A number of things were quite clear in 2012 for Ring of Honor. The transition from independent wrestling company to Sinclair subsidiary would not be smooth. A promotion that once boasted the most innovative and top of the line roster was now willing

to settle for cheaper and accessible talent. The company that once worked with CZW of all places did not have the wherewithal to go all the way with a potential interpromotional feud. Perhaps saddest of all was that the first promotion to embrace iPPV was the last one to actually get it right.

There were some clear highlights despite some of the problems. The Bravado Brothers were sent to Pro Wrestling NOAH and transformed themselves into quality wrestlers who could be ready to be an integral part of the roster whenever called upon. Kevin Steen did all he could as the Ring of Honor champion to elevate both the company and the title with incredible back-to-back iPPV performances against Michael Elgin and El Generico. Jimmy Jacobs and Steve Corino became relevant players in the company again through sheer force of will. Also the biggest positive of all may have come just seven days before Glory by Honor XI as Jim Cornette was removed as head of the booking committee with Delirious being reinstalled as the man in charge.

Through all of the positives and negatives of 2012, Ring of Honor is still standing and can still be the promotion we all want it to be. Kevin Steen is the ROH world champion. The Briscoes, no matter how stale they may be as tag team champions, may be the most over act in the promotion. Adam Cole is a future star and could be used even better if ROH would allow “The Panama City Playboy” to come out just a little bit. Tedarius Thomas, ACH, Silas Young, and Irish Airborne are at least on ROH’s radar. The iPPV business appears to be a non-issue thanks to Sinclair investing in a credible video source. No matter what the future holds for Ring of Honor, they’re like the girl you just can’t let go of.

MVP and Promo of the Year: Kevin Steen

Can there really be any doubt about either of these two awards? Steen was by far the most interesting aspect of Ring of Honor. Even when being subjected to having his world title matches being turned into hardcore ECW garbagefests, Steen still found a way to make Ring of Honor a better wrestling company. Whether Cornette or Sinclair like it or not, Steen remains a valuable asset on the microphone and as an in-ring competitor. His best matches were obviously against El Generico and an incredible borderline masterpiece with Michael Elgin at Glory by Honor XI. It should say a great deal about his standing that Chikara used Steen as the top Ring of Honor foil even though he’s not exactly PG friendly. It made for incredible atmospheres at Hot Off the Griddle and CIbernetico Rises. Ironically enough his matches with Davey Richards did not end up being as important in the year end awards as I would have thought at the beginning of 2012. Not to say they were bad but a lack of Jim Cornette and iPPV accessibility issues in Toronto didn’t help matters. It almost seems destined for Steen to lose the title to Jay Lethal at this point, but he will continue to be a major reason why I still follow the product.

Tag Team of the Year: The Briscoes

In a year where Ring of Honor’s tag team division went from a strength to a weakness, the one you thing you can always say about the Briscoes is they’re always there when Ring of Honor needs them. Instead of bringing in the Young Bucks on a consistent basis, their travel was deemed too expensive and they weren’t resigned in August. Kenny King and Rhett Titus would have won this award pretty easily if the former didn’t decide to test out the greener pastures of TNA. The loss of the All Night Express really hurt Ring of Honor. What hurt them even more was the continued presence of World’s Greatest Tag Team. Charlie Haas and Sheldon Benjamin may be “great heels,” but their presence only stifled what was once the greatest tag team division in professional wrestling. Their future is a team is in doubt with a potential WWE return for Benjamin. The Bravados had a huge victory back in Chicago against the Young Bucks… and then were sparingly used. Jacobs and Corino were jobbed out for months before suddenly ascending to the belts in September before losing them in a ho hum three way involving Cedric Alexander, Caprice Coleman and of course, the Briscoes. Rebuilding the tag team division must be a priority for Ring of Honor in 2012. Reforming the American Wolves doesn’t count since they’ve already wrestled Mark and Jay a million times in 2009 and 2010. Allowing the Bravados and the C&C Connection to break through the glass ceiling will truly allow the division to mature and adapt.

