411 ROH Roundtable Preview: ROH Fifth Year Festival, 2/23 & 2/24

Ari Berenstein, the man at the helm of the Column of Honor,

John Gregory, watcher of WSX and IWA-MS,

Theo Fraser, coming over again from the Games Zone,

Brad Garoon, reviewer of all things Independent,

Stuart Carapola, who writes Friendly Competition, The Ominous Thoughts News Report, That Was Then and about fourteen other things,

Jacob Ziegler, the other half of the BG & JZ ROH reviewing super team,

And me, Samuel Berman, party-line ROH voter extraordinaire (although I did a throwback ECW review this week. Honest.).

With the introductions now taken care of, we’ll head right into our predictions for this weekend’s shows. Due to late changes in the cards, staff totals may vary match-by-match. Cards are complete as of Wednesday, 2/21.

ROH FIFTH YEAR FESTIVAL – NIGHT THREE
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2007 – DAYTON, OH
(Note: This show occurs 5 years to the date after ROH’s first-ever show)

Jimmy Rave vs. Sterling Keenan

Ari Berenstein: Jimmy Rave is threatening to go back into a state of traction after his recent winning streak. This is an easy pick up in the win column for him but at the same time it treads water until something else can be done for him in the storylines. Meanwhile Keenan has had his chances but at this point makes just sporadic appearances. Maybe if SJK can make a great showing there will be more bookings for him in the future—he certainly has potential with his character and wrestling to become involved more regularly for ROH.

Winner: Jimmy Rave

John Gregory: This looks like a ROHvideos.com match to me.

Winner: Jimmy Rave

Theo Fraser: An exhibition match to kick off the show. Keenan’s done lots of work over here in the UK for 1PW, and I’ve been impressed on more than one occasion, but in ROH he evidently hasn’t quite been able to catch his big break. Hopefully that changes here, as I feel Keenan could add a lot to the ROH roster. Whilst SJK will be looking to impress both fans and management, there is no uncertainty in my mind that Rave gets the decisive win.

Winner: Jimmy Rave

Stuart Carapola: Let’s see here: Rave is getting a huge singles push, and Sterling Keenan is enhancement talent at best in ROH. I don’t think there’s much wonder here.

Winner: Jimmy Rave

Jacob Ziegler: It’s nice to see Keenan getting another shot in ROH. I expect a pretty solid match here, but I’d be really surprised if Keenan pulled off the upset.

Winner: Jimmy Rave

Samuel Berman: I’ve never been impressed with Keenan, but Steen & Generico (who I’ve also never been enamored with) won the crowd in Philly last week, so I’m willing to be proven wrong. Whether or not I am, the end to this one isn’t in doubt.

Winner: Jimmy Rave

411 Staff Picks: Jimmy Rave (6-0)

Lacey vs. Daizee Haze

Ari Berenstein: The faces in the Colt / BJ / Daizee vs. Jimmy / Brent / Lacey feud (hey they’ve wrestled each other so long they’re on a first name basis) have been winning out on the Fifth Year Festival. This seems to be the time to blowoff for many of the issues in this feud and I think Daizee will get the big win here to do exactly that. Hopefully this match will get better reception from the crowd than the SHIMMER match from NYC.

Winner: Daizee Haze

John Gregory: As Ari said, this feud is nearing it’s climax. On the women’s side I hope they match the intensity the feud desires with effort. I say Daizee gets the duke to even the score for that brutal table shot she took.

Winner: Daizee Haze

Theo Fraser: Finally, these two are going to settle their differences in a one on one encounter. I expect this to be more of a brawl than a wrestling match, due to the hatred between these two ladies. I see this progressing to a stipulation/gimmick match at some point, but we’ll still see a clean winner here. Jacobs and Albright will probably show their faces after the contest for a Daizee Haze beat down, only to be saved by Cabana and McGuinness, leading to their tag match.

Winner: Lacey

Brad Garoon: These two usually put on good matches against each other. Their match from SHIMMER Volume 1 was very good. I’m not sure whether I think this is the end of this part of the feud or not, but since women’s matches in ROH don’t usually shine I’ll guess that it is and that Haze will get her revenge here.

Winner: Daizee Haze

Stuart Carapola: I imagine that this will be the blowoff since I can’t imagine it escalating much further after the street fight last week. As much as I love Lacey…

Winner: Daizee Haze

Jacob Ziegler: I think this one is going to continue on a little bit longer, and the way to do that is to have the heel win. Lacey will probably get some help from Jimmy Jacobs or Brent Albright to do so.

Winner: Lacey

Samuel Berman: The origins of this feud (it’s another offshoot of the Jacobs-Whitmer issue) are almost a year old at this point. With that in mind, this whole storyline tree is looking to be wrapping itself up with Cabana-Jacobs in Chicago and Whitmer-Jacobs theoretically looming in Detroit (where their first match happened). I think Daizee gets her big win over Lacey here, setting up the final wins by the babyfaces to blow this whole thing off.

