411 ROH Roundtable Preview: ROH Fifth Year Festival, 3/3 & 3/4

J.D. Dunn, reviewer of many, many things,

Theo Fraser, who joins us from his Nintendophiles column in the Games Zone,

Ari Berenstein, Columnist of Honor,

John Gregory, Mid-South and WSX connoisseur,

Brad Garoon, who reviews ROH, FIP, SHIMMER and anything else he darn well pleases,

Jacob Ziegler, who reviews anything HE darn well pleases (except FIP and SHIMMER because Brad does those),

Stuart Carapola, who I just don’t have a snappy intro for this week,

And me, Samuel Berman, of the humble IMC and BitA.

As always, with introductions now out of the way, let’s get right into this weekend’s shows. Cards are complete as of Wednesday, 2/28.

ROH FIFTH YEAR FESTIVAL – NIGHT 5
FRIDAY, MARCH 3, 2007 – LIVERPOOL, UK

Sara Del Rey vs. Allison Danger
JD Dunn: Haven’t been following the women much, but I like what I’ve seen of Del Rey. I still think Danger picks up the win here, though.

Winner: Allison Danger

Theo Fraser: This is a pretty big occasion, as it is the very first official SHIMMER match to occur on UK soil. With this in mind, Del Rey and Danger will be looking to impress the Liverpool fans, and I just hope the crowd gives these two ladies a chance to show off what they are capable of. Danger will be more familiar with fans due to her frequent appearances for ROH, but I just have this feeling that Sara will be getting the win. And she’s awesome, so that’s fine with me.

Winner: Sara Del Rey

Ari Berenstein: The great SHIMMER project continues and hopefully the UK will take to it well. Del Rey and Danger are probably two of the best to send out there and show what the promotion is all about. Danger has been working hard in and out of the ring to promote the product, while Del Rey shows great technical acumen whenever she steps in the ring. This should be a competitive match. You’d think that Danger, being the first woman of ROH, would get the win, but I see Del Rey winning with her double underhook hold into the butterfly suplex.

Winner: Sara Del Rey

John Gregory: Should be a great SHIMMER match as that company continues to grow and expand. I give it to Del Ray.

Winner: Sara Del Ray

Brad Garoon: SDR is one of the most talented women on the SHIMMER roster and Danger has been known to step up her game when needed. I get the feeling that in front of the rabid Liverpool crowd these two will work past the pitfalls that women in ROH sometimes fall into. It seems to me that ROH is trying to integrate these two and Haze into the card enough to make their presence in mixed tag matches more legitimate. I’ll give the edge to Danger based on ROH experience.

Winner: Allison Danger

Jacob Ziegler: These two have teamed up several times before in ROH, so it’s interesting to see them facing each other here. I think Del Ray will win because she is Bryan Danielson’s student. That’s all I’m really going on.

Winner: Sara Del Ray

Stuart Carapola: I’m a big Allison Danger fan because in addition to looking good, she has a charisma that I think is vastly underrated and underutilized. That said, Del Rey is the monster as far as ROH women’s wrestling goes.

Winner: Sara Del Rey

Samuel Berman: These two had a good match as partners in Chicago, and this should be a nice exhibition for the UK crowd.

Winner: Sara Del Rey

411 Staff Picks: Sara Del Rey (6-2)

Colt Cabana & BJ Whitmer vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Jimmy Rave
JD Dunn: I always thought Jacobs and Rave would make a great tag team. Rave still seems directionless post-Embassy, and Jacobs seems to hate everyone not named Lacey, so I don’t foresee a lot of team chemistry there.

Winners: Cabana & Whitmer

Theo Fraser: This entire feud has been incredibly difficult to predict. Cabana and Jacobs have just come off of their brutal Windy City Deathmatch, so if those two get in the ring with each other again here, we could see all kinds of hell unleashed. Jimmy Rave is the ‘odd one out’ in this match, as he doesn’t really have an issue with any of the men involved, although he beat Whitmer in singles competition in Chicago this past Saturday. However, Rave is still trying to get noticed as a big time player in ROH, so another decisive win will be important for him. I see the heels winning this one, bringing tempers to a fever pitch the following night for the big blow-off matches.

Winners: Jimmy Jacobs & Jimmy Rave

Ari Berenstein: TWO JIMMY’S! That’s like a Dave Matthew’s Band song or something, right? Well, it looks like the Cabana and Whitmer issues with Jacobs are going to be extended into the Detroit tour stops, where Jimmy Jacobs calls home. I’m thinking Cabana’s popularity in England could be what gives his team the edge, but on the other hand you have the X-factor of Rave’s involvement. He seems to becoming programmed with BJ Whitmer after his issue with McGuinness is over. PLUS he would need a win to keep himself strong heading into the Fight Without Honor match tomorrow.

Winner: Jimmy Jacobs & Jimmy Rave

John Gregory: I guess Cabana and Jacobs haven’t totally blown off the feud yet. I give this win to the Jimmys because both need a break right now

Winner: Jimmy Jacobs and Jimmy Rave

Brad Garoon: Cabana just beat Jacobs in the official blow off to their feud. Whitmer and Jacobs are actually both hurting for wins heading into their match the next night. Rave and Cabana are sitting pretty so this could really go either way. I’m going to give it to the heels though because Rave needs momentum going into his big match against Nigel the following night and Jacobs could use some credibility segueing from one part of this feud to the other.

