411 ROH Roundtable Preview: Detroit – Motor City Madness 2007 – 9/14 (Part I)

Stuart Carapola, of Friendly Competition,

Alex Barcham, Hitting Below the Beltway,

Jarrod Westerfeld, Your Viral Dose of Reality

Ari Berenstein, of Column of Honor,

Michael Bauer, of the ECW Recap,

Larry Csonka, 411Mania Wrestling Zone Editor,

Theo Fraser, of Nintendophiles in the Games Zone,

Jerome Cusson, Friends and South Park Reviewer,

Brad Garoon, of our ROH DVD Review team,

And me, Samuel Berman, of The Independent Mid-Card.

Now that you’ve had a chance to meet the staff, here are our thoughts on this weekend’s shows. Cards are current as of Wednesday, 9/12.

MOTOR CITY MADNESS 2007
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2007 – DETROIT, MI

Nigel McGuinness & Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brent Albright & BJ Whitmer
Stuart Carapola: It’s so funny to think of Nigel and Claudio teaming after the feud they had in late 2005-early 2006 over the Pure Title, but there it is. I guess Albright and Whitmer are getting some kind of a push right now, but Nigel and Claudio are both on fire and are now bonafide main eventers, and I can’t imagine either of them jobbing here.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness & Claudio Castagnoli

Alex Barcham: This one could go either way. Albright and Whitmer just formed their new stable with Adam Pearce, while McGuinness and Castagnoli are top title contenders. Nigel and Claudio should pull of the win to remain near the main event. Albright and Whitmer could get their heat back with a post-match beatdown or an attack later in the show.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness & Claudio Castagnoli

Jarrod Westerfeld: How does ROH manage to get away with so many thrown together tag teams to feature in so many of their shows? Yes, we know the history of Nigel and Claudio, and see the style similarities between the two that could make this tandem worth watching, but overall, I don’t really care to see this match because it feels like more build to try and get Whitmer more over with the crowd.

Winner: Brent Albright & BJ Whitmer

Ari Berenstein: I think Nigel and Claudio make up a terrific pairing and may become the new upper mid card super-team in ROH (think Dragon & Joe or Homicide & Joe). Albright & Whitmer are a part of a new faction and Whitmer’s losing streak has been giving way to more wins because of a newfound mean streak. I think the heels sneak this one away from the top face team but it should be a very good tag team match along the way.

Winner: Albright & Whitmer

Michael Bauer: This should be a good match to get some needed heat on Albright and Whitmer. They need the win badly here so we can have a potentially nice stable team making a run at the Tag Team Championships after this weekend. Of course, I would prefer it being Whitmer and Pearce like the old times, but that is just me.

Winners: Albright and Whitmer

Larry Csonka: This match looks like all kinds of fun here. I am not a huge Whitmer fan, but really dig the other three guys, so a good time shall be had here.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness & Claudio Castagnoli

Theo Fraser: The faction of Albright, Whitmer, Pearce and Hagardorn has only just been formed, so it’s vital for them to get the win in this tag team affair. Nigel and Claudio, whilst making for a pretty cool team, have just been thrown together and are unlikely to be as focused as their opponents. Hagardorn will likely provide plenty of interference, which will ultimately lead to a victory for Team “Don’t call us Project 161”.

Winners: Brent Albright and BJ Whitmer

Jerome Cusson: It’s “Team Europe” vs. “Two guys who were feuding a couple months ago.” I have a problem with Albright and Whitmer teaming so quickly after feuding, and not explaining why. My gut tells me Albright and Whitmer will have a big weekend as a team too.

Winner: Brent Albright and B.J. Whitmer thanks to interference from Pierce and/or Hagadorn

Brad Garoon: I guess this match means I have until the DVD comes out to find out what the Swiss call their women and their beer. I think Pearce’s partners in his yet-to-be-named stable will pick up the win here so as to not be as low on the totem poll as Sweet N’ Sour. Also, I think their name should be some play on the Freebirds. I don’t mean call them the New Freebirds, but something that pays some kind of homage to that group.

