The WWE debuted three new wrestlers in the finish of the WWE championship match at the Survivor Series 2012. Who exactly were those three men that attacked Ryback, where did they come from, and how will they impact the WWE main roster?

For those who missed it, the WWE championship match ended in controversy. Ryback had disposed of CM Punk and was about to pin John Cena when three men in black clothes attacked him and put him through a table. Michael Cole explained that the men were Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins from NXT. So who are they, what is their background, and what can we expect from them in the WWE?

Roman Reigns is a second generation wrestler and a member of the Anoai wrestling family. Reigns is the son of former WWF tag team champion the Wild Samoan Sika and is the brother of the former Rosey of Three Minute Warning as well as related to The Rock, Yokozuna, Rikishi, etc. Reigns has a football background playing for Georgia Tech and then bouncing around the NFL and CFL. Reigns was known in FCW as Roman Leakee. Reigns actually defeated his new partners Rollins and Ambrose in February to become the #1 contender in FCW but lost the title match. Reigns is thought by some to have a lot of potential but is still very new to pro wrestling. He is certainly the least experienced of the three and could have a hard time hanging with the big boys if he isn’t taken along slowly.

Dean Ambrose is remembered by many for a standout career on the independent wrestling circuit as Jon Moxley. Moxley was trained back in 2004 by Les Thatcher. Ambrose held several world titles on the indies including the CZW world title (long after I was gone). Moxley was always known on the indies as being a versatile worker with great promos. The WWE has wanted to use Ambrose for awhile now and teased a feud with him and Mick Foley shortly after Mick re-signed with the WWE. Ambrose has appeared on several WWE house shows and is more than ready for the jump to the big leagues.

Seth Rollins is probably the most anticipated call-up from the developmental territory in a long time among the Internet Wrestling Community. Rollins has a huge following of hardcore fans from his reign as Ring of Honor champion under the name Tyler Black. Black is solid in the ring but is not nearly as strong on promos as Ambrose, although if he is aligned with Paul Heyman that won’t be a problem. He is also a former Florida Championship Wrestling champion in the WWE’s FCW territory. Rollins is a guy like Daniel Bryan who could turn into a major utility player in years to come if given the right opportunity to succeed in the WWE.

All in all you have two incredibly talented wrestlers with a nice pedigree and following from the independent wrestling scene and a second generation wrestler with all of the tools to become a money player at some point in the WWE. This is exactly what the WWE needs right now as far as fresh faces go and it will be interesting to see how they shake things up now that they are on the main roster.

WWE: Survivor Series Anthology, Vol. 1 – 1987-1991

WWE Attitude Era DVD

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No to long ago I sat in my chair in the studios while doing “The Still Real to Us Show” proclaiming that I felt that Roderick Strong should not be the next ROH World Champion. At that time the stars were aligned for Roddy to become the new ROH World Champion. Tyler Black, who at the time was the current ROH World Champion; had signed a WWE Developmental deal and the September 11th ROH Glory By Honor IX iPPV would be his last appearance in Ring of Honor. At that September 11th show Tyler was set to battle Roderick Strong for the ROH World Championship, a feud that had been made 7 months in the making dating back to Black’s title victory at ROH’s 8th Anniversary Show in New York City.

Sure ROH could have swerved us wrestling fans and had Black drop the title at any of the three house shows leading up to GBH IX, but they did not. Sure they could have had Tyler Black drop the World Championship on their HDNet shows on Monday night, but they did not. It was poised to be Roddy’s time come 9/11 at the Manhattan Center for Glory By Honor IX.

Tyler Black and Roderick Strong would battle in the Main Event of Glory By Honor IX with the ROH World Championship on the line and Terry Funk becoming the eventual referee. As expected the departing Tyler Black would drop the ROH World Championship to Roderick Strong that night. After six years in Ring of Honor Roderick Strong was finally the World Champion.

At first I wasn’t convinced that Roddy should be the World Champion, I even said on my wrestling podcast that I just couldn’t see it happening, hell I was saying it at the Glory by Honor IX event itself. For some reason it just didn’t click in that Roderick Strong should be the ROH World Champion. It was nothing against the person or the wrestler Roderick Strong; it was just that I wasn’t sold on it.

