wrestling / Columns

411’s Buy or Sell 02.08.08: ROH on TV, Kevin Steen, Shiozaki and Faction Warfare, and More!

February 8, 2008 | Posted by Samuel Berman

Welcome everyone to WEEK FORTY-TWO 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 Forty-Two’s Match-Up:
Wrestling Zone Editor Larry Csonka vs. The Navigation Log’s Matt Short!

  • Ring of Honor will land a deal to produce a weekly television show by the end of 2008.

    Larry Csonka : SELL. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t that I am against them getting TV at all, I just don’t think that it will happen for various reasons. The first reason is that they seem against it at this point, and if they aren’t 100% behind it, it won’t happen. Secondly, I am not sure they could secure a deal that would be worth it to them. Verses has been rumored to be interested, but they get horrific penetration as far as the number of homes go. Although the channel would fit the ROH style well. If they were to shop around, Cuban’s HD-NET FIGHT channel would also be a good fit. But again, I don’t know if the interest is there. The one thing I know is this, and I discussed this in last week’s news column. I feel that at this point and time, ROH is suffering from Smokey Mountain Syndrome. They are too much of an Indy company to run like a major promotion, but on the flip side they are too major a promotion to run like an Indy company. It is for that reason that I feel ROH needs to sit down and decide what they want to be and make that move before the end of 2008.

    Matt Short : SELL . I just don’t see it happening. It’d be cool if they were able to secure a deal but like Larry has said there’s not a lot of options for them. The Versus or FIGHT networks could pick them up but it doesn’t exactly grow the brand to be on channels not everyone is able to get. They do need to do something to separate themselves from the rest of the US independents though. They’re not huge yet, but they’re definitely beyond just a typical indy fed. If the right deal comes along they absolutely should jump at it but I don’t see one being especially beneficial to them coming along this year.

    1 for 1.

    [Editor’s Note: further Ring of Honor coverage is always available at The Cool Kids’ Table.]

  • Kota Ibushi should be featured exclusively in singles matches during his four appearances for Ring of Honor.

    Larry Csonka : BUY . If they are only getting him for four appearances, I feel that they should utilize him to the best of their abilities and run four first time singles matches. To me that makes the most sense. That being said I doubt they will. ROH has the habit to book talent they bring in like this in singles and tag matches. See: KOBASHI and MISAWA. So while I think they should, I see two singles matches and two tag matches.

    Matt Short : SELL . But a tentative sell. I’m a big fan of Ibushi but he does have his limitations. With the right opponent he could have an amazing match, but pick the wrong guy to put opposite of him and you’ll have all the people comparing him to Pac will have a field day. They need to book him to his strengths and Ibushi thrives in multi-man matches because he relies so much on his signature spots (though he has gotten better). I would book him first into a Four Corner survival match, a tag match, then his last two matches would be singles matches against top ROH talent. They absolutely need to do Ibushi vs. Claudio since Claudio is at the point where he has great matches with anyone. Bryan Danielson and Austin Aries would be good choices too. I want Ibushi to come back and so long as ROH books him to his strengths he has the ability to steal any show he’s on.

    1 for 2.

  • Go Shiozaki will end up joining one of ROH’s many factions during his stay with the company.

    Larry Csonka : SELL . I hope SELL! I think Shiozaki should be treated as special, and not get caught up in the faction war. I feel that if they include him in it, that he will be lost in the shuffle and end up being just another guy on the roster. With KENTA not coming back, many people are looking for Shiozaki to take him role in the company, and if he is caught up in the faction war, then I feel that the feeling of him being special will be taken away.

