411 ROH Roundtable Preview: Dover & Philadelphia - PPV Taping - 3/14, 3/15 & 3/16

Posted by Samuel Berman on 03.14.2008

The 411 staff gets together for a look at ROH's tripleshot weekend, featuring a tournament for an ROH World Title shot on PPV, Kevin Steen's ongoing issues with the No Remorse Corps, and escalating violence between Jay & Mark Briscoe and The Age of the Fall!

Hello readers and welcome to this edition of the 411 Ring of Honor Roundtable Preview. After nearly a month off, Ring of Honor returns to action this weekend with a very rare tripleshot, with the first two shows in Dover, NJ coinciding with tapings for Darren Aronofsky's film "The Wrestler". Sunday's show in Philadelphia will feature ROH's sixth Pay-Per-View taping, with the winner of a weekend-long mini-tournament earning a shot at ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness in the night's main event. Company aces Austin Aries & "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson will team up in a pair of contests during the weekend, including Saturday's main event where they will face McGuinness and Pro Wrestling NOAH's Go Shiozaki. All that, plus Jay & Mark Briscoe will take part in a trio of matches that promise hard-hitting action. Before we get to our picks, let's give you a look at this week's contributing 411 writers:

Michael Bauer, of the ECW Recap,

Jarrod Westerfeld, of Your Viral Dose of Reality,

Ari Berenstein, of Column of Honor,

And me, Samuel Berman, of The Independent Mid-Card.

Now that the staff has been introduced, here is our preview for this weekend's events. Cards are current as of Monday, 3/10.

FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2008 – DOVER, NJ

Four Corner Survival: Nigel McGuinness vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Erick Stevens vs. BJ Whitmer
Michael Bauer: With Claudio and Erick is qualifying matches the next night, one could expect that one of them gets the win here to build momentum towards that. IN no way does Nigel get factored in the pinfall.

Winner: Erick Stevens

Jarrod Westerfeld: Considering his new found heel attitude, Nigel will more than likely bend and break the rules when necessary to prove he's the best wrestler in the world and the deserving champion of this company. Expect him to dominate when he's got an advantage, and for his opponents all looking to outdo each other to showcase they're more deserving of a title shot against Nigel. But the end result will prove one thing: Nigel is here to stay.

Winner: Nigel "Don't Call Me McLariat You Virgin" McGuinness

Ari Berenstein: From the outset, this looks like a way to preview Castagnoli vs. McGuinness without telegraphing it all away before Philadelphia. Positioning Erick Stevens in the match allows him to get a few more upper card / main event reps and hopefully allows him to show off the kind of effort he has given the last few months in important matches. As for Whitmer...well, its hard to fit a square peg in a round hole, unless that square peg is here to job.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness

Samuel Berman: I actually complained recently about Morishima not being put in more matches like this during his title reign. I think this is a great opportunity to set someone (read: Claudio) up as a down-the-road challenger to Nigel, similar to what happened with Danielson and Aries during the Summer of 2006. Claudio gets the duke here, pinning Nigel cleanly.

Winner: Claudio Castagnoli

411 Staff Picks: Nigel McGuinness (2-1-1-0)


Austin Aries & Bryan Danielson vs. Jigsaw & Ruckus
Michael Bauer: Jigsaw and Ruckus will be motivated, but let's be real here, please…

Winners: Aries and Dragon

Jarrod Westerfeld: With Aries on the ropes thinking about life with Age of the Fall and with Tammy Sytch, you have to wonder if Danielson is going into this alone. Add to this, Smokes has gotten Jigsaw to unmask, so we're looking at a new and improved, emotional and fired up, Jigsaw with Ruckus looking to showcase that the Vulture Squad is not weak in the absence of their leader, Jack Evans. Vulture Squad needs this win more than DragonStarr, but I can't see it happening, realistically.