Breakout Star of the Year: Adam Cole

I had a tougher time than you might think with this one because I really wanted to give this to someone like Thomas or the Bravados. Then I think back to Best in the World when Adam Cole rose from being just another midcard babyface to someone who I could potentially see holding the Ring of Honor world title in 2013. Cole’s face bleeding wasn’t just some freak accident but a symbol of his transition. Beating Davey Richards in a tag team match with the cross body meant very little as compared to the visual of a crimson-faced Cole rising above and defeating his former partner in Future Shock, Kyle O’Reilly. Although not mentioned in the discussion about the tag team division, losing Future Shock was a big deal. Just as they were finding their way as a duo, boom! They become sidekicks to Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards. Only through their match at Best in the World did Cole and O’Reilly separate themselves and become their own men. Cole was given the television title in a moment that seemed to signify a new star coming into his own. Then Cole was put in a brutal (pun very much intended) match with manager Bob Evans. Matches with Mike Bennett and Mike Mondo did little to move Cole forward. A ray of light came at Glory by Honor with an excellent match against Eddie Edwards. Then there was Matt Hardy. Despite the ups and downs, Cole is clearly in a much higher position than he was this time last year. He’s earned his position through a lot of hard work and natural ability.

Honorable Mention: The Bravado Brothers

I posted the AAW column first so that people wouldn’t think this award was some bad pun. My explanation as to why this award truly exists comes next week in the Chikara year end column, but I want to use this as a platform to acknowledge someone who doesn’t really fit into the format. Harlem and Lancelot did not exactly set the world on fire when they first came into Ring of Honor. Their gimmick reeked of undercard geekiness, and their in-ring work did not meet the high Ring of Honor standards. Then they went to Japan. I have no idea what they had to undergo or deal with, but they came back on the scene as new wrestlers. Their match with the Young Bucks at Unity was a true breakout performance. Unfortunately, they were used more as cannon fodder than a real legitimate tag team, but their work in Chikara and Ring of Honor certainly was noticed by myself and many others within the IWC. Here’s to greater chances for success and a potentially great 2013 for the Bravado Bandwagon.

Wrestler to Watch in 2013:Tedarius Thomas

As much as I want to see guys like Silas Young and ACH break out and receive contracts with ROH, Thomas is an even more intriguing figure because he’s relatively fresh. Other than wrestling for Clash wrestling out of Michigan and a few token AAW appearances, Thomas is highly underexposed and someone ROH can actually say they built from the ground up. He’s as innovative as ACH although not nearly as charismatic. I see big things for Thomas next year, maybe even a title belt.

Feud of the Year: Kevin Steen Versus Ring of Honor

I was honestly hoping “Chikara versus Ring of Honor” or even “Kevin Steen vs. Eddie Kingston” could have won under this section instead. Alas, because of politics and whatever “legitimate” reasons one could come up with, it once again comes down to Kevin Steen versus Ring of Honor. The tension between what ROH is and what they used to be will always exists in the minds of fans. However, when even the wrestlers themselves are open about what they’re seeing, this is where the issue becomes magnified. Kenny King, Davey Richards, and Kevin Steen all addressed their problems with Sinclair Broadcasting in various shoot interviews. Coming from a place where they had minimal problems with Adam Pearce and Hunter Johnson, this wasn’t just typical fan complaining about things not being the same when Gabe Sapolsky was booker. Kevin Steen brought some of these issues to the iPPVs and television. Without Jim Cornette, it just became Steen being a nuisance to the company, thus making for a far less compelling story. For Ring of Honor to succeed, they must get back to creating original feuds that will make people want to want the television every week and then transition into buying iPPVs. Drudging up Generico and Steen for the 500th time doesn’t count. Create compelling reasons for fans to watch the product, and Sinclair Broadcasting can begin seeing this as a money-making entity instead of some B level vanity project.

Match of the Year: Davey Richards vs. Michael Elgin (Showdown in the Sun, Night Two)(March 31, 2012)

Going into this match, Michael Elgin was an impressive power wrestler who has turned in a couple of impressive performances. Davey Richards was struggling through a title reign that didn’t exactly excite fans of the promotion. People weren’t exactly going into this thinking that they would be seeing a match of the year contender. Little did they know that by the end of these 30 minutes, Richards and Elgin would put on one of the biggest spectacles in the history of Ring of Honor and make people forget about yet another iPPV debacle.

