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By Caprice Coleman
I’ll finish the “Fountain Of Youth” series soon, but these last two weeks have had breaking news!
It’s been nearly a year and a half since we’ve been able to have a live crowd for a Ring of Honor show. What better event to welcome everybody back than Best In The World, live on pay-per-view this Sunday? ROH once again will show the world why we are the best wrestling on the planet!
So many bangers have been announced for the show. I’ll just a touch on a few:
Jay Lethal vs Brody King
The Leader of Violence Unlimited vs The Franchise. Both VU and the Foundation want to restore order in ROH, but the two factions are going about it in vastly different ways. The winner of this first-time singles encounter will be the one willing to go the extra mile. So for the first time, I’m picking against Lethal, simply because King’s extra mile has unlimited violence.
ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Dalton Castle, Dak Draper and Eli Isom
Castle sees something in Isom and Draper, and he’d be blind not to. Both of these athletes are the future of this sport. So are Moses and Kaun of The Soldiers of Savagery. The only difference is SOS has been under the STP leadership for a while now. The six-man tag titles will always go to the most cohesive unit. I don’t even know if the Peacocks get along.
ROH World Television Champion Tony Deppen vs. Dragon Lee
Lee of La Faccion Ingobernable rightly claims he never lost the TV Title. In his eyes, this is just righting the wrong of having his title defended on his behalf at the19th Anniversary show while he was recovering from surgery. Deppen, VU’s first member to win gold, is no longer a sleeper, as he’s scored convincing wins over former champions. Deppen is on fire, but is he hotter than the fire of a Dragon who’s fixed on revenge?
ROH Pure Champion Jonathan Gresham vs. Mike Bennett
Gresham is 10-0 in Pure Rules matches, including five title defenses. He’s reigning supreme in a division he petitioned to bring back. On Sunday night, he defends the Pure Championship against a man he feels doesn’t belong in this division. Gresham believes Benett thinks his popularity and storied past will assure him a win, but Bennett’s in another land when he steps into the Pure division.
Bennet has been the first to say that he knows what he’s up against and wants to prove he can be champion. His Pure Gauntlet victory secured his title shot and changed the minds of many doubters. However, Gresham isn’t a champion you want to face to prove something. If you’re facing “The Octopus,” you better believe you’re the best pure wrestler in the world.
ROH World Champion RUSH vs. Bandido
RUSH is defending the title against the only man on the roster that knows him better than his brother Dragon Lee. Bandido has earned this World title opportunity at BITW! RUSH, a two-time ROH World Champion, has more dominant victories in ROH than anyone I can remember. No one has been able to decode “El Toro Blanco.” I believe it’s because there’s an unfamiliarity that makes him a wild card.
On Sunday night, not only is RUSH facing someone who knows him, but also someone who is regarded in Mexico as the one with the most potential. Sources say Bandido was more revered by his trainers than RUSH was in their early years. Could it be that Bandido has been sleeping in the trenches, waiting patiently to show the world that he’s this bull’s “El Matador?”
These are just some of the great matches you’ll see on Sunday night. For details on all of them, click here.
Just something to think about. I call it a dose of Colemanism.
Caprice Coleman is ROH’s color analyst and has been wrestling for more than 20 years. He also is an ordained minister and motivational speaker. A Dose of Colemanism appears every Thursday.
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