ROH MVP 2017
Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2018 7:19 pm
Silas Young.
There was no one the ROH roster that had a better overall year. Not The Young Bucks. Not Cody Rhodes. Not Dalton Castle. One could make an argument for Jay Lethal, who improved his value in my eyes, but Silas Young is truly The Last Real Man here. What we have to remember here is that the days of 5 Star classics from ROH talent is a faint memory, so the criteria has changed. Consistency of match quality would be my top grade for any candidate to truly be worthy. Young delivered in spades this year. Let's take a look at how 2017 unfolded for The Last Real Man...
Silas entered 2017 fresh of a victory of future Hall of Famer Jushin Liger and an ROH contract. He floundered for a bit in the first quarter, with Delirious having nothing for him to do but casually tossing him and Beer City Bruiser in tag matches and a bullshit feud with Bull Dempsey. Young started to find his groove in a feud with Jay Lethal. In his promos, Young was sick of "The Golden Boy", as he coined him, Jay Lethal. What followed was a trifecta of matches between the two that proved Young's status as one of the best overall wrestlers on the roster. Their initial encounter at Best In The World saw Lethal go over Young, but if anything, this was far from over and the violence would escalate. Young and Beer City Bruiser fucked up Lethal's leg by having the latter splash onto it with a beer keg. This injured leg would cost Lethal in a match with Kenny Omega at New Japan's first show in the United States, adding more hatred to their rivalry. While Lethal was healing, Young really started his MVP status with a victory over future ROH TV Champion Kushida. His promos the following weeks focused on humiliating Lethal with him more or less calling him a pussy. The feud resumed with Lethal returning and brawling with Young all over and outside the arena. Match #2 was a Street Fight between them at War Of The Worlds U.K. which saw Young prevail. The rubber match between the two was going to be a Last Man Standing match at Supercard of Honor. History shows the babyface usually goes over the heel in the feud finale. Not so. Imagine my surprise that Delirious didn't fuck it up and went against the grain by having Young win. Silas wan't done yet. He capped the year off by winning the TV title in a Fatal 4 Way against incumbent champion Kenny King, Punishment Martinez, and Shane Taylor.
What also solidifies Silas Young for me as the 2017 MVP is his status as the true top heel of ROH, a role he plays to perfection. With Bullet Club and other guys on the roster being supposed heels, but playing to the crowd to above all else sell merch; Young is a throwback to where heels were heels and faces were faces. He doesn't give a shit about cheap pops or whoring his T-Shirt in TV ads. Young reminds of Ole Anderson back in the '70's. A guy looking for a fight and will fuck you up win or lose.
The final criteria for me? Young's ability to have a good match with everyone on the roster. Whether it's with Lethal or green as fuck TPT winner Josh Woods (I have yet to see this match, but according to fellow poster Famicommander it was Woods best match in ROH yet), Young knows how to put on a good match. He had a 3 1/2 star match with Jonathan Gresham on ROH TV a few months back I really enjoyed, and possibly would've gotten a higher grade had it been a main event. It's that all round versatility that I really enjoyed this year and put him in the same class as last year's winner Bobby Fish.
That's my thoughts. Agree or disagree? I appreciate the feedback.
There was no one the ROH roster that had a better overall year. Not The Young Bucks. Not Cody Rhodes. Not Dalton Castle. One could make an argument for Jay Lethal, who improved his value in my eyes, but Silas Young is truly The Last Real Man here. What we have to remember here is that the days of 5 Star classics from ROH talent is a faint memory, so the criteria has changed. Consistency of match quality would be my top grade for any candidate to truly be worthy. Young delivered in spades this year. Let's take a look at how 2017 unfolded for The Last Real Man...
Silas entered 2017 fresh of a victory of future Hall of Famer Jushin Liger and an ROH contract. He floundered for a bit in the first quarter, with Delirious having nothing for him to do but casually tossing him and Beer City Bruiser in tag matches and a bullshit feud with Bull Dempsey. Young started to find his groove in a feud with Jay Lethal. In his promos, Young was sick of "The Golden Boy", as he coined him, Jay Lethal. What followed was a trifecta of matches between the two that proved Young's status as one of the best overall wrestlers on the roster. Their initial encounter at Best In The World saw Lethal go over Young, but if anything, this was far from over and the violence would escalate. Young and Beer City Bruiser fucked up Lethal's leg by having the latter splash onto it with a beer keg. This injured leg would cost Lethal in a match with Kenny Omega at New Japan's first show in the United States, adding more hatred to their rivalry. While Lethal was healing, Young really started his MVP status with a victory over future ROH TV Champion Kushida. His promos the following weeks focused on humiliating Lethal with him more or less calling him a pussy. The feud resumed with Lethal returning and brawling with Young all over and outside the arena. Match #2 was a Street Fight between them at War Of The Worlds U.K. which saw Young prevail. The rubber match between the two was going to be a Last Man Standing match at Supercard of Honor. History shows the babyface usually goes over the heel in the feud finale. Not so. Imagine my surprise that Delirious didn't fuck it up and went against the grain by having Young win. Silas wan't done yet. He capped the year off by winning the TV title in a Fatal 4 Way against incumbent champion Kenny King, Punishment Martinez, and Shane Taylor.
What also solidifies Silas Young for me as the 2017 MVP is his status as the true top heel of ROH, a role he plays to perfection. With Bullet Club and other guys on the roster being supposed heels, but playing to the crowd to above all else sell merch; Young is a throwback to where heels were heels and faces were faces. He doesn't give a shit about cheap pops or whoring his T-Shirt in TV ads. Young reminds of Ole Anderson back in the '70's. A guy looking for a fight and will fuck you up win or lose.
The final criteria for me? Young's ability to have a good match with everyone on the roster. Whether it's with Lethal or green as fuck TPT winner Josh Woods (I have yet to see this match, but according to fellow poster Famicommander it was Woods best match in ROH yet), Young knows how to put on a good match. He had a 3 1/2 star match with Jonathan Gresham on ROH TV a few months back I really enjoyed, and possibly would've gotten a higher grade had it been a main event. It's that all round versatility that I really enjoyed this year and put him in the same class as last year's winner Bobby Fish.
That's my thoughts. Agree or disagree? I appreciate the feedback.