Hey, a freshly written, never before seen match review…

Match Summary: Richards hasn’t had a truly great world title defense up to this point. A lot of his stuff has bordered on self-parody and even the match with Jay Lethal at Homecoming was just merely very good. Richards with an immediate boot. Knees and kicks. Shoulder block goes nowhere. Leapfrog by Richards and a dropkick. Low bridge. Elgin sitting on the apron. Running kick connects. Huge tope suicida. Elgin placed along the barricade and a kick from Richards. Repeat on two other barricades as well. To the apron. Chop by Elgin. Battle on the middle ropes. Elgin a clothesline and Richards is back in the ring. Stomp to the back. Clubbering blow in the corner. Elgin with a stalling vertical suplex. After over 30 seconds, Richards gets dropped. Clubbering blow as Richards is placed on the apron. Leg drop hits for Elgin. Powerbomb blocked. To the corner for shoulder tackles. Headbutt by Richards. Elgin lifts him. Waistlock blocked. Elgin with a knee to the upper body. Richards handsprings. Elgin catches him and drops him back first across his body. Richards crawls to the corner. Richards blocks a move by holding onto the ropes. Elbows to the head. Clubbering blow by Elgin. Back and forth with right hands. Chop by Richards. Elgin with one of his own. Clubbering blow to the back. Jawbreaker by Richards. Elgin with a running shoulder tackle. Northern lights suplex with a bridge. Knee placed in the back. Richards makes his way up. Elgin maintains control. Suplex countered. Boot out of the corner. Elgin blocks and sends Richards head first into the turnbuckle. Kick by Richards. Dropkick off the top rope and he gets two. Exploder blocked. Elgin with elbows. Forearm. Exchange. Richards with a series of them now. Running forearm and the exploder hits. 1-2-NO! Elgin blocks and goes to the corner. Spin kick by Richards. Running knee. Punch to the gut. Elgin blocks and fires away. Headbutts by Richards. Superplex. Elgin powers up. Running boot. Elgin no sells. A second one does nothing. Palm strikes but Elgin hits an enziguri. Richards with a kick. German suplex. Elgin no sells. Richards hits a lariat. Ankle lock. Richards goes up and over. Punt misses. Elgin blocks a second attempt and hits a fishermen’s suplex on the floor. Powerbomb into the barricade. Good God. Elgin rolls Richards into the ring. 1-2-NO! Elgin goes for a corkscrew senton. He connects! 1-2-NO! Elgin places Richards on the top rope. Spinning powerbomb blocked. Richards grabs a kimura. Elbows to the back of the head. Sunset bomb blocked. Now a super German suplex attempt fails. Elgin elbows him off. Richards with a kick to the face. SUPER DRAGON SUPLEX! 1-2-NO! Ankle lock! Elgin grabs the bottom rope. Now the crowd begins to chant for him. They sense something special is afoot. Richards with a series of shotgun kicks. Elgin no sells and stands up. Pie face. Kawada kicks by Richards. Elgin with knees to the chin. Exchange of kicks and knees. Unreal. Crowd seems in favor of Elgin. Kicks as Elgin is prone on the ropes. Elgin hits Chaos Theory. 1-2-NO! Superkick. Side slam out of the vertical suplex position. Crossface. Richards puts his foot on the bottom rope. Richards is laying on the outside. They battle in the corner. Dragon screw leg whip. Double stomp on Elgin. Richards heads to the top. Double stomp to the inside. 1-2-NO! Running forearm. LARIAT! Pumphandle suplex. 1-2-NO! Kick blocked but an enziguri hits. Spin kick. Another misses. Forearm by Elgin. Elgin hits a version of the Galleria for two. Bucklebomb. Richards comes out with a kick. Lariat by Elgin in the face. Powerbomb countered into the ankle lock as Richards rolls through. Elgin reverses into the crossface. Richards roll-up for two. Richards charges and eats a knee. Spinning backfist. Spinning powerbomb. 1-2-NOOOOOOO! Crossface. Elgin rolls to the middle of the ring. Richards slowly grabs the left leg and applies the crossface. Elgin with boots to the head. Back to the ankle lock. Elgin teases tapping. Roll through. He can’t even charge. Shining wizard. 1-NO! Richards with kicks. 1-2-NO! One big kick to the head. Richards finally wins.