Winner: DragonStarr (Austin Aries & Bryan Danielson)

Ari Berenstein: Aries and Danielson should win this in a rout as they outclass their opponents on every conceivable level. That's why I'm worried that we'll see an upset in this one. Jigsaw unmasked and now we're supposed to see The V Squad win because of it and Aries is still mostly on the schnide. A fluke loss here wouldn't be unsurprising, but I would hate it.

Winner: Danielson and Aries

Samuel Berman: Gabe Sapolsky is supposedly on record with not wanting to start Jigsaw's "push" with a loss, which is why he unmasked on the videowire. That said, I cannot see the Vulture Squad walking out with a win here.

Winners: Austin Aries & Bryan Danielson

411 Staff Picks: Austin Aries & Bryan Danielson (4-0)


Davey Richards vs. Kevin Steen
Michael Bauer: Good build towards a probable tag title match, meaning the challengers have to win here.

Winner: Kevin Steen

Jarrod Westerfeld: Let's see, either Dynamite Junior defeats Mr. Wrestling with his heavy strikes, or Kevin Steen gets to throw and overall kill Richards by throwing him through the damned mat. Either way, my money is on the fans loving this match, because I know I'll be loving it.

Winner: Dynamite Junior (Richards)

Ari Berenstein: Both wrestlers have been extra motivated in ROH rings as of late, so these two will likely be able to tear it up against each other.

Winner: Kevin Steen

Samuel Berman: Steen's on a roll and a win establishes he and Generico as the top contenders to Richards & Romero. This is a no-brainer to me, especially because Davey's not particularly important to ROH as a singles competitor.

Winner: Kevin Steen

411 Staff Picks: Kevin Steen (3-1)


Qualifying Match for Contendership 4-Way: Go Shiozaki vs. Brent Albright
Michael Bauer: Go is still red hot and should at least make it to the finals over a "C" member of a squad.

Winner: Go Shiozaki

Jarrod Westerfeld: Oh my. Oh my, oh my, oh my. This should be bloody well good. You know what? I would bet on Albright here but the history of Shiozaki and Nigel, from January's NOAH tour, should be played up here just to add some tension towards the tag match the following night. If Shiozaki wins this, it adds a new layer of tension to his tag match with Nigel, and it would be awesome to see that lead into an encounter at the pay-per-view – but I doubt ROH is going to go down that road for a pay-per-view. Maybe for a straight to DVD release house show, but not a pay-per-view.

Winner: Go Shiozaki

Ari Berenstein: Go Shiozaki has gone 2-2 thus far in his ROH U.S. tour and this is his largest competition to date in terms of physical height and power. I fully expect Go to give just as much as he takes, but ultimately its Albright who wins. He's been featured on ROH PPV and looks to be worthy of entrance into the 4CS #1 contender's match.

Winner: Brent Albright

Samuel Berman: Go winning here lets him debut on Pay-Per-View in an important match, which is more important than showcasing Albright at this point. Should be a really good match, too.

Winner: Go Shiozaki

411 Staff Picks: Go Shiozaki (3-1)


Qualifying Match for Contendership 4-Way: Delirious vs. Necro Butcher
Michael Bauer: God do I want to see Necro vs. Go again in the finals. But then again, I want Necro in that no hold barred match against the Briscoes. Take the better one.

Winner: Delirious

Jarrod Westerfeld: Find me a rules book. I'll open my window and proceed to throw [the rules book] out of it. Then I'll realize I live on the ground floor and that I have a screen and gate on my window, therefore defeating the purpose of this act. Delirious and Necro are going to tear the roof down and expect violence – tons of it. The question is, can you really see Delirious, on the pay-per-view, viding for the ROH World Championship? I mean, it worked for the DVD released shows in the past, especially against Danielson. But honestly, can you see it happening at a pay-per-view that's aimed to attract a sea of casual fans who are, currently for the most part, buying Cena merchandise? I kind of want to say yes.

Winner: BAH! BAH! BAH! BAH! BAH! Delirious

Ari Berenstein: Necro Butcher is a terrific wild card style wrestler who can give a depth and freshness to the 4CS style matches. Delirious should match up well with him and provide a hell of an entertaining and physical match, but I don't see him winning this one.