The moment I was sold on it was during the Black/Strong match itself and it finally clicked in when they put the World Championship around Roderick Strong’s waist. It was then when I felt that Roderick Strong deserved his chance in the spotlight, deserved that shining moment in Ring of Honor to be named its World Champion. One of the few ROH veterans left in the company finally getting his chance to hold the gold.

Obviously Strong’s reign will be put to the test the next couple of months and determine what kind of success he will have as a heel World Champion. ROH is definitely setting up Roderick Strong to carry the gold into the next iPPV in New York City in December, Final Battle 2010. Who that will be against no one knows right now with the exception of Davey Richards getting a title shot. If I had to put money down on the Main Event prediction I think we are looking at a Strong vs. Richards vs. Homicide vs. Christopher Daniels main event in December to close out 2010.

Most Ring of Honor World Champions have a good amount of longevity in their title reigns and it would appear this would be the way the company will be heading once again as the final part of 2010 will belong to Roderick Strong. There is a lot of momentum riding on the side of Roderick Strong as he enters his first run as a World Champion as Ring of Honor is quite possibly coming off of one of it’s biggest breakthrough shows in it’s tenure as GBH IX has received many high reviews from wrestling fans including this one.

So if it were the case where ROH has reached out to newer wrestling fans in the last couple of weeks it will be the face of Roderick Strong that will carry this company to potential new heights. It will be a potentially stressful time, as I believe it is for most World Champions in any wrestling company, as the growth of a company during your reign is a complete reflection of you the wrestler.

I hope Roderick Strong does well, I feel many people have casted him as someone who could be a transition champion to Davey Richards. Strong could surprise all fans of Ring of Honor in the next couple of months leading up to Final Battle 2010 as being a good & entertaining World Champion.

For the time being I feel like we can all trust in the ROH veteran Roderick Strong to continue to lead Ring of Honor to new & unbelievable heights.

What are your thoughts on Roderick Strong as the new ROH World Champion? Tell us your thoughts on “The Still Real to Us Show” by e-mailing us over at [email protected] and give us your thoughts on whether you agree with more or not! Then go ahead and download the show this Thursday @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at www.wheelhouseradio.com or www.wrestlechat.net to find out if your pick made it to the air!

Jeff Peck is the producer for the “Wheelhouse Radio” program that airs every Sunday – Thursday @ 8pm ET/5pm PT at www.blogtalkradio.com/thewheelhouse and at www.errorfm.com @ 2am ET/11pm PT

Jeff also co-hosts “The Still Real to us show” with Eric Gargiulo which can be available at www.wheelhouseradio.com and can be downloaded in the “Real Guy Radio” section of the site..”

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Breaking the Code: Behind the Walls of Chris Jericho

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Welcome back loyal readers to this week’s episode of ROH on HDNet. These are very strange days indeed in Ring of Honor. So let’s not waste any time and get right to the action.

The ROH World Champion

Jim Cornette is in the ring with ROH World Champion Tyler Black. He addresses his recent contract signing with the WWE. Not surprisingly, Black comes off like a heel to the fans. He says he doesn’t owe them anything. And he just might end up on Monday night’s on another network with the ROH title still around his waist. I guess Black will not be getting the same send off that Bryan Danielson got when he left for the WWE.

The House of Truth & Roderick Strong vs. Mike Bennett & Andy “Right Leg” Ridge & Jay Freddie
This has squash written all over it. But the faces actually mount some early offense; Mike Bennett in particular looks like he might have some potential. But their upset dreams are not to be as Truth Martini’s men get the win following a vicious running boot from Roderick Strong.

Colt Cabana & El Generico vs. ROH Tag Team Champions The Kings of Wrestling

This is a tune up bout for both teams who have bigger matches on the horizon. Cabana and Generico have a chain match coming up against Kevin Steen. And the champs have a big title defense upcoming against Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin. In this match, Cabana wrestles his usual silly style. This drives me crazy. You are in the ring with the champs, please take it a little seriously. The Kings dominate Generico with lots of quick tags and good team work. They are technically sound and put it all on display here. The Kings go for the KRS-ONE but Generico fights out of it and manages to finally make the tag. Cabana comes in and finally wrestles like he means it. It looks like the faces might score the upset but Steen and Corino come out with a chain. This is enough of a distraction for Chris Hero to hit the rolling elbow on Cabana for the win.

In Two Weeks…

ROH on HDNet will be on hiatus next week for the Labor Day Holiday. But in two weeks the main event is Austin Aries vs. Delirious in a lumberjack match. And you can’t have a match with these two without a little video recap of their feud. And you can’t a video recap without me in it.

