WWE vs. TNA 2.25.07: The Roundtable (Part 3 of 3)

Here is the final chapter in my WWE vs TNA Roundtable. It is going to be me and Ari doing the predictions, and with a few Samuel Berman and Daniel Wilcox sightings. And of course Dan does the simulations. Lets get this thing rolling.

WWE vs. TNA Roundtable!

CM Punk vs. Kurt Angle

Ari Berenstein:
If CM Punk is looking for competition; I think he would find it in Kurt Angle. However, even I, an ardent CM Punk loyalist, understand that this match is completely in the favor of Angle. Angle has the amateur credentials, the big suplex moves, and the ever unstoppable ankle lock to heel hook submission. Above all, Angle has a killer instinct that cannot be denied. When Angle wants to win, the only one that can stop Angle is Angle himself. This is not to say that the match will be a hundred percent squash, but Punk would to have to work hard just to stay in the game. Chain wrestling will only get him so far and perhaps what it will get him is trapped in a submission hold. Punk’s “Anaconda Vice” submission is also untested against higher-level competition such as Angle. The Olympic Hero has wrestled with a broken freaking neck—so even a move that concentrates on that body part would not be enough to get the W. When the Vice fails Punk, in that moment of desperation, Punk would have to go back and find some of the “old” CM Punk, the one he left behind in Ring of Honor and the Indies. Could he go back to the Pepsi Twist? Could he lure in Angle close enough to the ropes to hit the Pepsi Plunge? No, he cannot. Ultimately, Angle will get Punk in that heel hook, and no one can get out of that move. Not even Punk. He will writhe in pain and look to escape, but ultimately, he will tap out.
Winner: Kurt Angle (submission via heel hook)

Jordan Linkous:
This would definitely be a matchup for the ages, and I think it would be a great thing for Punk if he could get a victory over Kurt Angle, but I just don’t see that happening realistically. Punk is way to much a rookie and Angle is by far one of the greatest wrestlers in the world. Angle is a submission master, and just all around a smart wrestler. As much as I love me some Punk, I don’t think he can beat Kurt Angle. Yet. So here’s how it plays out: Kurt goes for a Super Angle Slam, but Punk counters into position for the Pepsi Plunge, only to be back dropped off. Punk lands on his feet, but Angle doesn’t know that. Angle goes for a Moonsault, he hits Punk with it, but Punk rolls through to a small package, but Angle somehow manages to put on an Ankle Lock and that’s all she wrote.

Samuel Berman
CM Punk is the talented upstart and Kurt Angle the established veteran. On the surface, one would think that Angle would mop the canvas with Punk, leading to a quick Ankle Lock and subsequent submission. In reality, Punk has shown on multiple occasions that he is as cerebral a wrestler as there is. In his epic trilogy with Samoa Joe in Ring of Honor, he was able to take the big man to two hour-long draws because he was able to devise a plan that used headlocks to wear Joe down. Instead of making the same mistakes that had led so many others to fall to one of Joe’s high-impact moves, Punk used a never-before-tried strategy in an attempt to gain the victory. The other advantage that Punk has is his ability to remain calm during the course of a match. Angle has shown throughout both his career in both WWE and TNA that he is susceptible to becoming frustrated and losing his cool. Often, he is particularly able to turn that rage into a positive, drawing strength from the adrenaline rush and overpowering his opponent, but I question whether Punk wouldn’t find some way to exploit Angle flying off the handle. Others might see Angle winning by submission, but I think Punk reverses a late submission attempt with a well-calculated rollup, getting the clean upset victory, even if some say it was a fluke.