Winners: Rave & Jacobs

Jacob Ziegler: The Jacobs/Cabana feud is basically over, but the Jacobs/Whitmer feud is not, so I see Jacobs pulling out a pin on Whitmer to add some fuel to that fire.

Winners: Jimmy Jacobs & Jimmy Rave

Stuart Carapola: Oh boy, this match again? Just substitute Jimmy Rave for Brent Albright. In all fairness, these guys always put on a great brawl, but it’s really starting to get repetitive.

Winner: Colt Cabana & BJ Whitmer

Samuel Berman: Having the fall occur between Cabana and Jacobs would be counterproductive as they effectively ended their feud decisively in Chicago. I think they’ll save a Jacobs-Whitmer decision for the next night, so that leaves Rave to be involved in the decision for his team. I’m going with Rave forcing Cabana to tap to put further heat on him leading into the Fight Without Honor the next night.

Winners: Jimmy Jacobs & Jimmy Rave

411 Staff Picks: Jimmy Jacobs & Jimmy Rave (6-2)

ROH World Tag Team Titles: Jay & Mark Briscoe © vs. Naruki Doi & Shingo
JD Dunn: I’m thinking MOTN if everyone is motivated. Jay and Mark just won the damn things, I doubt they’ll be giving them up any time soon, especially since they’re arguably the top draw in ROH with no singles title.

Winners: The Briscoes

Theo Fraser: Jay & Mark have been on FIRE these past few months. With stellar performances against the likes of the Kings of Wrestling, El Generico & Kevin Steen, and the Lords of the Ring, I can’t see this being anything less than awesome. I don’t know what Doi and SHINGO will be like as a team, but the Briscoes generally work very well with bigger guys, so I have high hopes for this one.

Winners: Jay & Mark Briscoe

Ari Berenstein: The new tag team champions are on one hell of a roll in the ring, providing quality matches and proving their catchphrase to be true twenty four hours a day and seven days a week. SHINGO (gotta capitalize all the letters, you know) has had a few shots at the ROH World Tag Team titles, but has failed thus far. Now with a partner from Dragon Gate he may have a better shot at it. Ultimately though, they will fail to MAN UP.

Winner: The Briscoes

John Gregory: Dragon Gate good. Spike Jay Driller better!

Winners: Briscoes

Brad Garoon: I can’t put into words just how excited I am for this match. Doi really impressed me more than almost anyone last year when Dragon Gate came to ROH and Shingo has been on my A list since he started pumping out the ***+ matches in FIP last year. There’s no way that the DG contingent is winning here, but the match should be phenomenal and a great way to start the Briscoes reign.

Winners: The Briscoe Brothers

Jacob Ziegler: I think this will be the best match of the entire weekend. The Briscoes are absolutely amazing and Shingo & Doi are both awesome, so between the four of them I expect to see copious amounts of ass-kickery. It being the Briscoes first defense and with a Japanese star already holding the World Title I don’t think the result is going to be in question, but the match will rule all.

Winners: The Briscoe Brothers

Stuart Carapola: The Briscoes just won the title, there’s no freakin’ chance they’re losing it in their first title defense.

Winner: Jay & Mark Briscoe

Samuel Berman: The Briscoes aren’t going to lose the titles without making a successful defense. Period.

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

411 Staff Picks: Jay & Mark Briscoe (8-0)

FIP Heavyweight Title: Roderick Strong © vs. PAC
JD Dunn: The only singles title left now, and it’s from Florida. Roderick has acquitted himself well in FIP and has an opportunity to step up and become THE face of ROH with Joe leaving and Danielson out. Plus, he has NO REMORSE!

Winner: Roderick Strong.

Theo Fraser: To those that don’t know very much about PAC, this may seem like a throwaway match. To those that do, this match has “show-stealer” written all over it. You know how awesome Strong vs Evans was from FIP last year? Subtract Evans, and add in PAC in his place, and you’ll have an idea of how good this could be. Basically, PAC is the UK’s version of Evans, sans character. I don’t mean to be harsh; I’m just speaking on what we’ve seen from PAC in UK companies. However, PAC doesn’t really need a personality or gimmick; he speaks for himself in the ring. With Strong present to keep the high-flyer grounded and add a little more psychology to the proceedings, I can almost guarantee you that these two will have a great match. PAC will wow the crowd, but will that be enough to take the FIP Title from around the waist of the Messiah of the Back Breaker?

Winner: Roderick Strong

Ari Berenstein: PAC is one of the more hyped up talents from the UK and is a high flyer in the vein of a Jack Evans. He should match up well against Strong and if anyone reading has seen Strong vs. Evans from the FIP show of the same name, you have an idea of the kind of dynamic there will be for this one. PAC (gotta capitalize ALL the letters, you know) should be a good sacrificial lamb for Strong to prove that he indeed has no remorse these days.

