411’s Buy or Sell 4.24.09: Colin Delaney and CHIKARA Gold, Austin Aries New Alliance, Chris Hero and Roderick Strong as a Tag Team, More!!

Posted by Michael Bauer on 04.24.2009

This week, the 411 staff looks at Japan, PWG, and Ring of Honor as Bayani Domingo battles John Gregory in Buy or Sell!

Welcome everyone to WEEK One Hundred Five of BUY or SELL. For those of you who haven't been with us since the beginning, here's the Reader's Digest version of what this column is all about. BUY or SELL is very much like 411's long-running Fact or Fiction column. The main difference is that BUY or SELL focuses on topics like the U.S. Independent scene, Lucha Libre, Japanese Wrestling and pretty much anything else that isn't mainstream wrestling, WWE and or TNA. This allows for these areas to get a bit more press and for you, our loyal readers, to learn even more about the sport of professional wrestling.


Week Number 105's Match-Up:

Co-Founder of the American Dolphins Fan Club- Bayani Domingo!
vs.
Definitly not a Co-Founder on any Male Wrestling Fan Club- John Gregory !

Colin Delaney has no chance at winning CHIKARA's Young Lions Cup.

Bayani Domingo : SELL. I'm not sure what he would have to gain by winning the Young Lions Cup, but there is certainly a chance if he's in the tournament. Besides, it's not like he's the biggest underdog or no-name in the field so you have to think that if nothing else he stands a damn good chance of making it far enough in the tourney to at least draw a wicked amount of heat.

John Gregory : SELL. I wouldn't say no chance, but he certainly doesn't need it. I'm a bit of noob on Chikara, but Delaney has been pushed, has a solid gimmick, and has all the heat with the fanbase he's going to get. Will it really be worth it to him to take the YLC? Probably not, but I don't think he's completely out of the running.

1 for 1.

The recently announced team of Chris Hero and Roderick Strong will not make it to the finals of the 2009 PWG DDT4 Tournament.

Bayani Domingo : BUY. I know Hero made it to the finals of BoLA and the man IS the PWG Champion, but I just think it is a bit too predictable to have him in the finals of this tournament and especially since Strong is going for his third straight DDT win. I think if this team makes it to the final then it will be a foregone conclusion that they will lose. If I'm going with The Dynasty in the finals by hook or by crook and facing a team that probably hasn't even been announced yet or the "Hybrid Dolphins". If "American Dolphin" and the "Dolphin Master" manage to make it to the finals then I wouldn't be surprised to see them win since it seems like Joey is making another run at the PWG title and the last show set up battle lines with Joey/Lost facing off versus Hero, London, and Danielson which makes me think they will be adding new blood and it might be Lost teaming up with someone else to chase the title while Joey ends up back in the main event. You can never bet against the heavy favorites, but I have to think that PWG won't put all their eggs in one Hero sized basket.

John Gregory : SELL. That's only judging from the current lineup. Los Luchas aren't getting to the finals. Omega and Chuck Taylor would be a stretch, and so would The Dynasty. What's left is Bryan Danielson and Paul London vs. Roderick Strong and Chris Hero. Hero is the PWG Champ, and Roderick has won the DDT4 twice with different partners. That much talent, and Roderick's history of adapting to new partners locks them in so far. I don't think they'll beat Dragon and London , but I definitely see them being one of the last two teams.

1 for 2.

While a great opprtunity for him, The Bodyguard should not be in a match against Kensuke Sasaki.

Bayani Domingo : SELL. Wait a second, since when did Kevin Costner start wrestling? First Mickey Rourke, then the Postman, who's next, Steve Buscemi? Oh wait, maybe I misread that, let me go wiki this thing and find out who this guy is….okay…um….got it. So this guy is part Kyo Dai, part Creative Control, and part Crazy 88, right? Yeah, in Osaka Pro I don't really worry that much about serious matches and storylines, it's just wrasslin' and fun. No need to worry about a squash here or a ½* match there.

