ROH INVADES CHATTANOOGA & BIRMINGHAM THIS WEEKEND 9/6 & 9/7
  • 09/06/2013 (3:48:19 pm)
  • Bob Mulrenin

Chattanooga & Birmingham...Here We Come!

A preview of this weekend's events...

 

Road To Greatness: Night 1

Friday, Sep 6, 2013

Bell time - 7:30pm EDT

Camp Jordan Arena

323 Camp Jordan Parkway

East Ridge, TN 37412

 

Tag Team Main Event

Kevin Steen & "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin vs. Adam Cole & Tommaso Ciampa

 

Ring of Honor is heading to Chattanooga, TN on September 6th for a big live event on the road to “Death Before Dishonor XI” in Philadelphia! Match Maker Nigel McGuinness had to wait until after the Semi-Finals of the World Title Tournament were set to make the main event official and now that “Manhattan Mayhem V” is in the record books, ROHWrestling.com can announce it:

 

“The World Title Tournament is getting closer to its conclusion.” said Nigel, “The semi-finalists are set, the match-ups are determined, and it will either be Adam Cole, Tommaso Ciampa, Kevin Steen, or Michael Elgin who will earn the title of ROH World Champion in Philadelphia. But before we get there, when ROH heads to Tennessee in just two short weeks, I have signed a tag team bout with these four individuals! Before they face each other in the semi-finals, opponents will became teammates as Cole & Ciampa will unite to face off with Steen & Elgin in a tag team battle. It's a preview of what's to come at Death Before Dishonor and it will go down in Chattanooga!”

 

Special Challenge Match #1

World Tag Team Champion Kyle O'Reilly vs. Cedric Alexander

 

Special Challenge Match #2

World Tag Team Champion Bobby Fish vs. Caprice Coleman

 

Coming off their win over Adrenaline RUSH in NYC, C&C Wrestle Factory will go it solo in Chattanooga against the World Tag Team Champions in a pair of bouts that could have some implications on the future of the tag team division!

 

Tag Team Action

Adrenaline RUSH (ACH & Tadarius Thomas) vs. Alabama Attitude (Mike Posey & Corey Hollis)

 

RUSH, coming off their loss in NYC, look to bounce back in the tag team division with a victory over a duo who had their shot at dethroning reDRagon back at “WAR” in March. Posey & Hollis have proven themselves more than capable in their previous ROH appearances and they too would love to get in the hunt for the tag team titles by taking down RUSH in Tennessee!

 

Non-Title Match

ROH World TV Champion Matt Taven with Truth Martini vs. Davey Richards

The challenges keep coming for the World TV Champion as he locks horns with one-half of The American Wolves in Davey Richards. Taven holds a recent TV Title victory over Davey's tag team partner Eddie Edwards and the face of The HoT is looking to make it a clean sweep in Tennessee when he takes on Richards. Say what you will about Taven and how he & Martini have gone about doing their business but you can't argue the fact that Taven has been champion for nearly six months and has defeated the likes of the aforementioned Edwards, ACH, Adam Cole, and Matt Hardy, just to name a few. Will the former World Champion be another notch on the belt of the TV Champ?

 

Singles Action

Jay Lethal vs. Luke Hawx

 

Luke Hawx comes into Chattanooga as the biggest x-factor of the weekend. It has been a long time since anyone has seen him inside the confines of Ring of Honor and even then it was only as part of the multi-man craziness that was the Scramble Cage. What will the former Alterboy Luke bring to the table when he takes on a former TV Champion in Jay Lethal? It is safe to say that Lethal is not a man to take any opponent lightly yet with such an unknown quantity as Luke Hawx it will be hard to game plan and this x-factor could score the biggest upset of the weekend!

 

One-on-One

Roderick Strong vs. Raymond Rowe

 

Last time Rowe stepped into an ROH ring at "Honor In The Heart Of Texas" he put in an impressive performance against Bobby Fish albeit one that resulted in a loss for the powerful Rowe. In Chattanooga he makes his ROH return to face "Mr. ROH" Roderick Strong, a man who no doubt prides himself on being the measuring stick and being the guy to test the limits of the newcomers. Rowe definitely has his work cut out for him against one of ROH's Triple Crown Champions but a win would do wonders for cementing a spot one the most competitive roster in pro wrestling today!