Winner: Roderick Strong

John Gregory: I have a feeling Pac is going to become a regular after this weekend, and maybe join Evans’s faction. But he can’t win the FIP Title right away.

Winner: PAC

Brad Garoon: I’m afraid I’ve never seen PAC in action before but the PWG fans seem to love him. Strong’s run as a heel so far has been very effective, mostly in that it helps him to sound less awkward on the microphone. The hometown boy should put up a good fight but Roderick is going back to Florida as the FIP champion.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Jacob Ziegler: I know nothing about PAC and when I get the DVDs of this show will be my first time seeing him. I really don’t see Strong dropping the FIP Title to him, but it should at least be a good match; it’s been hard for Strong to have anything but lately.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Stuart Carapola: Who the hell is PAC?

Winner: Roderick Strong

Samuel Berman: PAC was just in PWG last weekend, and by all reports had a really good match with Kevin Steen, so I’m hopeful that he can have just as good a contest with Roddy. As for the title, it’s not changing hands here to a non-FIP regular.

Winner and STILL FIP Heavyweight Champion: Roderick Strong

411 Staff Picks: Roderick Strong (7-1)

2/3 Falls: Delirious vs. Matt Sydal
JD Dunn: This is like the Rock/HHH of Ring of Honor. They face off every couple of months and get each other more over. This one is a tough call, though. I’m going to go with the unconventional and say 60-minute draw, just for poops and giggles.

Winner: Draw

Theo Fraser: Another high profile match for a card that is absolutely stacked. These two first met in their debut ROH match back at Reborn: Stage One in 2004, and have had a number of rematches since then. Most recently, they were involved in the hot finish to the 2006 Survival of the Fittest tournament, in which Delirious pulled off the win. Delirious also got the pin on Sydal in their latest singles encounter at Suffocation. As such, there is a long and storied history between these two, and a 2 out of 3 falls match is very appropriate. This will be Sydal’s first match since losing the ROH World Tag Team Titles, so you have to wonder what state of mind Sydal will be in. Will he be un-phased by the loss, and simply put the blame onto Daniels? Will he be pissed off and looking for an outlet for his aggression? Or will he be subdued, allowing Delirious to take advantage and play with his mind? Emerging from the tag ranks, Sydal will be looking to re-establish himself as a singles wrestler, so I see him picking up the final fall.

Winner: Matt Sydal

Ari Berenstein: Oh…I think it’s time, oh yes. It’s time for full blown HEEL Matt Sydal to emerge. Sure, all will be fair and well through the first two falls, but Sydal will STILL show his cocky and arrogant side throughout the match. In the third fall, Sydal will lose all compunction and just go all out, no holds barred to try to pick up the win against Delirious. Sydal will walk out a changed man and the winner.

Winner: Matt Sydal (2 falls to 1)

John Gregory: Rolling the dice on heel Sydal! This should be good, and hopefully reach that classic level that they haven’t been able to obtain yet, at least according to Zeigler and Garoon.

Winner: Matt Sydal

Brad Garoon: Both of these guys are in kind of a state of flux right now. Sydal’s new cocky edge should be tested here as he just lost the tag titles and Delirious is in dire need of some direction. I know these two have wrestled each other a lot recently but given their familiarity and good chemistry with one another a personal feud between the two could help raise the stock of both. I’m going to guess that Delirious squeaks away with the victory 2 falls to 1 here.

Winner: Delirious

Jacob Ziegler: I’ve liked most of their matches together, and I expect this one to be no different. This is one of those classic rivalries like Punk/Cabana, Jacobs/Shelley, or Aries/Danielson. I think with Sydal recently dropping the Tag Team Titles they’ll want to give him a win to regain some momentum.

Winner: Matt Sydal

Stuart Carapola: This is going to be the sleeper match of the night right here. These guys came up in the business together and know one another as well as any two men at their stage of their careers can. I’m going to go with Sydal because I think he has more to gain as a singles guy than Delirious at this stage.

Winner: Matt Sydal

Samuel Berman: As much as I’d like to see Delirious win this one, I think Sydal will pick up the victory as a result of some No Remorse Corps interference. Actually, having Sydal join the NRC wouldn’t be the worst move ROH could make. Anyway, the match will at worst be another really solid outing from these two. I’ve found in talking to a lot of fans that you either like what these two do together or you don’t. I do, so I’m looking forward to seeing this on DVD.

Winner: Matt Sydal

411 Staff Picks: Matt Sydal (6-1-1)

Homicide vs. Davey Richards
JD Dunn: Richards is one of the more compelling prospects to come along for ROH. His stiffness and lack of bells and whistles ensures that neither of the big two will be interested, but the ROH fans love his baby Kenta style. Homicide is looking to get back on the winning track, and I think he’ll be able to squeak one out here.

Winner: Homicide

Theo Fraser: I’m really looking forward to this first time match-up. Both guys will no doubt be incredibly intense which should provide a stiff contest. Richards is on a roll since forming the No Remorse Corps with Roderick Strong, but Homicide is the one on the rebound after losing the World Title to Morishima. He’ll be looking to get back on track and hopefully pick up the win here.

