Ring of Honor Focus: Who Will Be The Next World Champion?

Last weekend, the rumors began to circulate all over the dirt sheets and forums of the Internet wrestling community. Tyler Black, pictured holding the Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Championship, is apparently headed to the WWE after signing a developmental contract.

This is excellent news for the 24 year old from Davenport, Iowa, who is getting a chance to live out his dreams of competing on the grandest stage in the wrestling world.

Black began his stint with ROH in 2007 as a member of Jimmy Jacobs' "The Age of the Fall" faction. Black and Jacobs became two time ROH World Tag Team Champions during their run together.

The stage was set for Black to become a huge singles star in ROH after an outstanding match against then-champion Nigel McGuinness in March 2008 at "Take No Prisoners." 

Later that year, at "Final Battle 2008," Jacobs would turn on, Black and the two would feud for several months. Jacobs eventually lost to Black in a steel cage match and left the company shortly afterwards.

It took Black several attempts, but he finally claimed the ROH World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Austin Aries at the "Eighth Anniversary Show" in February. He has successfully defended his title seven times since, including a match of the year candidate against Davey Richards at "Death Before Dishonor VIII," but has continually struggled to gain the respect of many ROH faithful.

Just as it seemed Black was finally beginning to get comfortable with the championship, the news of his WWE signing leaked and rumors have been flying around ever since. While nothing has been officially confirmed by any of the parties involved, it seems that this signing is legit.

Great news for Tyler, but what does this mean for ROH and the World Championship?

The answer, one has to believe, lies somewhere within the current "Pick Six" rankings. These men are the top six contenders for the title and it only makes sense that one of them will wind up becoming the next ROH World Heavyweight Champion by the end of September, when Black is rumored to be leaving.

There are "Pick Six" matches scheduled for shows later this month in Richmond, VA and Charlotte, NC, so the rankings could change, but as of today the following competitors are ranked. Let's take a look at each wrestler and their chances of becoming the next ROH World Champion.

Roderick Strong is ranked number one. He brings a terrible record of 0-15 in ROH World Championship matches to the plate, but he also brings a newfound mean streak after his latest loss to Black at "Supercard of Honor V" in May.

Strong has been rumored to be Black's opponent at "Glory By Honor IX" on September 11th. He won the "Toronto Gauntlet" at "Death Before Dishonor VIII" to earn a future shot at the champion, so his name is definitely in play for the next iPPV.

Many fans have wanted to see the belt on Strong for some time. With Black leaving the company, it seems as if the chances of him finally winning the big one are growing stronger. Add a little help from his new manager, Truth Martini, into the mix and we very well could be seeing gold around Strong's waist by October.

Christopher Daniels currently stands at number two in the rankings. He made his return to ROH in April at "The Big Bang" iPPV and I recently wrote this article about his desire to prove he is still the best wrestler in the world.

"The Fallen Angel" has done nothing but impress since coming back to ROH. He wrestled Tyler Black in an outstanding 20-minute draw on HDNet this week. Couple that with his high spot in the rankings and it is hard to argue against Daniels getting a crack at the title.

Daniels would undoubtedly bring the most credibility to the championship. He is a veteran who has kept in incredible shape and he is a name recognized by wrestling fans worldwide. It would be no surprise at all to see Daniels with that title sooner than later.

Kevin Steen is the third ranked wrestler in the "Pick Six" and stands at the dark horse to win the title in my eyes. His intensity and unpredictability continue to grow each and every week under the tutelage of Steve Corino.

Steen recently had a crack at winning the title from Black in Chicago, but came up short. He has spent several weeks writing cryptic letters to the ROH Champion claiming that he can "save him" which have been posted on the promotion's web site.

One thing working against Steen's chances is the fact that he will be teaming with Corino at "Glory By Honor IX" to take on Colt Cabana and El Generico in a tag team chain match. The feud between these four men has been as brutal as any in recent memory and will likely be keeping Steen out of the title picture for the time being.

Colt Cabana is ranked number four and the odds of him becoming the next World Heavyweight Champion are slim because he will be occupied with Steen and Corino at GBHIX.

"Boom Boom" has always been a popular guy in ROH, but he has never really had the chance to be taken seriously as a top level competitor. Cabana has had several opportunities to bring home the gold, including a brutal steel cage match last year against then-champion Austin Aries, but has never been able to reach that brass ring.

Cabana is deserving of the belt, there is no doubt about that. These days, he is mostly seen as comedic relief. His partnership with El Generico has brought out some of the fire inside Cabana and the feud with Steen and Corino has been an incredibly violent one. The same things said about Steen's chances of being the next champion can be echoed here.

Chris Hero holds down the number five spot in the rankings and is also one half of the ROH World Tag Team Champions. He will also be busy taking on the team of Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas at GBHIX next month.

Hero is a total package of skill, looks, and personality. Few can go in the ring with the intensity that Hero brings and his rolling elbow strikes are the best in the business outside of Japan. He has held major championships nearly everywhere he has been and it wouldn't be shocking if he was someday the top guy in ROH.

That being said, the chances of Hero being the next top guy are slim to none. Chances are he will continue to focus on teaming with Claudio Castagnoli and defending the tag titles for the time being.

Davey Richards is the sixth and final wrestler in the "Pick Six" rankings and would be the obvious choice to be the man to take the belt from Black if it wasn't for rumors of his retirement at the end of 2010.

Right now, there may be no better pound-for-pound wrestler in the business that is as good as Richards. His matches are almost always awesome and his intensity is unmatched. Just take one look at the instant classic he had with Black in Toronto and you will know why fans are looking forward to the non-title rematch on August 28 in Charlotte.

Perhaps Richards will get one run as the ROH World Heavyweight Champion before he hangs up his boots. Maybe a championship reign will be enough to keep Richards around a bit longer than planned. If he can pull of a win over Black then it would be hard to deny him that chance.

One of these six men will more than likely be the next man to hold the ROH World Heavyweight Championship. With Black's departure, we know the title will have to change hands, but the intrigue of who will become the champion makes this recent development a very interesting one.

Photo courtesy of Scott Finkelstein