ROH 15th Anniversary Show Predictions

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Tonight, Ring of Honor will present its 15th Anniversary Show, live from Sam Town's Live in Las Vegas. Only six matches are advertised for the event, but each one of them has the potential to be phenomenal in its own way. Moreover, the show will also mark the official ROH televised debuts/returns of The Broken Hardyz and Bully Ray, so that should be special as well.

I typically find I'm more excited for ROH's pay-per-views than WWE's on occasion, just because their events almost always deliver. If you've never checked one out before, this would be a good place to start. There's plenty of star power on this card, and from the vibe I've been getting, there will be plenty of surprises in store. In a nutshell, you shouldn't regret your purchase if you tune in tonight.

Also, be sure to check out my exclusive interviews with Christopher Daniels and ROH COO Joe Koff ahead of tonight's event talking about the epic main event, legacies, goals, AJ Styles, and so much more. With that out of the way, let's start making predictions for the card!

The Briscoes and Bully Ray vs. War Machine and Davey Boy Smith Jr.

ROH has a tendency to throw random matches together for their pay-per-views, and although this match has zero storyline support whatsoever, it should be a blast, nevertheless. I mean, how it can it not be when The Briscoes and Bully Ray are teaming up for the first time ever? Speaking of Bully, I think he's a real solid pick-up for ROH. He laid out Cole at Manhattan Mayhem last weekend, so I imagine he might be in line for a title shot eventually.

As for War Machine and Davey Boy Smith Jr., I'm not sure what reason they have to team up, but it's cool to see Smith on the American wrestling scene again. War Machine and Briscoes have always worked well together, so I'm looking forward to this being a fun match. It doesn't matter much who wins, but as previously mentioned, I imagine Ray will receive a prominent push in the company soon, so his team should come out on top.

Prediction: The Briscoes and Bully Ray win

The Kingdom vs. Dalton Castle and The Boys (ROH World Six-Man TaG Team Championship)

I realize it's only been three months, but I'm still not high on the idea of having six-man tag team titles. I just don't see the need for them. The tag team division is strong, but there aren't many trios outside of the two competing in this match. The Kingdom have gradually been building momentum, though, so I do appreciate how well they've been handled since debuting as a unit in the fall. Plus, I've been following the careers of all three men for a few years now and can tell you firsthand they're tremendously talented.

Meanwhile, Dalton Castle and The Boys are an entertaining act, but I don't see them being good in the role as champions. Don't get me wrong, it would be a nice moment if they won the straps here, but The Boys are more of a sideshow than actual wrestlers. This should be an enjoyable match, but The Kingdom should retain their titles. It's too early into their reign to be taking the titles off them, anyway.

Prediction: The Kingdom retain the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship

Jay Lethal vs. Bobby Fish in a Top Contenders Match

In all honesty, character-wise, Bobby Fish has never done anything for me. For the past year and a half, I've been wondering whether he is a face or a heel. I assumed he was kept face so his partnership with Kyle O'Reilly wasn't severed, but now that O'Reilly has left the company, maybe he can become a full-fledged heel because he is not a natural face. Either way, I simply do not see him as being world title material at the moment, whereas Jay Lethal could win the belt back tomorrow and I wouldn't bat an eyelash.

I was really hoping this would be the show where Lethal and Cody met in a rematch from Final Battle, but it looks like that is being saved for their show over WrestleMania weekend in Orlando, and that's fine. It's just that these two are both babyfaces and the bout came together at the last minute, so there isn't a lot of juice there. Despite that, the match should be excellent from an in-ring standpoint. Here's hoping Lethal gets back into title contention after his win tonight.

Prediction: Jay Lethal wins

The Broken Hardyz vs. The Young Bucks vs. Roppongi Vice (Las Vegas Street Fight ROH World Tag TEam Championship Match)

ROH's tag team division was already well-rounded and loaded with talent, and now with The Broken Hardyz on board, it's even hotter than ever. Of course, there's been a ton of buzz going around that Jeff and Matt Hardy have signed short-term deals with the company and might be leaving after WrestleMania weekend, and if that's the case, they shouldn't drop the tag titles here.

The Young Bucks and Roppongi Vice have been feuding since the start of the year over the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, so this would have been a terrific match, regardless. The Las Vegas Street Fight stipulation should make it an instant classic, but no matter what happens, the "broken" brothers will remain in possession of their "procured" tag team titles... for a few weeks longer, anyway.

Prediction: The Broken Hardyz retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship

Marty Scurll vs. Lio Rush (ROH World Television Championship)

Is there even really much of a doubt that Marty Scurll is bound to be a world champion eventually? The guy is an absolute star, and needless to say, there's no reason why ROH should take his World Television Championship off of him anytime soon. He has had a solid reign thus far and has a plethora of exciting opponents ahead, so it would asinine for him to drop the title at the 15th Anniversary Show.

That said, Rush is an awesome wrestler in his own right and also has a bright future ahead of him. He could be a great TV champ down the line, but his title victory should not come at the expense of Scurll's hot momentum right. I have a feeling this match will steal the show, not to mention it would be an outstanding way to open the event and set the tone for the rest of the night.

Prediction: Marty Scurll retains the ROH World Television Championship

Adam Cole vs. Christopher Daniels (ROH World Championship)

No match on the card for the 15th Anniversary Show has been better built up than Adam Cole vs. Christopher Daniels for the ROH World Championship. The story has been stellar with Daniels constantly claiming that this might be his final shot at the strap and that this will be an all or nothing situation for him. More importantly, this is a legitimately tough match to predict because it could very well go either way.

There isn't a more fitting place for Daniels to win the championship, and I honestly hope ROH pulls the trigger with him on this show. I would be more sure of my pick if Cole hadn't just won back the belt at Wrestle Kingdom 11 two months ago. Other than Bully Ray, who else can pose a threat to his title reign? He's pretty much faced everyone at this point. On top of that, Cole's contract is rumored to up next month, and there's a decent chance he doesn't re-sign if WWE is his next stop. All things considered, I'll go with ROH making the right decision in giving Daniels the title, even if it's for a short period of time, and he can feud with the recently-turned Frankie Kazarian going forward.

Prediction: Christopher Daniels wins the ROH World Championship