411’s Buy or Sell 3.10.09: Dragon Gate Heading to Germany, Motor City Machine Guns Returning to PWG, Ring of Honor Partners with Booker T, More!

Posted by Michael Bauer on 03.13.2009

This week, the 411 staff looks all over the Indy Scene in a Battle of the Heavyweights as Michael Bauer battles Larry Csonka in Buy or Sell!

Welcome everyone to WEEK Ninety 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 Ninety Nine's Match-Up:

Fearless Editor of Buy or Sell and the Wrestling Top 5- Michael Bauer!
vs.
Fearless Leader of the 411 Wrestling Ship- Larry Csonka !

Shingo Takagi only won the wXw 16 Carat Gold Tournament because of Dragon Gate's commitment to appearing in Germany this fall.

Michael Bauer : BUY. I have to imagine this is true. Shingo Takagi is a tournament ANYWHERE ELSE would not be justified in winning over the loads of American talent in this tournament. Tyler Black and Bryan Danielson were both second round exits, with the former losing to Shingo Takagi. If Dragon Gate wasn't showing up, I would have expected the later to win the Tournament, but instead, Bryan Danielson won their Heavyweight Title, which isn't a bad plan either. But if the point will be to hype up Dragon Gate coming back in the fall, this was the best way to pull it off.

Larry Csonka : BUY. It just makes sense to me. wXw likely wants to work more with Dragon Gate down the line, they have the big tournament and having Shingo win makes sense. Get gets over by winning, the fans get to know him through multiple matches, and then when he returns for the Dragon Gate tour of Germany, he's a draw. Also, when he returns, he likely will return the favor by taking a loss to the wXw champion or whatever person is a favorite with their fans. It helps both companies and is smart.

1 for 1.

The Motor City Machine Guns should get a PWG Tag Team Title match at PWG's Show 99.

Michael Bauer : BUY. This is 100% BUY! Think of what happened when the Machine Guns came to Ring of Honor over the past two years. First, they faced the Briscoes for the RoH World Tag Team Titles and it added instant credibility to their title reign. Then they came back to face Steen-Erico and it added instant credibility to the status as #1 contenders for the Masked Luchador and Kevin Steen. Do it again here and have the Young Bucks go over them… it's instant credibility and so much more for such a young team.

Larry Csonka : BUY. Fun Fact: The Young Bucks have the third longest tag title run in PWG history going on right now. PWG needs stability and they need to have their guys be built up as much as possible, and they seem to be doing that with The Young Bucks. They beat the Age of the Fall, which is all well and good, but they need something to make people take notice, something to make it appear as if they are the shit, like they matter. Enter the Motor City Machine Guns. First of all, they are the MOTORY CITY FUCKING MACHINE GUNS, they can have a title match anywhere, time or place as far as I am concerned. Secondly, these guys will have a great match with anyone that is motivated. Finally, a team with a name comes in, busts their asses, and has a great match and your tag champions go over in the end? You then have made people take notice, the Young Bucks look like they are the shit and they matter. Period.

2 for 2.

Kenny King and Rhett Titus should be nowhere near a Ring of Honor Tag Team Title match.

Michael Bauer : SELL. Believe it or not, I sell this based on how Ring of Honor books and on the basis of who else is there? The American Wolves have their title shot coming at Hammerstwin next weekend. Mark Briscoe is still hurt, so that team is down. The Age of the Fall had several shots, but Jacobs and anyone is not the same as Jacobs and Black. And all of the non-regular teams like Dark City Fight Club shouldn't be sniffing a title shot even more than King and Titus. But if you need an easy title defense, why not give the new team a shot at the gold. We all know they won't win the gold, but without any other real challengers, there is nothing wrong with them getting one shot.

Larry Csonka : BUY. Listen, I like Kenny King. I think that the due works hard and has improved tremendously in his short career thus far, and yes, it is still a short career. I also like Rhett Titus. That dude keeps working hard and has developed a personality, and people actually seem to care about the guy now, which I think is great. And I don't want to be harsh here, but they really don't need to be anywhere near a tag team title match, not yet. For the most part, ROH does a good job with their title shots, and they actually seem to book the tag teams like they mean something way more than any other US company does, although TNA has their moments. But I just don't like this. To me they need to prove themselves by working together more, defeating more established teams, and then throw them a bone with a non-title victory. If some of this has happened already my apologies, my ROH following has been down as of late, but simply put they, in my mind need to be build up more as a team before they get to hang with STEENERICO~!

