The Best Of The Rest 9.19.07: Volume 14 - PWG European Vacation II and Project 161
Posted by Alex Mattis on 09.19.2007
PWG's European Vacation II will NOT star Chevy Chase, Project 161 has arrived and they want to share their feelings with you, and does anyone else smell a Knockout?
Welcome back all, what a weekend it was for ROH and what a week it is going to be for UFC. This week PWG international outings will be discussed, as will the long awaited debut of Project 161, and we'll wrap it up with "The Stoppage" where I laid down the winners for UFC 76 and Ultimate Fight Night. So let's get to it!
PWG Announces "European Vacation II":
Several weeks ago, PWG announced their plans to tour Europe in October with stops in France, England, and Germany. Why am I covering this so late? Procrastination is the name of the game. But I don't wan to give off the impression that this isn't important because by all means it is. The first European Vacation could easily be deemed a success and were some damn good shows. For those of you who haven't seen them, I highly recommend them just a couple of fun, energetic professional wrestling shows. This tour will feature some of the PWG loyal such as Joey Ryan, Super Dragon, El Generico, and Kevin Steen. But coming along with them on the tour will be Austin Aries, Pac, Nigel McGuiness, and the PWG champion Bryan Danielson. The first stop in France will feature some highflying action between Pac and Jack Evans, what should be a great match between Joey Ryan and the increasingly sleazy looking Austin Aries. Could he be the one bringing sleazy back? Time will tell. And announced for the main event in France, it is a match for the PWG title between Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuiness. Honestly, can these two have a bad match? Moving along to England some of the home country's wrestlers will be thrown into the mix. The likes of Spud, Terry Frazier, Sha Samuels, and Martin Stone will be on the card. Stone even has the chance to capture PWG gold when he faces Bryan Danielson. Also announced for the card is Pac Vs. Kevin Steen and Austin Aries Vs. Nigel McGuiness. To close out the vacation they move along to Germany where the American Dragon will defend his title against the man he beat for it, El Generico. Their first bout was great, and this one should be also. Also a huge 4-way match has been inked for the show. Kevin Steen Vs. Jack Evans Vs. Super Dragon Vs. Pac. Germany will be represented in full on this show as Ares, Tommy End, and Bad Bones are all booked. All three of these shows promise to be different and special for the company. PWG is growing, maybe at a slower pace than others, but events like this really show their global presence.
Project 161:
Emo kids rejoice as Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black are bring guy liner back with their new faction "The Age Of The Fall." Well, emo kids and rednecks... Odd pairing as Black and Jacobs have some serious backup in the form of the one and only Necro Butcher. Faction warfare is reaching a fever pitch in ROH and this trifecta is nothing to mess with. If Necro's stiff ass punches don't get you, then Jimmy's poetry will. It odd that just a few weeks ago I was talking about how Tyler Black was in a position to make a big splash and then it turns out he's part of a huge angle in the number 1 independent promotion in the country... strange. But seriously I'm very happy to see Necro in ROH and happier that Jimmy Jacobs is returning and being put right back into a big angle. I was so sad that after arguably the biggest win of his career, over Whitmer at SCOH II, he is immediately sidelined for 6 months. But now he's back, and back in a big way. He has been with the company since '03 I believe and has always busted his ass for what he loves and it is now paying off. ROH just isn't an Indy company anymore, they are one of the top professional wrestling promotions in the country. They are one of the big three, and these three were just put into a top angle in the company. If the feud with the Briscoe's continues, it should be great. But really I think anything that happens from here on out with this faction should at least be worth watching. In closing we now may finally see a dream match that myself and fellow Triple Threater David thought up, Necro Vs. Morishima. Make it happen Gabe!!!
The Stoppage:
UFC 76 is this Saturday and the next installment of UFC Fight Night Live is Wednesday night, as is the premiere of TUF. Quite the week for the UFC. Today I'll break down the three-featured bouts of "Knockout" and give some quick predictions for UFN. Chuck Liddell Vs. Keith Jardine: The Iceman looks to get back on the title trails, and looks to score yet another KO as he battles Keith Jardine. Dangerous fight here as both are looking for a very impressive victory coming off a pivotal losses in their careers. That being said, and with all due respect to Jardine, I'm not sure that too many people on putting money on "The Dean Of Mean." I, like most, am predicting a KO or TKO victory for Chuck. One thing is all but certain... this will not go to a decision. If the Iceman were to win this fight, now more than ever, the time would be right for a Wanderlei Silva Vs. Chuck Liddell showdown.
Maurico "Shogun" Rua Vs. Forrest Griffin: Ever since this fight was announced I have been looking forward to it. Very, very few people are giving Forrest a chance in this one, where as I predict him to win. Shogun is an excellent striker, but some of his main weapons have been soccer kicks and head stomps. Both illegal in the UFC. Also the cage has presented a problem to PRIDE fighters that have come to the UFC. Forrest is a veteran of the octagon, has been in high very high profile fights, and has toughed it out against some of the best in the sport. If Shogun is mentally prepared and has trained hard and most importantly hasn't overlooked Forrest, then it is his fight. But I just feel like he may fall in to the shoes of Herring, Cro Cop, and Nog and not bode too well in the UFC, at least on his first outing.
Jon Fitch Vs. Diego Sanchez: Much like the Rua-Griffin fight, I'm quite excited to see this one. Diego has tasted defeat and it probably tastes like prunes... not good, so he is looking for some redemption. Have fun with that one "Nightmare" because Jon Fitch is a tough, dangerous son of a bitch. This should be a great fight, with some back and forth action but overall I expect the result to be the same as Diego's last fight. I do think the difference, however, is going to be that Jon Fitch will finish Sanchez and not have to wait for a decision.
Now with that out of the way, here's a quick breakdown of who I have to win for UFN.
Ultimate Fight Night:
Kenny Florian Vs. Din Thomas
Chris Leban Vs. Terry Martin
Junior Assuncao Vs. Nate Diaz Pete Sell Vs. Nate Quarry
.*This Week's YouTube Sendoff:*
Lord doesn't this look like this season is going to own?
Feedback as always is welcome at slash_632@hotmail.com
Well that's it for me this week, don't forget to tune in to all the MMA goodness this week. Next week I'll be back with an extensive preview of this year's TPI, which is set to take place next weekend. Until then take care.
Also, tomorrow night at 8 PM I will be on a San Antonio based wrestling radio show, The Biss Report. Be sure to check it out, go to http://www.indywarztv.com/radio/iwrlisten.htm for info on how to listen in.