Match Analysis: Elgin makes one mistake by ending up in the ankle lock a third time and it ultimately costs him the match. He was a beast, prepared for anything Richards could dole out. This was as physical a pro wrestling match as you’ll see. Lots of give and take. The crowd gave their tacit approval to what they were seeing early, but they were ready for a title change by the end. They wanted it. Anyone watching this live or on iPPV should have seen that loud and clear. This was a case of Elgin truly elevating himself from just another wrestler to a top level talent. Richards also redeemed his title reign somewhat by finally having a classic barn burner of a title defense. Tremendous work from both men as they capped off Ring of Honor’s portion of Wrestlemania weekend exceedingly well.

Winner (s)/Time/Rating: STILL ROH World Champion-Davey Richards/27:43/ *****

Show of the Year: Glory by Honor XI

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It should come as no surprise the best Ring of Honor show of the year came just days after Jim Cornette was wished the best in his future endeavors as head booker. This was easily ROH’s best full show with great action coming right from the beginning. C&C Connection and the Bravados were actually allowed to steal the show in the opener. This was just a really fantastic show that looked great in widescreen and featured a hot Toronto crowd. It was a show that featured a good Mike Mondo/Mike Bennett match. Unfortunately, Mondo injured himself in the proceedings. Edwards and Cole had a previous mentioned awesome world television title match. Then there were the two match of the year contenders as Davey Richards did everything he could to get over Jay Lethal’s killer instinct. Steen and Elgin then tore the house down in a main event many have called ROH’s best of the year with an incredible capper of Steen hitting a package piledriver off the middle rope to finally defeat the challenge of Elgin.

To check out Ryan Rozanski’s full review of the show, please click here.

Three Positives of Ring of Honor in 2012:

  1. Man, even in September the iPPV debacles would have been considered a negative. However, a brand new deal has led me to inch Ring of Honor’s iPPV business in the positive column. Maybe the problems are actually helping because ROH knows this is one of their most viable business opportunities, and they must get it right. Glory by Honor and Final Battle featured no technical issues (depending how you view Kevin Kelly’s announcing) and excellent video quality. This might seem like it should go under the bold prediction section, but I think ROH has fixed its iPPV problems, and it will in fact be their strongest assets in 2013.
  2. Kevin Steen won the MVP and promo of the year for a reason. As an individual, he’s the one guy they cannot afford to be without. Undoubtedly, Steen is a huge reason people even pay attention to Ring of Honor.
  3. In addition to the final two shows being technically proficient, the roster itself seemed more motivated than ever to prove itself. Hopefully, there is a continuation of this moving forward. Ring of Honor shows need to feel more important and a roster willing to work hard will prove those dividends faster than any production element or the announcing.

Three Negatives of Ring of Honor in 2012:

  1. It’s honestly hard to nail the negatives down because there really are a number of issues for Ring of Honor to contend with going into 2013 based on how 2012 went. In an attempt to hit the major one, let’s talk about the television show. I can’t say the Ring of Honor television has ever been actively bad. There have been some questionable booking decisions, and match selection hasn’t always been great, but it’s certainly not damaging my perception of Ring of Honor as a brand. The biggest problem is the television show doesn’t make me feel like I need to watch every week. Honestly, there are episodes I’ve skipped. There are times when I’ll have a show in the background when I’m doing something else, or maybe I’m watching while in transit to work. The point is Ring of Honor television is not appointment viewing. If this company is to be viable, it needs to be. I need to want to watch ROH every week like I do Mad Men, Game of Thrones, and The Walking Dead. Although these are seasonal cable shows with far different structures, there needs to be a level of detail and attention paid to this show that isn’t right now. Compelling and innovative storylines will change my viewing of the television. Considering how iPPV works, I’m not sure we’ll ever fix the continuity, but I want to feel the need that if I miss an ROH broadcast, I’m missing something important. It starts with the announcing. Naturally, this leads to point number two.
  2. I’m sure Kevin Kelly is a wonderful human being who gives to charity and helps old ladies cross the street. He generally comes across as a nice human being who loves and cares about wrestling. That doesn’t mean he’s the right man for Ring of Honor television in 2013. His general lack of knowledge about the product notwithstanding, the WWE stigma is all over him. As a lead announcer Kevin Kelly does very little for me. Then there’s the other announcing position which has been a rotating chair of doom. Steve Corino is interesting and is a solid fill-in, but being active in the ring means he can’t fully dedicate himself to the position. Caleb Seltzer sounds exactly like Kevin Kelly and has added nothing but redundancy in his position as a color commentator. If the rumors about Nigel McGuinness are true, than Sinclair Broadcasting truly has no understanding of the Ring of Honor audience and the credibility the former ROH champ brings. His accent is irrelevant given his knowledge of the product and his genuine excitement in certain important matches. In helping to fix Ring of Honor’s problems it starts at the announce position.
  3. The announcing and television show are important aspects to the new way Ring of Honor is regarding itself. No longer a DVD driven company, the company is expanding its ways of doing business by emphasizing the iPPVs and television. The only way for the product to suck me in as a viewer no matter how I’m watching Ring of Honor is to generate solid in the ring content. That means quality matches and more importantly, better finishes. It’s ridiculous to me that Michael Elgin can go through hell against Davey Richards and Kevin Steen, but lose to Roderick Strong after being hit with one book shot to the head. We’ve had ether, a roll of quarters, and a number of other hackneyed endings. I was hoping the removal of Cornette and the ascension of McGuinness to matchmaker would resolve these issues, but honor has not yet been restored. You’d think after the Briscoes chastised us fans for talking negatively about the promotion that they would do everything in their power to change those perceptions. Oh well. I don’t have a better solution to this problem except “Come up with better finishes that don’t insult viewers’ intelligence.”