SvR Simulation
Lots of stalling, before Punk gets a big right hand, ducks a clotheslines, back suplex by Punk. Big knee strikes, 4 times off the head of Angle. Angle up, dropkick by Punk but Angle doesn’t go down so Punk follows up with a series of kidney punches. Brief chin lock by Punk, then another dropkick and this time Angle falls to the mat. Punk throws Angle out onto the apron, then knocks him to the floor with a big forearm. Punk to the top, elbow drop to the floor connects! Punk back in, Angle recovers at 3. Punk gets a drop toehold, floats over and applies a side headlock. Release German suplex sends Angle flying half way across the ring and Punk is in firm control here. Punk goes to the top rope but is quickly knocked down by Angle. Angle grabs Punk and plants him with a DDT. Punk recovers and hits an inverted suplex on the Olympian. Double knee drop by Punk misses and Angle comes back 2 right hands and a side slam. Double sledge by Angle, knees to the gut and a takedown. Punk charges, Angle ducks a clothesline and nails Punk with a German! Angle taunts and kicks Punk around a bit. Punk gets 3 rights in to the ribs of Angle and plants him with a side bulldog. Cross armbreaker by Punk but Angle gets the ropes and Punk breaks cleanly. Shove by Punk, slap, side headlock, switches into wrist lock and shoves Angle away again. Angle misses a charge and gets caught with a German suplex. Angle catches a kick and whips Punk round. Front facelock on Punk, clubbing blow to the back, belly-to-belly suplex! Angle drags Punk to the middle of the ring and hits some roundhouse shots, blows across the face of Samoa Joe. Ankle Lock! Punk rolls through though! Angle ducks a right hand, Angle Slam! One…Two…Three!
Angle wins @ 7:25! **½

Kurt Angle wins 3-1
WWE 4 – TNA/ROH 5

Nigel McGuinness vs. William Regal

Ari Berenstein:
Like Danielson vs. Benoit, we see in this match two men who are so similar in style and approach that they could be twins were it not for the age difference. Nigel is indeed the next evolution of a wrestler such as William Regal, and therefore what we’re really asking is can William Regal find a way to counter everything about Nigel that is so effective? Nigel’s use of momentum and strikes is akin to playing a game of pinball and racking up a ton of points by ricocheting through all the bumpers. If Regal gets caught in a number of awkward positions because he gets hit with the European uppercuts and rebound lariats, there isn’t much chance for him at all. He has to avoid those moves and make this more about the ground game. Nigel’s ego would be as such that he would be willing to follow along, at least for a short while. That would be what Regal needs to do to trap Nigel, to put him in some holds and hooks to the point where his body is screaming in pain. If Nigel can’t move well—if he is hobbled—he can’t use his momentum based moves. I think that is exactly what will happen in this one.
Winner: William Regal (submission via Regal Stretch)

Samuel Berman:
If I had to pick, I’d say that Regal could probably pull out a win against McGuinness on experience alone. But it’s hard to count out some of Nigel’s intangibles. If nothing else, bear in mind that Nigel is one of only two men to hold multiple singles victories over Samoa Joe in Ring of Honor (Austin Aries is the other). I’m not saying there’s a direct link between beating Joe and beating William Regal, but Nigel has clearly clashed with (and defeated) some of the best in the world. Though it might be considered a minor upset, I wouldn’t be particularly surprised if I saw Nigel get a win over Regal. Hell, he’d probably be satisfied if it was by countout. However, I say that Nigel wins by Pendulum Lariat.

SvR Simulation
We get a stare down to start, and Regal knocks Nigel on his ass. Swinging neckbreaker by Nigel! Regal blocks a chop and starts throwing right hands at Nigel. Deep arm drag by Regal and a scoop slam. Nigel starts a fist fight with Regal. Another arm drag by Regal, and he starts stomping on Nigel’s leg. Huge uppercut by Regal and Nigel is reeling. Nigel gets another neckbreaker, but Regal gets up. Bulldog to Regal, and now Nigel punches and chokes Regal before he can get back up. Nigel removes a turnbuckle pad, and turns into a big right hand. Gut wrench suplex by Nigel gets 2. Low blow by Regal, and a DDT. Regal goes for the cover but Nigel’s playing possum and rolls Regal up for a very long 2 count. Nigel argues with the referee and bails. Regal takes out Nigel and the referee with a crossbody over the top rope!!! Regal throws Nigel into the barricade. Backbreaker to Regal! Back in and Regal knocks Nigel down again with an uppercut, but Nigel fights back and hits another backbreaker. More choking by Nigel, and another neckbreaker for a 2 count. Sweet dropkick by Nigel. Swinging DDT by Nigel. Big right hands to the skull of Regal, busting him wide open! Regal throwing rights and lefts, trying to battle back, but Nigel hits back with yet another swinging neckbreaker. Spin-out side power bomb by Nigel gets a 3 count!
Nigel wins @ 8:23!! *