Winners: Albright & Whitmer

Samuel Berman: Albright & Whitmer need the win more than Claudio & Nigel, both of whom are basically perpetually over at this point. I don’t think it’ll be a dominating performance or anything, but the heels are going to take this one.

Winners: Brent Albright & BJ Whitmer

411 Staff Picks: Brent Albright & BJ Whitmer (7-3)

Jimmy Jacobs vs. Chris Hero
Stuart Carapola: Well now, here’s a unique match. Both have (presumably) wrapped up their feuds with their former partners, and don’t really have anything else going on right now. I don’t know that this will lead to any kind of feud between Jacobs and Hero, but I think a feud like that would be a lot of fun, especially since Hero is like three feet taller than Jacobs. Is it possible that Sweeney will offer Jacobs a contract and try and steal him away from Lacey?

Winner: Chris Hero

Alex Barcham: I’m excited to see Jimmy Jacobs’ having his first real match back after his injury. Jacobs was the hottest act in ROH before he went down and hopefully he’ll be able to recapture the momentum he had when he beat BJ Whitmer in a cage a few months ago. A win here over Hero is a good start.

Winner: Jimmy Jacobs

Jarrod Westerfeld: Jacobs is just coming back off of that long hiatus so you really can’t expect him to be losing too many matches after the fanfare of his video wires with Lacey, unless they really want to build him up as being a sympathetic toy of hers that lead to him finally breaking her spell, but Hero seems to be looking like his role in ROH may be that of a jobber. Unless Jacobs really has something to do with the Project 161 story (which I believe it has to involve him in some fashion), I may not buy into him winning this one in the slightest.

Winner: Chris Hero

Ari Berenstein: This is the big test for Jacobs, not just for his knee, but also for his newfound face status. The crowd reaction should be strong since it’s in Detroit, where he has been featured heavily for years now. Thought I still question just how convincing will his act be. With Sweet and Sour Inc. and possibly Lacey around we can come up with an endless assortment of gaga and shenanigans to help the match, but hopefully both men come through in the ring as well.

Winner: Jimmy Jacobs

Michael Bauer: Jimmy’s first real match back and he runs into the becoming more over hyped leader of Sweet N Sour Inc. in Chris Hero. Seriously, Bobby Dempsey was getting more cheers than him during Hero’s match with Claudio in NYC. Jacobs may be ready to step up, but he’s not going over Chris Hero unless he is involved in Project 161 and something in me just doesn’t buy that.

Winner: Chris Hero

Larry Csonka: I really want Hero to win here, because he IS MY Hero! The man has a gimmick table second to none! But I feel that Jimmy Jacobs will be a part of project 161, and I think that he needs the duke here to look strong for that.

Winner: Jimmy Jacobs

Theo Fraser: This will be the biggest test to date for Jimmy Jacobs since coming back from knee surgery. Chris Hero is no pre-show ROH student; he’s a full blown ring general, and knowing Hero like we all do, I’d put money on him purposefully targeting the weakened leg of Jacobs. But Jacobs has that fire inside of him…that passion fuelling his in-ring actions. Jacobs gets somewhat of an upset over Hero, and begins his ascent up the ROH ladder once again.

Winner: Jimmy Jacobs

Jerome Cusson: Another odd match-up. I’ve never heard of any issue with these two in the past. This is Jacob’s real first match back since his injury. He had a pair of squash matches with the students, but we’ll see how healthy Jacobs’ knee actually is in his hometown. I don’t know who will win here because Hero needs a win and Jacobs needs momentum. So I’ll say Lacey indirectly costs Jacobs the match, and they begin their break-up.

Winner: Chris Hero

Brad Garoon: Jimmy Jacobs could really use a win here to cement his status now that he’s back full time from injury. Chris Hero could also really use a win here because he doesn’t get big wins very often. Toss up, but I’ll go with Hero on this one.

