411’s Buy or Sell 3.21.08: Kevin Steen, BLKOUT, Tyler Black as ROH World Champion, and More!

Posted by Samuel Berman on 03.21.2008

The 411 staff discusses Ring of Honor & CHIKARA as Alex Mattis battles Magnus Donaldson!

Welcome everyone to WEEK FORTY-EIGHT 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-Eight's Match-Up:
The Best of the Rest's Alex Mattis vs. Independent Wrestling reviewer Magnus Donaldson!

Ring of Honor made the right decision by merging Sweet 'n Sour Inc. with the Hangmen Three.

Alex Mattis : BUY . Something needed to be done with both. Sweet ‘N Sour Inc. had a world of momentum and were more than likely going to make their way to a top program in ROH, but unforeseen events (Sydal's leaving, Hero's injury, Puder not being brought back) cut things off before they really got going. And on the other side of the coin, it seemed to me like the Hangmen Three were just wondering around the mid-card and didn't really have much direction. I think that could all change now, Larry Sweeney isn't just one of best talkers on the indies, he's one of the best period and this could greatly benefit the direction of the Hangmen Three. When Hero is back to 100% and re-joins the fray the Sweet ‘N Sour Hangmen Thre…Seven or may become the premier stable in ROH and could rack up all the gold.

Magnus Donaldson : BUY . I pretty much 100% agree with Alex on this one. The Hangmen Three weren't really doing all that much for me as a stable, and that's despite the fact that I am a fan of BJ Whitmer and Brent Albright (not so much of Adam Pearce and Shane Hagadorn). They really needed a charismatic mouthpiece like Larry Sweeney to help them get over, and now that they are part of Sweeney's Sweet and Sour Inc, the group is considerably stronger than it was previously. It benefits everyone involved with both groups, barring BJ of course because he is now dropped from the ROH roster (for now). So yes, I think it's the best thing they could have done to improve the groups.

1 for 1.

[Editor's Note: All the happenings from ROH's triple shot weekend are discussed in detail in the newest podcast over at The Cool Kids' Table Dot Net, complete with insight from 411's own Ari Berenstein!]

After returning to ROH this past weekend with the BLKOUT in tow, Eddie Kingston will become one of the company's top stars by the end of the year.

Alex Mattis : BUY . Now this may be unfair to me to answer as King is one of my favorite wrestlers, but I truly believe that if given the right angle and such he could become a true star in ROH. His in ring work is always improving, and what he may lack in the ring he makes up for with his second to none mic skills. And he can work either way, as monster heel or the underdog face. I've come to learn that King is a love ‘em or hate ‘em kind of guy, but I don't see how people can say that his isn't incredibly charismatic and that his isn't extremely driven. King would recognize his shot in ROH as the biggest of his career and would do everything he could to become the best. I don't think he is going to become a star overnight, we're more than likely going to get a Vulture Squad-BLKOUT feud, but in the end we could see King breaking away from all the stable business and becoming the star of it all.

Magnus Donaldson : BUY . A lot like Alex, I might not be the best person to ask because I am a big fan of Eddie Kingston. But I see so many benefits to bringing the BLKOUT in. For a start, Eddie Kingston bring a lot to Ring of Honor: while not the most technically skilled, he can brawl, he is superb in blood feuds (such as his feuds with Larry Sweeney, Chris Hero and Hallowicked), and his promo skills are arguably the best on the independent wrestling scene (barring Larry Sweeney). I also think that Joker, if brought in, will bring a lot to the table, as is evident by some good matches he had last year in the IWA and elsewhere. Sabian does little for me though: I don't see him as any better than the Special K spot monkey of 2003, and Mireno isn't needed because Kingston can do the talking. Now all we need to see is either Ruckus turn on the Vulture Squad or Human Tornado joining the BLKOUT, and we have a strong faction to bring fresh matchups to the midcard.

2 for 2.

After a career-making performance at the company's Pay-Per-View taping, Tyler Black is now the odds-on favorite to unseat Nigel McGuinness as ROH World Champion.

Alex Mattis : SELL . Shingo and Brent Albright had some amazing matches with Takeshi Morishima and came close to beating the beast, but no one said that they were eventually going to become the ROH champ. Tyler Black was given a hell of an opportunity and made the best of it, but I don't expect him to become champ or even leave his current angel with the AOTF. This match he had with Nigel may be of some significance somewhere down the road, but for now what it may prove to be was a shot for a younger talent, and a notice to the fans that anyone can get ahead in ROH.

