– When Kevin Steen and Cliff Compton go to war in an unsanctioned Philly Street Fight on February 21 at ROH’s 12th Anniversary show, there will be three things being celebrated:
It was just a few short months ago where Kevin Steen was battling for the rights to having the best piledriver in professional wrestling. Now, Steen is battling for so much than a wrestling move. He’s battling for his health and well-being with the crazed former SCUM member, Cliff Compton knocking at his door with a rocket launcher in hand.
ROH hasn’t seen Cliff Compton since June of 2013 when he and the rest of SCUM were put to rest once and for all. Compton had only been with the company for a short amount of time at that point and it didn’t seem like we’d be seeing him again. That is until he recently resurfaced and directed his focus on the one man responsible for killing SCUM and Compton’s long-term chances in the company- Kevin Steen.
Steen has stated that he always wanted Compton to be a part of Ring of Honor. He even went as far to say that he tried to get his foot in the door a while back. Compton not only got his foot past the threshold, but all the artillery he has at his disposal. Compton has felt wronged by Ring of Honor and the lack of chances he has had to express himself. The chances he’s had recently couldn’t be any more profound.
Compton, as promised showed up during Kevin Steen’s match with Kyle of O’Reilly on January 25 at Wrestling’s Finest, ultimately causing a distraction. The mind games aren’t enough for someone like Compton. After being verbally assaulted, Compton zeroed in on Steen like a heat-seeking missile. Compton struck with the biggest blow in this war yet with a top rope Superfly Splash on Steen through a table.
If Compton wants to make some kind of statement on ROH as a whole, then what better way to do so than to take out the most popular guy in the company. Steen is someone who Compton said he respects, but ultimately wants to destroy. On Ring of Honor’s 12th birthday, Compton is the one who is getting the wish in the city of not so brotherly love in this case.
It feels like it has been a while since Ring of Honor has had a story escalate to this kind of magnitude, and they haven’t done all that much. You have two massive personalities cumbusting and creating an explosion not seen since Kevin Steen’s wars with El Generico. With Compton’s ROH future uncertain, he literally has nothing to lose. If Compton is going out in Philly, he’s bringing Steen down with him.
This unsanctioned, Anything Goes Street Fight has all the makings to be one of ROH’s biggest showcases of devastation to date. Speaking from personal experience, I was at Wrestling’s Finest when Cliff Compton put Steen through the table. There was an unsettling, hostile vibe from everyone involved. It was mayhem and a situation that several of ROH’s security could not even contain.
While on the surface this may mean much more for Cliff Compton, Steen must survive and bring out that dark side that hasn’t been seen from him in quite some time. Steen needs to show that he’s still the master of this particular domain. This war with Compton stands in Steen’s way of getting back in the world title picture. That alone should be enough incentive for Steen to bring out the evil.
This is the type of showdown where both combatants go in with all the ammunition in the world. They’ll throw everything they have at one another. This isn’t about who has the bigger gun. It’s going to be a test of who can take more punishment and survive after all the shots are fired. I predict Kevin Steen will be the one walking away, looking over his shoulder to a fallen Cliff Compton, but only after they take everyone and everything around them to hell.