Winner: Daizee Haze

411 Staff Picks: Daizee Haze (5-2)

Six Man Mayhem: Roderick Strong vs. Shingo vs. Mark Briscoe vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Matt Cross vs. Delirious (or a substitute)

Ari Berenstein: Well, if you’re going to change or to add to the card to a large degree, you can’t go wrong with this selection. This match throws in all the guys who haven’t been placed into a match yet (unfortunately it reschedules Cross out of a singles match). Matt Cross has some sweet moves and has a good connection to the crowd. His exposure via WSX doesn’t hurt either. Shingo is excellent in multi man matches because he can get his powerhouse moves in and pop the crowd. Claudio and Mark Briscoe would be lost in the shuffle here except that both have a tendency to over perform and rise to the challenge when they seem to be overshadowed by other wrestlers. Delirious is a question mark (isn’t he always?) after his concussion and KO from last week. If he participates I wouldn’t expect him to hold back, but I believe he will end up a late scratch. Roderick Strong is being positioned as a top heel with his No Remorse Corps and quite frankly, I think this is his match to lose. Strong will dominate the field and pick up the win.

Winner: Roderick Strong

John Gregory: That’s a packed to the the brim Six Man Mayhem right there. I’m going with Strong as he continues his demolition of everyone and begins his heeldom.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Theo Fraser: Man, what a stacked line-up! This has ‘show-stealer’ written all over it. Everyone should get a fair chance to shine, but I’m going to go with Strong as the winner to really kick start this No Remorse Corps angle.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Stuart Carapola: I was in Philadelphia this past weekend when Delirious got injured, and his eggs were scrambled pretty bad. I don’t expect him to wrestle. Cross won’t win, so we’re left with Roderick, Shingo, Mark Briscoe, or Claudio. Claudio’s been drifting aimlessly after getting fired from WWE and without Hero around to feud with while Shingo is still building himself as a midcarder. So it comes down to Roderick or Mark, and Roderick is the one fresh off a huge heel turn.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Jacob Ziegler: This is slightly more interesting than the usual scrambled egg match due to the main event talent involved, but they really should have put something on the line here (like a title shot!) because otherwise it’s still just a pointless six-way. I do like the inclusion of Matt Cross in this match. Anyway, I see Strong coming out on top to keep his momentum going after starting the No Remorse Corps.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Samuel Berman: The smart money’s on Strong and the weakest money is on Delirious (who may not even make it to this match). I expect Matt Cross to impress yet again, as he’s the new wrestler in the ‘guy who only gets booked in the Midwest but steals the show every chance he gets’ role that Delirious and Sydal used to have. I’m going to go against the grain with my pick, if only to spice things up a bit.

Winner: Matt Cross

411 Staff Picks: Roderick Strong (5-1)

Colt Cabana & Nigel McGuiness vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Brent Albright

Ari Berenstein: Like I said…it’s time to blow off this feud…except for this match. We have to get to tomorrow night in Chicago for Cabana’s revenge. Albright will incapacitate Nigel long enough for Jacobs to get one more pin on Colt.

Winners: Jimmy Jacobs and Brent Albright

John Gregory: I’m actually going the opposite way here because I think Colt and Nigel need to be established as a team, while I think Jimmy needs to come out on top in the feud.

Winners: Colt and Nigel

Theo Fraser: Well, Colt and Nigel sure surprised me last week by getting the pin on the Briscoes, so it looks like ROH are going to be taking them seriously as a team. If they want to get into tag title contention, they’ll need to keep racking up those victories, so I’d expect them to beat the monster and the emo kid this Friday night.

Winners: Colt Cabana & Nigel McGuinness

Brad Garoon: Cabana got the better of Jacobs last weekend and the final leg of the feud is the following night. I’ll give the edge to Jacobs here as he needs a win to look credible against Cabana in Chicago. Albright could use a win too after losing a big match to Whitmer last weekend.

Winners: Jacobs & Albright

Stuart Carapola: Cabana and Nigel just beat the Briscoes, while Jimmy Jacobs has been hard-pressed to beat anybody. Even with Albright on his side, I don’t see it happening here.

Winner: Colt Cabana & Nigel McGuinness

Jacob Ziegler: Cabana & McGuinness already scored a huge upset over the Briscoe Brothers, so people should take this team seriously. However, I also think that people should take Jacobs & Albright seriously, and with a big Windy City Death match scheduled for the next night, I see Jacobs getting a pin on Cabana here to add more heat to that match (and it already has a lot).

Winners: Jimmy Jacobs & Brent Albright

Samuel Berman: This one is really tough, but I’ll give it to the heels, as another corollary of the Jacobs-Whitmer issue. I think Colt gets the big win in Chicago (I’ll get to that in a bit), so Jacobs will take the win to establish parity over the course of the weekend. That being said, Gabe never books for parity, so what do I know.

Winners: Jimmy Jacobs & Brent Albright

411 Staff Picks: Jimmy Jacobs & Brent Albright (4-3)

Three Way Match: Christopher Daniels vs. Homicide vs. Jay Briscoe

Ari Berenstein: An homage to the very first main event of the very first Ring of Honor show. It’s unfortunate it can’t be all three men who were in that match, but of course last year Low Ki left and then injury struck Danielson. It is good to have three of the original wrestlers on that card in this one. I’m sure they will have some special stuff ready to go for this one. It will also be Homicide’s first match after losing the ROH World Title so of interest will be his attitude and reaction to the events of 2/17 in Philadelphia.

