Hit or Miss is back for week number 2! Given the epic-ness that was Ring of Honor’s Glory By Honor IX internet pay per view, it seems only appropriate to focus on Ring of Honor and the iPPV this week. I’m joined by our resident ROH reviewer and fellow ROH fan Matt Waters, as well as Stephen McGovern, who covers WWE TV, this week, so with out any further adieu…lets begin!
– In terms of overall wrestling quality, was GBH IX a hit or a miss?
Matt Waters: Hit. There was a lot of good wrestling on this card, even from the likes of Grizzly Balls & The Embassy, which was a pleasant surprise. Even Eddie Edwards vs. Daivari was decent, just Daivari, as I’ve said many times before, is a little boring. The worst aspects of the show were technical issues (which, if you watch the replay are corrected), and the crowd’s poor reactions between intermission and when Daniels hit the Super Angel’s Wings, which rightfully made them erupt. From a pure in-ring standpoint I can only find one fault on this card, and that’s the speed of the matches. The first half flew by, with Kenny King & Jay Briscoe’s match ending too soon in my opinion. The main event suffered from this a little too, a fifteen match didn’t quite seem fitting for what was meant to be an epic match. These are only minor gripes though, the wrestling was a hit.
Stephen McGovern: Hit. I thought the wrestling on the show was great. It wasn’t the best card ever in roh history, but nothing was bad and everything was at least decent. The ANX/Briscoe matches were a great way to open the show, Balls Mahoney was a lot better then I thought he’d be, Aries/Daniels was a good match but a bit on the short side (which is probably the biggest critiscism of all the matches), the KOW match was fantastic and match of the night and finally the main event was good with some nice heel stuff from Black like using some of Cena’s schtick and flipping off the fans at the end. Plus the Cide return rocked.
1 for 1
– Hit or miss: Roderick Strong winning the ROH World Title.
MW: Hit. Most fans would prefer to see the belt on Davey, but he was in Japan and the title had to come off Tyler on this night at all costs, so Roderick was the next best option. Daniels seems only a tentative member of the roster to me, as he could sign back with TNA or even with the WWE at any given moment. He isn’t on every show, and that’s a must for a champion. Aries having a third reign before anyone catches him on 2 would be wrong also. Homicide couldn’t wrestle on the PPV, and so Roddy becomes the de facto top candidate. However, just because he has gotten the belt purely because there isn’t another viable option, it doesn’t mean he won’t be a great champion. He is very over with the fans, has a manager and henchmen, he’s golden in the ring, and in the eyes of the fans, and probably the locker room, he was due. He may not be as much of a “name” as previous champions (many weren’t when they were first given the title), but he’ll put on fantastic matches, and really, what more can we ask of him?
SM: Hit. Roddy winning the belt is cool, he deserves it, I could have done without all the overbooking in how he won but its the right result in the end.
2 for 2
– With Davey Richards announcing he will not be leaving wrestling at the end of 2010, him winning the world title at Final Battle seems likely…hit or miss?
MW: Miss. It’s likely, but it’s not a sure thing. I reserve the right to change my mind after the next set of TV tapings, because they could build a Roddy vs Davey feud quite nicely to the point the title change makes sense, but as things stand right now, Davey being here for another year doesn’t mean that Roddy shouldn’t be given a proper run. Roderick had 16 tries at the strap over the course of 5 years while his peers came and went. Final Battle is barely 3 months away. That’s a short title run, and unless they feel Roddy isn’t cutting it, I don’t think ROH would slap him in the face like that. I’d imagine Roddy will win round 1 of the feud, and then Davey will come good in a rematch at a big show like 9th Anniversary (although having the belt change a year after Tyler won it might not be such a good thing) or the next iPPV. Davey re-signing has bought ROH some time, why should they rush?
SM: Hit, because it seems very likely.
2 for 3
– Will Joey Ryan winning BOLA this year be a hit or miss in the long run?
MW: Miss. I picked Joey to win it all after he beat Chuck Taylor on Night 1, but that was a prediction, not my ideal choice. Joey is in fantastic shape now, and having the best matches of his career, so he should be closer to the top of the card than he has been lately, but I think his time with the belt has passed. Then again, not every BOLA winner has won the PWG Title, in fact more often than not, they haven’t, but to me this tournament is about making stars, not giving their long-established ones an additional rub. Maybe Joey is leaving PWG soon to wrestle more on the East Coast and this was his thank you. I can’t see him keeping up with Davey Richards if they do have a match, and I don’t want to see him win it. This was their chance to put over one of the younger guys and I think they blew it.
SM: Miss. Too soon to tell, I still say Strong should have won, but Ryan is a solid wrestler who won’t miss shows like the last 3 champs.
3 for 4
– Was having KOW go over WGTT in a non-title match a hit or miss for the ROH tag team division?
MW: Hit. ROH cannot guarantee a future booking of Haas & Benjamin. Shelton promised on his Twitter account that he and Charlie will be back, but he also allegedly comes with a very high asking price, and if TNA aren’t actively pursuing getting one or both of these guys then they’re even more stupid than we all think they are. You absolutely cannot job your franchise players out to an act the fans will never see again, title or non-title. How bad would it make the Briscoes look if WGTT beat the Kings on their first try after Jay & Mark have been killing themselves trying and still not managing it? This makes the champs look even stronger than they already did, which can only be a good thing for the division as whoever finally beats them will have a far more meaningful win under their belts. If WGTT come back, they can beat the Kings, much like the Motor City Machineguns did with the Briscoes, because 1-1 is a more acceptable result than 0-1. It would be ideal for there to be two rematches with the final win going to the Kings, but if we only get 2 then the Kings had to win the first match, and they did.
SM: Hit. two guys that haven’t teamed in like 5 years shouldn’t go over the most dominant team in the company, plus the cheating finish kept WGTT strong for future appearances.
4 for 5
– Hit or miss: Steen vs. Generico has been the feud of the year in wrestling.
MW: Hit. When was the last time there was a feud wherein the principle participants didn’t lay a finger on each other for 4 months and didn’t meet in a singles match for 6? The fact this happened and the crowd stayed very hot for it throughout makes this the feud of the year. Even if it’s lost a little steam, and even if it gets bad from here to Final Battle, the fact that the booking team have accomplished such a feat deserves incredible respect. Steen has cut some amazing promos, particularly at Epic Encounter III, and the intensity the two conveyed during their first match was off the charts. Nothing else has come close this year.
SM: Hit, easily!
5 for 6
Matt and Stephen went 5 for 6 this week, being pretty much in agreement on everything. Be sure to check back next week to see who joins me for Hit or Miss week 3! Be good everyone!
