Wrestlemania Weekend: WWE Isn't the Only Show in Town, ROH and DGUSA Hit Atlanta

The eyes of the wrestling world will be focused on Atlanta, GA this weekend.

World Wrestling Entertainment is bringing Wrestlemania 27 and a week’s worth of festivities to Hotlanta, which means that about 75,000 wrestling fans will be coming to town for the biggest weekend of the year in professional wrestling.

Ring of Honor and Dragon Gate USA, two of the top independent promotions out there, are looking to capitalize on the buzz by running shows in Atlanta over the course of the weekend. By doing so, they are giving their fans even more reason to make the trek to the City of Trees, while at the same time hopefully increasing exposure to their respective brands.

ROH is holding two shows at the famed Center Stage Theatre, which was once upon a time the home of WCW Saturday Night.

Both shows will be available to stream, live on pay-per-view internet, via gofightlive.tv, with a special offer that includes both shows for only $20.

The shows, titled Honor Takes Center Stage, look to be loaded with top-notch wrestling action.

Night One features Eddie Edwards in his first defense of the ROH World Heavyweight Championship, as he puts the title on the line against the current ROH World TV Champion, “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels.

These two have had some very good matches against each other over the past year.

Daniels defeated Edwards for the TV Title last December and held on to it when the two men clashed at the Ninth Anniversary Show iPPV, in a show-stealing match which went to a time-limit draw.

If Edwards wants his first title defense to be a successful one, he must defeat the one man who has given him the most trouble over the past year in ROH.

Will the American Wolf step up to the challenge?

Night One also features the Kings of Wrestling in defense of the ROH World Tag Team Championship against Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team, Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin. Each team has picked up a victory over the other in non-title matches. However, this one will decide who can claim to truly be wrestling’s greatest tag team.

Here is the announced card for Honor Takes Center Stage, Night One:

• ROH World Heavyweight Title - Eddie Edwards vs. Christopher Daniels
• ROH World Tag Team Title - The Kings of Wrestling vs. Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team
• Roderick Strong vs. Davey Richards
• The Briscoes vs. Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly
• El Generico vs. Michael Elgin
• Women of Honor Tag Match - Sara Del Rey and Serena Deeb vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto and Ayumi Kurihara
• Four Corner Survival - Homicide vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Colt Cabana vs. Caleb Konley

Night Two is headlined by a tag team dream match, as Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards go up against Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin.

It is the American Wolves, one of the most popular teams in ROH history, against the WGTT, who could very well be coming into the match as the new ROH World Tag Team Champions.

Here is the announced card for Honor Takes Center Stage, Night Two:

• The American Wolves vs. Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team
• The Kings of Wrestling vs. Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly
• Roderick Strong vs. El Generico
• The Briscoes vs. The All Night Express
• Colt Cabana vs. Dave Taylor
• SHIMMER Tag Title Match - Daizee Haze and Tomoka Nakagawa vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto and Ayumi Kurihara
• Non-Title Match - “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels vs. Michael Elgin
• Homicide vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Night One has an 8pm start time, while Night Two should actually be called "Afternoon Two" because it has a 1pm start time.

Dragon Gate USA will also be running two shows in Atlanta during the ‘Mania festivities.

They will debut the new iPPV home of DGUSA, WWNLive.com on Saturday night with Mercury Rising 2011.

The show is headlined by Austin Aries, who's putting his career in DGUSA on the line against YAMATO for the Open the Freedom Gate Championship.

If Aries fails to capture the promotion’s top prize, he promises to walk away after the weekend is over.

Mercury Rising 2011 also features a huge six-man tag match, the first defense of the Open the Brave Gate title on American soil, a six-way elimination match, an impending showdown between Trina Michaels and Reby Sky, as well as a non-PPV bonus card from Rampage Pro Wrestling.

Here is a look at the complete card announced for the Mercury Rising 2011 iPPV:

• Open the Freedom Gate Title - YAMATO vs. Austin Aries
• Blood Warriors (CIMA, Naruki Doi and Ricochet) vs. Ronin (Chuck Taylor, Johnny Gargano and Rich Swann)
• Open the Brave Gate Title - PAC vs. Akira Tozawa
• Non-Title Challenge Match - Open the Dream Gate Champion Masato Yoshino vs. Sami Callihan
• Elimination Match - Jimmy Jacobs vs. AR Fox vs. Jon Davis vs. Brodie Lee vs. Silas Young vs. Stalker Ichickawa
• Jon Moxley vs. Arik Cannon

On Sunday afternoon, before Wrestlemania, DGUSA will be taping their next pay-per-view event for On Demand and other pay-per-view providers.

Open the Ultimate Gate 2011 could potentially feature Austin Aries' final match in DGUSA if he loses to YAMATO on Saturday. If Aries does win, he will be making his first defense of the Open the Freedom Gate Championship at this event.

The Open the United Gate Champions, PAC and Masato Yoshino, will be making their first defense of their tag team titles on Sunday.

The show also features a couple of challenge matches, pitting members of the Blood Warriors against members of Ronin, as well as a six-way freestyle match.

Here is the announced card for Open the Ultimate Gate 2011:

• Open the United Gate Title - PAC and Masato Yoshino vs. CIMA and Ricochet
• Non-Title Grudge Match - YAMATO vs. Akira Tozawa
• Special Challenge Match - Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Jacobs
• Naruki Doi vs. Johnny Gargano
• Brodie Lee vs. Chuck Taylor
• Six-Way Freestyle - AR Fox vs. Arik Cannon vs. Rich Swann vs. Jimmy Rave vs. Lince Dorado vs. Sami Callihan

Mercury Rising 2011 is on Saturday, with an 8pm start time, while Open the Ultimate Gate 2011 is on Sunday and starts at noon. This should give fans plenty of time to take in some Dragon Gate action before heading to the Georgia Dome.

Wrestlemania is clearly the focus of the wrestling world this weekend, but as you can see, there is plenty of other in-ring action taking place in Atlanta between Friday and Sunday as well.

This weekend is a celebration of professional wrestling and everything we love about it. Why not celebrate by taking a chance on one of these shows and expanding your view of the wrestling landscape?

For more information on these events or promotions, check out their respective web sites, which have been handily linked for you in this article. Enjoy Wrestlemania weekend and all of the wonder and excitement that comes along with it.