And then I tell the guy, “No, that isn’t MY llama!” Oh, hello there. This week we will be returning to building fantasy feuds, not just fantasy matches. We’ve skipped a week due to my thoughts on the Ric Flair 30 for 30 documentary, but we are back with a vengeance this week. Well, maybe not a vengeance per se, but we’re back.
For those who don’t know, I do a little 10 Thoughts column about the weekly Ring of Honor television program. You can find that column right here on Inside Pulse! Anyway, last week, there was an in-ring confrontation between Jay Lethal (currently my favorite wrestler in the world) and Marty Scurll (currently my second favorite wrestler in the world). It appears they are setting up a match for Final Battle which should create a singularity and destroy the universe with its awesomeness.
But I just discussed a Fantasy Feud for Marty Scurll recently in this column. Now it is Jay Lethal’s turn.
To begin, this entire scenario is dependent on everyone’s health being in good shape and no risk of permanent injury or death. So, Daniel Bryan’s contract is due to expire with the WWE fairly soon. Bryan had a significant neck injury, but has said that he wants to wrestle again. The WWE, thus far, have not allowed him to do so. Which I get, they are protecting their company. They are being cautious. They are being conservative. Which, as a huge company, they should be. If I were the WWE I wouldn’t let Daniel Bryan come back either.
But Bryan wants to wrestle again and has a number of doctors telling him that it is okay if he does. Well, if the WWE won’t let him, once he is free from his contract, I can imagine Bryan returning to his old stomping grounds of Ring of Honor to resume his in-ring career.
His arrival would be during a major PPV event. He would come out before Jay Lethal’s match (wherever it is on the card), and talk about how happy Bryan Danielson is to be back home in Ring of Honor. He will go on to say that right now he is just happy to be back among the best wrestling on the planet. Because that is where he belongs. In that ring, wrestling the best, and beating the best.
After his promo, Lethal would have his match and probably win it. Then he would be gone. As the night wore on, we would see a lot of warm backstage greetings between Danielson and ROH competitors. Everyone would be all smiles and homecoming.
But the next week Jay Lethal would come to the ring and interrupt Bryan’s in-ring promo. Lethal would say that Bryan might be one of the all-time best, but his best is far behind him. Ring of Honor is reigned over by Lethal, he would say, and if Bryan wants to compete, fine, but don’t insult everyone into thinking he is better than the guys in the back. Lethal restates that he is the man in ROH, and no one just comes in and says they are better.
Bryan backtracks a bit and tells Lethal that is not what he was saying. He knows Lethal’s reputation and he has watched his matches. He sees the talent. He knows he beat AJ Styles, Michael Elgin, Jay Briscoe, and on and on and on. But he isn’t going to tell Bryan Danielson what he can do.
Lethal will run down a list of his accomplishments and state very simply that Danielson might have been the best in WWE, but this is not WWE. Here, in ROH, is where people come to prove themselves. They test themselves against the best here, they don’t just run around chanting “Yes!” at the sky.
Bryan interrupts and says that he knows how it works. He was one of the guys that turned Ring of Honor into an international phenomenon. Lethal is the top dog right now, he is the best wrestler there, even if he doesn’t have the belt. And everyone knows it. Or, at least, they USED to know it. Bryan then tells Lethal that there is a new GOAT in town, and he needs to get used to it.
Lethal stares Danielson down and both men stand there for a minute. It appears they may come to blows, but don’t. Eventually, Danielson starts to pick up on the Yes! chants and starts to walk away. He turns his back on Lethal and Lethal just attacks with a brutal sucker punch. In a brutal display, Danielson is beaten down by Lethal without mercy. Lethal screams during his attack, yelling about how he is the best. How he is not a broken down and gimmicky has-been.
After the beating, Lethal leaves and medical come out to help Danielson. It isn’t until a couple weeks later that we get word Lethal versus Danielson is being scheduled for the next huge event for ROH. Maybe it would even after to be part of a joint show with NJPW. But it would be a huge stage. Lethal and Danielson would continue to punch and counterpunch through promos, interviews, and even social media, but no physical contact. We find out the reason for the delay in contact is because Lethal and Danielson have signed a no-contact clause to their contract for the match. This allows us to get a number of face-to-face interactions between these two men, resulting an number of in-ring, confrontations, but without any violence.
Eventually, the match would come and it will be all kinds of awesome. Bryan would take the victory and Lethal would leave in disgust instead of mess with the post-match handshake. A week or two later would see Lethal attacking Bryan to goad him into a rematch. Lethal’s ruthlessness will establish him someone willing to do whatever it takes. Bryan will eventually grant a rematch which will also take place at a major event. This one will be won by Lethal.
The rubber match between the two will be at the appropriately title “Best in the World” PPV. This is Lethal’s fantasy feud here, so I would say that Lethal would take that match and establish himself as the greatest in Ring of Honor. Finally, finally, Lethal and Danielson would shake hands and their dream battles would be over for now.
Next week I will be off, but shall return the week after that for all your fantasy booking needs. Take care.
