411’s Buy or Sell10.23.09: Akebono is a Dragon Gate Champion, The End of Steenerico, The Colony’s Next Opponents, and More!!
Posted by Michael Bauer on 10.23.2009
This week, the 411 Wrestling Staff looks back at a busy weekend of Indy Wrestling as Chris Lansdell battles Steve Cook in Buy or Sell!
Welcome everyone to Week 130 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.
Questions are sent out on Monday Night.
BANNER!
(Special thanks to Jasper Gerretsen)
Based on his win in CHIKARA's Torneo Cibernetico, Carpenter Ant will be revealed as an established wrestler in the company sometime in the next year.
Chris Lansdell : SELL. I think they're doing this gimmick enough already, with Brad and Chad Badd. It does seem strange to give the guy a high-profile win so early, but I don't think that's the reason. Maybe they're just really high on him? Maybe it will be like Los Ice Creams, where everyone KNOWS who it is, but nobody kayfabe "knows".
Steve Cook : BUY. I gotta be honest with you guys and admit that I haven't actually seen Carpenter Ant in a match, so I have no idea if he would be an already established wrestler with CHIKARA or not. However, many CHIKARA fans seem quite convinced that Carpenter Ant is somebody that they've seen before, so I choose to believe their speculation. Wish I could shed a bit more light on it than that, but it's been awhile since I cashed in on a Smart Mark sale.
0 for 1.
With two points already, the Orisian Portal will be the next team to earn a shot at The Colony for the Campeonatos de Parejas.
Chris Lansdell : BUY. They've been through the Roughnecks and FIST, and there aren't a whole load of heel opponents that would make sense. I do think that the Portal will have to go through another 2-point team to get their shot, probably the Smash Brothers or Dasher Hatfield and his partner (whose name escapes me right now), but they'll end up with the shot.
Steve Cook : BUY. The thread I saw at CHIKARAfans.com already has them at three points, so I'll assume they're getting the next shot. Can they win? I'm leaning towards the Colony retaining the titles since we've already seen the Portal with the belts for over a year (the longest reigning champs in history, don'tcha know) and the Colony's getting pushed pretty hard this year, which they deserve.
1 for 2.
Akebono doesn't belong being anywhere near a team that holds the Open the Triangle Gate Title.
Chris Lansdell : SELL. Why not? Because he's huge and doesn't suit the traditional Dragon Gate style? Well in my opinion that's a perfect reason for him TO be holding this title. In a 3-man unit you can hide his shortcomings and lack of stamina behind two other guys, and in Dragon Gate you're hard-pressed to find people who aren't phenomenal athletes. Akebono is a fun addition to the team who can be touted as the muscle behind the unit, the reason they keep retaining, and also as someone with name value in Japan. Let the other 5 guys in the match take care of the great wrestling.
Steve Cook : BUY. Akebono doesn't belong anywhere near professional wrestling, to be honest. OK, I'm biased against him because I've seen him on several Japanese MMA shows and it's never been a pleasant experience. Big fat guy, can't do anything, loses once his opponent actually does something. Yawn. Maybe the big guy does something for some fans, but it's nothing that makes me want to watch Dragon Gate or any other show he appears on. Besides, isn't Dragon Gate supposed to be about the flippy shit? The only way Akebono's doing flippy shit is if he falls out of an airplane.
While Japanese tournaments always have some upsets, Delirious pinning KENTA clean should not have happened.
Steve Cook : SELL. A billion times sell because I'm a Delirious mark. What about it? I'm a lot higher than KENTA than some anti-kicky Internet wrestling fans are, but I have absolutely no problem with Delirious scoring a victory over KENTA and getting some love over in Japan. I just wish the match had been televised, which apparently it wasn't…not sure how much that's going to help the Lizard Man get some momentum from it, but it's good to see that NOAH thinks enough of him to have him beat one of their top juniors in a round-robin tournament and are presenting him as a dangerous outsider. Hopefully it'll lead to more NOAH bookings for Delirious and hopefully they'll be lucrative ones.
Chris Lansdell : SELL. I can't say it should never have happened because we don't know if it will mean anything yet. It could even be the setup to a match between the two in RoH for all we know at this point. It's an interesting decision and one that causes me to scratch my head somewhat, but I won't go so far as to say it shouldn't have happened. Besides, I love Delirious.
2 for 4.
Chris Hero will be the next Ring of Honor wrestler signed by the WWE.
Steve Cook : BUY. Well, I can't say for sure that will happen, but if I was a WWE scout and was looking for talent in ROH to sign, that Young Knockout Kid would be at the top of my list. Hero's improved his game vastly in the last couple of years with various wrestling promotions, his personality is there, and he's got himself into the kind of shape where WWE wouldn't be turned off by his physique. The only problem I see Hero having when he makes the next step is that there are people in WWE that aren't going to take his high-impact strikes. They'll have none of that rolling elbow to the back of the neck stuff, no sir.
Chris Lansdell : SE...BU...hmmm. SELL. He's got a great shot at it, and it wouldn't surprise me to see him there. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if I were wrong. But with Tyler Black, Erick Stevens and even Claudio Castagnoli there for the picking, I won't say categorically that That Young Knockout Kid will be the next to "defect".
2 for 5.
Kevin Steen and El Generico will not be a team in Ring of Honor by the end of the year.
Steve Cook : SELL. I think it would have been more likely that they would have split up last year, when both men were receiving singles pushes and regular title shots. Since the ROH booking team has changed, neither Steen nor Generico has received much love in the singles ranks and I don't see that changing anytime soon. It'd be much better for them to stay in the tag team division…while they've probably faced the Briscoes & Wolves enough times for awhile, there's still other teams like the Young Bucks & Dark City Fight Club that they could work with and have some success. I love the Steen/Generico dynamic and don't really want to see anything that changes it.
Chris Lansdell : SELL, but only on a technicality. I think they'll either be close to splitting, or just a team that wrestles more singles matches than as a unit. Keeping them aligned with each other gives RoH more flexibility, and they've shown that a team of a heel-ish Steen and a face Generico can work. Breaking them up at this point would be a mistake I feel.
3 for 6!!
The 130th edition of BUY or SELL finishes at 3 for 6 as these two agree on the 50/50 average! Stay tuned for next week as two new people step up to the plate on Buy or Sell!
