Catching up on some wrestling news and saw this bit of analysis (emphasis on the anal) in a Wednesday One Shots column on ProWrestling.net.
Chris Shore (ROH): I am still baffled behind the naming of Rhyno and Mike Mondo as number one contenders to the ROH World and TV titles, respectively. Just typing that sentence makes my head hurt. With guys like Michael Elgin, Tomasso Ciampa, and Mike Bennett around, why would you go with either of those guys? Unreal.
I remember at this moment why I generally stay clear of the editorial pieces on that website. I find it to be largely people complaining for the sake of complaining, even when things aren’t all that bad.
I should know better by now than to get infuriated by somebody who doesn’t really know what he’s talking about asking a stupid question and getting all upset, but yet here I am, getting upset at this guy getting upset.
So now, for the benefit of anybody who thinks this guy has a clue, let me explain how this works.
Are Rhyno and Mike Mondo the best number one contenders in the world? Debatable, but it would be easy to say no. Would it be good to see Michael Elgin, Tomasso Ciampa or Mike Bennett in those positions? Yes, and if we wait a little while, we will.
Here’s the thing about Ring of Honor. Unlike WWE or TNA (the last year excluded), ROH pretty much always has a plan. Part of that plan, if you actually watch the shows and pay attention, involves slowly building to things so that you don’t, oh, I dunno, burn through all your really good contenders at the same time and have to resort to lesser guys later on and have nothing to sell as important. If you let the champions go through a bunch of guys before they get to the people we’ve mentioned, it makes those champions seem more important and unbeatable, which makes the matches that are more of a contest feel like a bigger deal. Plus with the talent depth issues ROH has been having, it makes sense to give guys like these a shot and see what they can do. You have to work with what you have, and you might just stumble into something you weren’t expecting and make a star out of somebody like happened with Elgin at Showdown In The Sun.
I’ll agree that Bennett has been misused somewhat and probably should have had the tv title by now given the storyline he came into the company with, but I’m willing to give ROH the benefit of the doubt and say there’s probably a reason for why what’s happened has happened. There usually is, and it generally doesn’t involve booking incompetence. So hang tight, let the chips fall and let’s see where this Mondo stuff goes. I bet it won’t be so bad, and this Chris Shore guy will be the first one to talk about how great it is.