Winner: Christopher Daniels

John Gregory: Remember when they were going to do Daniels/Dragon/Ki II at the 4th Anniversary? That would have been sweet. Anyway, I’m taking Cide here because it will set up a possible tag title shot with either guy depending on the result the next night.

Winner: Homicide

Theo Fraser: On this day, five years ago, Christopher Daniels, Bryan Danielson and Low Ki shaped the future of the company by putting on a wrestling clinic that main evented the first ever ROH event. Danielson is injured, Low Ki is in the doghouse, but we are still going to see homage paid to that landmark event. Daniels, Homicide and Jay Briscoe all competed at The Era of Honor Begins, so this match is no doubt very important to each man, as the winner can legitimately claim to be one of the ‘founding fathers’ of the company. It’s tough to see who’s coming out on top in this one. Daniels is sort of in limbo at the moment, even as tag team champion, but he was the one who was in the original triple threat and has the experience edge in this environment. Then again, Homicide has just come off of his big World Title loss, and as such will be looking to reaffirm himself as a big time player. Jay Briscoe, on the other hand, could be the wild card in this one. A win here would cement him in the top tier of ROH wrestlers, and if that win was at the expense of Christopher Daniels, that would give Jay and his brother huge momentum going into the following night’s tag team title match against the Lords of the Ring. As such, I’m going with the guy who will probably be viewed as the underdog, Jay Briscoe, pinning Daniels after a Jay-Driller.

Winner: Jay Briscoe

Brad Garoon: This is a poor man’s Daniels vs. Ki vs. Danielson, and I think it’s a little silly for ROH to slap this together on the basis that all three men were on the first show. It means less when you take into account the huge gaps of time that both Daniels and Briscoe missed over the course of ROH’s history. Homicide will probably be a non-factor here as his interest will be in getting revenge on the man who took his title the night after this. I imagine Jay will pick up the win with a decision over Daniels to further cement the Briscoes’ claim on the tag titles.

Winner: Jay Briscoe

Stuart Carapola: Interesting that both Briscoes are in multi-way matches. I don’t know what direction Homicide’s going to take now that he dropped the ROH Title, and I think that Jay Briscoe’s going to pin Daniels to set up their title match the following night.

Winner: Jay Briscoe

Jacob Ziegler: This is a nice nod to the first-ever ROH show, in which Daniels competed with Bryan Danielson and Low Ki in a three-way match. It’d be nice for Daniels to get the win, but since Homicide just dropped the World Title it would seem like he needs it more.

Winner: Homicide

Samuel Berman: Had they had a little more time (and had Evans been around for this weekend), I would have done Aries vs. Strong vs. Evans as the 3-Way tribute match, but that’s neither here nor there. As presently booked, Homicide doesn’t look to be involved in the decision, as the real booking chops are to had with Daniels and Jay leading into the Tag Title match the next night in Chicago. Again, I’ll go with parity booking, if only to keep things consistent.

Winner: Christopher Daniels

411 Staff Picks: Jay Briscoe (3-2-2)

Open The Brave Gate Title: Matt Sydal © vs. Austin Aries

Ari Berenstein: Aries is fighting hurt and is at an emotional disadvantage considering the imbroglio he has become involved in with himself, Roderick Strong and Jack Evans. Aries is distracted and Sydal is at the top of his game. He is a double champion and super confident in himself. This is a deadly combination to a challenger’s quest for victory. Sydal will finally pick up a one on one victory here against his former Generation Next leader.

Winner: Matt Sydal

John Gregory: It’s damn good to see a DG belt defended over here. The choice for victory is obvious here, but I wonder if Sydal could be joing former Gen Next member Strong in his new war against Aires?

Winner and still OTBG Champ: Matt Sydal

Theo Fraser: OK, well I don’t quite understand this one, as I thought Aries was over the weight limit, but hey, I’m not complaining, as these two always give a great performance. Sydal has been getting cockier and cockier as each show passes, and his former mentor and team-mate Austin Aries looks to slap him into shape in Dayton. Aries seemingly hurt himself last weekend, and I don’t think Sydal’s 100% after his leg injury back in December, so the match could potentially suffer due to these factors. However, with Sydal representing Dragon Gate, I’d expect the pace to remain pretty upbeat, meaning that we’re in for a visual treat as these two fly around the ring. Ultimately, Sydal is the guy Dragon Gate want back for future tours, so the title belt should be staying firmly around his waist.

Winner: Matt Sydal

Brad Garoon: There’s no way Sydal will drop his new belt here. Aries may have experience in Dragon Gate but he’s also got enemies in Strong and Richards (and a possible third member of the No Remorse Core) to deal with and Sydal has a new heel edge to him. I dig when outside belts are defended in ROH, and it pleases me even more when there is a bit of back story to the match. Look for Sydal’s ego to grow with a win.

Winner: Matt Sydal

Stuart Carapola: I don’t think Aries is going to win the title, so I feel like Sydal’s going to get the win after Roderick-ference.

Winner: Matt Sydal

Jacob Ziegler: This should be a tremendous match, but there’s just no way that Aries will win a Dragon Gate title at an ROH show. At least not yet…

Winner: Matt Sydal

Samuel Berman: Sydal wins here, and then turns down Aries’ invitation to join him as payback for all of the dressing-downs he received during the ‘Sydal tries to beat Aries & Strong’ period last year. Also, let’s be honest, Dragon Gate isn’t going to green light a title change outside of Japan.

