UFC on Fox was a brilliantly produced show that showed the only flaw in the promotion. Final Battle is Ring of Honor’s biggest event of the year and will thrill both wrestling and MMA fans in New York City.
But first, a tip of the cap to WZ columnist Mark Madden for his work on the Penn State/Jerry Sandusky scandal story. I like it better when Madden is telling it like it is about wrestling, only because this story is so sick. Once the court system is finally finished with determining guilt or innocence, I wonder how things will look in Happy Valley. Well done, Mr. Madden…
Huge ratings for UFC’s debut on Fox and to me, the production itself was flawless. It reminded me of Fox’s coverage of the Super Bowl… every tape roll, every camera shot, every announcer pitch was perfect. The fight was disappointing, only because it was so short but what was the goal of the show? To introduce the sport to casual fans and I think they executed it as well as any production imaginable.
If Brock Lesnar beats Alistair Overeem on December 30th, then UFC gets a dream matchup. If not, Dana White continues to shuffle the deck to put the best matchups together.
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Davey Richards defends the ROH World Championship against “Die Hard” Eddie Edwards at Final Battle on Friday, December 23rd. Now that it’s been reported that Edwards has been training with UFC Hall of Famer Dan “The Beast” Severn, you have to wonder how “Richards/Edwards 3” will be a different matchup.
Their first bout of this trilogy was in February of 2010, when Edwards surprised many by scoring the victory over Richards to become the first ROH World Television Champion. Davey came within an eyelash of unseating Roderick Strong for the ROH World Championship at last year’s “Final Battle” but it was Eddie Edwards who shocked the world by upsetting Strong on March 19th, capturing the World Title and setting the stage for a Richards’ rematch.
At “Best in the World” on June 26th, Davey Richards wrestled a perfect match to dethrone Edwards and claim the ROH World Championship. The ink was barely dry on the newspaper headlines about the win when talk of the return bout to complete the trilogy began.
September 18th, “Die Hard” outlasts Roderick Strong in the Ringmasters Challenge at Death Before Dishonor IX. In back-to-back October episodes of Ring of Honor Wrestling Television, Edwards escapes Michael Elgin and Davey bests Strong, leading Ring of Honor matchmakers to making “Final Battle: Richards/Edwards 3” a reality.
So what will be different on December 23rd at the Hammerstein Ballroom? Will training with Dan Severn show us a better, tougher Eddie Edwards? Can Davey Richards have that “perfect” training camp again? How annoyed is Davey with Eddie for training with Severn?
The third of any trilogy struggles to duplicate the magic of the first two but these two athletes have show the ability to push each other better and further than any other partner or opponent. Questions will linger about what the future holds for the American Wolves but Final Battle: Richards/Edwards 3 is all about fighting for the ROH World Championship and the belief that the holder of that title is the Best Wrestler in the World.
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Drug Testing Double Standard
So, Evan Bourne gets suspended 30 days for smoking synthetic pot. The story is Bourne’s not alone in the partaking of the faux ganja but he’s the one who gets popped. I’ve been reading all the stories and I’ve figured out who the other big name is… I’m not lying, this is the TRUTH!
It has to be Jim Ross.
Look at the facts… In and out of the chair on Raw, constantly being humiliated. Supposed to fight Michael Cole then the match gets cut “for time”. Yeah right! JR must be smoking huge, always failing drug tests. Has to be…
Not to make excuses but you’d have to be stoned to treat a legend like that and really be high to put up with it.
Is Bar-B-Que sauce helpful when one gets the munchies?
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Say “High” to me on Twitter @realkevinkelly, via email at kevinfsu90@yahoo.com or on my Facebook page here.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
