Hero Vs. Claudio - The Battle Comes To ROH

The true battle of the two competitors most fit to claim the moniker of king in the wrestling community will be waged this Friday at the Manhattan Center, when Claudio Castignoli and Chris Hero. The anticipation for this match is so great that it stretches all the way back to last year when the Kings were still a cohesive unit. December 23rd, 2006, at Final Battle 2006 was meant to be Claudio Castignoli’s last match with Ring Of Honor. He had just signed a developmental deal with the WWE and would report to them at the start of 2007. Hero would bring in super agent Larry Sweeney to help him acquire a locker room and a permanent spot on the ROH roster, and promised that he would pay tribute to his friend and protégé on his last night with the company the two had attempted to defeat months earlier during the ROH-CZW war. Many hoped that “tribute” would translate into “one-on-one match,” but it was not to be, as the tandem challenged the Briscoe Brothers to a rematch from their match in Hartford the previous night.

After nearly twenty minutes of tremendous back and forth actions, miscommunication between Claudio and Hero lead to their downfall, as Claudio went for a briefcase shot on one of the brothers with his Halliburton, but ended up hitting Hero instead, allowing the Briscoes to gain the pin fall and a measure of revenge in the process. After the match, Claudio thanked the fans and he would stick around for a little longer to show us all what the Kings had in store for everyone in 2007. Sweeney interjected, stating that he had big plans for Chris Hero this year and that those plans did not involve Claudio. Claudio extended a hand to his friend, who shook it, but ended up leaving with Sweeney to the dismay of the crowd.

Disputes over his work visa lead to Claudio never even reporting to Deep South for the WWE, and the most money making man almost immediately went back to work for ROH. He was once again, as he had been during his opposition to ROH, an outcast, as he was not welcome in the locker room and had to enter the ring through the crowd. Hero, on the other hand, would see his stock rise. His first match in 2007 saw him challenge the newly crowned Homicide for the ROH World Title, a match many assumed Hero would win the gold though he failed to do so.

The two would finally end up on opposite sides of the ring at ‘The Battle of the Icons,’ when they were involved in a three way dance also involving former rival and co-Tag Champion Christopher Daniels. Hero and Claudio seemed as though they were headed for a reunion of sorts, as they double-teamed Daniels constantly throughout the match. Hero, however, caught Claudio off guard at one point, rolling him up and earning the victory. Claudio was beside himself, but he would not get the chance to challenge Hero for some time, as Hero would venture to Japan to compete for Pro Wrestling NOAH. In the meantime, Claudio remained a target of Larry Sweeney, who even went so far to pay off Brent Albright to injured Claudio during the Fifth Year Festival.

Claudio would persevere, joining the ROH Team to battle the Dragon Gate Team at All Star Extravaganza III. More and more, the fans began to embrace Claudio with each passing night. He completely redeemed himself at ‘Respect Is Earned’ during his show stealing Tag Title match with Matt Sydal against the Briscoes. Hero would return and found himself now involved in a feud with Nigel McGuinness, who came to the aid of Bruno Sammartino at ASEIII when Hero challenged the legend to a fight. The next night at Supercard of Honor saw Hero on the losing end of a Number One Contender’s match against Nigel after a jawbreaker lariat.

Because of their excellent showing that night Claudio and Sydal were allowed to select a partner of their choosing to challenge the Briscoes in separate two of the three falls matches. ‘Domination’ in Philadelphia would be Claudio’s shot, in which he chose Hero to be his partner. The former Kings of Wrestling would be shut out in two straight falls, and after the match, Hero would leave Claudio alone in the ring. Then, at ‘United We Stand,’ Sydal chose Claudio to be his partner in return for selecting him for the initial encounter, though once again, they were unsuccessful in their bid for the gold. During the ‘Driven’ PPV taping in Chicago, Claudio was able to defeat his one time partner Sydal. After the match, Hero and Sweeney approached Sydal and offered him a hefty sum to abandon Claudio and join the ever-growing Sweet ‘N Sour International. Sydal denied the offer, but then turned on Claudio before Hero and Sweeney would join in on the attack.

Claudio was down but not out. He continued to strive forward on his own. Hero, meanwhile, had Sweet ‘N Sour International in his corner, and looked to be unstoppable. Both men were favorites in the upcoming two night ‘Race To The Top Tournament,’ in which the winner would skyrocket to the main event scene. Hero would lose in a Quarterfinal Match to El Generico, but Claudio’s story would turn out a little differently. He would go on to defeat Generico in the finals to win the tournament. As a result, he would receive a World Title match against Takeshi Morishima at the recent Death Before Dishonor event in Boston, which he came within centimeters of winning. The following night in Philadelphia, Hero attempted to maim Claudio by driving the ‘RTTT’ trophy into his eye after Hero was victorious over Claudio in a tag match.

Now, finally, as Larry Sweeney has put it, the money is right. Chris Hero and Claudio Castignoli will meet for the first time in an ROH ring. Wrestling fans have been pining for it for almost a year now, and now it is time to dance. Chris Hero will face Claudio Castignoli in their first one on one match in ROH this Saturday at the Manhattan Center. It may be the first time, but I am certain that it won’t be the last time. There is no doubt in my mind that whoever wins this first match will truly strike first blood in a feud that is bound to give us more than one classic encounter.