Winner and STILL OTBG Champion: Matt Sydal

411 Staff Picks: Matt Sydal (7-0)

Samoa Joe vs. Davey Richards

Ari Berenstein: It may be time for the No Remorse Corps to make their presence felt. I think Joe will be seeing some of Roderick Strong in this match as well. Richards will Wolverine-Up and kick Joe’s teeth in.

Winner: Davey Richards

John Gregory: While Joe will do a few jobs on the way out certainly, it can’t be everywhere, and it won’t be here.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Theo Fraser: When this match was originally announced for the Philadelphia show last week, I went with Davey Richards picking up the victory. A week later, with the match being rescheduled, I am inclined to reverse my decision. For a start, I felt that Richards should look strong for his upcoming title match against Homicide in Liverpool. But with Homicide having lost the belt, there’s no need for that. Plus, I didn’t see Joe coming out of last weekend undefeated. With a huge win over Morishima and Jimmy Rave, I can’t see young Richards toppling the ROH Icon on this occasion.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Brad Garoon: Last week I said that Joe would lose most of his farewell matches but win against Richards. Now he’s beaten Morishima and Rave and Richards is next on the chopping block. I can’t decide if Aries’s presence in the building (along with his prospective new teammates) will help Joe pick this one up or if Richards is going to be the golden boy that picks up the win against the departing big man. I’m going to guess that that honor will go to Nigel or Strong and that Richards will be another lamb to the slaughter.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Stuart Carapola: This was meant to be on the Philadelphia show, but didn’t happen due to a Richards injury. I think the fact that they shuffled the lineups to get this match in means that something big’s going to happen and, if last weekend’s events are any indication, they’re going to be beneficial to Richards. While I picked Joe to go over last week, in light of he and Roderick’s new union, I’m going to swing the other way this week.

Winner: Davey Richards

Jacob Ziegler: The Samoa Joe Farewell Tour rolls into Dayton, the site of the first Joe vs. Punk 60-minute draw. Richards is on the rise and I think teaming him with Strong in a heel faction is a good idea, but he’s just not at the point where he can beat Joe yet.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Samuel Berman: What a difference a week makes. Last week there was no chance that Davey would beat Joe, but now with the X-Factor of Roderick Strong waiting in the wings, anything’s possible. Would they job Joe out to Davey to set up Strong as Joe’s final opponent in Liverpool? I certainly wouldn’t put it past them. However, you could still set that up if Joe was victorious, so that’s the direction I think they’re going to go. Besides, Joe looking at the lights on March 4th is much more meaningful if he’s undefeated during the 5YF leading into the match.

Winner: Samoa Joe

411 Staff Picks: Samoa Joe (5-2)

ROH World Title: Takeshi Morishima © vs. BJ Whitmer

Ari Berenstein: Well isn’t this something? Whitmer has come to the defense again and again of ROH over the last year and here he is at the front lines of fighting to reclaim the World title from the international invader. Personally I’d like to see BJ win just because it will piss off the anti-BJ contingent on the F4W and ROH message boards. You guys are too much with the Whitmer hate. Whitmer isn’t my favorite wrestler by any stretch, but he does what he does pretty well and what he does is take an ass kicking and keep coming back for more. What a funny coincidence this is exactly what will happen in this match, until Morishima wastes him with a barrage of finishers.

Winner: Takeshi Morishima

John Gregory: They won’t derail the Morishima reign this quick, but this match is Whitmer’s time to shine. He can cement his spot in the main events of ROH with a strong showing here. But in the end, he will not get the belt.

Winner and STILL ROH World Champ: Takeshi Morishima

Theo Fraser: Wow, I still can’t believe Morishima is champ. I firmly believe that this angle should be spread out over the course of a couple of months, with Morishima appearing sporadically for ROH, each time escaping with the title and taking it back to Japan. Then, when someone finally does beat Morishima, it’ll be a huge thing, and should really put that particular guy over. Whitmer has vastly improved over the last 12 months, but I still do not feel that he is World Championship material. Not just yet, anyway. Hopefully this won’t be another squash ala the Homicide bout in Philly, but when it is all said and done, Morishima will be leaving with the belt in tow.

Winner: Takeshi Morishima

Brad Garoon: Now that Morishima has won the title and has plans to defend it in the main event of a NOAH show against KENTA I don’t think he’ll be dropping it here. Whitmer may have been a savior of ROH in the ECW feud but NOAH is a whole new ball game and he’s not keeping the title from leaving the country. Should be a fun match as these two have similar styles.

Winner: Takeshi Morishima

Stuart Carapola: Whitmer really raised his value in the last year, but I definitely don’t see him as someone who will work as ROH World Champion, even if an excellent challenger. Besides, Morishima’s taking the title back to Japan with him to defend it against top challengers there and raise the prestige of the title, killing KENTA while he’s at it.

Winner: Takeshi Morishima

Jacob Ziegler: In a somewhat surprising move (though Brad and I and I think one other person in this roundtable predicted it, Go Us!), Morishima ended Homicide’s reign inside of two months. While I don’t think Morishima will hold the title for a real long time (probably at least until the Japan shows in July), it would be too soon to take the belt off him, and as much as I like Whitmer he’s not the right guy, yet. It should be a good matchup regardless.