Winner: Homicide

Ari Berenstein: Even though Richards joined up with Strong as a part of the No Remorse Corps, he failed to improve his win and loss record as he lost the following two matches, including a big one against Samoa Joe. I think the losing streak ends here, as Richards will take down the also slumping 187, perhaps with thanks to his NRC partner. Then again, I’ve picked Davey to win for the last two shows, so maybe I should stop picking Davey.

Winner: Davey Richards

John Gregory: No Remorse for Cide.

Winner: Davey Richards

Brad Garoon: Homicide is another guy in need of direction after losing a title. Richards has an amazing new direction to go in and thus I believe should pick up the win. However, Homicide is taking on Joe in his final match in the company and I feel getting the win there as a reward for dropping the belt so quickly to Morishima. I really have no idea which way this match will go but I’ll give it to Homicide because of a sneaking suspicion I just got about the following night.

Winner: Homicide

Jacob Ziegler: I don’t expect to see a lot of selling in this one. I do expect to see Homicide win, and given the length of his title reign I expect him to win a lot of matches in the next few months.

Winner: Homicide

Stuart Carapola: This is going to be another great match. Homicide is seriously slumping right now, and Davey Richards is just starting a hot new angle that hopefully will not turn out to be Gang Warz ten years later.

Winner: Davey Richards

Samuel Berman: I still don’t think Richards is ready to get big wins over ROH main eventers. He’ll look good, as he reportedly did against Joe in Dayton, but he won’t win.

Winner: Homicide

411 Staff Picks: Homicide (5-3)

Samoa Joe vs. Nigel McGuinness
JD Dunn: Smark money (heh) is on Nigel being the heir apparent after Morishiima gets done doing his thing. While Joe tearing through everyone on his way out would be a nice memory, the long-term good sees him putting Nigel over. Plus, Nigel has home country advantage.

Winner: Nigel

Theo Fraser: The main event of the evening sees the home country man against the ROH Icon, who wrestles his penultimate match for the company. As such, both should in theory be exceptionally over with the crowd, and I have absolutely no idea what the atmosphere will be like; I can’t see either guy getting booed. The fans may love both of them, but there is certainly no love lost between the two of them. This issue has been brewing for months now, and finally the Joe vs NOAH feud comes to a head against ROH’s NOAH representative, Nigel McGuinness. The two last met at the first event on 2007, Dedicated, where Joe was able to get the win. However, in Chicago last week, Nigel pinned Joe in the huge tag team main event, giving Nigel the distinct edge going into Liverpool this weekend. Joe has looked extremely strong throughout the Five Year Festival, but Nigel is the future of ROH, and I fully expect him to carry the company throughout 2007. McGuinness picks up the win on his first night back in the UK, and gets one step closer to becoming the ‘new’ ROH Icon.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness

Ari Berenstein: Nigel has his fair share of wins over Samoa Joe, including winning the PURE title from Joe back in 2005 (and holding onto it for almost a full year afterwards). Joe is on his way out and Nigel is on his way right to the top of the ROH roster. Even though Nigel has the pin on Joe from the tag challenge in Chicago, I think he gets one more here in the singles encounter in front of his home country fanbase.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness

John Gregory: Nigel is looking to be the next champ in ROH, and that road can begin here as he becomes possibly to only man in ROH to pin Joe twice in 1 week.

Winner: Nigel

Brad Garoon: With ROH Champion Morishima busy defending his belt against KENTA in Japan this will undoubtedly be the main event of the show. Nigel has historically had Joe’s number more than just about anyone else in the history of the company. I haven’t been wild about the singles matches between these two in the past but Nigel is just a completely different wrestler than he was the last time he took on Joe for the Pure title. I haven’t seen their match from January but these feels to me like the big passing the torch match and honestly should be the main event of the following night’s show.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness

Jacob Ziegler: Nigel has beaten Joe decisively on a number of occasions, and with Joe out of the picture after this weekend it woud make sense for Nigel to get one more win, especially if my hope of him being the one to take the title from Morishima comes to fruition. However I can see Joe getting the win here since he will likely lose his very last match, so I will go with Joe here.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Stuart Carapola: This is the only one I really have any doubt about on this card. I fully expect Joe to go over Homicide on the way out the following night, so I think it’s entirely possible that he’ll do another job to Nigel here. For one, it wouldn’t be the first time, and I also think there’s more upside to Nigel going over because I would imagine that he’s high on Gabe’s list of people to make into main eventers in 2007. Plus, it’s Nigel’s home country.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness

Samuel Berman: Easily the hardest match of the weekend to pick, as it seems unlikely that they would have Joe lay down for Nigel twice in six days, but then again Joe may have decided that he wants to give the rub to McGuinness before leaving (Nigel is now only the second man to pin Joe three times in ROH competition, with Aries being the other). I don’t think that Joe will lose both matches in front of the UK crowd, and I also think that he’ll lose his last match, as is ROH tradition (see: Punk, London, Gibson, Styles, etc.). Using those two axioms, I’ll say Joe wins here and then lays down for Homicide the next night.

