411’s Buy or Sell 7.18.08: The Age of the Fall, Vin Gerard, Steve Corino, and More!

Posted by Michael Bauer on 07.18.2008

The 411 staff will all around the Indies, from CHIKARA to Japan to this weekend’s FIP shows as J.D. Dunn battles Mike Campbell!

Welcome everyone to WEEK Sixty Five 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 Sixty Five's Match-Up:
Dark Pegasus Video Reviewer J.D. Dunn vs.
Puroresu Love Writer Mike Campbell!

Vin Gerard winning the Young Lions Cup from Fire Ant shows the tournament to crown the champion means nothing.

J.D. Dunn : SELL . "You heard it here first – 2008 is the year of Vin Gerard!" That was me a month ago. The tournament is hardly meaningless now, although it's not quite like the WWE's King of the Ring or All Japan's Champion Carnival where you are the winner for the whole year. Because you then defend it as a title, the tournament is more like an opening salvo. The fact that Gerard won it after losing it in the finals potentially turns that first match into a series that shows just how even these guys are.

Mike Campbell : SELL . Vin Gerard has had issues with the Colony for a few months now, so this is one of the next logical steps in the feud. Like JD said, the Young Lions Cup tournament isn't a be all end all, because the title is defended all year. Fire Ant (IMO the best of the ants) gets himself some nice rub by winning the tournament, and being the first member of the group to win a title, and Gerard taking it from him the way he did adds to his heat and allows the feud to continue.

1 for 1.

Erick Stevens and Roderick Strong will finally end their feud in FIP this weekend.

J.D. Dunn : BUY. FIP and ROH have been having problems deciding on how much they want to align themselves in terms of storylines. Strong was a heel in ROH and a babyface in FIP.  ; Then, they turned him heel in FIP at the beginning of the year only to have him turn face recently in ROH. It only makes sense for these two to finally finish off their feud. Given that they have a number of common foes, it even makes sense that they might form a team.

Mike Campbell : BUY. At least I hope so. Like JD said, ROH and FIP don't seem to know exactly how much continuity they want to have with their storylines and feuds. But it's time to put this one to rest, if, for no other reason, the fact that the NRC is no more, which was whole reason that the Strong/Stevens feud started.

2 for 2.

J.D. Dunn : SELL. While Tyler Black has really been on a roll in FIP, the Age of the Fall really doesn't have the kind of cohesive presence in that promotion to justify putting the titles on them. It would, however, go a long way toward establishing another babyface tag team to face off with the Dark City Fight Club and Heartbreak Enterprises. I'll stick with the YRR, though, because they just seem to fit so much better with the promotion.

Mike Campbell : SELL. I don't follow FIP on a regular basis, but even I'm aware of how over and how much the YRR get pushed in FIP. I'll take JD's word that AOTF don't have much presence in FIP yet, but if for no other reason, AOTF winning the titles sends the clear message that ROH is more important than FIP and that their main talent is better. So I think that YRR retain here

3 for 3.

SWITCH~!

Steve Corino joining Puerto Rico's WWC will do more harm than good.

Mike Campbell : SELL. Honestly, I know very little of what's been going on in Puerto Rico, only what I read in the Puerto Rico report here on 411. From what I know though, it's been fairly turbulent in WWC, with wrestlers jumping to IWA and then jumping back, and WWC is about to have a big makeover done anyway. Corino isn't a huge name, since the end of ECW the only big exposure he's had in North America has been with ROH. But he's still a fairly well-known name, so unless there's a big back story of heat with him in WWC, this should be a good thing.

J.D. Dunn : SELL . Corino is a huge heat getter when he wants to be, and with the rabid Puerto Rico fan base, he could be a big heel. The fact is that WWC has to do *something* to stop the bleeding, and Corino has the experience to help rebuild the promotion if he's motivated.

4 for 4.

Tiger Mask was the right person to win the vacated IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship.

Mike Campbell : SELL. Huge sell here, I'm of the opinion that Tiger Mask is both overrated and lazy, and he's not been shy about badmouthing NJPW to the public. There were plenty of better choices to win the title. AKIRA and Jyushin Lyger have the experience and talent, and could easily build to the younger wrestlers trying to prove themselves by knocking them off the throne. Prince Devitt was also right there, who's plenty popular and is also still fairly young, and fits right into the apparent theme of New Japan of pushing the younger wrestlers

J.D. Dunn : SELL. But not quite as vehemently as Mike. Given the breadth of New Japan Junior talent there were far better choices, though. I can only assume Devitt didn't get it because his prize is the tag titles. I agree that a stalwart like Lyger would have been the better way to go. I just don't see what Tiger Mask brings to the table at this point.

5 for 5.

Ring of Honor is making the right decision by stating that due to the nature of PPV, they might not announce any more matches in advance for the 7/26 card.

Mike Campbell : SELL. I don't see why it matters. ROH's PPVs are taped two months in advance. The results and happenings are still going to be out there for others to read. Not announcing the matches won't change that fact. It's reportedly being done to make things special for the fans who attend shows, it's a nice thing to do for them, to keep them on the edge of their seat, but I don't see how it helps buyrates at all, since the results are still out there two months later, and ROH will have already run other shows the play off the events of the PPV.

J.D. Dunn : BUY . It might cost them a few seats one way or another, but overall it's not such a bad idea. While it's conventionally a good idea to generate hype around announced matches, ROH fans generally buy into the brand more than any one wrestler. Chants of "ROH" are just as common as chants for Bryan Danielson, Austin Aries, or Nigel McGuinness. Of course, if Bobby Dempsey were to main event, that might change.

5 for 6!


The Sixty Fifth 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.