Best Foot Forward

With tonight being the night of ROH’s Tenth Anniversary Show I had wanted to write a fantasy booking blog detailing what I’d do if I were the company’s booker for the next year. The trouble is that every time I sat down to decide exactly what my plans would be I couldn’t come up with anything that I think will better the product’s current direction. Thinking about it, that’s part of why I enjoy Ring of Honor: I watch the company because its booking is so good and gives us such entertaining matches. I don’t sit there constantly thinking about what I’d do to improve things as I do when watching TNA and WWE. I can just sit and enjoy the show.

I think that’s a testament to how enjoyable ROH is.

With that said I did come up with one booking idea I would implement at  some time in the near future. That idea involves the House of Truth. I’m a fan of the stable. I think Truth Martini is a great character and a solid talker. Roderick Strong is one of the company’s best wrestlers and lends credibility to the gang as a former ROH world and tag team champion. ‘Unbreakable’ Michael Elgin will undoubtedly rise to the top of the promotion if he stays long enough and continues to be booked as well as he has been.

Michael Elgin's career has benefitted from an association with the House of Truth

The trouble is that a two man stable with a heel manager isn’t that imposing. It’s less a faction and more a tag team. There’s nothing wrong with that but the HOT ought to be more. Christopher Daniels helped out in that area until he left the company last June to return (for the umpteenth time) to TNA.

I would swell the ranks of the group by adding another member. Truth, Strong and Elgin would head to the ring for a promo. Strong would briefly address whatever feud he’s involved in at the time with Elgin snorting and flexing in the background. He would then hand the microphone to Truth, who would announce that he’s been out scouting new recruits. Ideally, he’d mention having searched far and wide, to make it seem as though the man he’s found is the perfect acquisition and not just an underutilised member of the existing roster.

After the prerequisite hype from the heel manager the new member would be introduced as… Andy ‘Right Leg’ Ridge. Yes, Andy Ridge. He’s been used in an enhancement role since the latter days of the promotion’s HDNet era. Every match I’ve seen him in he’s lost, but put on a solid bout before doing so. I think he’s earned a more prominent spot on the roster with his hard work and willingness to accept an enhancement role for so long. That he gets good reactions from crowds despite being a jobber is a good indication that he has potential to climb the ranks.

Ridge’s reason for joining the House of Truth would be a tried and tested one. After being talked up more by Truth he would remind fans that he has bills to pay and wants to succeed in the wrestling business. Cheers and applause from crowds may be nice but they don’t get you anywhere, and he would explain that he joined the House to help get himself to the top.

Ridge could then be booked in short matches against a new batch of enhancement talent and the promotion’s current batch of low-card grapplers such as Grizzly Redwood, the Bravados and TJ Perkins. He could either be built up as a contender for the mid-card TV championship or placed into a regular combo alongside stablemate Elgin. I personally think Elgin and Ridge would complement one another nicely as a team.

Maybe I’ll feel differently in a year’s time and have a few more ideas. Until then I’ll continue to enjoy the show.