Winner: Samoa Joe

411 Staff Picks: Nigel McGuinness (6-2)

ROH FIFTH YEAR FESTIVAL – NIGHT 6
SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 2007 – LIVERPOOL, UK

A SHIMMER Match featuring Danger & Del Rey
JD Dunn: Not sure exactly what the match will be, so it’s a little difficult to predict, but I like what I’ve seen from both ladies, and this will be a great showcase opportunity.

Winners: The DANGEROUUUUUUUS Angels.

Theo Fraser: Personally, I see ROH bringing in a female UK talent, maybe Eden Black, who is being brought to the US for the next SHIMMER taping. In which case, I smell a Triple Threat. Have no idea who’d win though.

Winner: Umm…Allison Danger

Ari Berenstein: Whether as opponents in a rematch or in a tag match against women from the UK, this should again be a fine and acceptable women’s match. It’s unfortunate Nikita has signed with WWE developmental, because it would be great to see her in her home country matched up with some of North America’s finest.

Winner: Dangerous Angels

Jacob Ziegler: I predicted Sara Del Ray for last night, so I’ll just go ahead and say that Allison Danger will win whatever match they do with the women.

Winner: Allison Danger

Stuart Carapola: Who’s to say if we don’t know the opponents? Still, if Danger & Del Rey are being featured, then I guess it’s safe to assume they’re going over.

Winner: Allison Danger & Sara Del Rey

Samuel Berman: It’s unclear what they’ll do, but if I was them, I’d book a tag match of one sort or another to showcase what Danger and Del Rey can do as partners. Not particularly bold prediction: they will NOT face the Briscoes.

Winners: Allison Danger & Sara Del Rey

411 Staff Picks: No Pick (No complete match announced)

Colt Cabana vs. Delirious
JD Dunn: I remember the fun little match these two had in 2005, and this should be similarly fun now that Delirious is getting somewhat pushed. Colt is used to the European setting, though, so I think he has the slight advantage.

Winner: Colt Cabana

Theo Fraser: Two words- “comedy gold”. That is what this match will be. I fully expect this to be on a par with the Joe-Evans-Ebessan-Delirious four-way at The Final Showdown for sheer ‘laugh out loud’ quality. I would have thought Cabana would pick up the win here, as England is kinda his second home besides Chicago, due to him spending time here learning the European style. Cabana gets the 1, 2, 3, but the real winners are the crowd, who get to witness a great display of comedy wrestling.

Winner: Colt Cabana

Ari Berenstein: This was one of the matches I listed that I would like to see and now here we are. Imagine the comedy and the hilarity that will ensue out of this one. Cabana has the popularity advantage due to constant tours in the UK and would be in need of the win given my predictions for night one.

Winner: Colt Cabana

John Gregory: WACKY! This match is going to be complete comedy. I’ll go with the Lizard man.

Winner: Delirious

Brad Garoon: The last time these two met it was funny but nothing special. They didn’t go the all out comedy route that we’ve seen with such matches as Joe vs. Evans vs. Kikutaro vs. Delirious and they didn’t go the scientific route that we’ve seen with the Cabana/Nigel series. Now with both guys in different places on the card I imagine they’ll get more time to tell a better story. Cabana is in need of something to do after putting Jacobs and Lacey behind him and Delirious is in need of something to do just in general. Like I said about Sydal vs. Delirious earlier this could actually lead to a nice feud with a more personal edge. Cabana could decide he wants to get his funny on again and feel that Delirious is stealing his thunder, or vice versa. Either way its time for Delirious to get another win over an established star, so he gets the nod here.

Winner: Delirious

Jacob Ziegler: This is a tough one to call, as both guys could use a win. It’d be interesting to compare their match from March of 2005 to this one, to see how far both guys have come since then. I’m going to pick Delirious, but I’m really not sure why and I think it could go either way.

Winner: Delirious

Stuart Carapola: This was the first ROH match my best friend James ever saw and I think the comedy these two put on was a big hook for him in becoming an ROH fan. Cabana won in 2005, but now two years later, I think it’s time for Delirious to go over.

Winner: Delirious

Samuel Berman: This should be tremendous fun, with Delirious picking up the win. Cabana is one of those guys who can lose and not lose any ground in the fans’ eyes, while his masked opponent could use a win after his injuries and a probable loss to Sydal the night before.

Winner: Delirious

411 Staff Picks: Delirious (5-3)

Matt Sydal vs. PAC
JD Dunn: With Sydal finally settling down after whoring himself out to the nearest mentor, he seems to have really come into his own. I look for him to play a big part in ROH during 2007, especially if he continues frequent appearances on WSX, increasing his exposure.

Winner: Matt Sydal

Theo Fraser: This definitely has the potential of being a show stealer. I’ve already talked about PAC, so you should know that PAC vs Sydal is somewhat of a dream match. This will be more of an exhibition match, with both guys looking to show off all their fancy moves. Sydal is the one looking for a fresh start after losing the tag titles, so I’d expect his SSP to be the end for PAC.

Winner: Matt Sydal

Ari Berenstein: PAC and Sydal have matched up well in the past (I believe they had an encounter at PWG as well as for other promotions in the UK). Lots of flying for this one, but with Sydal’s cocky new attitude, I’m sure he’s going to want to outgun PAC in that category.