 

Road To Greatness: Night 2

Saturday, Sep 7, 2013

Bell time - 7:30pm EDT

Boutwell Auditorium

1930 8th Avenue North

Birmingham, AL 35203

 

 

**MAIN EVENT - RINGMASTER'S CHALLENGE MATCH**

Roderick Strong vs Adam Cole

1st Fall: Pinfall Only • 2nd Fall: Submission Only • 3rd Fall (if necessary) 15 Minute Iron Man Match w/ Sudden Death OT

 

At "Death Before Dishonor IX" in NYC, it was Roderick Strong and Eddie Edwards who clashed in the first ever Ringmaster's Challenge. It was a 2/3 Falls match, ultimately won by "Die Hard" in a Sudden Death overtime period, but with some very specific stipulations.

 

The 1st fall of the challenge could ONLY end via pin and it was Roderick who picked up the victory in that initial fall while the 2nd fall, won by Eddie Edwards, could only be won with a submission. The 3rd and final match of the contest was contested under 15 minute Iron Man rules but when those 15 minutes concluded there was no decisive winner. On the spot, then-Executive Producer Jim Cornette declared there would be a Sudden Death OT and after 40+ minutes of war, Edwards finally picked up the victory.

 

It has been almost two years since that bout but on September 7th, when ROH debuts in Birmingham at Boutwell Auditorium, the Ringmaster's Challenge will make its return! And what better combatant to make up one-half of the contest than Roderick Strong...

 

"This is a test of everything a wrestler has to bring to the table." said Roderick to ROHWrestling.com, "It's heart and conditioning, grappling and submissions, and I gotta say that you'd be hard pressed to find a guy in ROH that's in better condition than me. So with everything that's been happening the last couple months between me and a certain Adam Cole...spitting on the Code, and the way he took the countout to beat me at Best in the World, not to mention the way we ended up with a DQ on TV, I think it's safe to say that Cole is afraid he can't hang with Mister ROH. Step up to the plate, kid. How about we set aside the World Title tournament for one night in Alabama and we do this with a Ringmaster's challenge?"

 

According to Match Maker Nigel McGuinness, Adam Cole has agreed to the bout and the return of the Ringmaster's Challenge will go down on September 7th in Birmingham! As Strong said it's a test of heart, conditioning, and skill and it will put both Roderick and Cole through the wringer! Once again the rules are as follows:

 

1st fall: Pinfall only

2nd fall: Submission only

3rd Fall (if necessary): 15 minute Iron man w/ Sudden Death OT if necessary

 

 

PROVING GROUND- INSTANT REWARD

World Tag Team Champions reDRagon (Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. Alabama Attitude (Mike Posey & Corey Hollis) vs. C&C Wrestle Factory (Caprice Coleman & Cedric Alexander) vs. Adrenaline RUSH (ACH & Tadarius Thomas)

**If AA, C&C, or RUSH are victorious they will receive an IMMEDIATE World Tag Team Title Match**

 

By now most fans are aware of what the Proving Ground concept entails; a challenger goes head-to-head with a champion and if that challenger either defeats the champion, or lasts the time limit, then said challenger will earn a future championship bout. In a case of the Four Corner Survival variation on the match, the champion does not even have to be pinned for the winner to earn a title shot, further upping the pressure on the title holder.

 

Nigel McGuinness has added a further wrinkle into this contest because, for the first time since the inception of the Proving Ground concept, not only will it be a Tag Team Four Corner Survival BUT should AA, RUSH, or C&C earn the victory, they will get their title opportunity on the spot! No waiting for the next slot to open up, no delay until the next event, the winner will ride that momentum straight into a title match with reDRagon!

