Ring of Honor will make its San Antonio debut this Saturday night with a loaded house show. It’s the first time ROH has been in the state of Texas since 2009 when Houston held two shows so the company will be keen to impress. The ROH World Title will be on the line in the main event with the Proving Ground also making an appearance. So, let’s have a closer look at each match.
ROH World Championship
Jay Briscoe (c) vs. Davey Richards
Davey is no stranger to the ROH World Title having held the belt for 11 months, beating his American Wolves partner Eddie Edwards for the strap at ‘Best In The World 2011’. He eventually lost it to Kevin Steen after a heated rivalry with ‘Mr. Wrestling’. After being forced out of the title picture following his rematch defeat to Steen, it’s Richards’ time for a return. Despite focussing his attentions on the ROH World Tag Team titles alongside Edwards, ‘The American Wolf’ won’t take this shot lightly. He represents a tough challenge for Jay Briscoe, who beat BJ Whitmer last weekend in Richmond, VA. If he does overcome Richards, Edwards will be the next challenger next week in Columbus, OH. Will Briscoe be able to overcome the Wolves and head into ‘Best In The World 2013’ to face his brother Mark for the biggest prize in pro wrestling? We’ll find out on Saturday.
Texas Tornado Tag Match
Michael Elgin & BJ Whitmer vs. SCUM
At ‘Border Wars 2013’ Michael Elgin tried and failed to defeat Jimmy Jacobs and Cliff Compton of SCUM. His partner Jay Lethal got injured during the match and was eventually replaced by Kevin Steen after battling well on his own for quite some time. Steen would proceed to get pinned by Jacobs. With Steen promising to get revenge alone, Elgin was left without a partner. He has challenged a team comprised of two SCUM members to another match and has chosen BJ Whitmer as the man to fight alongside him. BJ and Elgin are two men who stand for honor and will do anything to destroy SCUM. Steve Corino will have to choose wisely as he aims to continue the destruction of ROH. And due to the fact we’re in Texas, the match will be held under Texas Tornado rules meaning no tags are necessary!
Special Challenge
Jay Lethal vs. ACH
Saturday will be a special evening for ACH as he returns to his home state of Texas for the first time as an ROH wrestler. Since signing with the company, his stock has risen significantly and he has had a number of fantastic matches, including his recent bout against Michael Elgin at ‘Dragon’s Reign’ . He has quickly become a fans’ favourite but he will face a big challenge in San Antonio. He faces a man who is often seen as one of the best in Ring of Honor, Jay Lethal. Lethal may be coming off an injury which he sustained at ‘Border Wars 2013’ but that shouldn’t mean ACH should take him lightly. A win would mean a lot to ACH and would surely propel him into title contention. A defeat for Lethal would be a huge surprise but regardless of the result, this match should a terrific encounter.
Proving Ground
Matt Taven vs. Eddie Edwards
Matt Taven is no stranger to the Proving Ground having beaten Tadarius Thomas at ‘Dragon’s Reign’. Since winning the ROH World TV title from Adam Cole, Taven has relied heavily on the help of Truth Martini and the hoopla hotties to keep the belt. He had no help in the match with Thomas after Martini and the hotties were sent to the back. Despite their assistance, he will still face a tough fight, arguably his toughest to date, against Eddie Edwards. Edwards knows all about the TV title, being the first man to win the belt. He also became the company’s first ever triple crown winner and is always hungry for gold. If he wins this, he will receive a future World TV title shot. This is a big test for Taven, who seems to be intent on proving the fans wrong. That’s something he can start doing Saturday in San Antonio.
Former World TV champions collide
Adam Cole vs. Roderick Strong
These two men are no strangers to each other having been in the same ring recently at ‘Dragon’s Reign’. Unfortunately for them both, BJ Whitmer came out on top in their triple threat match. However, this will give one man the chance to prove he is the superior athlete. Both are former World TV champions and in Strong, we also have a former ROH World Title holder. Strong will still be smarting from the fact that Cole beat him to win the World TV title. Strong never did get a rematch for the belt so he’ll be taking this match very seriously, or at least as seriously as Roddy takes any match. Cole suffered the pinfall in that triple threat match in Belle Vernon and both men have something to prove to one another. This match will have serious ramifications for both men going forward and could well be the match of the night.
Women of Honor
Athena vs. Barbi Hayden
If ACH wasn’t enough for the San Antonio crowd, they’ll also get to see two more Texas natives as Athena takes on newcomer Barbi Hayden in Women of Honor action. Athena has already showed what she can do on ROH TV, narrowly losing to MsChif before winning a highly competitive four-way match against MsChif, Cherry Bomb & Scarlett Bordeaux. The O Face has proved to be a devastating finisher move for Athena and Hayden will have to be wary if she wants to walk out a winner in her ROH debut.
ROH vs. SCUM
Mark Briscoe vs. A member of SCUM
Both Briscoe brothers have been at the forefront of the ROH fight against SCUM. With Jay Briscoe having captured the ROH World Title at ‘Supercard of Honor VII’ and rescuing it from the hands of SCUM, Mark has been left at a loose end. In Texas, he’ll continue his brother’s work by taking on a member of SCUM, to be picked by Steve Corino. Whoever takes on Mark will have their hands full as ‘Chicken’ brings his innovative offense to the table. This is sure to be an interesting contest with both sides keen to get any advantage they can.
In addition to these matches, ROH World Tag Team champions reDRagon are scheduled to appear as well as Texas’ own Ray Rowe.
Ring of Honor returns to the state of Texas this Saturday at the San Antonio Shrine Auditorium with a bell time of 7:30pm EDT.
Keep checking ROHWorld.com for results throughout the night.