Three Bold Predictions About Ring of Honor in 2013:

  1. Tedarius Thomas will win the television title in 2013. I think Ring of Honor is looking for a high flyer to push, and Thomas fits the bill because of his high skill level and a recent victory against Rhino. I see Thomas as Ring of Honor’s 2013 project to get over. Hopefully, he can elevate himself and bring a much needed fresh coat of paint to Ring of Honor’s midcard.
  2. Adam Cole will turn heel and win the world title by Final Battle. There’s only so much that can be done with Cole as a plucky underdog babyface. Someone in the office is going to watch a PWG or CZW DVD, see how awesome Cole is, and then thrust him toward the main event position. It’s just got to happen at a certain point. Based on my understanding of ROH contracts, Cole will be WWE eligible in 2014. Ring of Honor should get everything they can out of Cole while he’s still under contract.
  3. The inexplicable push of Mike Mondo will continue and he will be a very serious contender for both ROH singles titles. I know what you’re thinking. That’s a prediction, but it’s not exactly bold. Here’s the bold part. Mikey Mondo will get a title match at one of ROH’s signature events on iPPV for the world championship in the main event.

Here are Christ GST’s thoughts on ROH in 2012:

It’s hard to say that 10 years in, a promotion is still growing. But that’s how I like to look back at 2012 for Ring of Honor. From starting their in house iPPV service, to unintentionally insulting a fanbase that has supported them for years, to having matches such as Richards/Elgin 1,Steen/Generico and others being the pinnacle of great wrestling, 2012 is a mixed bag. Unfortunately negatives seem to stay with us longer than the good. Situations such as iPPVs not streaming correctly, kayfabed articles that tried to sweep fan feedback under the rug, Kenny King leaving after being crowned one half of the tag team champions, and booking situations that lead to Jim Cornette stepping down are all things that I feel need to be openly stated and recognized by ROH. On the good side, they did respond, and while at first some of their responses were irregular in nature, ultimately they have decided to push forward and have provided better streaming service for their iPPVs including teaming up with Ooyala. Delirious is now head booker and based on 2 TV tapings, at least seems to have a long term plan for ROH booking, even if we all don’t agree necessarily with the results. The crossover with CHIKARA brought a much needed spark to the promotion as well and made the fans clamor for more. And there was plenty of good wrestling too. Events that were straight to DVD such as Live Strong, Rise and Prove, and Battle of Richmond had some great matches on them and while they didn’t always effect the overall landscape of ROH, the matches were enough to make them worth a purchase. Stalwarts such as Death Before Dishonor, Glory By Honor, & Final Battle were also exciting news worth events with great wrestling, albeit sometimes some strange results. Overall 2012 was another year of growth for ROH and while that can have it’s negatives, I’m a lot more positive going into 2013 than I was going into 2012.

 

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