Winner: Matt Sydal

John Gregory: Pac picks up the upset.

Winner: Pac

Brad Garoon: Sydal is sticking around, I don’t think ROH is going to be making a habit of flying in guys from Japan AND the UK, so Sydal winning is the obvious way to go here. Still this should be an aerial masterpiece. Not much else to say here since I’m not familiar with PAC.

Winner: Matt Sydal

Jacob Ziegler: Again, I don’t know anything about PAC, and I really don’t see him going over Sydal.

Winner: Matt Sydal

Stuart Carapola: Who the hell is PAC, take two?

Winner: Matt Sydal

Samuel Berman: PAC gets another great chance to showcase his talents, while Sydal goes perfect on the weekend (during which he will probably begin to emphasize his heel persona more and more). Seems simple enough to me.

Winner: Matt Sydal

411 Staff Picks: Matt Sydal (7-1)

Falls Count Anywhere: BJ Whitmer vs. Jimmy Jacobs
JD Dunn: This one is kind of unsung in the ROH community, but they did have an incredible brawl to end 2006. Assuming no chicanery, though, BJ should be able to get a win here.

Winner: BJ Whitmer

Theo Fraser: I can’t wait to see this live. I’ll be up in the balcony for this one, but being Falls Count Anywhere, they could very well be brawling right next to me! It’s not known if this is the final blow-off to the feud or not. The Detroit shows seem to have a big emphasis on being the ‘big’ shows in the early part of 2007, so perhaps there’ll be one more encounter between Jacobs and Whitmer after this. Whatever the case, I think Jimmy Jacobs should be the one winning this. After losing to Cabana in the Windy City Deathmatch last week, another huge loss like this could be detrimental to him ever being taken seriously again. He NEEDS this win. I expect to see the use of tables, I expect bucket loads of blood, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them end up outside the Liverpool Olympia. This one, in all probability, is going to be insane!

Winner: Jimmy Jacobs

Ari Berenstein: Will BJ Whitmer powerbomb Jimmy Jacobs off the balcony and other assorted objects from high altitude? Tune in to find out!

Winner: Jimmy Jacobs

John Gregory: Still not time yet to blowoff. I’ll go with BJ for now as I think Jimmy will win the big one.

Winner: BJ Whitmer

Brad Garoon: Something tells me that the feud won’t end with a FCA match. With that in mind I see this either going to a no-contest or a Jacobs win by nefarious means. The feud kicked into high gear in Detroit and with the Motor City being the next stop on ROH’s list I’m looking forward to seeing the end of this feud in person. Ziegler and I actually sat front row RIGHT IN FRONT of where Jacobs & Whitmer fell from the top rope. Our picture on The411 section of this site is one of our reaction to the fall. The full picture actually shows us only at the bottom with Jacobs and Whitmer falling at the top. Great picture. Anyhow, Jacobs wins here and they go on to a cage match in Detroit to see how far they can really fall.

Winner: Jimmy Jacobs

Jacob Ziegler: I don’t think the feud will wrap up over there, so they’ll have to have one last match in the States, so I think Jacobs will get another win here to build up more to the big blowoff. I’ve heard the words “Great” and “Epic” to describe Jacobs’ match with Cabana in Chicago, so this one should be pretty good too.

Winner: Jimmy Jacobs

Stuart Carapola: Oh boy, here we go again. As blah as I am about their tag matches against one another, something sick happens in every singles match these guys have against one another. With Albright not making the trip over, will Jacobs be on his own here? IF so, will he finally score a clean
singles win over BJ? I doubt it.

Winner: BJ Whitmer

Samuel Berman: This won’t be the blowoff to their feud (that will happen almost assuredly in Detroit during Wrestlemania weekend), so having Jacobs get a hard-earned, bloody win can do nothing but help put heat on the rematch. Also, Jacobs needs some momentum coming out of his loss to Cabana in Chicago.

Winner: Jimmy Jacobs

411 Staff Picks: Jimmy Jacobs (5-3)

Roderick Strong & Davey Richards vs. Shingo & Naruki Doi
(If Shingo & Doi win the titles, this will be a title match)
JD Dunn: I have a new favorite tandem in ROH! This one is kind of hard to predict for me, just because I can’t see either team losing at this point. I’ll also say that Aries gets involved somehow and costs Strong and Richards the win.

Winner: Shingo & Doi

Theo Fraser: This should be a real test for the newly formed No Remorse Corps. Expect lots of stiffness! The NRC are still looking to prove themselves as a team, so I’d bet on Davey and Roddy getting the victory.

Winners: Roderick Strong & Davey Richards

Ari Berenstein: This will not be the tag title match, that much is for sure. I don’t think ROH wants to send Doi and SHINGO away as total losers for the weekend, so I see interference by Delirious or someone for Austin Aries’ group, causing the NRC to take the fall.

Winner: SHINGO & Naruki Doi

John Gregory: Strong and Davey need a big win to propel their new stable into respectability.

