11 Newsworthy Moments From Chris Jericho's Cruise (And What They Mean For Wrestling In 2019)
The Elite splits from the Bullet Club, ALL IN 2 on the horizon, and more rumors of a new promotion.
Chris Jericho's Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager At Sea set sail on 27 October from Miami, Florida. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the fans onboard and for many of the wrestling stars and personalities that participated. During the five day journey at sea, stopping in the Bahamas before returning to port in Miami, there were nightly rock concerts, multiple live podcasts, as well as countless wrestling shows featuring talents from all of America's top promotions.
While it was mostly about fun in the sun, there were a number of major news updates that could hold major implications for the wrestling world's future.
A tentative relationship between ROH and IMPACT was established thanks to some interesting interpromotional matches, Rey Mysterio tagged along despite some attempted interference from WWE, and Jim Ross lent some further credence to rumors of a new promotion potentially in the works. However, most of the big news focused on The Elite -- where they'll be going next year and more on the followup to the historic ALL IN.
With all that and much more, let's dissect the big news from the Jericho Cruise and what it means for the industry going forward.
11. Flip Gordon And The Sea Of Honor Tournament
One of the cruise's major wrestling events was a one-time tournament sanctioned by Ring of Honor -- dubbed the Sea of Honor. It featured many of the company's top competitors, including Christopher Daniels, Marty Scurll, the Briscoe Brothers, former champion Dalton Castle, and the lovable Cheeseburger among others.
The tournament's eventual winner came as a surprise to some, however, as Flip Gordon battled through four matches on his way to victory -- beating two-time ROH Champion Jay Briscoe cleanly in the finals. After being featured extensively on the popular Being The Elite YouTube show, wrestling in a featured spot at ALL IN, and now winning the Sea of Honor tournament, Flip has had a breakout year. 2019 may prove even more impressive for Flip, however, as the underdog competitor looks to capitalize on his growing and loyal following.
With his tournament win, Flip is likely to receive another shot at the ROH World title during the next year. Perhaps he could contend for the belt in April at Madison Square Garden. While it’s unknown what exactly Flip's future holds, it’s clear that he's on the cusp of becoming a major star for ROH -- potentially it's most popular one in some time.