Winner: Chris Hero

Samuel Berman: Detroit is basically Jacobs’ hometown, so I’m inclined to pick him to get his first high-profile win since his return to action, but Hero’s in need of a victory himself after losing to Claudio in New York City. I think Jacobs has a big weekend ahead of him, so I’m going with him via rollup (rather than a high-impact finishing move or something).

Winner: Jimmy Jacobs

411 Staff Picks: Draw (5-5)

Rocky Romero vs. Jack Evans
Stuart Carapola: Under normal circumstances, I would pick Romero with no hesitation whatsoever. However, with Jack’s new Vulture Squad running interference, I see Evans picking up the upset win.

Winner: Jack Evans

Alex Barcham: The Vulture Squad finally debuted at the last doubleshot after months of anticipation. They got off to a pretty hot start with the return of Julius Smokes and the ROH debut of Ruckus. Jack needs to beat Rocky here in order for the Vulture Squad to seem like a real threat to the No Remorse Corps.

Winner: Jack Evans

Jarrod Westerfeld: Time to start building up Evans new unit, and what better way to establish Evans unit as a threat than to steal one up from No Remorse Corps member, Romero? I’ve got to expect that Smokes and Ruckus will play a role here in a big way, just to establish this three way unit feud.

Winner: Jack Evans

Ari Berenstein: Jack Evans has found his crew in the Vulture Squad and I think with newfound back up and a sense of motivation and urgency will help Evans go a long way in the upcoming months. Evans owes Romero a beat down and he will deliver here.

Winner: Jack Evans

Michael Bauer: This should be a good measuring stick for just how much the Vulture Squad can and will compete. Jack Evans has looked real good lately while Romero is pretty much the third string of the NRC. Vulture Squad gets their first victory here.

Winner: Jack Evans

Larry Csonka: This is a great match up for the fact that Romero can work about any style, and is just the right size to catch Jack as he does his wacky flippidy doo’s. I feel that Romero needs the win more, which he’ll get in a really good match.

Winner: Rocky Romero

Theo Fraser: The Vulture Squad takes on the No Remorse Corps in this interesting mix of styles. If the respective outside members don’t interfere, we could see a pretty decent outing here, with Romero using his kicks to ground the high-flyer. With Jack’s stable beginning to take shape, I’d go with Evans getting the win, and then everything breaking down after the match with members from both teams brawling all over the place, purely so that Ruckus can have another chance to clean house and show his stuff.

Winner: Jack Evans

Jerome Cusson: Okay, we have an issue to work with here with the Resilliance and The Vulture Squad. I think Evans gets revenge for Romero giving him back-to-back kicks into a chair during the last weekend in April.

Winner: Jack Evans

Brad Garoon: Romero kicked in Evans’s skull and put him on the shelf a few months ago. Evans is back with the Vulture Squad behind him, so I don’t expect him to fall to another NRC member for a while.

Winner: Jack Evans

Samuel Berman: Jack continues to impress in 2007, as his offense has continually improved with passing match. Romero is solid, if unspectacular, and should be a great foil for Evans, one of the few wrestlers that Romero can be taken seriously against as a bruiser. Rocky will have a tremendous showing, but he’s the third man in the NRC and Evans is the leader of his own stable. You do the math on that one.

Winner: Jack Evans

411 Staff Picks: Jack Evans (9-1)

Naomichi Marufuji vs. El Generico
Stuart Carapola: This is going to be an awesome match. Both these guys can work like crazy, and I think Marufuji’s going to work hard to make Generico look good, but if you think he’s going over the former GHC Champion, you’re crazy.

Winner: Naomichi Marufuji

Alex Barcham: This will be a damn good match, but there isn’t much suspense over who’s going to win. There’s no way the former PWG champion is going over the former GHC champion.

