411’s Buy or Sell 9.19.08: The Necro Butcher, FIP Title, Bryan Danielson, and More!!

Welcome everyone to WEEK Seventy Four 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 Seventy Four’s Match-Up:

Dark Pegasus Video Reviewer and One who Enlightens us all J.D. Dunn
vs.
Death by Midwest video reviewer John Gregory!

If CHIKARA’s mid-west shows are a success, they will venture out of the Philadelphia more in 2009.

J.D. Dunn : BUY. Philly is getting crowded with wrestling promotions, and CHIKARA actually has a lot of broad appeal given its colorful cast of characters. I think places like Chicago and Detroit might be receptive to their style. Also, they might be well served to expand in a similar fashion to SHIMMER where they could book “CHIKARA Special Attraction” matches on independent cards. That gets the product out there to test the reaction without too much risk.

John Gregory : BUY. Speaking as a Chicago wrestling fan, this scene could very much use some CHIKARA. A few years back, Chicago had lots of big IWA Mid-South shows, AAW was beginning to light things up, NWA Midwest brought in lots of TNA talent and some international guys, SHIMMER had just started up, and in addition to that, big shows from ROH every few months. Now, it’s really just AAW and the SHIMMER and ROH shows. The scene here is still aching for great wrestling, and CHIKARA is that. If they can tap into the gigantic Hispanic market here, as well (special lucha shows in Chicago almost always outdraw ROH here), I could see them definitely coming back here on a few times a year basis. They are on a company on the grow, with a regular and unique talent roster, and if it’s financially sensible for them to tour more, they will.

1 for 1.

PWG should not move their newly rescheduled BoLA ’08 to a new date despite TNA running house shows in the SoCal area on the same nights.

J.D. Dunn : SELL. This is, of course, contingent on venue availability and things like that. Why create a conflict with the fans if you don’t need to? TNA has a handful of PWG alumni, and that’s going to be a natural crossover, not to mention that it’s unique to that area at this point. If the fans are loyal enough to pick you over a TNA show, then they’re loyal enough to follow you to another weekend.

John Gregory : BUY. PWG has really had a rough go of it since TNA pulled their talent from them. The BoLA was moved once, and I really think it’ll be a nightmare among the PWG fanbase to move it again. Will TNA pull some potential fans away from the shows? I think it’s not clear they will. It’s more a question of what’s the bigger risk: Running against TNA and maybe losing a few fans for a weekend, or moving another show for the second time and maybe losing a few jaded fans forever?

1 for 2.

The FIP Title has failed at becoming a legitimate replacement for the Pure Title as a secondary belt in RoH.

J.D. Dunn : BUY. This is mostly because they hedged their bets and wanted to make it a “second” title, not a “secondary” title. That’s a nice idea, but it presents a couple of problems. If it’s not a lesser title, then it just dilutes the ROH World Title. That’s why the NWA doesn’t allow its promotions to have “World” titles. If it is a lesser title (which it is), then it makes FIP look like that much more of a bush league promotion. It doesn’t help that most of the FIP title switches before 2008 came in ROH and not FIP. That just cheats the FIP home audience out of a big match. When FIP wants to, they can put on a great show too. In fact, I’d put Roderick Strong vs. Erick Stevens up against anything ROH had to offer this year. Time to have Sweeney start defending that Texarkana World Television Title.

John Gregory : BUY.The FIP Title has failed at that goal, because I don’t think the ROH fanbase really cares about it that much. Why? I’ll give you two reasons.

a) It never elevated anyone, like the Pure Title did for Nigel. Think of mid-2005 Nigel. Did he look like a World title contender? Then think of him a year later once he unified the belt with Danielson. There ya go. For the time the belt has been closely affiliated with ROH and regularly featured, none of its champions have really been elevated due to their reign with it. If the fans don’t see as a sign of “this guy’s going places now that he has the FIP belt”, it’s not going to have much prestige.

b) While the fans liked the wrestlers and the feuds with the belt, it always seemed to be just a prop, and not the focal point. Which is all well and good because the wrestlers are popular, but if you had those same feuds without the FIP title being involved, was it any less important? Again, no prestige seen in the belt.
I really think that if ROH wants to give guys another singles belt to fight over and help build them up, bring back the Pure Title. There’s no reason it can’t do the same with someone else as it did for Nigel.

2 for 3.

SWITCH~!

Bryan Danielson’s GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title win is a perfect set-up for a rematch with KENTA with the title on the line.

John Gregory : BUY. Well, i doubt that it’s really a “setup” just for the rematch, but its certainly the perfect excuse for it to happen. Danielson has been pushed very hard in NOAH this year, and this not only strengthens the ROH-NOAH partnership (allowing things like KENTA-Danielson III to happen), but opens the door for lots of NOAH juniors to come over to ROH to try and wrestle the belt away from Danielson. The bigger question, though, is what does this mean for Danielson’s hopes for a second ROH title run?

J.D. Dunn : BUY. Danielson versus KENTA is the premier Junior matchup in the world right now (apologies to Marufuji). Stateside, this gives Danielson something to do until the inevitable big match with Nigel McGuinness. With the strong relationship between NOAH and ROH, I agree that this strengthens the partnership by allowing the title to be showcased on ROH shows as well.

3 for 4.

The Necro Butcher will single handly win Steel Cage Warfare against The Age of the Fall and Austin Aries with the Briscoes.

John Gregory : SELL. Now I know that would help Necro a lot, but you can’t rob either the Briscoes of their ultimate revenge, or AOTF of their ultimate triumph to do that. I exclude Aries because his issue will have to be settled one-on-one with Jimmy Jacobs. This leads into a broader discussion of who wins here: The Briscoes, Necro, or Jimmy and the AOTF? The Briscoes could certainly use a new direction, as they have held the mantle of world’s most exciting tag team for nearly 2 years and they will start getting stale very soon. And with Jimmy and the AOTF, they could win and continue their revolution, or they could break down after this, leaving Tyler to become a main eventer on his own. But Necro? Eh, I don’t see him getting, or needing, the big win over everyone here.

J.D. Dunn : SELL. For one thing, I don’t think that the Age of the Fall should lose in this match. This should be the “darkest before the dawn” moment. I’d really love to see Mark turn and double-cross his partners. At any rate, this should not be the Necro show. There are other ways to get Necro over, and if you push him in this match, it just serves to muddy up the waters between the feuds with Aries/Jacobs and the Briscoes.

4 for 5.

Kevin Steen and El Generico will win the Ring of Honor Tag Team Titles at the Pay Per View taping.

John Gregory : BUY . Oh, they better. Steen promised it, the fans are craving it, the tag titles could use a long reigning champion, and hey-it’s on PAY PER VIEW, baby. I can’t really see much a reason not to do it, as neither man is involved with any real ongoing storyline, and the Age of the Fall don’t need them per se, so why not? Really, no big analysis needed, just WHY NOT?!

J.D. Dunn : BUY . The clock is ticking on Steen’s promise to have gold by November, so it makes perfect sense to give him the title on a grand stage PPV. Steen is very over with the crowd, but I don’t think they’d really buy him as the World Champion (although he has been a fine challenger for the title). At the PPV, it should all come together.

5 for 6!

The Seventy Fourth 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.