411’s Buy or Sell 04.04.08: Hero vs. Tornado, Danielson in NOAH, AJPW Champion Carnival, and More!

Posted by Samuel Berman on 04.04.2008

The 411 staff discusses Japan and the U.S. Independent scene as Chris Lansdell battles Mike Campbell!

Welcome everyone to WEEK FIFTY 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 Fifty's Match-Up:
The Way I C It author Chris Lansdell vs. Puro guru Mike Campbell!

Chris Hero has to now be considered the #1 Contender to the PWG World Title after pinning champion Human Tornado in a mixed tag team match on the company's most recent show.

Chris Lansdell : BUY . Has there been a hotter feud in indy wrestling? Ever? Well, at least in the last 12 months? A title match is the logical continuation and one that every PWG fan is dying to see.

Mike Campbell : BUY . Chris hit the nail on the head here. It's booking 101. A title match between the two would obviously happen given their feud. But now that Hero has pinned the champion, he's got a legit claim to a title match.

1 for 1.

[Editor's Note: For more coverage of PWG, please be sure to swing over to The Cool Kids' Table Dot Net.]

After a pair of submission victories on recent Pro Wrestling NOAH shows, "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson will be granted a shot at the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title before the end of the current tour.

Chris Lansdell : BUY . A better question would be, can he win it? After Morishima's run with the RoH belt, and given that RoH are in cost-cutting mode, an extended run with a Japanese belt for AmDrag keeps him away from Nigel for a while, returns the Morishima favor, and rewards Danielson for being awesome. So yes, he gets his shot, and wins it.

Mike Campbell : BUY . It's not a bad idea, especially with the Budokan show being all about the Tag League matches, it could use an important singles match. I doubt Danielson will win the title, because NOAH rarely gives gaijin high profile pushes. Of course they could also be looking to put the title on a hiatus of sorts to put more focus on the Jr. Tag Titles, like they've done a few times in the past. But, given NOAH's precedent on pushing the foreigners, I don't think Danielson is winning gold.

2 for 2.

Hiroshi Tanahashi will defy the odds and win All Japan's Champion Carnival despite being a contracted New Japan wrestler.

Chris Lansdell : SELL . I'm only going sell here because I'm not really that well versed in New Japan. I know Tanahashi is a big name, but I can't see AJPW letting an outsider come in and win. Japanese promotions may co-operate more than the US ones do (see Dragon Gate and NOAH, for example), but this might be a step too far.

Mike Campbell : SELL . Unless NJ and AJ are working some sort of deal where they can share Tanahashi, then I don't see this happening. AJPW has let non-AJPW wrestlers win before, but it was always freelancers who wrestler prominently in AJPW, which is a mold that Tanahashi doesn't fit. He's also in the block with all the vets and uppercard wrestlers. I can see him pulling out a few wins, over Kea and Nishimura, and maybe an upset over Mutoh, Kawada, or Kojima. But I think that's the best he can hope for.

3 for 3.

SWITCH~!

Davey Richards & Rocky Romero will turn on No Remorse Corps leader Roderick Strong and join Sweet 'n Sour Inc.

Mike Campbell : SELL . I just don't think this should happen. It made sense with the Hangmen Three because they were going nowhere fast. But the NRC have been on a tear ever since they formed. They put down The Resilience time and time again, took Matt Cross out of ROH, broke Erick Stevens' arm, became the first team to not fall to the Briscoes in a 2/3 falls match, and now hold both the ROH Tag Titles and FIP Title. If they seemed to be floundering, then it might not be a bad idea, but I don't think it's happening anytime soon.

Chris Lansdell : SELL . And for many of the same reasons. The NRC have been booked better than either of the other Gen Next splinter factions, and certainly better than Hangm3n (which is a shame because their premise was awesome), and at this point there's no reason to do this. For one thing, Roderick is not a face and should not be a face, and a move like this would be trying to force him into that role. For another, I think it's far more likely that Sweet 'n' Sour get Austin Aries to join, and then a feud with the NRC.

4 for 4.

Having none of the company's champions appear on this weekend's show makes Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's upcoming event seem both uninteresting and unimportant.

Mike Campbell : SELL . I don't follow a lick of PWG, but just because they don't seem to plan on doing anything with the titles for the one show doesn't make the show any less important nor interesting. Now, if the actual lineup for the show features nothing in the way of attempts to advance storylines or kick off a new one, then the show will be uninteresting and unimportant.

Chris Lansdell : SELL . But only because I think it just makes the show LESS interesting and important. Not only are there no title matches, but the champions aren't even on the card? In a small promotion where only a handful of your talent is actually yours, it's normally a good idea to maximize the exposure of said talent. That said, if they can use this card to build some tag contenders, and possibly have Tornado and Hero confront/brawl with each other, they should be able to pull it off.

5 for 5.

The fact that Shingo & BxB Hulk won both of their matches at this past weekend's Ring of Honor shows is a sign that they will be brought back to the company by the end of 2008.

Mike Campbell : BUY . I don't think it will be right away, but I do think they'll be back. The fact that they took the GHC Jr. Tag Titles from Speed Muscle meant that someone must have seen something in them (either someone from NOAH or DG), and getting back to back wins over Steen/Generico and Age of the Fall (both of which have been on a tear in ROH) certainly says something about Gabe's impression. I'm guessing their back to back wins will put them in line for an ROH Title match.

Chris Lansdell : SELL . Trust me, I'd love nothing more. SHINGO grew on me in his extended run in RoH a year ago, and I've heard nothing but good things about BxB Hulk and this team. The thing is, RoH is not a wealthy company. Japanese stars are not cheap. Japanese stars who hold one of the most prestigious tag titles in the world are even less cheap. Now, if they drop the titles in the next couple of months, it MIGHT happen around Final Battle, but I'm sticking with a Sell here.

5 for 6!


The fiftieth edition of BUY or SELL finishes at 5 for 6. Stay tuned for next week when two new men will go head to head with a whole new set of topics.