Winner: Takeshi Morishima

Samuel Berman: I like Whitmer a lot, but my support certainly isn’t enough for him to topple Morishima here. This one could be fun, but ultimately academic.

Winner and STILL ROH World Champion: Takeshi Morishima

411 Staff Picks: Takeshi Morishima (7-0)

ROH FIFTH YEAR FESTIVAL – NIGHT FOUR
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2007 – CHICAGO, IL

Four Corner Survival: Shingo vs. Matt Cross vs. Trik Davis vs. CJ Otis

Ari Berenstein: CJ Otis has some nice moves (he just needs a better name–I get the vision of an inbred redneck hillbilly and that is a far cry from how he actually looks) and Trik Davis has some nice moves, but Shingo and Cross are the more established wrestlers on the roster and are more likely to get the win. I’ll go with Matt Cross here getting the win, impressing Aries enough to extend an invitation to join the A-Men.

Winner: Matt Cross

John Gregory: I’m excited to see CJ in there. He’s a Sabu trainee and a rising star in IWA Mid South. Trik will seemingly never be anything but a jobber in ROH. Whether Cross will ever be pushed or not could be determined this weekend. I’m going with Shingo.

Winner: Shingo

Theo Fraser: Great opportunity for Davis and Otis here. Shingo is the bigger name in the match, so I would have thought he’ll be going over here. In this instance, the outcome won’t really matter. This will purely be about putting on a great show for the Chicagonites.

Winner: Shingo

Stuart Carapola: One guy in this match is not a jobber. That man is Shingo.

Winner: Shingo

Jacob Ziegler: This is certainly an eclectic group. Shingo looks like the obvious winner here, but I have a better idea: give Matt Cross the win. I see him pulling this one out.

Winner: Matt Cross

Samuel Berman: I’m going with the former M-Dogg 20, if only because I like him a lot. And for the record, I agree completely with Ari’s assessment and probably would have written something almost identical, leading to my thoughts on the tag match a little later.

Winner: Matt Cross

411 Staff Picks: Tied (Matt Cross or Shingo) (3-3)

Allison Danger & Sara Del Rey vs. MsChif & Serena

Ari Berenstein: Knowing ROH this will be kept very short. However, this is in the hometown of SHIMMER so maybe a little extra emphasis will be placed on this one. It couldn’t hurt. MsChif is an awesome talent and well, she’s just awesome. Haven’t seen much of Serena besides the one match on SHIMMER vol. 5 but she’s fine. Del Rey and Danger is a nice combo and could become a very strong regular female duo in ROH.

Winner: Dangerous Angels

John Gregory: I’m going with MsChif because Green mist rules.

Winner: MsChif and Serena

Theo Fraser: Interesting match-up, as Allison and Del Rey will be competing against each other the following show in Liverpool in a SHIMMER Special Attraction match. Tonight, though, the two team up against MsChif, who we last saw back in October at Motor City Madness, and Serena, who will be making her ROH debut. I don’t follow SHIMMER besides the odd match here and there, so I’ve only seen what these ladies have to offer through prior ROH matches. MsChif scares me, but that’s OK because she’s awesome in the ring. With Danger and Del Rey going on the UK tour, I’d look for them to pick up the win on the newbie, Serena.

Winners: Allison Danger & Sara Del Rey

Brad Garoon: I happen to think that Danger and MsChif are both extremely overrated. I haven’t seen much from Serena and I don’t think Del Ray will make this one a winner on its own. Women’s matches often suffer in ROH and I don’t expect this to break the mold. It doesn’t really matter who wins, but I’ll go with the obvious choice.

Winners: Danger & Del Ray

Stuart Carapola: I guess this is a SHIMMER match? Both Del Rey and MsChif greatly impress me, and for entirely different reasons. Allison Danger’s all right, but I’ve never seen Serena. Danger and Del Rey are a regular tag team, I believe, so they’ll have the teamwork edge.

Winner: Allison Danger & Sara Del Rey

Jacob Ziegler: I hate to say this, but I really don’t care. I’ve liked a lot of what I’ve seen out of SHIMMER, but when their matches are on ROH shows they’re just an advertisement to buy SHIMMER DVDs, and nothing really significant ever comes out of them. It’d be like if during the second quarter of an NBA game they stopped to let WNBA players play.

Winners: Allison Danger & Sara Del Ray

Samuel Berman: I don’t follow SHIMMER, but the ladies have been pretty impressive every time I’ve seen them (especially last year during Wrestlemania weekend). When in doubt, I always lean towards the Corino family, so that’s what I’m doing here.

Winners: Allison Danger & Sara Del Rey

411 Staff Picks: Allison Danger & Sara Del Rey (6-1)

Brent Albright vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Ari Berenstein: Someone has paid Albright to take out Claudio and I believe his initials start with “L” and “S”. Claudio is back to a losing streak as he can’t quite get a break outside of the Kings of Wrestling.

Winner: Brent Albright

John Gregory: While this doesn’t seem like more than just a match on paper, something tells me this will play into the huge stable warfare that should develop over these two nights. Albright gets the win, I guess.

