Back at the fourth Manhattan Mayhem event in March Eddie Edwards shocked spectators in attendance when he defeated Roderick Strong to win the ROH World Title. The two would square off again a few months later (at Supercard of Honor VI) and again Edwards came out on top.
Now the two will meet one more time at Death Before Dishonor IX but this time under stipulations known as the “Ringmaster’s Challenge.” This type of challenge has never before been done in Ring of Honor. It is a 2/3 Falls bout where each fall will have a different stipulation. The first fall must end with a pinfall. The second fall must end in submission. The third fall (if needed) will be a 15-minute Iron Man contest. This time there are no titles on the line, but the victor will no doubt move up in contending status for an opportunity to challenge Davey Richards for the ROH World Title.
In some ways the “Ringmaster’s Challenge” is similar to what World Wrestling Entertainment has done with its “3 Stages of Hell” match – minus the steel cage, and with a greater emphasis placed on the art of wrestling, not the art of entertainment.
Eddie Edwards is making a strong case for Wrestler of the Year honors and this match should only help his case. He’s already main-evented eight wrestling cards for Ring of Honor (both in singles and tag-team action) as well as completed two tours in NOAH this year, and had strong title defenses against the likes of Roderick Strong, Christopher Daniels and Chris Hero. His loss to Davey Richards at Best in the World 2011 was 35 minutes of back-and-forth action and only helped to further Edwards’ campaign as the Wrestler of the Year for 2011.
The “Ringmaster’s Challenge” takes place September 17th at Death Before Dishonor IX. You can order tickets to be there live or watch it online on iPPV at GoFightLive.