Eddie Edwards Ten Minute Hunt

After all my hopes for the TV Title, it has been a total bust in my opinion. Since winning the title, Edwards has not had a single credible title defense. What is the point of having a TV Title if you never really defend it on television. This week’s “challenger” is Mike Sydal, brother of ROH alumni Matt Sydal. You might know Matt Sydal better as Evan Bourne. Well Mike is no Matt and this is no contest. Edwards wins it in 36 seconds. Wait, did I just write that? 36 freaking seconds!!! I cannot believe that with all the talent on the ROH roster that the TV Title is being booked like this.

Ring of Honor Glory By Honor IX

Jim Cornette is backstage speaking about the upcoming pay per view, Glory By Honor IX. Specifically, the match between Roderick Strong and Tyler Black for the ROH World Title. Cornette says that he needed someone special to help keep law and order in the match. So he turned to none other than Terry Funk. The man from the Double Cross ranch in Texas will be coming to New York City to be the “ringside vigilante”. That should be interesting.

Steve Corino vs. ROH World Champion Tyler Black

Here is the main event of the evening. It’s the athleticism of the champ versus the brutal ruthlessness of the “King of Old School”. I have to say, Corino looks really good early in this match. Much more active and athletic than I have seen him recently. He abuses Black outside the ring and lands some nice moves in the ring. Corino hits a particularly hard STO for a two count. And all the while remembering to generate just the right amount of heat from the fans. That being said, Black isn’t the overwhelming fan favorite you would think him to be against the despised Corino. Even when Tyler mounts a comeback with some aerial maneuvers, most noteworthy is a standing shooting star press, the fans seem a little indifferent to him. One thing that does get a reaction from the fans is when Corino goes into his tights and pulls out a fork to use on Black. How the hell did he wrestle for 15 minutes with a fork in his trunks? Black is too quick though and hits Corino with the Buckle Bomb followed by a super kick for the win. This was a pretty decent match that I actually kind of enjoyed. Certainly the best match Corino has had on television since coming to ROH. With all the chances for outside interference I was glad to see a clean finish. Afterwards is a different story however. Steen and Corino attack Black with a chain. This prompts Cabana and Generico to run out with a chain of their own. Not to be outdone, Roderick Strong runs in to attack Black as well.

This was a good episode this week. I wasn’t really into last week’s main event but I enjoyed this week’s matchup more than I thought I would. And the Terry Funk news was a nice surprise too. Remember to check back in two weeks for the results of Glory By Honor IX as well as all the exciting Ring of Honor action. Have a happy and safe holiday weekend.

Vince DeHoratus lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two kids. He has been a life long wrestling fan and he has passed that love onto his son. Though not quite yet “middle aged and crazy”, he is fast approaching it.

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There was some huge news in the world of indie wrestling that broke over the weekend. Tyler Black, the current ROH World Heavyweight Champion, signed a developmental deal with the WWE. For a company that is losing its top contender, Davey Richards to that same title to retirement at the end of the calendar year, this is terrible news for the short-term. Long-term though, ROH may not be in as much trouble as one might think. There are a ton of talented wrestlers on the roster who are ready to take the mantel of top star in the company. Some have been there before. Some are new to the main event scene in ROH but have been there in other indie companies. Still others are guys ROH has a chance to elevate and make stars of their own. Here is a list of guys who could defeat either Black for the strap or defeat Richards for it after Richards is chosen to be the one to unseat Black before he heads off for Florida:

Necro Butcher – Necro is probably the most recognizable face on the indie circuit who hasn’t been a prominent member of either TNA or WWE, thanks to his role in The Wrestler. He’s also one of the most over faces on the entire indie circuit. Of course, in ROH, they had the bright idea to turn him heel and align him with The Embassy. While I don’t think it was the best move, he’s still a prime candidate to win the title. While he’s been used mostly as a special attraction his whole career, I think he’d be a bankable Champion if given the chance.

Roderick Strong – He’s been an indie favorite for years based on his incredible workrate. Fans have been clamoring for him to win the World Title for years, and there’s a vocal contingent of ROH faithful that thought it should have been him and not Black to be the one that dethroned Austin Aries for the World Title in the beginning of the year. I find him a little on the bland side in terms of character, and even for a fed that values wrestling ability more than the two national feds, you need someone who’s more than just a worker to win the title.

