ROH: “The Casual & The Hardcore”
By Mike Metzger (@md0uble), ROH TV specialist

"Honey, I'm headed to Toronto on business. I love you and I'll be back before you know it!"

The words were there, but she knew they were empty. It was just something about him. He seemed anxious, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. It's not like he confided in her on such matters. Sure, she heard bits and pieces over dinner, but his words never painted the whole picture.

Where was her mystery man off to?

- Two months removed from Ring of Honor's inaugural live Pay-Per-View, "Best in the World," and the company is on-track to repeat the same mistakes. PWTorch columnist Sean Radican and I talked about it ad-nauseam at the time. The ROH television product was not syncing with the live event division of the company.

A strange thing happened after the Best in the World. ROH had nothing in the pipeline - no TV in the can, no live events scheduled for several weeks. The week after the PPV, the company aired a critically acclaimed one-hour documentary on the rise of Michael Elgin. After that brief glimmer of hope for the television product, the hangover set in. Viewers were treated to three weeks of Global Wars and War of the Worlds repeats.

It was hoped that Ring of Honor would take this time to improve their television product. Would they re-introduce the "Inside ROH" segments that added much-needed context to their storylines? Would announcer Larry Mercer conduct locker room interviews with the ROH stars, so they'd have a chance to build anticipation for their upcoming matches? They'd have to at least do a better job of hyping their next iPPV event, right?

- Every second he was gone, her thoughts ate away at her sanity. Where was he? What was he doing? Who was he with? She tried to fill her mind with more pleasant thoughts- thoughts of a happier time in their marriage…

"Toronto!"

That was her only thought. She couldn't take it anymore. She knew it would only hurt her, but she had to find out what was going on in Toronto. She could feel the sweat begin to form on her brow, as she turned on their computer. He was hundreds of miles away, but the slightest sound sent her into an instant panic, making her frantically look over her shoulder.

To her surprise, she didn't need to be a computer hacker to find the answers. She didn't even need a password, as the juicy details were in plain sight. Her heart shattered as she found out that he lived a double-life. She wasn’t really into social media, but apparently he was. On his own Facebook page were stories of past glories that he never shared with her. There were even triumphs going on in the present that she was in the dark about.

While he would put on a four-star performance for her once a month or so, she found out that he was providing four-star encounters around the country, sometimes several in one night! Her heart was broken, but the rest of her body was filled with rage.

It was a few days later when she heard his key turn the door lock. The home he returned to was not the same he had departed from a few days earlier. In his hand was gift. He thought it would be a thoughtful surprise. To her, it was just another empty tchotchke. He desperately looked in her eyes, but the woman who once loved him was not the person who looked back at him.

- One week away from their All-Star Extravaganza iPPV in Toronto, ROH barely hyped the event on their television show aimed at casual wrestling dans.

On the other hand, hardcore ROH fans are spoiled. Many developments have occurred in the months since Best in the World: A.J. Styles has returned to the company, Daniels & Kazarian have been regulars on the “Summer Heat Tour,” and Michael Elgin has completed his “August Gauntlet” and successfully defended the ROH World Title against several challengers.

The television viewer has experienced solid action from the last few weeks of TV, but only one match has stood out above the rest so far- last week’s 30-minute draw between Jay Lethal and A.C.H. Like the betrayed wife, this is the one thing the casual fan has been able to hold onto. “Matches like that prove there is something to look forward to in ROH,” the casual fan reasons in his or her mind.

For that fan, there is something to look forward to. Jay Lethal will defend his TV title in a “No Time Limit” re-match against A.C.H. at the All-Star Extravaganza iPPV in Toronto next week. Too bad ROH has a history of hiding things from their TV viewers.

- It was over. Back when their relationship started, he appeared to be different from her ex. A “true alternative,” she thought at the time. On the surface, he seemed simpler, fundamentally sound, pure.

But, the lonely nights were too much for her. She was going to go back to her old flame, whom she had her ups and downs with over the years, but was always consistent. The change would have a raw impact on her life.

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