In my continuing effort to bring something different to the table in regards to year end awards, I present this list of some of the worst booking decisions made by independent companies this year. There were undoubtedly some positive things to say, but to pretend like almost every company on this list didn’t make some business damaging decisions is crazy. In looking for decisions to highlight on this list, I wanted to write about decisions that not only hurt the in-ring product but also hurt individual wrestlers and ultimately the promotion. Numbers six and two really show the issues of losing stars and not doing everything in one’s power to elevate potential stars. Ring of Honor is going to take a beating in the early rounds, but going into 2014, they’ve actually set up some things pretty well. Nonetheless, this list is going to include some of the failings that hopefully will be rectified.

Honorable Mentions: Hope and Change being tag team champions for the first half of the year (AIW), Tony Rican and Knight Wagner feuding for months (AAW), MsChif wrestling Marcus Crane and then beating beaten up by Christian Rose after defeating Danny Daniels (AAW), ACH’s booking (ROH), Kevin Steen’s “heel” turn  (PWG), C&C Wrestlefactory versus getting tag team title matches (ROH), DJ Hyde versus OI4K (CZW), Johnny Gargano’s heel turn ruining a MOTYC (DG USA)

6. Michael Elgin in Ring of Honor

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We all know what Ring of Honor used to be, and comparing it to the current product can sometimes be a bit frustrating. One of the hallmarks of the company has always been its willingness to push the best wrestlers available to them, and when looking at his body of work, Michael Elgin has generally taken on the El Generico role of having the best match on the card. Even on the Wrestlemania weekend show at the Hammerstein Ballroom, it was Elgin and Lethal who had the best match. Since it was a number one contender’s match for the world title, it was naturally assumed Elgin would get his championship match against Kevin Steen at Border Wars and become the conquering.

ROH exchanged creating their next big babyface star in favor of a singular moment and essentially giving Jay Briscoe a lifetime achievement award. Briscoe’s title win didn’t seem possible a month earlier given his injuries, but now he was thrust into the prime position. Elgin took a back seat to Briscoe and voluntarily (within storyline) decided to wait to receive his world title match, so he could take on SCUM. Having Elgin dominate SCUM makes him an easy top babyface and world champion, right?

As it turns out, Kevin Steen, already one of the most over people on the roster and former world champion, killed his own group. Michael Elgin was placed in random tags and had a fire ball thrown in his face. Two opportunities to catapult Elgin to the next level blown. But wait. Jay Briscoe can’t defend the world title anymore because he’s “injured.” Naturally, Elgin should get the title, right?

A tournament was constructed. Elgin wanted to be part of it, talked about beating 15 other men and all but guaranteeing victory. What happens? He loses to Adam Cole. Three chances to make Michael Elgin a star… and nothing. Of course Elgin did look like a world beater at Glory by Honor in pinning all four champions, but taking the belt off Cole was not happening. Instead, Elgin lost yet another world title match, and despite Jay Briscoe being involved and available to take the pinfall, Cole pinned Elgin. Cole pinning Elgin with at Final Battle was merely the cherry on top. Inherently, there’s nothing wrong with Jay Briscoe winning the world title, Kevin Steen killing SCUM, or Adam Cole winning the tournament. All three of those wrestlers have earned the right to call themselves superstars and I would have no problem giving any promotion that uses them money. The greater issue has to do with creating new stars.

As I’ll discuss later, Ring of Honor’s choices in who they select to be the next big thing are questionable at best. The chance to shift Elgin to the sort of status reserved for men like CM Punk, Samoa Joe, or Austin Aries was there three times. Three times Elgin got booked to choke or lose.

5. SCUM

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There’s so much to discuss as part of this angle. None of it exactly peaches and roses. It all started at Ring of Honor’s anniversary show when Kevin Steen defeated Jay Lethal to retain his world title. All hell broke loose and a fun group of guys bitter at ROH became the nWo. Jimmy Rave (who I believe made a whopping two appearances after this show) made a surprise return and joined the group. Cliff Compton (who I believe made roughly five or six appearances for the company as part of the action) debuted and became a part of SCUM. Rhett Titus turned heel for rather nebulous reasons. In, March 2013, SCUM was booked to be the top heel group in Ring of Honor. It was yet another case of an invading group trying to kill the promotion, a troupe that seemingly every company has used the last couple years. Examples include #Nixon in AIW, We Are Here when they first started in AAW, BDK/Gekido in Chikara, and I’m sure I’m forgetting others.

By June 2013, ROH washed their hands of the whole thing and basically spent the summer apologizing by putting together a great tournament and having a number of quick tag title changes to build up interest. SCUM added nothing to the company with Jim Cornette gone. Matt Hardy and Cliff Compton didn’t exactly strike fear into fans’ hearts. In fact, Compton, probably best known for his ability to talk and his appearances on Colt Cabana’s podcast, probably didn’t get two minutes in total of promo time.

The SCUM angle didn’t work for a number of reasons. The most important was too many reasons and things fundamentally not making sense. Why would a group of wrestlers ever want to kill a company and cost themselves money? Why would Sinclair Broadcasting ever allow something like to ever happen? ROH’s decision to shift away quickly and push Adam Cole to the moon was a better choice. This three months of damage hurt the booking significantly and boxed out a number of wrestlers.

