ROH issued the following:
FIRST-EVER DECADE OF EXCELLENCE TOURNAMENT STARTS DEC. 4TH IN PHILADELPHIA
ROH Stalwarts Compete For ROH World Title Shot On 15th Anniversary Show in March
Eight stars who debuted in Ring of Honor over a decade ago will compete in the first-ever Decade of Excellence Tournament, which begins Dec. 4th at the historic 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.
The finals take place on Jan. 14th at Atlanta’s Center Stage, with the winner receiving a shot at the ROH World Championship (which is currently held by Adam Cole) at the 15th Anniversary pay-per-view on March 10th in Las Vegas.
First-round matches of the tournament are as follows:
CHRISTOPHER DANIELS VS. MARK BRISCOE
Daniels is one of the “Founding Fathers” of ROH. The cunning veteran competed in the main event of the inaugural ROH show in February 2002 in Philadelphia, a Triple Threat Match against Bryan Danielson and Low Ki. He is a four-time former co-holder of the ROH World Tag Team Title and a former ROH World Television Champion.
Briscoe and his brother, Jay, have held the ROH World Tag Team Title a record eight times and are regarded as one of the greatest tag teams in the world. In Mark’s first match in ROH, he defeated his brother in August 2002.
ALEX SHELLEY VS. COLT CABANA
Shelley, one-half of The Motor City Machine Guns with Chris Sabin, made his ROH debut in June 2003. He has been a member of two of ROH’s top factions, Generation Next and The Embassy, and he is a three-time former co-holder of New Japan-Pro Wrestling’s IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship.
Cabana made his ROH debut in December 2002 by defeating CM Punk. He and Punk went on to become two-time ROH World Tag Team Champions. Cabana has won titles all over the world and has come very close on several occasions over the years to winning the ROH World Title.
JUSHIN “THUNDER” LIGER VS. JAY LETHAL
Liger, a Japanese legend who is perhaps the most influential junior heavyweight of all time, made his much-anticipated ROH debut in November 2004 when he headlined two “Weekend of Thunder” shows named in his honor. Liger, who has competed in four decades, is still going strong in both ROH and NJPW.
Lethal competed in his first match in ROH in January 2003 when he was just 17. He has gone on to become one of the biggest stars in ROH history. Lethal is a former ROH World Champion, two-time former ROH World Television Champion and former ROH Pure Champion.
BJ WHITMER VS. JAY BRISCOE
Whitmer has the dubious distinction of being one of the most despicable competitors in ROH history, but there’s no denying his success. Whitmer, who debuted in ROH in January 2003, is a four-time former co-holder of the ROH World Tag team Title and has been a member of two influential factions in ROH — The Prophecy and The Decade.
No one has held more titles in ROH than Briscoe, who is an eight-time former ROH World Tag Team Champion and one of only three men in history to have held the ROH World Championship twice. He competed on ROH’s first show in February 2002.
ALSO SIGNED TO APPEAR…
ROH WORLD CHAMPION: ADAM COLE
ROH WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPION: BOBBY FISH
ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: YOUNG BUCKS (NICK & MATT JACKSON)
CODY R
DRAGON LEE
KYLE O’REILLY
KUSHIDA
JAY WHITE
DALTON CASTLE W/ THE BOYS
CHRIS SABIN
LIO RUSH
DONOVAN DIJAK
PUNISHMENT MARTINEZ
WILL FERRARA
THE KINGDOM
TAELER HENDRIX
MANDY LEON
PLUS MORE!
RING OF HONOR WRESTLING PRESENTS
FINAL BATTLE AFTERMATH TV TAPING
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4TH
2300 ARENA – PHILADELPHIA, PA
4:30PM DOORS OPEN / 5:45PM PRE SHOW / 6PM BELL TIME