Magnus Donaldson : BUY . It's amazing that people are only beginning to realize just how good Tyler Black is now. When he came into ROH last year, he was expected to be little more than Jimmy Jacobs' AOTF lackey, and that is what it appeared to be during the first few shows. Then come Unscripted III, he had a great, great match with Austin Aries, and since then his rise to the top has been nothing short of mesmerizing. He is on an incredible hot streak right now, and as far as I'm concerned, he could win the belt with his next shot and I would not complain one bit. Although to say his PPV match made him a star isn't necessarily true: his match with Bryan Danielson was arguably the match that saw him become a legit threat in the main event picture. So I think that Tyler could be a major threat to the belt, perhaps not the biggest threat, but a major threat to the belt nevertheless.

2 for 3.

SWITCH~!

Despite recent success, Kevin Steen is more valuable to Ring of Honor as a part of his tag team with El Generico than he is as a singles competitor.

Magnus Donaldson : SELL . Now don't get me wrong, I love the Steenerico tag team, and they complement each other so very well. A tag title run would be great to see. But I see so much potential in Steen as a singles wrestler in ROH, and I think he could become a legit main event threat. I think splitting the Generico/Steen partnership at some point would also have a lot of potential to elevate both men to the main event. SO I feel that that Steen should be given a singles run, perhaps by giving Steenerico a brief Tag Title run, have them drop the belts, Steen can turn on Generico leading to a feud, and then Steen can chase the belt.

Alex Mattis : SELL . Much like Magnus said, the team of Steen & Generico is a great one but I feel they both could have solid singles runs in ROH. Both could be valuable to the company as a tag team or a singles wrestler. Steen is a great example of "don't judge a book by its cover." This guy has some great skills in the ring and on the mic. He has some good strength and can even fly. Have you seen this guy's moonsault? Glorious. I'm not sure if I see a title in his future but I think he could become a big part of ROH's roster, by himself.

3 for 4.

Despite currently holding both the FIP World Heavyweight Title and the ROH World Tag Team Titles, the No Remorse Corps have become an afterthought in ROH booking.

Magnus Donaldson : SELL . The No Remorse Corps for me will not become an afterthought in ROH. If anything, I think they could become an even more integral part of the Ring of Honor roster in the future. All three men are extremely talented in-ring performers, although at present Strong is really the only guy you'd buy as a main event threat. Romero and Richards are improving all the time though and I could see Richards in particular becoming an important part of the roster by the end of the year. The NRC won't be an afterthought in Ring Of Honor, and will continue to dominate in 2008.

Alex Mattis : BUY . I think the intentions of this stable were good, but things didn't go the way they planned. I may just be speaking for myself but some seem to have a hard time booing Strong and Richards. Romero seems to be the only true heel of the group. Richards style of wrestling if the kind that fans enjoy seeing and cheering, which is why he has gone to the level of imitating Chris Benoit to get cheap heat. Roderick Strong is literally a babyface and does not work well as a heel at all. I don't see a very good future for this team, Roderick's days as FIP champ may be numbered, and I believe they won the tag titles by default. Like I said, what was planned was good... but things in the wrestling world tend to work out differently than they were planned.

3 for 5.

El Pantera will win the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title from "Lightning" Mike Quackenbush at CHIKARA's Deuces Wild event in April.

Magnus Donaldson : SELL . I like El Pantera: he's a veteran but still a solid and talented wrestler in the vein of Skayde. And while I do appreciate him as an in-ring talent, I don't think he will be able to topple Mike Quackenbush for the title belt. I think that Quackenbush will drop the belt on a more high profile show, to a major name (no offense to El Pantera). It will however be a very good match if given the right amount of time, and Pantera will push him all the way.

Alex Mattis : SELL . Much like Magnus said, Pantera is a veteran who I have a lot of respect for but I don't think he is going to be the one to dethrone Quack for that title. One of the main factors that makes me believe this is the fact that the title match is on a CHIKARA card. While this is an honor for the company having an NWA title defense on their show, I think the title will more than likely change hands on a NWA show and the belt will be dropped, like Magnus stated, to a bigger name. This should be a great match though, and nothing should be taken away from Pantera.

4 for 6!


The forty-eighth 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.