Winner: Necro Butcher

Samuel Berman: In a move that will be made clear later, Necro can't win here because he's needed elsewhere on Sunday. Delirious will make a good fall guy in the Four Corner Survival, too. Oh, and by the way, I've been watching Delirious' three matches with CM Punk from IWA Mid-South lately and they are by far three of the funniest matches in wrestling history. Absolutely fantastic and worth seeking out.

Winner: Delirious

411 Staff Picks: Delirious (3-1)


Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Joey Matthews & Tyler Black
Michael Bauer: Just because Sunday will be a freaking insane brawl…

Winners: Matthews and Black

Jarrod Westerfeld: The Briscoes are looking to exact a measure of revenge against the group that bloodied Jay on pay-per-view, kidnapped Mark and wrapped him in barbed wire, and then stole their ROH World Tag Team Championships to end the year, of 2007. Unfortunately, it's not against the exact members they would hope to exact that measure of revenge against as Jimmy Jacobs is replaced by Joey Matthews. The Briscoes will be focused, but you have to question if Zack Gowen will be in attendance and if he'll play a role, as I'm sure he will, and whether or not Jimmy Jacobs will play a role if he's in attendance, as well.

Winner: Man-UP! Man-UP Boys! (Briscoes)

Ari Berenstein: If this one is the main event, expect The Briscoes to go over to send the fans home happy. It should be a no rules street fight / out of control brawl scenario, which means excitement, but also unpredictability. I think Age of the Fall plays the numbers game, but Jay & Mark battle back to win.

Winner: The Briscoes

Samuel Berman: I actually hope these guys go with a more technical match than a flat-out brawl. That's what the match on Sunday is for. Matthews isn't quite as good as Jacobs, but he's solid and he and Black should mesh well here. Briscoes win for now, pinning Matthews.

Winners: Jay & Mark Briscoe

411 Staff Picks: Jay & Mark Briscoe (3-1)



SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2008 – DOVER, NJ

Kevin Steen vs. Joey Matthews
Michael Bauer: Steen is on a roll and Matthews is just there. He hasn't won a match yet, but then again, should he?

Winner: Kevin Steen

Jarrod Westerfeld: A rematch from 6th Anniversary Show? A match that the fans shat upon because it was slow placed and "WWE styled"? I kind of dug this match, though it really was very slow placed. Perhaps the second time will be the charm for these two to pull out a match that the fans don't die out for. Perhaps, also, this time we'll get to see Joey Matthews go over, adding some tension to this match, but seeing as Steen and Generico have thrown down the challenge to the NRC for the tag titles, I can't see Steen losing two nights in a row.

Winner: MISTER WRESTLING! Kevin Steen

Ari Berenstein: These two were only "okay" in their Sixth Anniversary Show match up, so I think they will take it up a pace here in order to leave a better impression in fan's minds. I think the result remains the same, although Steen will likely not get the Steenshooter to win, but rather a roll up or some sort of AotF backfire will seal it.

Winner: Kevin Steen

Samuel Berman: As with his match against Richards, Steen is just on too big of a roll to lose to a mid-level guy right now. I agree with the notion that interference will backfire along the way, but one way or another Steen walks out a winner again.

Winner: Kevin Steen

411 Staff Picks: Kevin Steen (4-0)


Qualifying Match for Contendership 4-Way: Tyler Black vs. Erick Stevens
Michael Bauer: I'm very tempted to put Stevens in this match just because you need the top two AOTF guys in that brawl Sunday. But with still having Matthews around, you might not need it.

Winner: Tyler Black

Jarrod Westerfeld: Age of the Fall's own young buck faces off with the former fighting FIP World Champion that defeated former ROH World Champions Austin Aries and Bryan Danielson. I can't see Tyler winning this over ROH's answer to John Cena. Plus, I think Erick will come out of the Four Corner Survival against Nigel looking dominant and looking as though he could take this whole thing and defeat the World Champion on a one-on-one basis, on the pay-per-view platform.