Winner: Brent Albright

Theo Fraser: We don’t want a complete rehash of the Jimmy Rave storyline we’ve just been through, but I think Castagnoli should go on a short losing streak before he realises that he needs Hero by his side, and begs Sweeney to hire him. As such, Albright should destroy the Swiss on this night. Larry Sweeney will be in the building, but Hero is still in Japan on tour with NOAH, meaning that Mr Sweet ‘n’ Sour is purely there for business, which probably means an appearance by the man himself at some point in the match. Sweeney involvement or not, Money + Albright = Castagnoli on his back.

Winner: Brent Albright

Brad Garoon: So someone hired Albright to take out Claudio. I don’t think it’s any mystery that Larry Sweeney is behind this and I think this match is a nice way to transition Albright out of the soon-to-be-ending Jacobs/Whitmer/Cabana feud. Claudio pretty much wrestles WWE style to begin with and Albright is well versed in that style as well. I could see this being one of Castagnoli’s better matches, but I wouldn’t count on him winning.

Winner: Brent Albright

Stuart Carapola: This is a really interesting match to me because I thought that Albright was going to be the guy they built as the big killer, but then they put the belt on Morishima. Plus, he’s been mired in this whole Lacey angle that I think is just going to drag him down until he gets out of it. Claudio’s similarly directionless for at least this weekend and the next since Hero’s not around. I don’t even know for sure that they’re going to feud him with Hero when he does get back. I think that there’s more upside
to putting Albright over, especially in light of his recent performances in the Cabana/Whitmer feuds.

Winner: Brent Albright

Jacob Ziegler: This should be a solid match between two WWE castoffs (Claudio particularly got a raw deal). I think Claudio is going to continue feuding with Hero and Sweeney, so I see them interfering and costing Claudio the match. Plus wins are good for Albright.

Winner: Brent Albright

Samuel Berman: Now that Gabe’s flipped the (incredibly obvious) cards on Sweeney hiring Albright, I think we’re going to get some righteous Larry-ference in this one. I’m a big fan of Sweet ‘n Sour, though, so it’s all good on my end. Claudio takes the loss to continue to establish him as the down-on-his-luck babyface and keep Albright looking strong.

Winner: Brent Albright

411 Staff Picks: Brent Albright (7-0)

BJ Whitmer vs. Jimmy Rave
(Note: Will be a World Title Match if Whitmer wins the belt)

Ari Berenstein: This should be a fine mid card match, but nothing in particular strikes me about this one.

Winner: Jimmy Rave

John Gregory: Heel hook on Whitmer’s recently injured ankle. There ya go.

Winner: Jimmy Rave

Theo Fraser: This one intrigues me because both guys are pushing that upper midcard boundary, trying to force their way into the main event scene. The winner here gains a lot more credibility and opens the door for them to compete in higher profile matches. Rave seems to be the guy ROH are pushing as the next top heel (besides Morishima, of course), so I’m going with the master of the Heel Hook on this one. Whitmer has only relatively recently returned from an ankle injury, so the Heel Hook spells certain doom for BJ.

Winner: Jimmy Rave

Brad Garoon: Both men are heading into big matches in England and could use a win here. Rave eliminated Whitmer from the big tag match last time ROH ran through Chicago, so I get the feeling that Whitmer will find a way to squeak out a win here.

Winner: BJ Whitmer

Stuart Carapola: Yeah, I don’t get the feeling this match will be for the ROH World Title. I don’t know if these guys have ever met before, but if they did it was a long time ago and they’ve both matured as wrestlers since the time they would have. Is Rave’s big push already over? Will Whitmer have to start over after getting killed by Morishima the night before?

Winner: BJ Whitmer

Jacob Ziegler: I’m predicting Whitmer to lose the night before this, so I think he should come back strong with a win here over a strong heel.

Winner: BJ Whitmer

Samuel Berman: As a point of information, this will NOT be an ROH World Title Match. Shocking, I know. Rave will get the win after Jacobs-ference (setting up (not that it needs it) Whitmer-Jacobs in Detroit) and then the Death Match starts impromptu style.

Winner: Jimmy Rave

411 Staff Picks: Jimmy Rave (4-3)

Roderick Strong & Davey Richards vs. Austin Aries & ?????

Ari Berenstein: I will have more on my predictions for who will end up joining each faction in my next column, but I can easily see one of two wrestlers joining Aries in this war–Delirious, who has beef with Strong after last week’s match in Philly, OR (and this is my hope), Matt Cross, who is participating in Six Man in Dayton and could wind up being in the cross hairs of Strong during that match. Cross may be signed up for the four corner survival, but hey there have been so many changes to the card already, what is one more? Perhaps he will even do double duty, as sometimes ROH wrestlers are want to do. Cross is a relatively new talent for ROH and there is a lot in him that reminds me of Aries, but more importantly, will remind Aries of Aries. Either way, we are just beginning what looks to be a bumpy ride in the factional warfare, so the heels get the win to continue the issues.

Winner: Roderick Strong and Davey Richards

John Gregory: I am so glad this got added to the card. No matter who Aires’ mystery guy is it’s bound to be awesome. I’m going with Strong and Davey with possible heel tactics to establish themselves as the definite bad guys in this feud.

