ROP: The Ballad of F*ck All PREVIEW

Things are all change here in Ring of Poison nowadays. Last month, at the Seventh Anniversary Show, one of the most destructive feuds we've had to deal with came to a head as Raven defeated the longest reigning former champion in ROP history in a loser-leaves-town steel cage match - and then retired from ROP directly after the match. Whilst a future without both Raven and Punk may have seemed almost unthinkable a few months back, it's the future we must now deal with - the dawning of a new era in Ring of Poison as we move into 2012.


It's been an unusually quiet few months from the All Night Express here in Ring of Poison. The pair burst onto the scene in late 2010, managed by the late, great Larry Sweeney and instantly began making waves, continuing to do so with the unfortunate passing of their manager early last year. Now aligned with 'The King of Old School' Steve Corino, the pair have their sights firmly set on the ROP Tag Team Championships, currently in the hands of The Prophecy. The duo's manager phoned up ROP HQ following the Seventh Anniversary Show and demanded a challenge for his charges - and we responded, with two of the finest young wrestlers on the US scene in The Colony. A win will fire either team into a position as sure fire contenders for the belts, but who will it be?


Jigsaw hasn't had it easy in his reign as ROP Cruiserweight Champion. Defeating the devious Jimmy Jacobs for the belt, he's had to contend first with the Age of the Fall hunting him for the belt back and now with Jacobs, flying solo following the AOTF's loss in the ROP Cibernetico, hunting him down. Frightmare fought alongside Jigsaw against the AOTF, and now has his chance to stake a claim for the belt himself. The spectre of Jacobs - who last month ripped Jigsaw's mask off following their match - will loom large over a match between two of our finest young competitors.


Six months ago, had you mentioned Bryan Danielson coming into ROP, you would have had The American Dragon down as an instant contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. He chose a different path however, first coming to the company under the mask of Dragon el Tire, before unmasking and announcing he was going to work his way from the bottom up, to win the gold. Last month he dispatched of Ultimo Dragon, and this month faces even stiffer competition from former Intercontinental Champion, Chris Hero. Both men have detailed their intentions to rise to the top of ROP, and this match will go some way to determining who could fight for Samoa Joe's world title.


Last month's war between The Prophecy and Low-Ki & Cloudy brought to close a feud that had raged since Cheech first turned on Cloudy to join The Prophecy. Alex Shelley, on the other hand, was attacked by Kevin Steen and El Generico on the way to the ring for his match against Chris Hero, capping off what had been a rather terrible year for Shelley in ROP. He laid down the challenge to The Prophecy - who can, of course, defend the titles using the classic 'Freebird Rule' - and brought his long-time partner Chris Sabin into the company for the first time in over three years. Can The Prophecy retain their belts in their first challenge since dispatching of Cloudy & Low-Ki?


Open contracts for a chance to face the ROP World Heavyweight Champion Samoa Joe have been making their way round the world in recent months, with Japanese promotion DDT dispatching Kenny Omega to our shores last month as the first response to the contracts. Kevin Steen has been trying his damnedest to make a name for himself in ROP, declaring himself as the leader of the underappreciated talent that ROP have overlooked throughout the years, with his only previous match coming when he put Rob Van Dam on the shelf at Teeth Like God's Shoeshine, in a match where RVD paid Steen's booking fee to get his hands on him. Steen wasted no time in intercepting the open contract we sent to Ring of Honor, with the match against Joe representing what could be his only chance to win the ROP World Heavyweight Championship - given ROP's reluctance to enter into negotiations with Steen, this could prove to be one of the darkest nights in our history were Steen to walk out with the belt. Can Steen take the match, and retain his title, given both the pressure on his shoulder, and the ever present El Generico and Jon Moxley, Steen's disciples?

Plus appearances from Nigel McGuinness, Jimmy Jacobs, Brian Kendrick, Paul London and ROP Intercontinental Champion Claudio Castagnoli!