4. Matt Taven as ROH Television Champion

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I grew to like Matt Taven in the waning months of his title reign. However, it’s tough for me to think back and truly remember a big-time Matt Taven title defense which felt important and made a show feel more important. Taven was really new to the company when he won the title and most definitely not over. Giving him the television title and expecting him to get over with all the girls and Truth Martini was never going to work. In ROH, wrestlers have to succeed by proving themselves in the ring whether they’re heel or babyface. Otherwise, they’re just guys. ROH’s tendency to force feed first Michael Bennett and then Taven has only hurt both of their careers.

Taven is a wrestler who could have become someone serviceable in the mid-card and perhaps a possible television title contender down the road, but in my mind he’s going to have a tough time overcoming the stigma of being pushed too soon.

3. Evolve 19

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There are certain shows over the last few years which have had iPPV problems, particularly within the WWN and ROH universes. Then there are other shows which haven’t exactly excelled in the ring or have had booking problems. Finally, some shows, for whatever reason, have a negative stamp because of the live crowd being bothered by weather or the desire to want to go to another wrestling show.

Evolve 19 managed to hit all three of these points and in total create the most disappointing wrestling show of the year. A show that was supposed to start at 4:00 p.m. got delayed a half hour because of iPPV problems. Some in the crowd were concerned about making it to Ring of Honor on time because that show was scheduled to start two buses and an hour away in Manhattan. Why was this an issue? Because fans were promised Evolve 19 would end on time in order for fans to have enough time to make it both shows. The atmosphere got soured quickly thanks to the delay, and the fact many fans had to leave before the show ended to see Ring of Honor. This means a good 30% of the crowd missed the final two matches, arguably the two most anticipated of the entire weekend.

Now the iPPV problems and angry fans make a deadly combination, but they’re not enough to make the list. Having Sami Callihan injure himself walking into the ring only for Chuck Taylor to work the wrong leg? That will help you get on this list. Having wonky booking and questionable face/heel dynamics for what could presumably have been new audiences? That will also get a company on this list.

Evolve 19 was a chance to start a new with a new champion and a dumping of the records. This show got Wrestlecon off to a very disappointing start and was a failure in every measureable way. Even the fact that the show was one of the most well attended and well bought on iPPV is negated by the numerous issues.

2. Matt Tremont in CZW

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At Cage of Death 2012, Matt Tremont won his feud over CZW owner DJ Hyde by conquering him in an epic contest that saw glass busted and one of the wildest finishes ever. Regardless of what anyone thinks about Tremont as a wrestling talent, 2013 was there for the taking as his year.

Then Joe Gacy happened.

I am not a fan of Joe Gacy, and the fact that he feuded with Tremont for months on end, including defeating the ever popular Tremont by submission at one of CZW’s most well attended shows of the year at Wrestlecon was pure stupidity. Gacy has never exhibited particular aptitude in the ring, and the crowd (admittedly a tough crowd anyway) never seemed to buy him as a threat. All Tremont versus Gacy did was kill the former’s momentum to the point where a heel turn was needed. I’m not the president of the Matt Tremont fan club, but he deserved better and could have been the perfect challenger for Drew Gulak going into next year. As is, he’s part of a heel group which also doesn’t have near the momentum it should because OMG IT’S NICK MONDO. A year that should have belonged to Tremont turned into a lost one.

1. The Death of Chikara and Wrestling Is

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I’m lumping all of these together because there’s a relationship, right? I mean, a number of Chikara villains from the past have killed off a number of the Wrestling is promotions. There was Gekido for Intense, Sinn Bodhi for Art, Dr. Cube for Awesome, and the BDK for Cool. Wrestling is has pretty much been a disaster attendance wise thanks to a lack of promotion and a centralized website.

And then there’s Chikara. A number of people would probably place what Chikara is doing as one of the best booking ideas of the year because of the intrigue and mystery surrounding it. At a certain point in my life and under difference circumstances, this might have been something special. However in 2013, the ridiculousness of everything associated with Chikara and its owner have soured many of the good feelings I have about the company. To try and manufacture a comeback story such as Arrested Development or Futurama after being cancelled is harmless enough. But when the owner of the company goes on a podcast to be “honest,” than schills the upcoming iPPV despite not being officially employed with the company in storyline, we’re getting to absurd levels.

Nothing justifies the destruction of property or asking for a refund after the iPPV. Also, no one’s personal life should ever have become part of the public conjecture surrounding the shutdown. However, wrestlers and fans were deceived into believing Chikara would be around. The fact that some wrestlers within the company found out the Monday after the show about the company not running the rest of 2013 (and rumored non-disclosure contracts being signed), plus the fact a recent Ustream production of a Chikara show showing a “fan” getting kidnappened, not to mention a scavenger hunt being used as a centerpiece of a potential comeback, makes this an easy contender for “Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic.”

I tried to justify not making this number one throughout the process of constructing this list, but in the end, everything surrounding Chikara and Wrestling is struck me as being a clear and ultimately very depressing representation of everything surrounding independent professional wrestling in 2013.

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