411’s Buy or Sell 03.28.08: ROH vs. Dragon Gate, Nigel vs. CIMA, Match of the Weekend, and more!

Posted by Samuel Berman on 03.28.2008

The 411 staff previews ROHmania weekend as Bayani Domingo battles Steve Cook!

Welcome everyone to WEEK FORTY-NINE 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-Nine's Match-Up:
Truth B Told's Bayani Domingo vs. Ask 411's Steve Cook!

Despite having never run shows in Orlando before, Ring of Honor made the right decision by once again putting on events in the same city as Wrestlemania.

Bayani Domingo : BUY . Hell, why not? It's not like FIP doesn't share a similar fan base and they don't run too far from Orlando. Right now and for the next week Orlando is going to be the Mecca of wrestling fans, like "2nd base" is the Mecca of Cook. Everyone who is in town for Wrestlemania will have wrestling on the brain for the few days and I can't imagine that so long as RoH and even TNA manage to do some decent promoting they can't get in on the frenzy. Besides the possibility of an appearance by an RoH alum in the audience, RoH has a huge potential audience they could bring in by putting together a good show and appealing to the segment of wrestling fans who still enjoy the in ring action and fast paced matches that the "e" has gotten away from presently. Hell, if RoH gets 50 to 100 more fans based on the WM hype then that makes the whole trip worth it. Especially if there are at least 31 Canadians. RoH isn't unlike every other Indy fed looking for a little "rub" from the "e" whenever they can get it. Besides as far as most wrestling fans go there is no such thing as too much of a good thing.

Steve Cook : BUY . Anybody who knows me knows I hate to agree with Placido Domingo on anything, but Bogarting off of WWE's audience is just good business and they ought to do it every year. I would just like to point out that although ROH has never officially promoted a show in Florida, it's not like they don't already have a fanbase down there. It's no secret that Full Impact Pro is ROH's little brother, and they've actually been drawing decent crowds by indy standards lately. Add in the fact that FIP is now booked with ROH storylines in mind, and it's not like ROH is just flying into town for the weekend and never plans on coming back in any form.

What the hell's wrong with second base? I've learned that when you get much further than that, things get complicated…

1 for 1.

[Editor's Note: A full preview of Ring of Honor's weekend shows as well as Wrestlemania XXIV can be found in the most recent podcast over at The Cool Kids' Table Dot Net.]

Ring of Honor should include elements of Dragon Gate storylines in the booking of this weekend's shows.

Bayani Domingo : SELL . If the question is "Will they" then this is a "BUY" all the way, but in my opinion it really doesn't add anything to RoH or benefit them at all by running DG angles in their show. Really there are just so many different storylines going on that it would be impossible for RoH fans to discern who is planning to turn on who and which group is getting a defection from who. Really the only guys involved in any potential drama is CIMA/Saito and Doi/Yoshino. Speed Muscle just reconciled so I doubt anything will come of that and Saito did just challenge CIMA for a shot at his title so maybe they'll tease some tension there, but otherwise no one else involved in the real drama of DG is on the card. I hope they keep this focused mainly on RoH and their own storylines because if they do they have the chance to capture some new fans and show them what a TRUE alternative to the "e" is really like.

Steve Cook : SELL . Here is what a wise man had to say back on 2/15/08 when our distinguished moderator posed the question of whether tension between Doi & Yoshino would cause ROH to change their booking plans…

ROH has a history of booking guys in tag team matches that don't necessarily like each other but put their differences aside in the name of defending promotional pride. For example, I went to a show in Dayton, Ohio last year that featured an ROH vs. NOAH tag team match. Bryan Danielson & Nigel McGuinness weren't exactly on great terms at that point in time, and they still aren't, but they teamed up to take on Morishima & Marufuji in the name of Ring of Honor. If they can do that, why can't Doi & Yoshino? Besides, most of the fans that attend those shows will have no idea what the hell is going on in Dragon Gate currently. They'll just want to see those crazy Japanese guys put on some entertaining matches, and the team of Doi & Yoshino is capable of doing that.

It's best just to book outside invaders as outside invaders and not make things complicated for your audience. The Dragon Gate guys should be able to act civil towards each other for one evening, right? I'm sure most of us dislike people that we work with, but in the name of the company we stand beside them. Much like Domingo and myself, as a matter of fact.

2 for 2.

Ring of Honor would have been better served having CIMA challenge for the ROH World Title than having him take part in a Six Man Tag Team Match on Friday's show.

Bayani Domingo : SELL . Look, RoH giving CIMA the World Title is about as likely as getting that pool table in the 411 Staff room. Having him challenge Nigel might have made for a decent match, but I can't imagine it would end cleanly and I don't think it would have been much better or even as good as Nigel's match against Aries or the "Super Group" match CIMA has against the NRC. While I'm all for showcasing Champ vs. Champ (like PWG has done in the past with CIMA), I think this is the weekend to have Nigel look strong and having him squash Delirious the first night and then narrowly beat Aries the second night is the better way to showcase the RoH champion and roster. Now had the question been should CIMA defend HIS title in a one-on-one match instead of in a 6 man tag I would have said, "BUY". But I really see this weekend as being a true breakout for Nigel McGuinness as he gets back all the momentum he's lost as a result of his injuries. Just like a Steve Cook sex tape I have a feeling this is really going to be a one-man showcase.