Austin Aries – He’s been there twice before, in fact, the only two-time Champion in ROH history. He’s definitely got the cred to become a three-time Champ. However, I just don’t know if the company would put the belt on him so soon after he lost it. I wouldn’t complain though, as A Double is one of my two favorite wrestlers in the world (the other being Chris Jericho if you couldn’t tell from last week’s column).

Christopher Daniels – For the amount of time that Daniels has been in wrestling and the amount of influence and acclaim that he has garnered, he has never won the ROH (or TNA for that matter) World Heavyweight Championship. For a company that put the strap on Jerry Lynn, an ECW import with a bad back, putting the strap on a guy who’s still mobile and still has a lot of cache with both indie and mainstream crowds would be a no-brainer, right? Right? Maybe not, but I have to admit, there would be far worse choices than to put the title on the Fallen Angel.

Delirious – Delirious is currently the head trainer for ROH’s wrestling school, and he’s the only head trainer in history who’s never held gold for the company. What better way to repay him than to give him a run with the title. It’s not like he’s undeserving otherwise. His frenetic, high-energy in-ring style and his unintelligible yet lovable character has made him one of the most over wrestlers on the roster.

Kevin Steen – Steen has already gotten a taste of the main event with a title match against Black recently. While he’s been embroiled in an epic feud with his former tag team partner El Generico for most of the year, title aspirations have never been far from his mind, and said feud has been a main event feud on some cards. Steen’s character has grown in leaps and bounds since turning heel, and I think he’s a fine choice to carry the title once Black and Richards leave.

El Generico – On the same token, Generico is about as close to an über-face as ROH has right now with Black leaving. Crowds take to him no matter where he goes, so it’s obvious that he’s a good choice to carry the strap. He has also proven that he can ratchet up the intensity, as he’s played the personal vendetta card very well in his feud with Steen.

Kenny King – King has gotten the hard push in the last year although part of that may have been just incidental heat from him accidentally injuring Lynn’s neck. Still, he’s gotten some traction with the crowds. Yes, he’s been shunted back into the tag ranks with his partner Rhett Titus as the All-Nite Express, but in ROH that’s not necessarily a bad thing. More than TNA and WAY more than the WWE, ROH values and pushes tag team wrestling. Their tag titles are almost as prestigious as the World Championship. While he’s an outside-shot to win the World Title, he deserves to be in the conversation if only because ROH is so high on him.

Eddie Edwards – The final choice may be the most obvious choice if Richards ends up ending Black’s reign. Richards has already put Edwards over once, allowing his tag partner to become the first ever ROH Television Champion, a title he still holds. Since then, ROH has given Edwards a ton of time on tapings and at live shows to get himself over. It would be the ultimate torch-passing, and it’s something that I could see them doing.

There are other out-of-leftfield options available, but those are the guys I think are most likely to topple Black and/or Richards on their ways out of the company. However, regardless of who defeats the exiting Champion, there’s one thing for certain – ROH isn’t in as much trouble as some people think it is.

Tom Holzerman is a lifelong wrestling fan and connoisseur of all things Chikara Pro, among other feds. When he’s not writing for the Camel Clutch Blog, you can find him on his own blog, The Wrestling Blog.

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Welcome back loyal readers to this week’s episode of ROH on HDNet. We have a great main event lined up for tonight with the World Champion in action. Let’s go down to ringside.

Tyler Black Interview

Jim Cornette is in the ring and he is speaking with the ROH World Champion Tyler Black. He is in the main event tonight against Christopher Daniels. Black talks about his relationship with the fans. He vows to come out night after night and always give the fans 110% because that is what they deserve. That seems pretty ironic now given the fact that Black has signed a developmental deal with the WWE. Also he shoots on the fans that want to see him lose the belt. He says they’ll have to wait a long time for that to happen. I don’t know, September doesn’t seem like such a long wait to me.

Necro Butcher vs. “SkullKrusher” Rasche Brown

This match is joined already in progress as both men are in the ring laying into each other. Necro has a new look, as he has decided to shave his head but keep the long beard. I’m not really feeling it. Brown dominates early with his size advantage, that is until he eats a chair courtesy of Necro. Brown grabs a chair himself but before he can use it, The Embassy runs in to jump Brown, thus causing another DQ finish. Of course, the Dark City Fight Club quickly appear to even the odds.