Winner: Naomichi Marufuji

Jarrod Westerfeld: This is an interesting one, and one that almost leads you to wonder why it was booked prior to the pay-per-view taping, knowing the role Generico will be playing the very next night. Obviously he and his partner have to roll in looking somewhat strong, otherwise they hurt the ladder match in a small way, and looking back at how often they’ve utilized Marufuji in a winning role in his American matches, I just don’t know how wise the booking of this match was. But again, should be really fun to watch this one unfold.

Winner: El Generico

Ari Berenstein: I know El Generico is the underdog wunderkind in the independent landscape, but seriously do you really think he’ll beat one of NOAH’s top stars? Well, it may not matter because Generico does always get over whether he wins or loses, and sometimes moreso in losing than winning. If Marufuji has his “willing to go along with American gaijin” boots on and plays up his charisma and humor (it’s there but hidden underneath the surface), then we could be looking at the show stealer. And if not, well, this could be good, but a minor disappointment ala his match against Sydal. We’ll see which Marufuji makes it across the pond to this show.

Winner: Marufuji

Michael Bauer: Match of the Night, hands down! This would be Match of the Weekend if not for Saturday’s title matches. Generico’s style I think compliments Marufuji’s really well and this should be some great match. I’m tempted to think Marufuji will get the win, but with Generico’s title match the next night, you couldn’t have both members lose, could you? I’ll gamble with that idea.

Winner: Marufuji

Larry Csonka: Naomichi Marufuji gets the win, simply because Generico and Steen will FINALLY win tag gold the next night!

Winner: Naomichi Marufuji

Theo Fraser: A really exciting matchup here that could easily take the MOTN crown. This is El Generico’s biggest test to date in ROH, and a sure sign that management has big hopes for him, as they don’t let just anyone face off against outside talent, especially when it’s someone of the calibre of Marufuji. That said, I don’t buy the Generic Luchador getting the win here. It’ll be a fantastic encounter, but it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion who’ll win. Sure, he could pull off the MASSIVE upset, which would surely rocket El Generico into the ROH World title picture, but I’ll go with my head on this one. And my head is crying out ‘SHIRANUI!’

Winner: Naomichi Marufuji

Jerome Cusson: Marifuji will win this match if for no other reason than he will play a key role in November, and he could be getting the world title shot on 9/15. This will be a solid match cause Generico plays the underdog babyface so well, but the match will be hurt by a lack of drama.

Winner: Naomichi Marafuji

Brad Garoon: I got pretty excited when I saw this match announced, and I’m not even the biggest Generico fan. I think in singles matches he’s a bit repetitive, although in the right environment can break out some innovative maneuvers. Marufuji has the same problem in that he’s been known to put it on autopilot in matches that might seem beneath him. I think these two will gel very well though and I’m looking forward to seeing this live.

Winner: Naomichi Marufuji

Samuel Berman: I’m driving from Milwaukee to Detroit (about six hours for those scoring at home) for this event almost solely because I want to see this match live. I happen to think that Generico is one of the top five talents on the U.S. Independent scene right now based on his ROH, PWG and IWA Mid-South work and I think he matches up with Marufuji incredibly well. Not that he has a chance in hell of winning the match, but it will be tremendous regardless. Don’t believe me? Check out Generico’s matches against CIMA from PWG or his work in last year’s Ted Petty Invitational. Though if I was booking I’d give El Generico the win, this one ends up with Marufuji taking a sleeper Match of the Weekend candidate.

Winner: Naomichi Marufuji

411 Staff Picks: Naomichi Marufuji (9-1)

ROH World Tag Team Titles: Jay & Mark Briscoe © vs. Austin Aries & Matt Cross
Stuart Carapola: I really don’t have much to say about this match. I don’t think Aries and Cross are any kind of contenders, and can pretty much guarantee that the Briscoes are retaining.

Winner: Jay & Mark Briscoe

Alex Barcham: Like Marufuji vs. El Generico this match should be good, but there isn’t much doubt over who will. The Briscoes will be in a ladder match the next night on PPV in the culmination of their feud with Steenerico so there’s no way in hell they’re going to lose their belts here. Still, this will be a good match simply because its the Briscoes vs. two guys with pulses.