    Matt Short : SELL . No dice. Shiozaki is essentially coming to ROH on a learning excursion. He won’t gain anything by getting thrown into the mess that is the ROH faction wars. Were the landscape a little better I could see it, but as it stand now Shiozaki wouldn’t fit in. He would be better off facing guys higher up the card and would pretty much just get lost in the midst of all the mid-carders who are involved in the different stables. Given how ROH is set up these days he’ll likely have to face off against a couple of the groups which is fine. I just couldn’t see him fitting in with any of the groups anyway. Maybe the NRC since he has connections with Richards and Romero but at the same time they’d make better opponents than they would allies.

    2 for 3.

    SWITCH~!

  • Bobby Dempsey will leave Sweet ‘n Sour Inc. at ROH’s Sixth Anniversary Show.

    Matt Short : SELL . Dempsey just shouldn’t leave the group now in my opinion. He’s actually getting over in his role as Sweet ‘n Sour Inc.’s whipping boy and he shouldn’t be moved just yet. He’s managed to do what so few ROH students have done and that is to stand out. ROH does such a lousy job of making people care about their trainees, but Dempsey has caught on as this weird cult favorite who people like to cheer for him but enjoy seeing him treated like crap at the same time. Why take him away from what’s getting him over? I actually think Bobby will do something to redeem himself at the Sixth Anniversary to make up for his little flub during the Nigel/Hero cage match.

    Larry Csonka : BUY . I agree with Short there in one aspect. Short mentioned, ROH has done jack and sit in my opinion with getting their students over. But them there is Bobby Dempsey. A fat, ugly and even hideous creature that is becoming loved due to his wacky roll in Sweet and Sour Inc. WHO’S A COOKIE MONSTER? And I agree that he does have this wacky cult following, and basically, he is over. People react and even care to a degree and it just works. But I think at the Sixth Anniversary the shit will finally hit the fan and that will be it, and he will be gone. From there I pair him with Haze to challenge Hero and Del Ray for the Intergender Tag team Championship of the world, which is recognized by the Csonka Commission.

    2 for 4.

  • Kevin Steen will make good on his promise to win an ROH-sanctioned title in 2008.

    Matt Short : BUY . And I hope it does happen. Steen has an excellent chance to win the tag team belts with El Generico in the middle of all the factional warfare going on. The titles are going to be an important factor and with so many combinations of teams battling each other for them its possible for just about anyone to win them on any given night. So it’s possible we could see Steenerico swoop in and grab them up. Funny how Steen’s promise comes right around the introduction of the Intergender Tag Team titles though, isn’t it?

    Larry Csonka : BUY . Indeed he will. I discussed the State of ROH Questionnaire this week in the news column, and when discussing Steen and Generico I am positive that they will win the tag titles sometime in 2008. Not only should they win it, but after the awesome 2007 they had, I feel that they deserve a run with the belts. Steen and Generico were possibly my favorite part of ROH in 2007.

    3 for 5.

  • Davey Richards & Rocky Romero will make it to Death Before Dishonor VI with the ROH World Tag Team Titles.

    Matt Short : SELL . Though it’s not out of the realm of possibility. Since ROH started up the factional warfare it’s felt like a watered down version of the Toryumon/Dragon Gate stable wars. Thus, the tag belts should end up being the centerpiece of the faction wars and will probably be moved around a lot. That said, I think Richards & Romero are going to have a somewhat long reign. Establish them as a tough team with a few defenses under their belts. They’re not going to make it to Death Before Dishonor VI though, but I’ll be interested to see how far they get.

    Larry Csonka : SELL . As I mentioned in the news report this week, for the short-term they will add some stability, but I expect more title changes with the Faction Wars continuing. That is one point that Short and I agree on is that the tag titles will be what the factions war over. Towards the end of this war is where I see Steen and Generico winning the titles and enjoying a long, well deserved run. I too am curious to see how far they get with the titles, but also hate that the AoTF lost them so quickly. I felt having them as champions had a lot of legs.

    4 for 6!

    The forty-second edition of BUY or SELL finishes at 4 for 6. Stay tuned for next week when two new men will go head to head with a whole new set of topics.

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    Samuel Berman

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