Christopher Daniels Interview

Kyle Durden interviews the Fallen Angel. Daniels looks really intense and focused tonight. Since returning to ROH, he has been on a mission to become World Champion. With Black leaving for the WWE, don’t be surprised to see Daniels finally achieve his goal.

Davey Richards Promo

Richards talks about Ring of Honor, Tyler Black, and Roderick Strong. Strong earned a title shot against Black, but next week he will be putting that title shot up for grabs against Richards in a match. You know who I will be pulling for in that one, just five simple words, “The Best In The World”.

Colt Cabana vs. Alex Anthony

Anthony has an interesting look. If Little Richard and Sabu had a kid, I know what it would look like. One other thing about Anthony, he weighed in at 171 pounds. If you weigh that little and are a professional wrestler, just omit the weight from your introduction. Not surprisingly, Anthony can mount no offense at all. Cabana wrestles this match in his usual mocking, clowning, and disrespectful style before applying the Billy Goat’s Curse for the submission win. The best part of this match for me was when Steve Corino and Kevin Steen jumped Cabana afterwards and Corino tried to strangle him with a chain. Unfortunately, El Generico came out to make the save.

Roderick Strong Interview

Kyle Durden interviews the number one contender. Strong is with his manager, Truth Martini, and he is in full on heel mode now. Every week it seems like Strong gets a little deeper into his new heel persona. And every week I like him a little bit more.

Christopher Daniels vs.ROH World Champion Tyler Black

Here is the main event of the evening. This is a non title match but don’t let that fool you. Daniels looks so intense you’d think for sure the belt was on the line tonight. This match is a battle of Black’s athleticism versus the superior technical skills of Daniels. The Fallen Angel controls the action early with a series of arm drags. If that sounds dull, it’s not. When an arm drag is done properly it can be a thing of beauty. One of my favorite memories from back in the day was watching Ricky Steamboat in his prime execute that really deep arm drag like no one else. Back to the match, Black hits a summersault over the ropes onto Daniels to take the advantage. Black is displaying a more aggressive approach in this match. In fact, he’s bordering on rule breaker with some of his antics. The crowd is behind Daniels and Black seems a little unnerved by that. This allows Daniels to regain the momentum. He hits an Arabian Press, a Death Valley Driver, and a Fall From Grace for only two. The champ battles back with a series of kicks, but goes to the well once too often. Daniels catches him in the Koji Clutch but Black won’t tap. In fact he lifts him up and slams him into the corner. Both men are spent but they battle on with a series of near falls/reversals/near falls. But then the bell mysteriously rings. It seems that we have gone to the 20 minute time limit draw. That’s a little bit of a bummer ending, but it was still a really good match.

This was a good episode this week for one reason only, the main event. The last several weeks have had really strong main events and next week will be no exception. With Davey Richards in a match for a shot at the ROH World Title, you know he is going to bring his ‘A’ game to the ring. And with his old No Remorse Corps running mate Roderick Strong standing in the way, things are going to get nasty.

Vince DeHoratus lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two kids. He has been a life long wrestling fan and he has passed that love onto his son. Though not quite yet “middle aged and crazy”, he is fast approaching it.

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As some of you may have heard over the weekend, current Ring of Honor World Champion Tyler Black has signed a developmental contract with the WWE. He will be assigned to their Florida Championship Wrestling promotion starting in September.

As a huge ROH fan as well as the resident “ROH guy” here at camelclutchblog.com, this news struck me very hard. After thinking about it a little bit, I was compelled to sit down at the old laptop and put down my thoughts. In fact, I was so torn by my feelings that I wrote two separate articles, one pro and one con. While I am sad to see him leave ROH, I am also a realist. And if I look at this move with my head and not my heart, this is the best move Tyler Black could have made…for several reasons.

He Already Achieved All His Goals In ROH

At the very young age of 24, Black has already reached the top of the mountain in Ring of Honor. Since making his debut in 2007, Black has been on the fast track to success. He made his debut as part of Jimmy Jacobs’s heel faction The Age of the Fall. Along with Jacobs, Black won the ROH World Tag Team Championship on two occasions. After turning face and splitting from Jacobs, Black began to chase after the World title. He battled Nigel McGuinness (Desmond Wolfe), Bryan Danielson, and Austin Aries for the better part of a year in pursuit of the belt. Finally in February of this year he captured the ROH World Championship from Austin Aries and has successfully defended it ever since.