Nigel Wins 2-1
WWE 4 – TNA/ROH 6

Edge vs. Christopher Daniels

Ari Berenstein:
This breaks down as a very nice back and forth wrestling contest between Edge and Daniels. Both men are very capable combatants and would mesh well in a contest of high impact moves. What this comes down to is the counter wrestling from both men—can either one maneuver out of their opponent’s most dangerous moves? Sequences that trade back and forth between the Edgecution and Angel’s Wings will provide some close near falls in the match. Daniels will have to avoid the Spear, perhaps even ducking down and bringing Edge into the Koji Clutch position—although that is a risky dodge to attempt. I see the finish as Edge making enough space between him and Daniels to attempt a roll up, and a hold of the tights, for the three count and to the dismay of a taken aback Fallen Angel.
Winner: Edge (pinfall via roll up)

Jordan Linkous:
This is a tough one for me. On one hand, you have multiple time WWE Champion Egde, and on the otherside you have TNA and ROH favorite Christopher Daniels. Both are quite good at countering moves, and they both have many high impact and breathtaking moves. However, there is one thing that Edge doesn’t have, which is a strong submission game. Sure he has a few holds, but Daniels has more, and better. While I see that playing to Daniels advantage, you cannot take away the craftiness of Edge. He can hit his Spear otu of almost nowhere, and he has been known to put his body on the line. He will do almost everything he can do to win, so here is how the match would go down: Daniels goes for The BME, but Edge gets the knees up. He hits the Spear, but Daniels kicks out at 2.9999. So edge throws Daniels against the ropes, runs and rebounds of the ropes himslf to get more speed, and breaks Daniels in half with a vicious Spear and the win.

Daniel Wilcox:
Of all the matches on this list, I would say this one is probably the toughest to call. Both have relatively the same amount of experience, and their respective styles are not too dissimilar, but I would say that Edge has more “big match” experience than the Fallen Angel, of course having been WWE Champion on two occasions as wells as several huge TLC and Ladder matches at WrestleMania. Both Daniels and the Rated R Superstar have shown time after time that they can adjust their styles to fit the environment and match they are in, as well as to fit whoever their opponent is accordingly. One thing Daniels does have in his favour is his psychological advantage and his wide array of moves. As well as the 100s of wrestling holds Daniels could utilise to wear down Edge, Daniels has the BME, Angel’s Wings and Last Rites that could all put Edge away. Edge, however, would rely mainly on the Spear, its advantage being that he can of course hit it out of pretty much anywhere. Edge may struggle to put The Fallen Angel away, and would risk getting frustrated as we have seen from Edge many times in the past, and that has also been his undoing on several occasions. Edge would have to keep his cool and stay calm in order to put Daniels away. While I would say Daniels is the better wrestler, I think Edge is crafty enough to pull out the victory here, and put Daniels down after a gruelling war.

SvR Simulation
Edge gets a quick arm drag on Daniels to start and nails a pair of right hands and a big heel kick early on. Edge takes Daniels down with a side headlock, releases, then plants a dropkick square in the face of the Fallen Angel. Daniels nails Edge with a well placed knee to the gut, attempts a hip toss but it’s blocked, and Edge gets a knee to the gut of his own and hits his own hip lock. Daniels charges but takes another hip lock. Now Edge charges but gets taken down by a drop toehold, Daniels floats over and gets a side head lock. Edge fights out and shoves Daniels off, but he comes back and plants Edge with one-handed bulldog. Daniels whips Edge into the corner and buries his feet into the gut of Edge repeatedly, then sends him up to the top rope and follows him up, nails a superplex! Both men are down, but Daniels crawls across and makes the cover on Edge but only gets 2. Edge fights back, getting a low blow in and nails the Edgecution DDT! There’s the cover, hooks the leg, gets 2! Edge sets Daniels up and applies a chin lock, but Daniels fights out, goes behind, and nails a back suplex.. Daniels charges and hits low dropkick to the face of Edge, drags him up and hits a side slam. Daniels goes up to the top rope now, looks at Edge’s prone body, there’s a beautiful moonsault, it hits perfectly, and Daniels makes the cover but Edge gets a shoulder up. Edge battles back with shots to the gut and takes Daniels down with a spinebuster, Edge covers and gets 2 from it. Edge sets for the Spear, Daniels turns, and Edge hits it! One…Two…Three!
Edge wins @ 5:12! *¾