 

Proving Ground Match

ROH World TV Champion Matt Taven with Truth Martini vs. Jay Lethal

**If Lethal is victorious, or lasts the time limit, he will receive a World TV Title match during "Death Before Dishonor XI" weekend**

 

A former World TV Champion himself, Jay Lethal will attempt to earn a shot at the belt he nearly reclaimed at "Best in the World 2013" during a Three Way contest with Taven & Jimmy Jacobs. Besides that match, these two men are no stranger to one another, most recently being part of a Four Corner Survival at "Reclamation: Night One" alongside Michael Elgin and Adam Cole as well as several other encounters in both tag team & one-on-one formats.

 

The Proving Ground has not been kind to Taven though. He has dropped matches to both ACH and Eddie Edwards during his TV Title reign but, when it came time to defend the championship against those men, by hook or crook Taven stepped up to the plate and still remains TV Champion for what will be 6 months by the time he arrives in Birmingham.

 

Survival of the Fittest 2012 Rematch

Michael Bennett w/ Maria Kanellis vs. Davey Richards

 

Last year in Baltimore these two competitors collided with Davey picking up the victory in a SOTF Qualifier en route to Richards losing to Jay Lethal in the SOTF Finals where they were the last two men standing. The landscape is a bit different one year later as Davey has spent most of this year focused on tag team competitions alongside Eddie Edwards while Bennett's life has undergone changes of its own. The removal of Brutal Bob from the picture and the “death” of The Prodigy have all been part of a process that Bennett hopes will lead him to championship success sooner rather than later and putting down one-half of The American Wolves, a former World Champion no less, would certainly propel him up the rankings.

 

Kevin Steen vs. "God's Gift" QT Marshall

 

Marshall has found himself on the receiving end of intense hatred from both the ROH faithful, as well as the locker room, and his allegiance to RD Evans certainly does not help his position. This weekend, when he steps into the ring with arguably the most popular man in Ring of Honor today, you can bet the fans animosity will only elevate. Still, as he proved when QT & RD battle The Wolves, Marshall is capable of stepping up his game to meet the level of his opponents and if he hopes to even survive battling Steen one-on-one then that is exactly what “God's Gift” needs to do.

 

Michael Elgin vs. Raymond Rowe

 

This will no doubt be a battle of two powerhouses with Rowe looking to make his name and solidify a spot on the ROH roster while Elgin looks to keep his hard-fought momentum rolling into Philadelphia. Elgin is within reach of becoming the next World Champion and victories over Paul London and Karl Anderson have only fueled his confidence but a loss to a newcomer like Rowe could derail that entire train. For Rowe, a victory could immediately put him into the mix should Elgin be the victorious man at “Death Before Dishonor XI”.

 

"The Sicilian Psychopath" Tommaso Ciampa vs. Luke Hawx

 

As with Elgin, Ciampa is looking to maintain his momentum heading towards Philly and his World Title Tournament Semi-Final collision with Adam Cole. It is a safe bet that Tommaso will look to finish this one off as quickly, and as devastatingly, as possible to send a message to his opponent. The Psychopath's eyes are firmly fixed on the World Title and he will let nothing stop him. Still, that kind of tunnel vision could be what Luke Hawx needs score an upset victory. If Ciampa is so focused on becoming champion that he overlooks the veteran, then we may see the hand of Hawx raised in the end!

 

Tickets for “Road to Greatness” weekend will be available at the door on the day of each event and don't forget, prior to the bell time on each night, there will be a special autograph signing! Kevin Steen, Adam Cole, Michael Elgin, and Tommaso Ciampa will all be available prior to the event on Friday. Individual 8 X 10 photos will be available to purchase that night for $10 each or $30 for all four. In addition a very special limited edition "Death Before Dishonor XI" event poster will be available with signatures from all four men for $20 each. Appearing in Birmingham on Saturday for a special Meet & Greet session with be "The First Lady of ROH" Maria Kanellis, Jay Lethal, and the World Tag Team Champions reDragon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly). Individual 8 X 10 photos will be available to purchase on Saturday night for $10 each.

 

The Summer Of Honor continues Friday and Saturday as we get ever closer to crowning a brand-new ROH World Champion! Do not miss out as the best professional wrestling action on the planet comes to Birmingham and Chattanooga this weekend!

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