He Had Grown As Much As He Could In ROH

Being only in his early twenties, Black has used his limited time in ROH to hone and improve his skills. He has amazing natural athletic ability that he has used over the last few years to develop an ever growing array of innovative moves. His natural gifts have allowed him to stand toe to toe with some of the best that the independent circuit has to offer, and he has used those experiences to his advantage. He has learned from and heeded the advice of all who have crossed his path. His microphone skills have improved with his increased exposure and air time. Where he once seemed awkward and self conscience, he now comes across as steady and self confident. He is no Cena or Jericho on the mic yet, but that leads me to my next point.

The Sooner He Gets To The WWE The Sooner He Starts The “Clock”

Very rarely does the WWE take a talent from another organization and just bring them right in. They need to be repackaged into the WWE mold. Perhaps a new gimmick, a new look, almost certainly a new name for merchandising reasons. Plus the new wrestler, excuse me WWE Superstar, needs to go down to FCW for some seasoning and to learn the WWE way of performing. They need to refine their promo skills and fine tune how they interact with the fans, excuse me WWE Universe. No matter how big a deal Tyler Black might be in ROH, there was no way he would step right onto WWE television. The sooner he gets into the WWE pipeline, the sooner he can get past this “initiation” phase of his career. For evidence, look no further then CM Punk. He was a former ROH World Champion as well as a two time ROH World Tag Team Champion, sound familiar. Yet he spent over a year in Ohio Valley Wrestling, winning every title they had I might add, before WWE Creative decided he was finally fit for prime time. And no, his cameo as one of Cena’s Chicago gangster henchmen from WrestleMania 22 doesn’t count in my opinion. The bottom line is that Black is going to have to pay his WWE dues sooner or later, so he might as well get started now.

It’s Better To Be A Small Fish In A Big Pond Than ROH Champion

Let’s face it, for all of its flaws, the WWE is where it’s at. Tyler Black owes it to himself to take the best offer out there. If this was baseball, the WWE would be the New York Yankees and ROH would be the Pittsburgh Pirates or Kansas City Royals. Once one of those teams develops a good young talent you know it’s just a matter of time before that player jumps at the chance to make the big money in the Big Apple. It’s no different in wrestling. I have been to ROH shows at The Arena in South Philly. It’s cramped, it’s hot, and there are about 300 people in attendance…on a good night. The weekly television show is on a channel that nobody gets. I personally have written 24 weekly blogs reviewing the ROH television program, and the next comment I get from a reader will be the first comment I get from a reader.

The WWE gets 10,000 to 15,000 paying customers week after week. They probably sell more merchandise at one RAW taping then ROH sells in a month, maybe a year. They have top notch production values when it comes to sound and lighting. Plus all those flashy pyrotechnics. The WWE is also a stepping stone to other careers. If you make a name for yourself in the WWE, you can be an actor, you can be a television game show host, you can be in beef jerky commercials, or you can even become governor. In ROH, when you make a name for yourself, you can become a member of TNA Wrestling or the WWE. Just ask Samoa Joe, CM Punk, A.J. Styles, Evan Bourne, Desmond Wolfe, Bryan Danielson, Matt Stryker, Homicide, The Motor City Machine Guns, Kaval, and many others. And now you can ask Tyler Black too.

Vince DeHoratus lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two kids. He has been a life long wrestling fan and he has passed that love onto his son. Though not quite yet “middle aged and crazy”, he is fast approaching it.

Order Ring of Honor: Greatest Rivalries on DVD by clicking here.

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As some of you may have heard over the weekend, current Ring of Honor World Champion Tyler Black has signed a developmental contract with the WWE. He will be assigned to their Florida Championship Wrestling promotion starting in September.

As a huge ROH fan as well as the resident “ROH guy” here at camelclutchblog.com, this news struck me very hard. After thinking about it a little bit, I was compelled to sit down at the old laptop and put down my thoughts. In fact, I was so torn by my feelings that I wrote two separate articles, one pro and one con. While I understand his reasons for leaving ROH, I am also a fan. And if I look at this move as the wrestling fan that I have been for thirty years, then it is hard for me to come to any other conclusion than this is a bad move for Tyler Black to make…for several reasons.

He’s Won All The ROH Titles…So What!

