Mike Rickard’s  NEWSBOYZ WRESTLING NETWORK

Beset by the impending departure of Ring of Honor (ROH) mainstay Samoa Joe, ROH announced this week that it had signed legendary wrestler Jimmy “Boogie Woogie Man” Valiant to a five year exclusive contract.  Reports are sketchy but Valiant’s duties will apparently include a full-time schedule as a wrestler as well as his taking over the duties as head trainer for the Ring of Honor Wrestling School. 

“Valiant’s experience and in-ring skills make him a perfect fit for our promotion.  While fans have enjoyed the work of Samoa Joe, there’s just no comparison between Joe and Jimmy. “ ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky was quoted as saying “ I have no doubt that it won’t be long before ROH fans are saying “Samoa Who?”

Since his debut in the 1960’s, Valiant has wowed fans with his incredible charisma and equally impressive beard.  Valiant’s beard has been credited with giving inspiration to ZZ Topp and the creation of Simpson’s character Jasper Beardley.  In 1998, Valiant was inducted into the Pro Wrestling Observer’s “Best Wrestler to Never Have Held the World Title” Club with a unanimous first round vote.  

While Valiant’s matches are known for his extensive use of the punch and ramming an opponent’s head into the steel post, his elbowdrop is the stuff of legends.  Fans first discovered the secret of his elbowdrop after Pro Wrestling Illustrated broke the story that Valiant’s elbow was fortified with an extra calcium deposit which made it such an effective weapon. 

The move was seen as a surprise by fans, many of whom were not aware that Valiant was still alive.  Fans at ROH’s website message boards were unanimous though in their approval of the decision to hire Valiant once they discovered that he was indeed alive. 

“ROH has always been good about bringing in legends like Ricky Steamboat and Bobby Heenan so this was only natural” wrote WWESucks2120. “If ROH is bringing him in, you know he’s good”

“This is the greatest thing since ROH added subtitles to its DVD’s so fans could actually understand what’s being said at shows” commented FallenAngelFan23.

Equally excited were the ROH superstars themselves, many of whom grew up watching “Boogie Woogie Man” videotapes with their grandparents.

“It’s not every day that you get to work with such an icon” Bryan Danielson wrote on his website’s blog after he announced he was stepping down as head trainer at the ROH Wrestling School so Valiant could take the spot. “There’s so much I’m going to learn”

In a move seen by some fans as a potshot at ROH, Total Nonstop Action (TNA) announced that it is pursuing the signing of Charlie Brown from Outta Town, a wrestler who filled in for Valiant during Valiant’s suspension from Jim Crockett Promotions.  ROH responded by contacting wrestlers Bugsy McGraw and “Number One” Paul Jones about possible deals in what many insiders are calling the first big bidding battle since the heyday of the Monday Night War.