Winner: CHOO! CHOO! Erick Stevens

Ari Berenstein: I'm thinking Black and Jacobs fight The Briscoes on the PPV, so that train of thought telegraphs Black not winning this qualifier. Stevens was on the losing end of things at Rising Above, plus he was in a war of words against Daniel Puder. Its a bit of a sharp U-Turn to put him in the 4CS, but his increased status in ROH almost demands it at this point.

Winner: Erick Stevens

Samuel Berman: …and here's why Necro couldn't go over Delirious. A lot of people think Stevens is going to get the title shot, but Stevens already pulled the ‘win a 4-way to get a shot' bit in Detroit last year. I don't think they're going the same route again. Black wins in a shockingly awesome match.

Winner: Tyler Black

411 Staff Picks: Draw (2-2)


Qualifying Match for Contendership 4-Way: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Davey Richards
Michael Bauer: Sorry Davey, Claudio is just better off winning here.

Winner: Claudio Castagnoli

Jarrod Westerfeld: An interesting bout, and one that I think will signal an upset. It's only fair, as you can't even Erick Stevens shine on that stage with Claudio Castagnoli. You also can't have Claudio lose on pay-per-view again, so best not to put him in that Four Corner Survival in the first place. Davey won't go over completely clean, but he is going over and heading into the pay-per-view to give Stevens a good platform for the ROH World Championship.

Winner: Dynamite Junior (Davey Richards)

Ari Berenstein: HEYYYYYY! Castagnoli is my favorite to win the mini-tournament and I have every expectation he will use his arsenal of moves to out-wit and out-maneuver Richards.

Winner: Claudio Castagnoli

Samuel Berman: I have Claudio earning a de facto title shot another way, so him going under Davey here won't hurt him overall. Plus it kills two birds with one stone in freeing Castagnoli up for a singles match on PPV and including Davey (who's without Romero for the weekend) in a high-profile match on Sunday with the titles on hold.

Winner: Davey Richards

411 Staff Picks: Draw (2-2)


Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Brent Albright & BJ Whitmer
Michael Bauer: Since I have an upset on Friday, the Briscoes need to get the edge back on Saturday.

Winners: The Briscoes

Jarrod Westerfeld: Interesting. The Briscoes still don't get their hands upon Jacobs and his manipulation of others, and they still don't get a shot back at their ROH World Tag Team Championship. As a matter of fact, the Briscoes get none of this because they have to rebuild their status – their legacy – to be placed upon the listing for those titles, and have to fight their way back there. First stop will be the Hangm3n, but I feel this may be the year the Briscoes calm down from cloud nine and begin to live life as a regular tag team, once again.

Winner: John Belushi and Bart Gunn, the Hangm3n

Ari Berenstein: The Briscoes are back and in another tag match in Dover. This time The Hangm3n are challenging them, but I don't see the pace of the matches letting up, because both Albright and Whitmer are great in brawl style matches. I do see a loss here for Jay & Mark, as The Hangmen Three need a win to cement where they have been place, as sort of "defacto" number two contenders behind The Vulture Squad. Since those two teams face off for a tag title shot at the PPV, The HM3 need a win here to prove themselves for that match.

Winner:The Hangmen Three

Samuel Berman: Briscoes in a walk.

Winners: Jay & Mark Briscoe

411 Staff Picks: Draw (2-2)


Austin Aries & Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness & Go Shiozaki
Michael Bauer: Wow, this should be something. Nigel could very well not be involved in a pinfall until Sunday. I think Aries gives back the pinfall he gave to Go in NYC, but then again, if Go possibly gets a shot the next night....

Winners: Aries and Dragon

Jarrod Westerfeld: A series of champions clash, and all I can think about is how Shiozaki is going to play a role trying to be the trusting tag partner of Nigel, who's looking at him as an opponent simply because of the position he's in for the pay-per-view taping. Aries and Danielson are going to malfunction at some point, and I have a feeling this will be that point, as Aries is bound to make his decision sooner or later.