Steve Cook : BUY . Bayani, you ignorant slut. Nigel vs. CIMA would have been the perfect fifth match for the ROH vs. Dragon Gate series. Right now you've got 4 matches in that series, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you ask me. You have to have an odd number to have a series, right? I'm not even saying you have to have the titles on the line…even if it is non-title, Champion vs. Champion is the best way to culminate the Dragon Gate Challenge. You don't even have to have a finish, just make the series end in a draw if you want to. Nigel vs. Delirious doesn't sound terrible, but you can do that on any other show. You can't have Nigel vs. CIMA every day. BOOK IT GABE~!

2 for 3.

SWITCH~!

The annual Dragon Gate Six Man Tag Team Match showcase will be the best match of the weekend.

Steve Cook : SELL . There are too many options here for me to tell you without a shadow of a doubt that the six-man will take top honors for the weekend. You've got McGuinness vs. Aries on the same night, and if their match at the PPV was any indication they could easily take MOTN away from the Dragon Gate gang. And if we're going to talk about the entire weekend of wrestling down in the Sunshine State, we gotta mention Flair vs. Michaels in any conversation about potential MOTW or MOTY or whatever. We could ignore that match like how Bayani ignores common sense in his columns every week, but that's not how I roll.

Bayani Domingo : SELL . Yeah me and Cook don't see eye to eye on many things (Crown Royal vs. Kentucky Bourbon/Traci vs. Gail/Cocoa Pebbles vs Cocoa Krispies) but I gotta agree with him on this one. There are too many variables here and when you add in Wrestlemania as well as some of the other matches like AoTF/New Hazard, Steen-Erico/MO'z, and Dempsey/Rider, boy there are just a TON of possible MotWCs. Chances are that the 6 man match will be in the conversation of MOTY candidates by the time the voting goes down, I think by and large there are too many good matches on the card to declare one as being "The Best" this early on. Oh and Steve's right, that's not how he rolls. THIS is how he rolls. Holla!!

3 for 4.

This weekend's Ring of Honor shows will see at least one title change hands.

Steve Cook : SELL . I take a look at the title matches and I see Nigel defending against Austin Aries. Nigel's just turned heel and I think it's way too early to take the title off him with this "new" character direction. If you take the belt off of him now, what was the point in turning him? As for the tag team titles, the No Remorse Corps shouldn't have too much of a problem defending against Ruckus & Jigsaw. Well, they probably will because it's ROH booking, but I don't see the Vulture Squad as tag team championship material. The best chance for a title change is with the FIP title, but I don't know if Roderick Strong plans on defending it against Erick Stevens or not. Either way, I don't see any titles changing hands this weekend.

Bayani Domingo : BUY . So we're betting on Nigel or Roddy losing their titles huh? Nigel ain't dropping the belt after he just turned heel and Strong just got his title back so I can't imagine that happening. Oh, what's that? There's a tag title too? Funny, since the NRC has had it I totally forgot about it. For some reason it just seems like the NRC has done the absolute LEAST with the title belt of just about any team. For some reason I think that we're going to be thrown a curveball here and get a title change. For no other reason than to shake things up and pay Jigsaw back for de-masking in RoH. I could see somehow Kingston and BLKOUT getting involved and possibly costing Ruckus the title, but I think it's more likely we'll see the belts change hands just because, well it's Gabe. Gabe enjoys screwing with the fans. Much like Cook underestimates daily flossing, a good dandruff shampoo, and Traci Brooks' Adam's apple he also underestimates Gabe's itchy tag title change trigger finger.

3 for 5.

Dragon Gate will once again win the ROH vs. Dragon Gate challenge series.

Steve Cook : BUY . The smart booking would be to have ROH go over and then have the Dragon Gate Challenge 3 show (whenever that would be) settle the score. But looking at the matches I don't see ROH coming out of it with anything better than a draw. I think Aries will go over Genki Horiguchi & I like the Briscoes¡¦ chances with Dragon Kid & Ryo Saito, but I don't think Steenerico beats Doi & Yoshino and I can't see Age of the Fall going over Shingo & BxB Hulk. It'll be funny when every match ends up differently from what I predict. If I was a betting man though, I'd put my money on Dragon Gate.

Bayani Domingo : SELL . I'm looking at a "Draw" here as well. Aries beats H-A-G-E, AoTF beat New Hazard, and I think MO'z and Typhoon end up taking their matches. Then again I could also see letting CIMA get the pin in the 6 man tag that night and RoH getting another win in the series to take it 3 to 1. I think this is one of those cases where Gabe puts his foot down and pushes RoH here since it's WM weekend. He'd be an idiot not to. Right now Gabe needs to cash in some of that "Good will" and at the least force a "rubber match" between the companies. While RoH hasn't shied away from pushing Puro talent over their own I think there is a time and place to give your own talent a good "rub". [Insert your own 411 columnist joke here]

3 for 6!


The forty-ninth edition of BUY or SELL finishes at 3 for 6. Stay tuned for next week when two new men will go head to head with a whole new set of topics.