For the first time in company history, the Ring of Honor World Championship is vacant after the injury / rumored walkout by current champion Jay Briscoe. Ring of Honor matchmaker Nigel McGuiness stripped Briscoe of the championship shortly after the Best in the World event and ROH TV taping on June 22nd and 23rd. On July 27th in Providence, Rhode Island, the first opening round matches of a 16-man single elimination tournament take place. This tournament will ultimately culminate with a new Ring of Honor World Champion crowned on September 20th and 21st during Death Before Dishonor XI Weekend in Chicago, Illinois.
In looking at the bracket, the tournament looks like one of the best pure wrestling tournaments in a long time. Almost every opening round match has the potential to be a classic. Considering the time for recuperating between tournament matches, everyone should enter each match at 100% and be able to deliver a classic. The Ring of Honor World Championship Tournament has the potential to be something truly amazing for the promotion. With that said, that does not mean the tournament is completely unpredictable either. A few entrants clearly do not intend to stay long in Ring of Honor. A few entrants do not have “world champion” qualities. In addition, the tournament itself is missing some huge names on the ROH roster that could have made a great tournament into something even greater.
In the opening round, one match stands out above all others as the premiere contest of the opening round – Mark Briscoe vs. Adam Cole. Adam Cole is currently in the midst of a heel turn and is on the verge of doing great things in Ring of Honor. Meanwhile, Mark Briscoe appeared to walk out on the promotion alongside his brother Jay in June. Therefore, his entry into the tournament puts doubt into the talks that both Briscoes left ROH. Both Cole and Briscoe are among the most talented and most worthy of a world championship reign in the field. Why they are meeting in the opening round is a complete mystery to me.
The opening round matches between Paul London and Michael Elgin, Brian Kendrick and Kevin Steen, and Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal all have potential to be outstanding contests. In addition, all three are so easily predictable even Stevie Wonder could see the outcome in advance. London, Kendrick, and Dutt are all tremendous wrestlers who will not stay in Ring of Honor long-term. I cannot see any of these three picking up a victory in the opening round over one of ROH’s biggest and brightest stars. In fact, the only competitor in the tournament field making a cameo appearance to get out of the opening round will be “Machine Gun” Karl Anderson. Facing ACH – a competitor I question being in the tournament in the first place – Anderson will easily advance and set up a rematch from ROH TV in April between Anderson and Elgin.
In mentioning ACH’s seemingly undeserved spot in the 16-man field, I believe he is not alone in not deserving a spot in the tournament when so many talents are not in the tournament. Despite contract issues possibly leading to the end of their time in Ring of Honor, I do not understand why former ROH World Champions Davey Richards or Eddie Edwards are both on the outside of the bracket looking in. ACH, the winner of a play-in match between Adam Page and Silas Young, and the four above-mentioned competitors who are not ROH roster members are a part of the tournament while two of the best performers in the world are not. In addition, both Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly of the World Tag Team Champions reDRagon, QT Marshall, Cedric Alexander and Caprice Coleman are all not a part of the tournament. I just do not understand the logic behind some of the performers booked to be in and left out of the tournament. It does not make sense to me how essentially bring in higher guns for a match sounds better than using the talent on the current every day roster.
Over the next two months, this single-elimination tournament has the potential to deliver some of the best wrestling matches of 2013. Even in losing efforts, some men potentially can reestablish themselves as elite competitors while others can breakout as stars on the rise. By the time Death Before Dishonor happens in Chicago, I believe the final four in the tournament will be Adam Cole, Tommaso Ciampa, Michael Elgin, and Kevin Steen. The tournament appears to be a long showcase for “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin to show himself as the best wrestler in Ring of Honor today. A long showcase but a worthy showcase as Michael Elgin is currently the man Ring of Honor needs to put the strap on heading into a new era in ROH. The complete wrestler, Elgin brings a combination of power, speed, skills, and intensity second to none into the ring every time he laces his boots.
The Ring of Honor World Championship Tournament is Michael Elgin’s tournament to lose.
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