Winner: Jay & Mark Briscoe

Jarrod Westerfeld: Brilliant, Gabe – the night before a big pay-per-view taping with the biggest blow off to your tag team title match feud, you go and book this the night before it. Why is this even a title match? We know we need the champions to walk into the pay-per-view taping with the titles, and we know they need to walk into that match with a lot of strength behind them, so we can’t expect them to lose this match in the least bit. This strikes me as one of those “what the fuck are you thinking” type of matches.

Winner: Jay and Mark Briscoe

Ari Berenstein: Don’t get me wrong, this will be a fine, fine match in the ring. Aries has always meshed well with The Briscoes and Matt Cross has found his groove again. However, there is not a snowball’s chance in hell the tag titles will change hands. Will anyone be biting on the nearfalls for this one when its clear The Briscoes will go on to fight Steen & Generico at the PPV tapings the next night? I doubt it. This should have been made non title with the added stipulation that if Aries and Cross won they could get a future title shot.

Winner: The Briscoes

Michael Bauer: Tough spot for Aries and Cross here. They deserve a real shot at the titles, but there is no way it will happen the night before a ladder math on PPV. Briscoe Boys gonna man up here before they MAN UP!

Winners: The Briscoes

Larry Csonka: Jay & Mark Briscoe get the win here so that Steen and Generico can avenge themselves with the tag title win in the ladder match the next night.

Winner: Jay & Mark Briscoe

Theo Fraser: I’d say this is somewhat of a no-brainer, as there’s no way the Briscoes are dropping the straps before the big Ladder Match the following evening with Steenerico. I’d expect to see another stellar performance from Matt Cross, who has really broken out of his shell since Death Before Dishonor V Night 2, and I’d look for Aries and Cross to bust out some sweet tag team manoeuvres to show that they’re on the same page and functioning very well as a unit. Aries & Cross is a team I could see becoming a regular fixture of ROH shows, so it’s important for them to look good this Friday. But this is just a warm-up for the Briscoes. ‘Resilient’ Cross & Aries may be, but can they Man Up?

Winners: Jay & Mark Briscoe

Jerome Cusson: As good as Bryan Danielson is, I prefer Matt Cross in this match because he can finally show the fickle ROH fans why he’s as good as advertised. Austin Aries knows the Briscoes well from the many tag team wars they had in the past, so I expect a good match here. Once again, with a ladder match the next night, it’s a little obvious who’s going to win here.

Winner: Jay and Mark Briscoe

Brad Garoon: It’s great that ROH has enough of a tag division, or at least enough stables that when someone has to pull out of a show like Danielson did here they can insert a new guy in and it becomes a match between two regular teams. It was Danielson that earned this title shot so Aries and Cross getting it is a little silly, but it should still make for a good match. I don’t see the Briscoes dropping the belts before Project 161 gets its hooks into them.

Winner: The Briscoes

Samuel Berman: Briscoes win in a match that for whatever reason reminds me of the Cross & Daniels vs. Aries & Strong match from last year in Chicago Ridge. These are the kinds of matches where Matt Cross is given the chance to shine, despite some people’s absurd belief that he’s “not ready for ROH”. (Note to Matt Cross: please don’t prove me wrong on that…)

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

411 Staff Picks: Jay & Mark Briscoe (10-0)

Four Corner Survival, #1 Contendership: Roderick Strong vs. Delirious vs. Erick Stevens vs. Kevin Steen
Stuart Carapola: I don’t see Strong winning since he’s already gotten a title shot and I don’t think a rehash is likely with three other fresh contenders. Out of the three, I think Stevens is far too young in the ROH hierarchy to get the title shot, so that leaves Delirious and Steen. While I would personally be most entertained by Steen getting the title shot, I think Delirious would also be very entertaining and more likely, so I’ll go with D.

