One of the things that likely slipped under the radar with Ring of Honor’s PPV was at least a tease of Cedric Alexander turning heel down the line. If you go back in time when Kevin Steen left ROH for NXT, he declared in his final speech to an ROH audience that Alexander was the future of the promotion. Since that time Cedric has not exactly been on fire in terms of wins and loses or positioning on the card.
He really seemed on the verge of breaking out coming off his program with Roderick Strong. Since that time, Cedric has faced quality opposition but never really has been able to break through. He had an excellent match back in Toronto when he was a last minute replacement for ACH to take on Jay Lethal.
The talent is there but you are starting to see the frustration become part of his ROH persona. After losing to Matt Sydal, he was clearly frustrated but still did the right thing in terms of being a babyface. It seems like he needs a match against a top-level talent and just snaps and goes to the heel side of the equation.
Could Cedric pull off a heel character? It remains to be seen but it is worth a shot to try to get him to an upper level in the company.
Adam Cole is the best example of what a heel turn can do taking you to another level. Cole’s turn was part of a top program for the ROH title in a drawn out tournament. I don’t think it is possible to give Cedric something on that high of a level.
Perhaps having him join the House of Truth looking to learn the evil ways of the force from Truth Martini and Jay Lethal would be a direction to go. The ROH Roster is only becoming more crowded and Alexander needs to find a way to stand out and move up the ladder.
Is it a risk to do this with him? Obviously, there is but there is also a risk in leaving him the same and getting lost in the mix.
The talent is there but you cannot just let it sit at the bottom of the card without progressing. If Kevin Steen believes in Cedric there has to be something to that. He also is one of the favorites of Steve Corino. People see success in him. It is time to press the button and start a climb to the top for him by any means necessary.
For more talk on ROH, WWE and the Wrestling News of the week make sure to listen to the Condo On The Moon Podcast that comes out later tonight and every Friday evening.
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