Winner: No Remorse Corps

Theo Fraser: This will be the first match that the No Remorse Corps compete in together under that moniker, so a win is a must if they are to be taken seriously. As for Aries’ partner, the only regular roster member not booked as of yet is Delirious, and that would make sense, seeing as how Strong went uber-heel on his ass last week in Philly. However, the partner is supposed to be the first member of Aries’ new faction, and I really don’t see Delirious being included in that, leading me to believe this person is an outside talent. Joey Ryan? Kevin Steen? Hell, Super Dragon? Who knows! Whoever it is, I don’t see it changing the outcome. Strong and Richards win this one, but Aries doesn’t take the fall.

Winners: Roderick Strong & Davey Richards

Stuart Carapola: As of this writing, Austin Aries’ partner has not yet been announced, making this a little tough to predict. I don’t think Aries will go over first time out because then there’s no feud.

Winner: Roderick Strong & Davey Richards

Jacob Ziegler: The idea of Strong and Aries feuding is a good one, and having them with groups (and Evans as well) is a great idea that shakes up the mid and upper-mid card really nicely. I think ROH is tempting me to say Aries and the mystery partner will win (because Who Could It Be?), but I think Strong and Richards will win the first battle in what is sure to be a lengthy war.

Winners: Roderick Strong & Davey Richards

Samuel Berman: You never give the face the win in the first match, because then he’s already beaten the heel and there’s no real issue to resolve. Thus, the No Remorse Corps will get the fairly obvious victory here. The real issue is whom Aries selects as his partner. I’m hoping for Matt Cross or a ready-for-action Delirious (who are the obvious choice), but I suppose someone like a debuting Joey Ryan would work. Would they pull something like having Aries team with Sweeney and linking Austin with Hero? It COULD work…

Winners: Roderick Strong & Davey Richards

411 Staff Picks: Roderick Strong & Davey Richards (6-0)

ROH World Tag Team Titles: Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal © vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe

Ari Berenstein: There is a very small possibility that Daniels and Sydal retain the belts in the first of what could turn out to be a series of title encounters. More likely is that ROH wants to get the belts off of Daniels so that they don’t look like fools in case he gets pulled again and The Briscoes are the best choice to get the belts. As far as the storyline goes, Sydal’s cockiness will backfire on him during this match and it will costs his team the titles.

Winner: The Briscoes (new ROH World Tag Team Champions)

John Gregory: I really don’t know if the Briscoes can take another loss in a title match, and it’s been building for them to take the tag ranks over for a year now.

Winners and NEW ROH WORLD TAG CHAMPS: The Briscoes

Theo Fraser: Thanks for coming, Daniels and Sydal, you’ve been great. Now it’s time to step aside and MAN UP to ring in the new tag team champions. Daniels isn’t scheduled for the UK tour, whilst Jay and Mark have a big ROH vs Dragon Gate tag match against Naruki Doi and Shingo. Defending the titles in that match would raise the stakes even more, so I’ve got to give this one to the Briscoe Bros. The thing to keep an eye on is what takes place AFTER the match, as I smell a full-blown turn on Daniels from Sydal, should they lose the titles here.

Winner: Jay & Mark Briscoe

Brad Garoon: With Sydal’s new direction (and what I hope to be participation in Evans’s new group) it’s looking more and more like he and Daniels are about to split. Couple that with the nature of Homicide’s title loss I get the feeling that the TNA guys save for Aries are on their way out. The Briscoes are heavy favorites here. I don’t see a feud coming of this and I think ROH will want to have the tag titles defended in England since to the World title won’t be. Let’s go with the obvious choice.

Winners: The Briscoes

Stuart Carapola: I think in light of the recent changes in Samoa Joe and Homicide’s situation in ROH thanks to TNA, it wouldn’t shock me in the slightest if they decided to take the ROH Tag Team Title off of Christopher Daniels as well…just in case. The Briscoes are the right guys to put them on.

Winner: Jay & Mark Briscoe

Jacob Ziegler: The Briscoe Brothers are the two baddest dudes around, and with Daniels rumored to be on his way out, I think the time is right for the brothers from Sandy Fork, Delaware to claim their third ROH Tag Team Title, and their first since it became a World Title.

Winners: The Briscoe Brothers

Samuel Berman: I talked it to death last week, so I’ll be brief in this spot: the Briscoes are winning the titles in Chicago. Done and done.

Winners and NEW ROH World Tag Team Champions: Jay & Mark Briscoe

411 Staff Picks: Jay & Mark Briscoe (7-0)

Windy City Death Match: Colt Cabana vs. Jimmy Jacobs

Ari Berenstein: Cabana is the man of Chi-town and has won many feud ending matches in his town. I don’t think a surprise Jacobs win is out of the question, but the safe bet is on Cabana getting the blow off win here (and a final kiss off to Lacey to boot). I’ll pick Cabana, but with the caveat that if it turns out that Jacobs wins in Cabana’s hometown, then the roles will be reversed in Detroit for the Wrestlemania weekend shows.

Winner: Colt Cabana

John Gregory: The blowoff has arrived! I’m giving it to Jimmy because I think he needs the feud victory and Cabana won’t be hurt in stature from it.

Winner: Jimmy Jacobs

Theo Fraser: The hometown advantage has helped Cabana in the past in these circumstances, and lightning very well could strike twice as we are back in Chi-Town again for this Death Match. It will certainly be brutal, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lacey get involved, but in the end I see Cabana picking up the victory, leaving Jimmy Jacobs to focus solely on BJ Whitmer in Liverpool. Cabana gets the win here, and puts this whole debacle behind him.

