be Cobb's farewell if he isn't resigning and Bennett doesn't sign, which could end up happening. My only sign that this could happen is that Cobb dropped both titles recently which is a little bit wierd.

Hopefully that's not the case and it all works and both are with ROH going forward.

[monster mafia]

wow i hope cobb stays....also

HOLLY SHIT.

[Wilson]

I don't think Cobb being in the G1 precludes him from being champion. ROH tends to run pretty lean on shows in late summer. Definitely still seems like a darkhorse.

Please more RUSH/Dragon Lee pairings.