Winner: Delirious

Alex Barcham: I see this match as a chance to get a young star over. The question I have is whether that person should be Erick Stevens or Kevin Steen. I’ll go with Stevens here since Steen is already getting a title shot next month in Boston. Getting a shot against Morishima could help vault Stevens towards being a main eventer. It would also be huge for him to get any sort of victory over Roderick Strong to further the Resilience vs. the No Remorse Corps.

Winner: Erick Stevens

Jarrod Westerfeld: This one is interesting here, and this is a match type that Generico could have been placed in to also keep up his heat, as Steen doesn’t need to actually be pinned here. Now, heaven forbid this become an elimination match much like the Evans, Jacobs, Xavier and Shingo match at FYF:NY, because if it does, then it really ruins the strength of Steen the night before the big blow off to his, and Generico’s, feud with the Briscoes. This is also the best instance to finally give us the clash of Delirious in the main event role against this new monster champion.

Winner: Delirious

Ari Berenstein: As I wrote last week, the winner of this match up is just the first loser, because they become next on the Morishima World Tour victim list. I still hold fast to my prediction of Delirious getting the win here to fight the champ. Stevens and Strong will be too tied up with each other in this one, and Steen will get too overconfident and lose his chance to win.

Winner: Delirious

Michael Bauer: First things first, Erick Stevens is not winning this match. I don’t care how over the guy is getting, he is not the guy to win here. Kevin Steen could pose a nice match for Morishima, but him fighting two tough matches then the Ladder Match on Saturday is kinda nuts. That goes back to Strong and Delirious, two guys who have had a nice piece of each other lately. Strong has had his shots at the champ, where Delirious hasn’t and could pose as an entertaining challenge. I’ll go with the lizard man.

Winner: Delirious

Larry Csonka: Steen doesn’t need the win, especially with him having the ladder match the next night and I don’t see it being String, as to not job out the FIP Champion. Stevens is a possibility as a pawn, but Delirious rocks your face, so he wins!

Winner: Delirious

Theo Fraser: Steen’s getting his shot in October, so I’d say that rules him out. Strong had a decent attempt back at Domination, and I don’t see him getting another chance just yet. So it comes down to Delirious and Erick Stevens. Stevens could provide a solid matchup with the champ, which would really help his cause, as I still don’t think he’s quite cemented his spot in the ROH fanbase yet. But personally, I think at this point in time, I’d rather see Delirious get the shot. His series against Danielson for the title last year were tremendous, leading up to the magnificent non-title win at Chicago Spectacular Night 2, and even though we wouldn’t be looking for a Delirious/Morishima series resulting from the outcome of the evening, it could prove to be wise booking. Shima adds another notch to his belt with one more defence of the title, Delirious could work his magic and add some humour into a Shima match (which has been missing thus far; not a bad thing at all, but this would mark a welcome change) as well as giving him another chance to shine in the main event.

Winner: Delirious

Jerome Cusson: Roderick has already challenged for the belt. Steen is going to challenge for the belt. Delirious has been a challenger for the belt many times when Bryan Danielson was the champion. I think Stevens would be an interesting choice because I think it will swerve some fans, and they can also put Stevens in a big match to see how well he does. Plus, it’s a match-up you might not ordinarily see.

Winner: Erick Stevens

Brad Garoon: Strong has already gotten a title shot at Morishima, so he’s out. Steen is a big heel and I don’t see the main event being heel vs. heel. Stevens is still pretty low on the ROH totem poll, and while ROH title matches have been used to give guys a bump vertically (see Delirious) I just don’t see him winning this match. No, I think we’re going big man/little man with Delirious vs. Morishima.

Winner: Delirious

Samuel Berman: Well, I kind of think Delirious will win this, because he’s pretty much the king of the multiple man matches. Plus, ROH crowds tend to get rabidly behind the masked man in big spots (see also: The Chicago Spectacular, Night 2 and Ring of Homicide), so you know that the Detroit faithful would just be AMPED to see him challenge for the title. I was going to try to rationalize Strong getting a second shot, because he’s seemed somewhat irrelevant as a singles competitor since then (at least to me), but I just talked myself onto the Delirious bandwagon.

