Welcome to The Honor Report! Steven Sutton shares the latest in Ring of Honor news and also previews upcoming cards. Enjoy!
Last week the promotion announced the five New Japan Pro Wrestling competitors heading over in May. Here are the newest additions:
Takaaki Watanabe
5’10” 198 lbs
Two years as a pro.
Made his USA debut in 2013 in Pro Wrestling Syndicate against Lance Anoai (whose father is former headshrinker Samu) on 26th October 2013.
Yujiro Kushida
5’9” 187lbs
Seven years as a pro
Former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion (with Alex Shelley)
Winner of the 2008 u-30 Tag Team Tournament (with T28)
Winner of the 2012 Super Junior Tag Tournament (with Alex Shelley)
Kushida made his USA debut in 2009 in Championship Wrestling Experience against Gregory Iron, Jack Verville and Louis Laydon.
Jushin “Thunder” Liger
5’11” 202lbs
Thirty years as a pro
Former eleven time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion
Former six time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion (with the Great Sasuke, El Samurai, Minoru Tanaka, Koji Kanemoto, Akira and Tiger Mask)
Winner of the 1986 Young Lions Cup
Winner of the 1992 Top Of The Juniors Tournament
Winner of the 1994 Super Juniors Tournament
Winner of the 1995 Super Juniors Tournament
Winner of the 2000 Super J Cup
Winner of the 2001 Naeba Tag Team Tournament (with Yuji Nagata)
Winner of the 2001 Best Of The Super Juniors
Although he had been in WCW, Liger had an match with the WWE on their Wrestling Summit event which was co promoted with All Japan Pro Wrestling on 13th April 1990 taking on Akira Nogami; he also held a version of the WWE Light Heavyweight Championship in 1996 as part of the Super J Cup.
Karl Anderson
6’0” 240lbs
Eleven years as a pro
Current and Former Holder IWGP Tag Team Champion {with Giant Barnard (formally known as Prince Albert, Albert and Tensai in the WWE currently known as Jason Albert on NXT) and Doc Gallows (Current partner) (formally known as Doc in TNA and Fetus and Luke Gallows in WWE)
He made his ROH debut at Survival Of The Fittest 09 taking on Chris Hero.
The Forever Hooligans
5’7” 189lbs (Alex Koslov) and 5’7” 172 lbs (Rocky Romero)
Ten years as a pro (Koslov) and Sixteen years as a pro (Romero)
Former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion (Rocky Romero)
Former two time IWGP Tag Team Champions (Koslov and Romero)
Former ROH Tag Team Champions {Koslov and Romero (1 time with Rickey Reyes, 2 times with Davey Richards and 1 time with Alex Koslov)}
The Forever Hooligans first teamed together on the 31st December 2001 in a Fatal Four Way match at a Alternative Wrestling Show.
The Young Bucks
5’10” 172lbs (Matt Jackson) 5’10” 178 lbs (Nick Jackson)
Nine Years (Both Matt and Nick Jackson)
Current ROH Tag Team Champions
Current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions
Current and former PWG Tag Team Champions
Former Chikara Campeonatos De Parejas
Winners of the 2009, 2011 and 2013 PWG’s DDT 4
Winners of the 2013 Best Of The Super Tag Team Tournament 2013
The Young Bucks are the only tag team to hold the ROH, IWGP Junior Heavyweight and PWG Tag Team Championship at the same time
However, before Global Wars and War Of The Worlds the promotion is on its final stretch on its road to WrestleMania Weekend as they return to Dayton, Ohio this Saturday for Flyin’ High. Let’s have an look at the card:
Tag Team Grudge match: Adam Cole and Michael Bennett will team up and take on The Briscoe Brothers.
Both Adam Cole and Jay Briscoe look for momentum going into ladder war V at Supercard Of Honor VIII. Plus Mark looks for payback after losing to Bennett at Wrestling’s Finest.
First Time Ever In Ring Of Honor match: AJ Styles will take on Chris Hero
These two have already faced off this year in SMASH’s Any Given Sunday 2 in Toronto, Ontario Canada with AJ pulling out the victory however it’s the first time in ROH these two have faced off. Both guys are former champions in the promotion AJ with the Pure Championship and Tag Team Championship and Hero with the Tag Team Championship.
ROH Television Championship match: Tommaso Ciampa defends the ROH Television Championship against Matt Taven
This is Taven’s rematch for the ROH Television Championship after losing it to Ciampa back at Final Battle 2013. It is Ciampa’s eighth championship defence, last weekend Ciampa defended the championship in Germany and the United Kingdom and he returns to take on Taven. Will Truth Martini be a factor like he was last weekend during the Rising The Bar weekend when he cost Taven the opportunity of holding the ROH Championship.
