Post by Jimmy on May 31, 2011 12:24:27 GMT -5
Just who is the best wrestler in the world? It is a topic hotly debated amongst the ROH faithful and the criteria for that label varies from person to person. For some fans it’s a wrestler’s technical abilities, for others it is their ability to defy gravity, and still for others it is based on things far more elusive. But for many it is solely based on one simple thing: the ROH World Title. It is a title that has come to represent true wrestling for both the fans as well as the wrestlers competing to hold it, and for those wrestlers, it is the label of ROH World Champion that truly classifies you as “The Best In The World”.
Never is that more true than when you look at the two men who comprise The American Wolves: Davey Richards & ROH World Champion Eddie Edwards. For both men, it is the pursuit of the ROH World Title that defines each of their careers, but it was Eddie Edwards, at “Manhattan Mayhem IV” who achieved that goal first. That night, wit his victory, Edwards became not only the first Triple Crown Winner in Ring of Honor history, but he also became the first man to ever successfully cash in his “Survival of the Fittest” victory and claim the ROH World Title. Davey Richards, just like when Edwards defeated him to become the 1st ever ROH World TV Champion, was a proud friend who celebrated Eddie’s victory almost as much as the champion himself.
In Atlanta, at “Honor Takes Center Stage: Chapter 2”, both men stated they would not fight one another for that belt despite Richards’ aspirations to become champion himself. ROH officials, in the form of Jim Cornette, pushed the issue, but Richards controversially stated that he did not want to be the one to end Eddie’s dream. Tensions rose but cooler heads prevailed as The Wolves were set to challenge Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team later that afternoon. Unfortunately the Wolves met with defeat following a miscommunication between Richards & Edwards and a heated moment left Davey standing in the ring on his own after being pinned by Shelton Benjamin.
Unfortunately at “ROH Revolution: USA” another miscommunication, this time Richards accidentally striking Eddie led to The Wolves dropping the rematch with The Kings of Wrestling. After Richards chased off an attempted post-match assault on Edwards, another heated confrontation followed in which the champion emphatically stated that he & Davey may be brothers, but “…I’m not the little brother!” Richards was left speechless in the center of the ring.
24 hours later at “Revolution: Canada”, in a bout where Edwards defended the ROH World Title against Chris Hero, Richards once again intervened to stop an attempt at interference by Claudio Castagnoli. Although Edwards would go on to win the epic war, Richards involvement was once again not met with approval by the champion.
Then, just a scant 10 days ago at “Supercard of Honor VI”, Edwards once again beat Roderick Strong to retain the ROH World Title but fell victim to an assault by The House of Truth after the match. Richards was there once more to assist his American Wolf brethren but was surprisingly met with unhappiness from Eddie Edwards. After the assault, Edwards told Davey he needed to stand on his own as the champion; that more than anything Eddie needed to face Richards for the ROH World Title to quell his lingering doubts about whether or not he could beat Davey, and if Richards refused, Eddie would quit ROH on the spot. Davey reluctantly accepted the challenge with a handshake, and walked away.
Following that night in Chicago Ridge, the ROH faithful became to speculate just when & where this greatly anticipated bout would come to fruition. Well we are extremely excited to announce that on Sunday afternoon, June 24th at “Best in the World 2011”; it will be ROH World Champion Eddie Edwards defending against his American Wolf brother, Davey Richards! And as if the match itself was not enough, Richards stated many months ago, after his loss at “Final Battle 2010”, that if he did not capture the ROH World Title in his next attempt, he would walk away from Ring of Honor. Which Wolf will depart NYC as the champion? Who will prove themselves the Best In The World? And will we see the death of a brotherhood in the process?
Edwards vs. Richards, “Best in the World 2011” live from The Hammerstein Ballroom on Sunday afternoon, June 24th! Tickets are available now: www.rohstore.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=507! And if you can’t be there in person, then you can order it on iPPV thru GoFightLive right here: www.gfl.tv/Events/Fight/Wrestling/ROH__Best_of_the_World_2011/10521! In NYC, we will find out who truly is the best in the world!!!
