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 Gary Juster, Nigel McGuinness or The Man With The Lizard Face. Projections are not predictions, because this is the column where everything's made up and the points don't matter. This preview has been sealed in a mayonnaise jar on Funk & Wagnall's porch since noon today. Closed captioning is provided by America Online. Some of our departing contestants will receive a supply of Lee Press-On Nails. They press on in seconds. No glue, no mess. In natural and glamour lengths. 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. These predictions are based on what the columnist would do if he had creative control over ROH, unless a better one-liner comes along.

Hey, you want a preview of the show. I interviewed Adam Cole and Michael Elgin on the PWTorch Livecast on Wednesday. If you haven't heard it, it's new to you! Go download it from PWTorchLivecast.com and I'll be here when you get back.

It's the final night of the Ring of Honor World Title tournament. Yes, I've been critical of the whole thing on audio. It is my personal belief that vacant titles and title tournaments are storylines done out of necessity. There's a reason why Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant at WrestleMania 3 scored a much higher buyrate than the tournament at WrestleMania IV. (Okay, there were a dozen reasons, but play along with me for a bit.) I think this is something does when a champion gets injured or leaves the company, not for the hell of it. Seriously, if Michael Elgin emerges with the title, wouldn't he have still been better off winning the title from Jay Briscoe months ago in the first place?

(And yes, this also means that I hate the current Daniel Bryan - Randy Orton storyline in WWE. HATE it. Of course, I'm supposed to hate it. But when we get back together in a few months and the "Battle Ground" has done fewer buys than Night of Champions, or Hell in A Cell, I'm not going to be the least bit surprised.)

As for the storylines, well, why don't you enjoy the first part of last week's episode of Ring of Honor television? ROH taped it in Providence, Rhode Island, the ROH Title Tournament is still in its first round, and Roderick Strong takes on the ROH Television Champion, Matt Taven. Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness have the call.


ROH Wrestling 9/14/13 - Part 1(HQ) by drbestuploader

And without further ado, let's roll right into this month's Wrestling History Lesson. Twenty years ago, a small indy promotion was running a show in Philadelphia at a bingo haven called "Viking Hall." On October 1, 1993, NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling put on its first of two "NWA/ECW Bloodfest" shows at Viking Hall. The attendance was disappointing, but you got a sense of where the young independent group was heading. This show opened with Chad Austin & Todd Shaw against the British Bad Breed of Axl Rotten & Ian Rotten, with the winners facing former WWF & AWA wrestlers Bad Company (or, if you prefer, the New Orient Express) later in the show. Joey Styles & Paul E. Dangerously had the call.


NWA/ECW Bloodfest 1993 - Part 1 by okaroscik

And, as your free gift for viewing this column, let's take you back to September 20, 2003 and Ring of Honor's Glory By Honor II supershow. The program opened with B.J. Whitmer facing Jimmy Rave in the Field of Honor tournament. Chris Lovey and C.M. Punk have the call.



On with the projections!

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

A Very Special Interview with B.J. Whitmer: I hope Whitmer is healthy. If he is, I suspect he's the newest member of Outlaw, Inc. That seems about right, doesn't it?

Also tonight, Steve Corino & Jimmy Jacobs will be reinstated to Ring of Honor. How do I know this? They're advertised for the autograph session before tomorrow's television taping.

Jay Lethal vs. Silas Young: Let's see. Who's getting a title shot tomorrow night? Right. Projection Jay Lethal wins with the Lethal Combination.

RedDragon, Michael Bennett & Matt Taven (w/ Truth Martini, Maria Kanellis, Scarlett Brodeaux, Seleziya Sparx & Lon Bronson's All-Star Band) vs. C&C Wrestle Factory & Adrenaline Rush: By the same theory, what's happening at tomorrow's television taping? Who's getting a title match? Got it. Projection? Things start breaking down, the referee loses control of the action, and Coleman hits the Thermal Shock on Fish for the victory.

Forever Hooligans vs. American Wolves (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles): You know why you should try to attend tonight's show in person? This match. Projection After a lengthy bout, Kozlov hits the Russian Strike on Edwards, and the Hooligans keep the belts.

Ricky Marvin vs. Roderick Strong: This match is...probably the second best argument for attending tonight's show in person. Projection? Mr. Strong gets introduced to a little something we call the Stag Beetle. Ricky Marvin wins his first Ring of Honor bout.

Kevin Steen vs. Michael Elgin (ROH World Title Semifinal) : Last year, it was Steen holding on to defeat Elgin in a hell of match at Glory By Honor. Not this time. Projection? Michael Elgin hits the spinning powerbomb to defeat the former ROH Heavyweight Champion.

Adam Cole vs. Tomasso Ciampa (ROH World Title Semifinal): Ciampa's improved a lot over the past few months. But it's hard to top Adam Cole's Panama City Playboy for sheer dickishness. Projection? Cole gets the win with the Florida Key.

Michael Elgin vs. Adam Cole (ROH World Title): You've probably figured out that Jay Briscoe will end up fighting the winner of this match down the line. If Jay Briscoe fights Adam Cole, the fans will cheer for Jay Briscoe. And if Michael Elgin takes on Jay Briscoe, the fans will cheer for...Jay Briscoe. So, why fight it? Projection? Referee Todd Sinclair gets distracted (I know, you're shocked) and Cole hits a low blow followed by a Corona Crush. Adam Cole is your new Ring of Honor Champion.

Aftermath: On tomorrow's big television taping, Jay Lethal captures the ROH television title, and we start moving toward the inevitable Adam Cole vs. Jay Briscoe bout at Final Battle.

***
Pat McNeill of Richmond, Va. has been a Torch columnist since February 2001. He'd take Stanford to cover the spread tomorrow night against Arizona State. You know, if gambling were legal.

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