Kevin Steen vs. Bobby Fish
Kevin Steen beat Fish’s partner Kyle O’Reilly back at Wrestling’s Finest earlier in the year. These two have fought each in a tag match for United Wrestling Federation in Canton, Massachusetts with the team of Bobby Fish and Brian Fury getting the win. Can Steen get the momentum towards his title shot at global wars or will Bobby Fish get a win for the Dragons in single action.
Michael Elgin vs. Cedric Alexander
These two were last in an ROH ring back at Glory By Honor XII on the same side in the eight man elimination match in Chicago, Illinois. These two fought only couple of months ago in Pro Wrestling Xpierence at their Taken By Force event with Cedric getting the win but will the distraction of the decade be on the mind of Alexander?
Four Corner Survival: Kyle O’Reilly vs. Romantic Touch vs. RD Evans vs. Silas Young
O’Reilly attempts to get the win in the match to forget what happened two weeks ago in Chicago Ridge, Illinois when his guillotine choke was countered into an pinning position to lose the ROH Tag Team Championship for the ReDRagon, RD Evans attempts to keep his winning “streak” alive, can Romantic Touch get a win here to impress Scarlett Bordeaux and a win for Young see him climb the ranks in the promotion.
The Decade with their protégé Adam Page, Caprice Coleman and Adrenaline Rush will also be in attendance.
It’s been confirmed that at Supercard Of Honor VIII Cedric Alexander will take on decade member and the second ever triple crown champion Roderick Strong.
Its also been confirmed for Supercard Of Honor VIII that the next challenger for the ROH Champion (whoever that is) Kevin Steen will take on Michael Elgin. However, this match has ramifications on 17th May “War of the Worlds” as the winner will receive an opportunity at the IWGP Championship. The first defense on American promotion was on Continental Wrestling Association on the 11th December 1988 in the Memphis Coliseum when Tommy Lane challenged Tatsumi Fujinami. The recent defense saw Charlie Haas challenged Hiroshi Tanahashi during the NJPW Invasion- Attack On The East Coast night 2 in New York, New York City on 14th May 2012.
It’s been announced that the first “Future Is Honor” will be held on 18th April from Newville, Pennsylvania. The goal of the “Future Is Honor” shows is to allow professional wrestlers who are ROH prospects the opportunity to compete in official ROH sanctioned matches. The cards will consist of ROH Seminar/ try out students, wrestlers who have graduated from the ROH Dojo and members of the current ROH roster. It’s unknown at this time if these events will be available for DVD or VOD. If you wish to follow Future Of Honor on twitter the twitter handle is @FutureOfHonor.
It’s been confirmed that Brutal Burgers will be in action will be in action at Future Of Honor 1 event on 18th April. Also ROH Dojo Graduate Jenny Rose will be in action.
The shows in Carborndale (6th June) and Collinsville (7th June) have been entitled “Road to the Best In The World”.
This past weekend on ROH on SBG, the promotion introduced their new slogan (like WWE’s “Then, Now, Forever”). Ring Of Honor’s is “Creating Excellence” and shows footage of AJ Styles, Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, Jay Briscoe, Kevin Steen, Michael Elgin, Nigel McGuiness, Samoa Joe and Tyler Black.
On this week’s ROH program you will see in the main event the Briscoe Brothers take on Adam Cole and Mike Bennett, Adam Page will take on Cedric Alexander, RD Evans puts his “undefeated streak” on the line against Romantic Touch but to kick off the show it will be the decade taking on Andrew Everett and Adrenaline Rush taking on The Decade.
This past weekend Chris Hero became the first ever two time winner of WXW’s 16 carat tournament, beating Axeman.
During WrestleMania weekend there is a super indy card during “WrestleCon” featuring talent from CZW, ROH, PWG among other promotions being held on 5th April. Already announced for the show is Kevin Steen taking on former ECW Tag Team Champion Masato Tanaka and in a new match made Chris Hero will face Michael Elgin and Drew Gulak in a triple threat match.
Chris Hero is set to defend his Evolve championship against Trent Barretta during WrestleMania Weekend at Evolve 28.
It’s been confirmed that AJ Styles will appear during the House Of Hardcore for the 6th June in Poughkeepsie and then the 7th June in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while the Young Bucks will return to the promotion on 14th June in Valley Centre, California
This week on Kevin Kelly’s show here at the Place to be nation he gives his own analysis on the Daniel Bryan/ Triple H angle that ended Monday Night Raw , an announcement on who will be a guest on the show in two weeks time, an interview with the former ROH booker Adam Pearce, ROH news and the usual #AsKKevin questions as well as Justin Rozzero’s Wrestling News Flash.
This was your first edition of the Place To Be Honor Report and always #BelieveInHonor