Since making his debut in 2007, Black has been on the fast track to success. As a member of Jimmy Jacobs’s heel faction The Age of the Fall, Black won the ROH World Tag Team Championship on two occasions. But they only held the titles for a combined 132 days. Of the 19 teams that have been champions, their reign ranks tenth all time. Not really overwhelming stuff. After turning face and splitting from Jacobs, Black began to chase after the World title.

In February of this year he finally captured the ROH World Championship from Austin Aries and has successfully defended it ever since. His reign as World Champion is 176 days and counting, which is only good enough for seventh place among the twelve men to have held the belt. Obviously Black is a very talented wrestler, but at only 24 years of age he is a virtual baby in the business. Winning a title and learning to be a champion are two very different things. Two years ago on Pro Wrestling Radio, “Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels identified Black as the next breakout ROH star. I’m not disagreeing with him, I’m just saying he isn’t ready yet.

He Still Had Room To Grow In ROH

Tyler Black has amazing natural athletic ability that he has relied on over the years to make up for his lack of experience. His finisher, God’s Last Gift, is a cradle piledriver that is a very innovative move. But he still needs to develop more of an arsenal if he wants to avoid being a one trick pony. He has battled some of the best that the independent circuit has to offer and he has fared well against them.

It stands to reason then, that he could have only benefited from continued matches with the likes of Christopher Daniels, Roderick Strong, and Davey Richards. His microphone skills have improved with his increased exposure and air time. He is more self confident then he used to be, but he still sometimes lacks charisma. Think of how awkward Cody Rhodes or Jack Swagger sounds sometimes on the mic. I don’t want to see Black suffer the same ridicule as those two.

Why Become Another Cog In The WWE Machine?

Very rarely does the WWE take a talent from another organization and just bring them right in as is. They need to be repackaged into the WWE mold. Perhaps a new gimmick, a new look, almost certainly a new name for merchandising reasons. That is part of the bargain, part of the deal one makes with the devil. Plus the new wrestler needs to pay his “dues” to the great WWE god. Unless you are some seven feet tall 350 pound behemoth, which Black is not, you will almost certainly have to job out for awhile before being allowed to shine. See Bourne, Evan. I guess the allure of the big time makes it all worth it. But I say, why play the game? You already have a home in ROH where you are respected and admired. Sure it might not be the biggest most expensive home. And maybe the neighborhood isn’t as nice as Greenwich Connecticut. But sometimes it can’t just be about the money, which leads me to my last point.

Sometimes You Have To Just Turn Away From The Dark Side

Let’s face it, for all of its flaws, the WWE is still the top dog. If this was baseball, the WWE would be the New York Yankees and ROH would be the Pittsburgh Pirates or Kansas City Royals. Once one of those teams develops a good young talent you know it’s just a matter of time before that player jumps at the chance to make the big money in the Big Apple. Every once in awhile a special player comes along. Every once in awhile a Joe Mauer says thanks but no thanks I’ll stay where I’m at. Now look, I’m not one to begrudge anybody making a living, especially professional wrestlers. I have been to ROH shows at The Arena in South Philly. It’s cramped, it’s hot, and there are about 300 people in attendance…on a good night. These guys go out night after night and bust it for the fans. You look at the work rate for an ROH main event versus a RAW or Impact main event and it isn’t even close. So I have the utmost respect for those guys. I understand the carrot being dangled in front of them. Who wouldn’t want to be on a highly rated television show that gets 10,000 to 15,000 paying customers week after week? Who wouldn’t want to see their face on all those t-shirts at the merchandise stands? I understand all that, so before you start calling me a communist, socialist, liberal, whatever, I get it okay. All I’m saying is that sometimes you have to do the right thing for the greater good.

As wrestling fans we all love to sit on our soap box and rant and rave about how poor the quality of WWE and TNA programming is these days. But do you do anything about it? Do you support your local independent promotions? Do you follow the guys who wrestle in gymnasiums and bingo halls for pennies compared to their WWE brethren? I don’t have anything personal against Tyler Black for leaving ROH. He’s not the first and he certainly won’t be the last. This is America, he is free to do whatever he wants. But just because something is a smart “business” move, it doesn’t mean that it is a move that is smart for the “business”.

Vince DeHoratus lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two kids. He has been a life long wrestling fan and he has passed that love onto his son. Though not quite yet “middle aged and crazy”, he is fast approaching it.

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