Winner: NO REMORSE CORPS

Brad Garoon: The titles won’t be on the line here but the match should still kick ass. I loved the Shingo/Strong matches and would die to see a Strong/Doi singles match. Come to think of it that’s the only real problem I have with the way the Dragon Gate guys are used, no singles matches. Aries & Evans may not be on these shows but I get a feeling a new member of one of their groups will cost the No Remorse Corp the win here.

Winners: Shingo & Naruki Doi

Jacob Ziegler: I don’t expect Shingo & Doi to win the titles, but I do expect them to bounce back with a victory over the No Remorse Corps. I see Shingo going over on Richards to set up a singles match for WrestleMania weekend.

Winner: Shingo & Naruki Doi

Stuart Carapola: Hi Shingo & Naruki Doi, I’d like to introduce you to the two guys who have an angle going. You know, an angle, that thing you guys don’t have?

Winner: Roderick Strong & Davey Richards

Samuel Berman: After an improbable loss to Aries & Cross in Chicago (I mean, when have the heels EVER lost the initial encounter in a big money feud??), the NRC needs a big tag team win to cement their status as major heel players. Attacking people after losses is nice and all, but to be taken seriously Strong and Richards need to make big time moves IN THE RING.

Winners: Roderick Strong & Davey Richards

411 Staff Picks: Tied (4-4)

Jay & Mark Briscoe have an Open Contract
JD Dunn: Yeah. No idea. The Briscoes will win, though.

Winners: The Briscoes.

Theo Fraser: My money’s on the team being Jonny Storm and Jody Fleisch, who impressed ROH fans last year at Unified and Anarchy in the UK. I imagine the tag titles will be on the line in this one, so the Briscoes should pull off the win. Whoever the mystery team turns out to be, they’re sure to provide a great match against the now-veteran team of Jay & Mark.

Winners: Jay & Mark Briscoe

Ari Berenstein: Who will “MAN UP!” to take on the ROH World Tag Team champions? Easy money is on Doug Williams and Jody Fleisch, who won a shot at the ROH tag titles at Unified. ROH loves to shore up its continuity so I see the Britishers going for the gold. They won’t take it though from the baddest team around.

Winner: The Briscoes

John Gregory: And whoever it is, they will not man up.

Winner: BRISCOES

Brad Garoon: The Briscoes reign of dominance will be shown in its purest form here. I get the feeling that we’ll be seeing a relatively quick squash for the toothless wonder and his older brother here leading to something special later on in the night. I’ll elaborate further in my paragraph about the main event.

Winners: Jay & Mark Briscoe

Jacob Ziegler: I think this match will be for the ROH World Tag Team Titles, and thus the Briscoes will kindly kick the ass and take the names of whoever is unfortunate enough to cross them.

Winners: The Briscoe Brothers

Stuart Carapola: I don’t care who it is, the Briscoes aren’t losing.

Winner: Jay & Mark Briscoe

Samuel Berman: It will either be Storm & Fleisch or a rescheduled main event pitting Jay & Mark against Homicide & Joe. Assuming is the former, the Briscoes win. Actually, assuming either scenario, the Briscoes win.

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

411 Staff Picks: Jay & Mark Briscoe (8-0)

Fight Without Honor: Nigel McGuinness vs. Jimmy Rave
JD Dunn: It seems like this feud to beat some professionalism into Rave has been going on forever, and what better way to blow it off than with a Fight Without Honor. Nigel will need credibility en route to the title shot.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness

Theo Fraser: Part of me almost wants to give this match to Jimmy Rave, as beating Nigel in his home country would give him tremendous heel heat for the next batch of UK shows. Rumour has it that Nigel could be winning the World Title at the August UK shows as well, so if he loses a match on this tour, it would give him the sympathy vote next time round and would be an added incentive for UK ROH fans to come later in the year, in the hopes that he’ll pull off a major victory. Having said that, Rave has had Nigel’s number in their previous encounters, and as a result I see Nigel pulling out the victory in this match to end the feud once and for all. Their matches in November were said to be average, but they turned it around and pulled off a ****+ match at Final Battle 2006. The Fight Without Honor stipulation should ensure this one is tense from start to finish, and the home crowd should provide a tremendous atmosphere. ANOTHER possible showstealer.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness

Ari Berenstein: This will be the feud ender between Nigel and Jimmy and like most of these type of fights, there will be weapons, violence, bloodshed and hatred all spilt on the canvas. McGuinness will likely sweep the weekend, giving him tons of momentum and enough credentials to challenge Takeshi Morishima for the ROH World Title sometime in the future.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness

John Gregory: I think Rave needs this. But I’m always wrong.