Winner: Delirious

411 Staff Picks: Delirious (8-2-0-0)

ROH World Title: Takeshi Morishima © vs. WINNER OF FOUR CORNER SURVIVAL
Stuart Carapola: Okay, so here we are. I picked Delirious to win, but don’t think he has a chance in hell of beating Morishima. I do think that if Delirious gets the match like I think he will, this will be a different sort of Morishima match than we’re used to seeing because, while I’m sure it’ll be a good match, we’ll get the chance to see how Morishima can play off the comedy of Delirious. Still, though: Backdrop Driver straight to Morishima victory.

Winner: Takeshi Morishima

Alex Barcham: Morishima has proven in his matches against McGuinness, Alright and Castagnoli that he puts on really good matches with other big men. This match should continue that trend. The Resilence’s powerhouse doesn’t really have much of a chance against Morishima, but he’ll get a ton of cheers and wind up looking like a star.

Winner: Takeshi Morishima

Jarrod Westerfeld: Regardless of who wins that four corner match, I don’t expect them to upset the Japanese monster the night before the pay-per-view taping. Not only that, but if a healthy, fresh Danielson can’t take down the monster, why should I believe that a weakened athlete would be able to upset this mammoth? I’m not buying an upset here, but I will buy the start of a new rivalry in this match.

Winner: Morishima

Ari Berenstein: Morishima vs. Delirious can be a very entertaining match, as no one really and truly knows how to deal with Delirious and his wacky behaviors in the ring. Morishima will be thrown off in the early going, and then he’ll go all “I don’t give a fuck” and start killing some bitches. Delirious may get a few close calls, but Morishima will take this one with his tried and true backdrop driver.

Winner: Takeshi Morishima

Michael Bauer: I’ll make this simple. Morishima losing before Danielson ain’t gonna happen.

Winner: Takeshi Morishima

Larry Csonka: Delirious shall be the winner of the Four Corner Survival, #1 Contendership match, because he is THE LIZARD KING~! Unfortunately for the lizard king, he will die a painful backdrop driver death. Side note, Morishima; if you want to be a total bad ass, use the Backdrop Piledriver ala Dr. Death, you will rule the earth then.

Winner: Takeshi Morishima

Theo Fraser: I’ve said most of my piece in the Four Corner Survival blurb, but I’ll paraphrase here. I think a Morishima/Delirious match could be a ton of fun, and important for both men at this point in time. Obviously, another run in the main event slot for Delirious is never a bad thing, and if he gets a few nearfalls on the big man, it could do wonders for making him seem like a real threat. As for Morishima, a dominant win is extremely vital, as recently he has been coming too close to losing the title all too often. McGuinness, Claudio, Albright and Danielson have all been milliseconds away from scoring the all important 3 count over the World Champion, and if that continues, Morishima won’t seem like the monster he was when he first arrived in the States. Delirious can get some hope spots in, but Morishima needs to annihilate the Bizarro One.

Winner: Morishima

Jerome Cusson: I think Stevens has a lot of potential, but he’s got no chance of winning the belt here. However, this match could give ROH a new star and future main-eventer. ROH excels at giving guys chances when the bigger companies might hold them back. I think Morishima walks out the champ, but ROH gains a new contender to the title.

Winner: Takeshi Morishima

Brad Garoon: I don’t see Delirious being any more successful against Morishima than he was against Danielson. The dynamic will be different as Morishima is much, much bigger than Danielson and wrestles a different style. I really don’t know how these two are going to gel, but I’m fairly confident this will be the title match.

Winner: Takeshi Morishima

Samuel Berman: I’m going to love seeing Delirious take his shot at Morishima, but come on… Morishima in a competitive squash so he looks like a killer heading into his rematch with Danielson

Winner and STILL ROH World Champion: Takeshi Morishima

411 Staff Picks: Takeshi Morishima (10-0)