Edge Wins 4-0
WWE 5 – TNA/ROH 6

Matt Hardy vs. Austin Aries

Ari Berenstein: In August of 2005, Austin Aries’ tag partner Roderick Strong was able to best Matt Hardy in a singles match during a Ring of Honor event (Punk: The Final Chapter). Can Austin Aries do the same in a singles match against V-one-ah? Yes, absolutely. Aries would prove the axiom “anything you can do, I can do better” to be correct. Hardy has never been as good in singles competition as many would have expected. He rarely wins on television these days. Meanwhile, Aries is very successful in his matches for ROH and for TNA. Both men have their cults of support and no doubt both men would be motivated by the roar of the crowd, but Aries is the true “never say die” athlete of these two. Aries never gives up on attempts to hit key maneuvers. Eventually he gets what he wants accomplished in the ring. Aries hits harder and with more velocity than Hardy. Finally, Aries has more range—he can attack from close or can take it to the air. Matt Hardy has a limited but effective flying repertoire, but really it is his brother that excels in that category, not him. I see Hardy getting a Twist of Fate for a close two count, but a second attempt will be dodged and countered with Aries’s trademark combination of finishing moves.
Winner: Austin Aries (pinfall via harsh kick—brainbuster—450 Splash)

Jordan Linkous:
Similar to the Edge/Daniels, I am torn. Both have their own styles and a never say never attitude, and can wrestle different styles. They both have a flying game, and I would have to say that Matt’s is a little more well polished. Aries is a big star with tons of loyal fans in ROH, and same can be said for Matt in the WWE. Ari is right in saying that Matt hasn’t won long term in a while, but that really isn’t his fault as he is a great wrestler that never seems to get the push. Aries is a stonger strike, and probably has a better technical game than Matt. However, I am going to go with my instict and say that Matt wins, and here is how it would happen: Aries goes for a Brainbuster, but Matt counters it into a DDT. Matt goes up top and hits the leg drop, but only gets 2 on the pin. Matt goes for the TOF, but Aries counters it into the Brainbuster, and then goes up top for the 450, only to have Matt move. Matt is up and hits the TOF for the win.

SvR Simulation
Chops by Aries to start. Reverse elbow by Aries and he lands a few stiff right hands, but Hardy knocks Aries off his feet with one shot. Full nelson back suplex into a pin gets a quick 2 count for Hardy. Shining Wizard by Aries! No cover. Backslide pin gets 1 for Aries. Suplex by Matt Hardy, but Aries lowblows Hardy and bails for a breather. Hardy follows and lands an awesome DDT on the floor! Front face lock by Hardy on the floor, both men back in at 6. Arm drag by Hardy. Edge-O-Matic by Hardy. Oh the irony. Back suplex by Hardy to Aries, but Aries fights back with a dropkick to the knee and throws Hardy outside. He follows and hits an inverted DDT on Hardy. Back in at 5, and Aries nails an arm-breaker DDT. Outside and Aries goes CW style on Hardy. Hardy throws Aries onto the announce table and… goes back in. And back out. Flying reverse elbow by Hardy. Back inside, Aries rakes the eyes of Hardy and knocks him down with a dropkick. Hardy knocks Aries down with a clothesline, but Aries is playing possum! Hardy was too near the ropes though. Hardy goes up top and hits an elbow drop! 2 count. Crossbody by Matt to Aries, followed by a dropkick. Sleeper hold applied to Aries, but again he is in the ropes and Matt breaks the hold. Aries goes for the eyes again, and DDTs Matt on his head. This time it’s Hardy playing possum and he gets the 3 count.
Matt Hardy wins @ 4:50! **¾

Bryan Danielson wins 2-1
WWE 6 – TNA/ROH 6

Uh-Oh. It seems like we have a tie. Never fear, though. I (or really Dan) was prepared, and Dan simulated a Royal Rumble including all of the superstar featured in this RT and then some. However, under further review, I noticed Abyss was missing! That being said, here it is!

Tie-Breaker – WWE vs. TNA/ROH Royal Rumble Match!

Participants:

WWE: Rob Van Dam, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Eddie Guerrero, Gregory Helms, Johnny Nitro, Chris Benoit, CM Punk, William Regal, Edge, John Cena, Batista, Kane, and Bobby Lashley

TNA/ROH: Petey Williams, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Chris Harris, James Storm, Homicide, Alex Shelley, Bryan Danielson, Kurt Angle, Nigel McGuinness, Christopher Daniels, Austin Aries, Christian Cage and Chris Sabin