Winner: Colt Cabana

Brad Garoon: This one is a tough call. Usually the babyface goes over in the end but since Jacobs still needs to look strong after this down the home stretch of his feud with Whitmer I think it could go either way. Cabana will likely get back into the tag ranks. Since I believe the Briscoes will be the new champs and Beer & Girls defeated the Briscoes I think a feud might be simmering. Ideally the final night of the Fifth Year Festival would be main evented by a Beer & Girls vs. Briscoes title match, but alas we’re getting the final installment of the tedious Nigel/Rave feud. Anyway, I’ve gone off topic. I think Jacobs will win here and he needs the momentum more and Cabana is probably going back to tag team action soon.

Winner: Jimmy Jacobs

Stuart Carapola: No way Cabana loses a match like this in his hometown. Jacobs is going to continue losing, but is this the match where he’ll finally make the big face turn?

Winner: Colt Cabana

Jacob Ziegler: I would love to see Jimmy Jacobs get a big singles win here, and since it’s in Cabana’s hometown that would be a cause for MAJOR heat. Conventional wisdom says Cabana wins this blowoff (which is funny since it’s a WINDY City Death Match), but I’m going to go out on a limb and say Gabe does something unconventional.

Winner: Jimmy Jacobs

Samuel Berman: I’m going with Colt because I think a win for him here finishes his part of this storyline and lets the focus for the final blowoff be on Jacobs-Whitmer, where this all started anyway. Also, Cabana’s had a thoroughly mediocre win-loss record in Chicago over the last 6-8 months, so I like him to get the big win over his tormentor, despite liberal interference from Lacey.

Winner: “Classic” Colt Cabana

411 Staff Picks: Colt Cabana (4-3)

Samoa Joe & Homicide vs. Takeshi Morishima & Nigel McGuinness

Ari Berenstein: Barring a change in this match to some sort of Four Corner Survival for the belt, I anticipate Morishima to continue to roll here on his tour of America. Homicide is the X-factor here as who knows what his mentality will be like as a result of him losing his title. He got treated like a 5 year old in Philly and I don’t think that can change much here. Meanwhile, Joe owes Morishima a job for the win in NYC. Morishima gets the win back from Joe here, thanks to a little helpful timing from Nigel McGuinness, setting up the Nigel-Joe match in England on 3/3.

Winner: Takeshi Morishima and Nigel McGuinness

John Gregory: Morishima crush. Morishima smash. Morishima get win back from Joe. RARRRR.

Winner: Morishima and McGuinness

Theo Fraser: There are so many factors to consider when talking about this match. First of all, taking into account Morishima’s ‘monster heel’ character, he really doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who works well with a tag team partner. Nigel may very well be Pro-NOAH, but at heart he is still ROH through and through. I could see the World Champion turning on his partner, setting up a future title shot between the two. Having said that, Joe and Nigel are scheduled to face each other at the very next show, meaning that there should be some kind of altercation between those two that takes the feud even higher. It’s also worth noting that this is Samoa Joe’s final match in the US for Ring of Honor. How will that affect him, if at all? Will he let the emotion get to him and thus show a sign of weakness, or will he want to go out with a bang and work harder than he ever has done before? Finally, you have the loose cannon in Homicide, who is pissed off at Morishima for not allowing him to properly hand over the title belt to the new champion, as is tradition. When Homicide steps in the ring with the Japanese giant, all hell could break loose. For once, I think I actually feel sorry for Todd Sinclair.

Winner: Takeshi Morishima & Nigel McGuinness

Brad Garoon: This one is another tough call but I’m going to guess that the NOAH contingent picks up the win. Homicide is lacking direction and Joe is on his way out. Morishima needs credibility after winning the title with a .500 batting average and Nigel is seemingly going to be the man to get the title next. Joe and Homicide don’t need the win, Nigel and Morishima need it badly.

Winners: Morishima & McGuinness

Stuart Carapola: I expect Morishima and Nigel to win, but I think that since he’s already beaten Homicide quite decisively, Morishima’s going to go over strong on Joe to get his win back. It wouldn’t shock me to see Nigel get taken out of the equation and have Morishima basically single handedly bust both of them up en route to victory.

Winner: Takeshi Morishima & Nigel McGuinness

Jacob Ziegler: I don’t think it would be prudent for the World Champion to lose a match on the show before he heads back to Japan for over a month, so I see Homicide dropping another fall to the champ here, whether he likes it or not.

Winners: Takeshi Morishima & Nigel McGuinness

Samuel Berman: I understand all of the reasons and rationales for Team NOAH winning here, but I’m sticking with my axiom about Joe during the 5YF: if he’s unbeaten leading into March 4th, then whoever he faces gets the biggest rub possible. If Morishima and McGuinness win, it will be with a fall over Homicide because I think the notion of Morishima getting the job back from Joe just isn’t the direction this will go. I’m picking Team ROH, mostly because I think they want to end the Chicago show on a positive note (like the old ‘face wins at Wrestlemania’ theory). Also, Homicide & Joe have teamed together before and (at least in the ROH canon) Morishima & Nigel haven’t. Heel miscommunication sows the seeds of Nigel’s eventual title challenge.

Winners: Samoa Joe & Homicide