Winner: No Contest

Ari Berenstein: Aries and Danielson are a freaking dream team, but McGuinness and Shiozaki are a very formidable counter balance. McGuinness may invoke his support of NOAH to upset the crowd and he will certainly heel it up against Aries and Danielson, his two main and current nemeses. Go is going to want to win after a few back to back losses in ROH, so he'll come strong and worry about Nigel's attitude later. I'll also lay this prediction out: I think Danielson takes the fall and that Aries walks out on him after the match in frustration, thus leading to Aries making a choice as to who he sides with, Tammy Sytch or Age of the Fall, at the PPV.

Winner: McGuinness and Shiozaki

Samuel Berman: This is going to be ten types of awesome. I think Shiozaki solidifies his spot in the company with a pinfall over Aries… only to have Nigel turn on him to set up an issue between the two.

Winners: Nigel McGuinness & Go Shiozaki

411 Staff Picks: Nigel McGuinness & Go Shiozaki (2-1-0-1)



PPV TAPING
SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2008 – PHILADELPHIA, PA

Roderick Strong vs. Kevin Steen
Michael Bauer: Steen has been a freaking tear, but I think this might be the one time he gets stopped, especially if they decide to throw the FIP title into the mix.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Jarrod Westerfeld: The leader of the NRC takes on the big man of the tag team leading the way, blazing a path towards the ROH World Tag Team Titles. I can't see Steen losing this one, even though it's the leader of the NRC here, and the FIP World Champion. This will be the match that Steen overcomes the odds and showcases to the NRC that he, and his generic luchador friend, are deserving of a tag team title match and will not be denied for much longer.

Winner: MISTER WRESTLING

Ari Berenstein: The Steenerico-NRC feud continues to evolve and this singles match is a very happy by product of that new rivalry. I'm looking forward to this one, as both of these guys seem to fit together very well and we could see a hell of a match here. Strong takes it via heel shenanigans.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Samuel Berman: See, this is where the ‘Steen's on a roll' theory gets a bit dicey. Eh, why not. Roderick's still doing nothing for me, a condition that's continued for over a year now. Sad to see, actually, given how over he was in late-2005 and even midway through 2006.

Winner: Kevin Steen

411 Staff Picks: Draw (2-2)


No Rules: Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Members of The Age of the Fall
Michael Bauer: I'm going with Matthews and Necro as the team to face the Briscoes in an insane brawl letting the Briscoes get one back on the AOTF.

Winners: The Briscoes

Jarrod Westerfeld: Necro Butcher and Tyler Black shall answer this call, as Jimmy Jacobs will still be the avoided issue here for the Briscoes. Forget the concept of a good, clean fight here because that doesn't exist here. Expect anarchy and chaos, and because this is a pay-per-view, after all the hype around the Age of the Fall, expect them to win this out.

Winner: PANIC! At the Necro

Ari Berenstein: It's The Briscoes vs. the lead runners of the Age of the Fall in Jacobs and Black. These two forces will collide for the first time on PPV, although ROH fans know of their excellent match at Final Battle 2007. No titles on the line here and I hope that is well enough explained. I see Age of the Fall actually taking out The Briscoes in a surprise of sorts, with Jacobs and Black shutting the former tag champs down with a taste of their own medicine.

Winner: The Age of the Fall

Samuel Berman: With Black occupied in the Four Corner Survival, Matthews & Necro will represent the Age of the Fall in Jacobs' absence. That duo is more conducive to a brawl than Matthews & Black were (not that Black can't brawl, but still), and so this one will probably end up devolving pretty quickly. Briscoes won earlier in the weekend, so Matthews & Necro pick up the win here.

Winners: Joey Matthews & Necro Butcher

411 Staff Picks: The Age of the Fall (3-1)


Four Corner Survival: Winners of Qualifying Matches
Michael Bauer: My match has Claudio, Tyler Black, Delirious, and Go Shiozaki to compete for a shot at Nigel. Go could make sense if everything falls into place the night before, which it might, but he has not been seen by most of the RoH fans and this being a PPV… I don't like it. Delirious would be a great match, but I'm not sure I buy that also. Tyler Black… HA! This leaves Claudio, who is the most deserving of a shot out of any of the eight people involved over the weekend.