John Gregory : SELL. Why not? This is in Osaka Pro, a comedy-heavy light heavyweight promotion that only once or twice a year draws in the thousands. Their light heavyweights, while talented, wouldn't benefit much from being squashed by Sasaki as they surely would be. The only other heavyweights in Osaka would be Zeus and occasional appearances by Akebono. An Akebono-Sasaki match would be atrocious to look at, and Akebono isn't a regular roster member, so it'd be a one time draw. And Zeus….well Zeus is awful and he's nothing but a physique. Truth be told, I doubt Sasaki will give Bodyguard much offense, so why not it be him?

2 for 3.

SWITCH~!

Now After his performance in he Champion Carnival Tournament, Kaz Hayashi being pinned at any point of the All Japan Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Tournament is a mistake.

John Gregory : BUY. Huge buy. Hayashi has an opportunity to be the first junior in All Japan to be a serious contender to the Triple Crown in….well, maybe ever. By having him be pinned in the Junior Heavyweight Tag Tourney, they erase a lot of that work and Hayashi will not be seen as a viable contender. Besides that, he IS the Junior Heavyweight Champion, having taken the title back from outsider Naomichi Marufuji. All signs point to big things in his future, so why sacrifice that in a tournament match?

Bayani Domingo : BUY. I'm going with a "Buy" here because that is what tag teams are for, you always have one guy who can take the pin or submit and worse comes to worse you always have "friendly fire". Hayashi has been a favorite of mine since his WCW days as a Jung Dragon and his matches in PWG were exceptional. While there has never been a huge amount of support when it comes to the Jr's vs Heavyweights there has been room enough for the occasional push for one or two lucky lightweights. What Kaz has in his favor is his veteran status and general respect among fans, I think he'll end up faring fairly well and parlaying it into at the very least a crack at the belt.

3 for 4.

Austin Aries teaming with Rhett Titus and Kenny King will prove to be a great long term move.

John Gregory : SELL. Aries' character seems much better served being on his own. He's lost his mind, turned his back on the fans, and become the polar opposite of everything he's ever been. I don't see how it serves him to be associated with relative newcomers King and Titus, other than squishing super arrogance with more of it. Plus, let's please not start Faction Warfare 2.0. We've got AOTF, the New Embassy, the Stevens/Strong/Albright faction, Sweet and Sour, AND this? Me no likey.

Bayani Domingo : SELL. You mean like pairing Aries up with Matt Cross and Erick Stevens did those guys so much good? Yeah, well maybe this time will be different right? If Aries' gimmick is similar in RoH as it is in PWG then I can't imagine what teaming him up with those two will do for him. He has a great gimmick on his own and although Titus and King are holding their own in RoH, it just seems like Aries won't get the chance to shine he deserves and Titus/King might just end up being overshadowed.

4 for 5.

You actually believe that Larry Sweeney will never be seen in Ring of Honor again..

John Gregory : BUY. There seems to way too much animosity on both sides for this to be reconciled, especially anytime soon. Sweeney is publicly saying ROH owes him money and screwed him over. ROH PUBLICLY replied and stated they owed him nothing. That's a lot of drama. But with things the way they are now, Sweeney needs ROH more than ROH needs him. The big Sweet and Sour angle has been done, and they've got ultra heel manager in Prince Nana to fall back on. And while Sweeney's talent is undeniable, do you think that TNA or WWE would sign him knowing his medical history?

Bayani Domingo : SELL. Never say never in wrestling. It's not like we thought we'd see Nana back in RoH, Jerry Lynn as the man to topple Nigel, or RoH on TV this year so you never know. Besides Sweeney is one of those guys who will always get a reaction from the crowd, heel or face, and I think if there is money to be made and RoH wants to focus more on characters and making the audience really care about their wrestlers while hiding their ineptitude on the mic then the "Sweet ‘n Sour One" might someday find himself back in RoH. Hell, it's not like we haven't seen less chemically balanced wrestler return to the ring and on a camera.

4 for 6.


The One Hundred Fifth edition of BUY or SELL finishes at 4 for 6! Stay tuned for next week as two more people will go head to head with a whole new set of topics.