By Pat McNeill, PWTorch columnist

Wake the pets and call the neighbors. It's time for our semi-monthly ROH internet pay-per-view preview column!

DISCLAIMER: Projections are made by myself and for myself with absolutely no assistance from James E. Cornette, Gary Juster or The Man With The Lizard Face. No one knows the contents of these projections, but I, in my divine and mystical way, will ascertain the finishes to these matches while being several months behind on my Ring of Honor DVD's. Some of our departing contestants will receive the complete 22 volume World Book Encyclopedia for 2006. World Book Encyclopedia, the number-one selling print encyclopedia in the world, a division of Berkshire Hathaway. Remember, this is only an exhibition. This is not a competition. Please, please, no wagering. This lineup is based on the best available information as of this writing.

While we're here, let's stipulate to an important lesson. It's one thing to bring Ring of Honor to Miami during WrestleMania weekend, where there are thousands of diehard wrestling fans with disposable incomes who need something to do on the Friday and Saturday before the show. It's another thing for Ring of Honor to run the night before a regular' ol WWE pay-per-view (Chicago) or an episode of Raw (Dayton). Hopefully, everybody's learned their lesson, and this won't happen again.

The big news going into tonight's show is...Oh, just watch the main event of last week's ROH television show. It's less typing for me. Here's Kevin Steen taking on Kyle O'Reilly.



And without further ado, let's roll right into this month's Wrestling History Lesson. Before Ring of Honor the "number three promotion" in North America was the Philadelphia-based Extreme Championship Wrestling. The original ECW ran from 1993 through 2001. Among the many wrestlers who passed through ECW were Steve Austin, Mick Foley and the late Eddie Guerrero. A young Gabe Sapolsky worked for the company, as did ROH founder Rob Feinstein and legendary manager Jim Cornette.

Back in the original ECW, the monthly cards at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia meant everything to the insider fans. And back on June 7th, 1997, in Philadephia, ECW held its annual "WrestlePalooza" show in that arena, kicking off with Shane Douglas defending the ECW Television Title against Chris Chetti. Joey Styles has the call.



And, as your free gift for viewing this column, let's take you back to the July 18, 2009 episode of Ring of Honor television. Guess who were on opposite sides of a six-man tag team match? That's right. It's Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards & Chris Hero vs. KENTA, El Generico & Kevin Steen.





On with the projections for Saturday's show!

I have no idea what the dark match will be for this show, but I hope Matt Taven is involved.

The All Night Express & T.J. Perkins vs. The Young Bucks & Mike Mondo: An all-action six-man tag team match is a good way to start the show, and the All Nights and Young Bucks have real chemistry. Projection? We have a Pier Six Brawl that ends with Perkins hitting Mondo with the tornado DDT for the victory.

Jay Lethal vs. Tomasso Ciampa (w/ The Embassy Limited): Take note. If Princess Mia isn't out there with the Embassy, (she was absent on last week's television show) I will be watching this match under protest. Projection? Lethal gets distracted by Ernesto Osiris and gets Project Ciampa'd. Tomasso remains undefeated.

Adam Cole vs. Michael Elgin (w/ Truth Martini): Remember a couple of months ago, when Adam Cole pinned ROH Champion Davey Richards at the ROH 10th Anniversary Show? Yeah, me either. Projection? Elgin beats Cole with the spinning powerbomb.

Eddie Edwards vs. Rhino (w/ Truth Martini): Rhino is Truth Martini's "hired gun" to take out Die Hard. Why you would need both Rhino and Michael Elgin in the same stable is beyond me, but I haven't read the Book of Truth. Projection? Eddie plays the matador. Rhino plays the bull. Eddie is able to hook Rhino into the Achilles Lock for the submission victory.

Lance Storm vs. "The Prodigy" Mike Bennett (w/ Brutal Bob Evans): Two months ago, Bennett defeated Storm in Fort Lauderdale. The rematch takes place a little closer to home. Projection? Brutal Bob is unable to interfere, and Storm catches The Prodigy in the Maple Leaf for the submission victory.

Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe vs. Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas (ROH Tag Team Titles - Fight Without Honor): For the love of all that's holy, this had better be the end of the feud. Fifteen months of these twosomes is too much. Projection? I don't know. How do these things usually end? After both teams use a bunch of plunder, Jay Briscoe gives Haas the Jay Driller through a table, and the champs keep their tag team titles.

Roderick Strong vs. Fit Finlay (ROH Television Title): Fit Finlay loves to fight. Roderick Strong loves trading stiff shots with other wrestlers. What could possibly go wrong? Projection? Finlay has Strong in trouble, but Rhino causes a distraction and Strong clocks Finlay with the Book of Truth for the pinfall and to keep the television title.

Davey Richards vs. Kevin Steen (ROH World Title): Two things are obvious. First, Ring of Honor has something big in the works for this match. Second, I have no idea what that is. As long as it's not another rehash of the Montreal Screwjob, I think we'll be okay. Projection? Everybody's expecting Steen to win the title in Canada, and for the big double turn to finally become official. So let's assume we get halfway there. Steen gets Richards in real trouble, and Executive Producer Jim Cornette sends out the cavalry, as Kyle O'Reilly and Steve Corino beat Steen down and Richards finishes Steen off with a piledriver. This leaves Steen with the challenge of fighting through the Team Richards entourage to get to the champ, plus the fact that Cornette won't give Steen another title shot.

Aftermath: There's a television taping in Baltimore next Friday, and then everybody heads to Richmond next Saturday for Richards & O'Reilly vs. Steen & Jacobs at "The Battle of Richmond." Be there, won't you?

***
Pat McNeill of Richmond, Va. has been a Torch columnist since February 2001. He asks you to support your local independent wrestling promotion, because that's where you'll see the superstars of tomorrow and the washed-up has-beens of yesteryear.

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