Winner: Jimmy Rave

Brad Garoon: I’m really hoping that this feud is put to rest here. Aside from Nigel beating Rave to put a happy ending on things there’s really no reason why this shouldn’t have been put to rest with the I Quit match back in January. Heels win feuds by cheating, that doesn’t mean it needs to go on. If you can’t tell I haven’t really been salivating over these matches and to be honest I’m kind of burnt out on Jimmy Rave in general. If you ask me he’s in dire need of a new look and a haircut. Petty grievances aside this should hopefully end the feud and give Nigel another big win in his home country and lead him to a run at Morishima for the title.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness

Jacob Ziegler: This sounds like a pretty good feud (I haven’t seen any of the matches yet), and since the Fight without Honor is the ultimate blowoff and we’re in Nigel’s home country, I don’t see the result going any other way.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness

Stuart Carapola: Okay, Nigel’s spent enough time jobbing to this clown. It’s time for him to get his heat back in front of his countrymen.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness

Samuel Berman: A Fight Without Honor is ROH’s version of Hell in a Cell (it always ends the feud), and Gabe’s usually pretty good about giving big hometown wins in these sorts of things (see also: Cabana over Homicide, Punk over Rave & Homicide over Danielson), so this adds up pretty clearly for me. Also, I have Nigel losing to Joe on Night 1, and there’s no way he loses both matches in the UK.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness

411 Staff Picks: Nigel McGuinness (7-1)

Samoa Joe vs. Homicide
JD Dunn: Although a lot of people tend to associate Punk or Low Ki as Joe’s main feud, since the beginning, there has always been Homicide. If the rumors are true about TNA restricting ROH appearances, it could be the swan song for both guys. Could realistically go either way. I think sentimental favorite Samoa Joe gets the win going out, though.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Theo Fraser: In the tradition of ROH, the guy who is leaving the promotion puts over his opponent in his final match, taking the fall. In this case, Joe will be bowing out of the company, so Homicide should be getting the win, right? However, it is worth bearing in mind the recent news that TNA is pulling most of its talent from the regular ROH roster. As such, Homicide has very little to benefit from going over Joe, so I feel that ROH will make one of those ‘feel-good’ moments and have Joe get the win one final time over perhaps his greatest adversary throughout his entire Ring of Honor tenure. I think this will be like the Punk-Cabana match at Punk: The Final Chapter in that the work-rate won’t be amazing, but it will be special because of the atmosphere. England, get your streamers ready!

Winner: Samoa Joe

Ari Berenstein: So here it is, the big goodbye. ROH does “last matches” the right way, with plenty of respect and the right amount of celebration. I expect the emotions to be ratcheted up big time as the fans and even Joe himself come to fully appreciate what this moment means for the history of this wrestling promotion. This match is a make good for the “Attack of the Grannies” from 1/27. There’s just something about that water in Edison makes that crowd go crazy. This should be a good to great match so long as there aren’t any old people hyped up on old people meds or other chavs around to make mayhem. It will be the fitting end of the line for Joe’s regular run in ROH.

Winner: Homicide

John Gregory: One more time. Joe picks up the win to go out of ROH in grand fashion.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Brad Garoon: This feels all wrong to me. Joe’s last match should see him putting someone over and raise them to the main event. Like Punk did for Cabana, you know? But Homicide just has a short run as a babyface champion during which time he beat Joe completely clean. What good would another win do for either of these guys? With that in mind I don’t see this match happening. I think the Briscoes will intervene and then get their revenge over Joe and Homicide. Lets face it folks, there’s not much left for the Notorious 187 left to do in ROH either. Joe will be gone after this and Daniels has pretty much wrapped up his ROH commitments. Homicide will likely follow suit and focus on TNA. The Briscoes are set to have a huge year in 2007, main eventing shows in an effort to make the tag titles look as important as the World title. I think a clean win over the two guys they’d been feuding with (and mostly losing to) at the end of 2006 is the best way to really say “hey, these Briscoes are unbeatable,” and a fantastic way for Joe, and to a lesser extent Homicide to leave the company.

Winners: The Briscoes (let’s see Berman try to put that one in the stats)

Jacob Ziegler: This match irritates me greatly. I expect Joe to lose on his night, so I was hoping it would be to someone who would really benefit from beating him, like Roderick Strong or a Briscoe, or any number of people. Instead he’s facing a guy who beat him less than two months prior to this who has nothing to gain from beating Joe again, and Joe certainly has nothing to gain from beating Homicide. This will be an emotional match since it’s Joe’s last, but it really should be against someone else.

Winner: Homicide

Stuart Carapola: This match is happening because of the great TNA yank of 2007. Homicide doesn’t have the title anymore, so I’m 100% certain that Joe’s going over. It’s his last match as a regular in ROH, and besides, he needs to stay strong for when he comes back and challenges Morishima for the title down the line, right?

Winner: Samoa Joe

Samuel Berman: I can see both sides of the ‘Homicide shouldn’t be Joe’s last opponent’ argument. Homicide has been the longest running feud for Joe, and the notion that this is a repayment to the Notorious One for dropping his title to Morishima in what was reportedly a near-squash isn’t like totally unrealistic or anything. Also, like with Punk & Cabana, Gabe seems to like to book people against close friends in their final matches, so it’s not completely unexpected or anything (and Aries isn’t on the UK tour, so he couldn’t be the opponent anyway). However, I would have liked for Joe to give the rub to someone who would stand to benefit more from the ‘beat Samoa Joe in his last ROH match’ line on a resume (like, for instance, Delirious). Regardless, this is the match we have, so I’m going with tradition and voting 1-8-7. If this gets changed to a tag team title match, the Briscoes are retaining.

Winner: Homicide