Ring of Honor Focus: The Curious Case of Eddie Edwards' 10 Minute Hunt

Anyone who witnessed Ring of Honor's "Glory By Honor VIII" show last September knows the heart and determination of Eddie Edwards.

Despite suffering a broken elbow the night before during a match with Kevin Steen, Edwards showed his incredible competitive spirit by joining his tag-team partner Davey Richards in an outstanding "Ladder War" against Steen and El Generico for the ROH World Tag Team Championships.

The American Wolves retained their belts and Edwards won over the ROH faithful with his gutsy performance. Chants of "Eddie Edwards" echoed throughout the Manhattan Center.

Earlier this year, ROH held a tournament to crown their first ever World Television Champion. Considering the strength of the ROH roster, it only made sense to create a second singles title that would be showcased on their HDNet show on Monday nights.

Edwards won the tournament after defeating his friend and partner Richards in one of the best matches in the relatively short history of the HDNet broadcast.

Since becoming the TV champ, Edwards has successfully defended his title on two occasions. He picked up a win over Colt Cabana on HDNet and also was able to take down Petey Williams at "Epic Encounter III" in Ontario.

Believing he had a lack of challengers, Edwards began his quest to find the top contenders for his title. He calls it the "10 Minute Hunt" and the rules are simple. If someone can defeat Edwards, or just last 10 minutes in the ring with him, they will earn a future shot at his championship.

To date, this open challenge has been answered by several young wrestlers looking to make the ROH roster, and no one has been able to knock off the champ or even make it to the 10 minute mark. Edwards has beaten the likes of Nick Westgate, Andy "Right Leg" Ridge, and Jay Freddie.

Edwards' toughest challenge to date was at "Buffalo Stampede II" in June. Tyson Dux, an incredibly talented Canadian independent star, pushed the champion to the limit before losing just before the 10 minute mark.

In a recent ROH newswire, the validity of Edwards' hunt came into question. It seems as though Edwards may be ignoring the challenges of some wrestlers and only taking on lesser known opponents in what, for the most part, have been squashes.

No names were revealed, but it appears that certain members of the ROH roster want to take their shot at the "10 Minute Hunt" and their challenges are going unanswered. One has to question how much longer Edwards is going to be able to put off stepping into the ring with the more established stars of the promotion.

This accusation did not sit well with the World Television Champion. In response, Edwards has issued perhaps the biggest challenge of his young career by calling out the ROH World Champion, Tyler Black.

The following quote from Edwards comes directly from today's ROH news update:

“Tell you what—since everyone is so afraid to step up to me, it’s time I step up to them. And why not start with the head of the pack? Why not go to the top of the food chain? One champion to another, I am calling you out Tyler Black! They say I’m ducking a challenge, well here’s a challenge: Take on both Wolves in one weekend, boy, do you have the guts for that?”

The non-title "Champion's Challenge" match has been signed for August 27 in Richmond, VA. It just so happens to be one night before Black and Edwards' partner, Davey Richards, go at it in a non-title rematch from "Death Before Dishonor VIII" last month.

Black and Richards put on what has been hailed by critics as the match-of-the-year thus far in Toronto. They square off once again on August 28 in Charlotte, NC in a highly anticipated match that could earn Richards another shot at the championship if he can come out on top.

Knowing the bond between Edwards and Richards, the timing of Edwards' challenge to Black seems a bit suspect. Is Edwards looking to prove himself against the best in ROH or is he just trying to soften up Black for his partner the next night?

Perhaps Edwards hopes to accomplish both when he steps up to the plate against the cream of the ROH crop.

Though the competitive spirit of Edwards has come into question recently, his "10 Minute Hunt" will continue. The big question that remains is whether the quality of the challengers begin to improve.

For the sake of the credibility of both Edwards and his World Television Championship, let's hope so.

Photo courtesy of Scott Finkelstein