2 for 3.

SWITCH~!

Despite any courting by Sweet N' Sour Inc., Incognito will not join forces with Larry Sweeney.

Larry Csonka : SELL. Adam Pearce in the booker. Adam Pearce works with the NWA. The NWA has been working with more lucha stars since the NWA Title change. Pearce and RH as a whole are in a shake up still working gin new talents and such. I can certainly see Pearce throwing Incognito into S&S as a way to give him some "instant credibility," and to give the faction a revolving/part time member that can be brought in from time to time to freshen things up. That's my thought process anyway.

Michael Bauer : BUY. I don't care what the NWA has to do with it. There is no reason for a lucha wrestler from Mexico being a part of Sweet N' Sour unless he going to be spending plenty of time also working with Ring of Honor. Granted, it would make the next cage war not have random entries like freaking Tank Tolland, but unless Icognito or any foreigner is staying with Ring of Honor for a considerable amount of time (think Go Shiozaki last year), there is no reason to get them involved in the Sweet N' Sour storyline.

2 for 4.

Bison Smith will defeat Bryan Danielson in their first one on one meeting in Ring of Honor.

Larry Csonka : BUY. Buy big time, not because it would be believable, but because this NEEDS to happen. They have brought in Bison Smith and want to make this man be a complete bad ass. Killing jobbers and small dudes is effective to a point, but they need to make a BIG impact with him. There is no bigger impact than beating the ever-living shit out of Bryan Danielson, except for BEATING Bryan Danielson. But this is the point. A victory, not bullshit, a VICTORY by Bison Smith does a SHITLOAD for his credibility in the company. And on the other side of the coin, a LOSS by Bryan Danielson, if booked the right way, will not hurt him AT ALL. Danielson is bullet proof at this point in his ROH career, and a victory for Bison Smith makes the most sense to freshen up the top of the card.

Michael Bauer : BUY. I agree that Bison Smith needs to beat Bryan Danielson. What I don't agree with is the reasoning that Larry used. Bison Smith pretty much kills anyone dead, we know that. But he hasn't had a true match yet since coming over. This will be his first match against someone who is not a total jobber and regardless of who it was against, he needs to win. But what also makes me Buy this is the whole Prince Nana story on the side. Apparently, the Embassy is being re-built from his comments in the Newswire and Bison Smith is his centerpiece, much like Alex Shelley was back in the day. For the first match of this reformed group, they have to win unless Ring of Honor decides to kill any of this before it starts.

3 for 5.

Ring of Honor is making a great decision by having a working agreement with Booker T's Legends of Wrestling FanFest.

Larry Csonka : BUY. I buy this big time. First of all, if you aren't WWE or TNA, you should try to partner u with people from time to time. It is the best for THE business and will only help YOUR business. Booker T is holding his charity event at the same venue as the ROH shows/PPV taping will be. With that being the case, they have created a full day of wrestling fun for the enthusiast. By offering discounts and free admissions to fans with tickets of the events, both events win. ROH will likely get new fans that are there to see Booker's event. Booker's event is bringing in NAMES that people know, people that likely have NO CLUE about the existence of ROH. They will now be more likely to go to the ROH show now. They will add butts to the seats, and they may become new fans of the company, something that they NEED! Also, the ROH die hard fans will cross over to Booker's charity event, helping that cause make money, and overall adding to one hell of a week with the WWE in town for WrestleMania. Bottom line, GET OFF THE RAG and STOP BITCHING! This is going to be a great week for wrestling fans that are going, and that is all that matters.

Michael Bauer : BUY. Larry nailed every point I could have hoped to make perfectly. Ring of Honor needs Booker T's event to attract new fans who might decide Ring of Honor is worth the chance it is being given by Booker T. This is one thing Ring of Honor needs to gain and sustain the momentum that has started from their new TV deal on HDNet. Furthermore, imagine some of these legends working with the Ring of Honor crew, perhaps giving a few minutes of time to help the younger wrestlers of RoH improve their craft. That just has win/win on it for the wrestling industrry as a whole.

4 for 6.


The Ninety Ninth edition of BUY or SELL finishes at 4 for 6! Stay tuned for next week when we celebrate the 100th Issue of Buy or Sell as three people will go head to head with a whole new set of topics.