Winner: Claudio Castagnoli

Jarrod Westerfeld: Delirious, Davey, Shiozaki and Stevens all do battle for a chance to face off with a laid back Nigel McGuinness who'll be able to pick apart the winner of this battle. I already put over Stevens to win this one during the Qualifier break down portion, so no need to repeat it.

Winner: CHOO! CHOO! Erick Stevens – Because You Don't See Him!

Ari Berenstein: My four qualifiers are Brent Albright, Necro Butcher, Erick Stevens and Claudio Castagnoli. Four worthy competitors who bring wrestling, brawling, power and finesse to the table. These are necessary elements to having a good multi-man match. I think we'll see exactly that--a very good fight between all four men. As I've intimated, I see Claudio Castagnoli winning this one and moving on to face Nigel. Someone is getting Riccola bombed!

Winner: Claudio Castagnoli

Samuel Berman: I've got Delirious, Richards, Shiozaki and Black here. Any of these guys could have a good match with Nigel, but Richards is a heel and Delirious just isn't in a position to be a realistic contender right now. That leaves Shiozaki and Black. While I think that Shiozaki makes sense on a variety of levels (not the least of which was his great match with Nigel in Japan), for some reason I think they're going to pull the trigger on elevating Black in front of the PPV audience. Black has a lot to give ROH as a singles competitor, and a good showing against the champion on PPV is just the boost he needs to move from ‘Jimmy Jacobs' partner' to ‘legit singles force'. And I know I discounted Davey for being a heel and Black is also on that side of the ledger, but Davey's already got gold and this doesn't seem like the right time for him to earn his first shot at the big belt. Whatever. It's my pick and I'll be illogical if I want.

Winner: Tyler Black

411 Staff Picks: Claudio Castagnoli (2-1-1)


ROH World Title: Nigel McGuinness (c) vs. Winner of 4CS
Michael Bauer: So Claudio faces Nigel. It doesn't matter, no matter who faces Nigel, he's leaving with the bloody belt.

Winner: Nigel McGuiness

Jarrod Westerfeld: Erick Stevens does battle with Nigel McGuinness for the ROH World Championship, and I think this may end up being the title chase feud that we get for the summer – Erick Stevens already has the feather in his hat for defeating two former ROH World Champions, and I see Erick giving it his all here, but coming up short. I also expect Nigel to take a look at the Four Corner Survival, at ringside, and possibly even playing a bit of a role to distract a certain few from actually winning. This will more than likely end with Nigel dominating Erick into submission, though I don't see him giving up, nor will he pass out with ease.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness (Retains ROH World Championship – for now)

Ari Berenstein: So its down to the champ vs. The MOST Money Making Man. I had a great affinity for the series of matches these two had back in late 2005 and I'm looking forward to an updated reprise. Both men have learned a lot since then and I think we'll see an exciting match worthy of being a PPV main event. Claudio is the most logical challenger given his presence and his success on most of the ROH PPVs, but I don't see him defeating a newly heel turned Nigel. There's a lot of steam left on that train.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness to retain the ROH World Title

Samuel Berman: Again, I have Tyler Black improbably earning the shot at Nigel. Nigel isn't going to drop the belt here to anyone, but that doesn't mean that Tyler won't be elevated simply by hanging with him. Nigel's PPV defense against Aries from December has been much-heralded, and this will have a VERY tough time following that, but I think both men will be up to the challenge. Nigel in a shockingly competitive match that instantly turns Black into a player for ROH.

Winner and STILL ROH World Champion: Nigel McGuinness

411 Staff Picks: Nigel McGuinness (4-0)

[Editor's Note: More coverage of this weekend's shows can be found over at the BRAND NEW The Cool Kids' Table Dot Net.]