Your number 1 entrant is… Edge! #2 is Christian Cage! Brothers collide! Kick to the gut by Edge, front facelock and there’s a DDT. Edge starts to stomp a mudhole and #3 is Eddie Guerrero! Eddie goes after Edge but Edge takes him down with a side headlock. Dropkick by Christian and shots to the back by Eddie and #4 is Chris Benoit. Benoit immediately tosses Cage out onto the apron but Cage gets a shoulder to the gut of Benoit and comes back in. DDT by Edge to Benoit, Eddie whips Cage into the corner, takes him up and hits a superplex. #5 is Austin Aries, who comes in and tosses Benoit out to the apron and he and Edge work together and Benoit is first eliminated! Eddie tosses Aries to the apron and dropkicks him out, and he is gone! Edge out on the apron now and Eddie and Cage toss him! #6 is Matt Hardy! He and Cage toss Eddie! Matt tosses Cage to the apron and he is gone! #7 is Christopher Daniels who comes in and immediately tosses Hardy! #8 is Nigel McGuinness! He tosses Christopher Daniels! This is getting silly! Next is Brian Danielson at # 9 and he holds on! They trade blows in the ring and #10 is Chris Sabin! Elbow tie up and chops traded between McGuinness and Danielson. #11 is John Cena! McGuinness battles Sabin then gets tosses around by Danielson. #12 is Johnny Nitro! Danielson takes down Cena as Nitro tosses McGuinness with a little help from Cena, then Danielson and Nitro team up to eliminate Cena! #13 is Kane! Kane beats down Nitro as Sabin and Danielson go at it. Lashley is in at # 14! He goes straight after Danielson and delivers a delayed vertical suplex. Sabin and Nitro eliminate Kane! James Storm is #15 and someone just eliminated Sabin! Lashley tosses Nitro and Batista is #16! Storm beats down Danielson as Batista and Lashley trade blows middle of the ring. #17 is Rob Van Dam! Batista and Storm do battle and Batista kills Storm with a Spear. RVD takes down Danielson and there’s a split legged moonsault! Here comes CM Punk at #18! Storm and Batista eliminate Lashley while Punk and RVD team up to eliminate our iron man Bryan Danielson! Batista is eliminated by James storm, who then teams up with RVD to toss Punk, only then to be tossed himself by RVD! #19 is AJ Styles and he doesn’t last long, getting tossed by RVD and #20, Chris Harris!
RVD turns on Harris and eliminates him and #21 is Homicide! Cide takes down RVD with clubbing blows but Van Dam shoves back and hits a wheel kick. Jeff Hardy shows up at #22. RVD back suplexes Cide and then goes to work with kicks to Hardy, as Regal enters #23. Cide and Regal team up to eliminate RVD! Cide and Regal toss Jeff Hardy now and #24 is Alex Shelley! Cide eliminates Regal and Shelley comes in and plants Cide with a DDT and standing moonsault! #25 is Gregory Helms! Helms and Shelley team up and toss Cide, then turn on each other and Helms tosses Shelley. Williams is in at #26 but does nothing until #27 enters, Samoa Joe! Williams takes down Joe but Helms gets a neckbreaker on Williams. Williams is up and fails to toss Helms as HBK Shawn Michaels enters #28! Michaels comes in and takes down Williams and Helms holds on again. #29 is Bret Hart! Shawn locks in a Sharpshooter on Williams, ha! Kurt Angle is your #30 entrant as Joe tosses HBK! Helms and Williams are tossed by Angle and Joe respectively at the same time! This leaves Bret Hart, Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle as your final 3! Joe with a headbutt to the back of Angle, and now tosses Bret. He holds on until Angle helps Joe and Bret is gone! Joe takes Angle down with a lariat, but Angle fights back and gets a sleeper applied on Joe! Elbows by Angle, half Boston crab, but Joe is coming back with right hands to the gut. Hey wait, TNA has won this already! Angle tosses Joe but he is only on the apron, Angle is close to having him gone, but there’s a shoulder to the mid section and Joe is back in. They trade a few chops and right hands, and there’s a snap powerslam by Samoa Joe! Angle tosses Joe again but he blocks it one more time. Angle nails the Angle Slam! He tosses Joe to the floor – it’s over, Angle wins @ 16:33! *¾

WWE 6 – 7 TNA/ROH!

Kurt Angle, and thus TNA/ROH, wins @ 16:33!

Well, that wraps it up for us folks.Team TNA/ROH wins this roundtable, and you know that in the future there will be another one of these with all new contestants. Again I want to thank all those who helped out, and don’t forget to send your feedback. I will be returning to our usual format next week. Or will I? Yeah, I will. Peace.