411 ROH Roundtable Preview: Las Vegas & San Francisco – Survival of the Fittest 2007 & Wrestle Fan Fest – 10/19 & 10/21

Jerome Cusson, Friends and South Park Reviewer,

Theo Fraser, of Nintendophiles in the Games Zone,

Bayani Domingo, of Truth B Told,

Ari Berenstein, of Column of Honor,

Michael Bauer, of the ECW Recap,

J.D. Dunn, reviewer extraordinaire,

Brad Garoon, of our ROH DVD Review team,

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

Now that you’ve gotten a look at the staff, here is our preview for this weekend’s events. Cards are current as of Wednesday, 10/17.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 2007
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2007 – LAS VEGAS, NV

Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. Jimmy Jacobs & Necro Butcher
Jerome Cusson: This “Age of the Fall” is failing in a big way. The really sad part is this group is going to continue to win and eventually get the tag belts at some point. I’m sure Mark Briscoe’s injury will play a role in this match leading to the brothers losing.

Winners: Jimmy Jacobs and Necro Butcher.

Theo Fraser: This will be the first proper meeting between the Briscoes and the Age of the Fall, so don’t expect this one to be a clean encounter. Jacobs & Butcher will surely target Mark’s injured ankle, and I see him being taken out early on, much like Erick Stevens at Fighting Spirit, leaving Jay valiantly battling on his own. There’s still longevity in Jay & Mark’s title reign, so had this been a match for the titles, I would have given it to the Briscoes. However, non-title affair that it is, I’m giving this to the Age of the Fall, who pick up an impressive, dominant win.

Winners: Jimmy Jacobs and Necro Butcher

Bayani Domingo: I can’t imagine Mark will be 100% in this and I somehow feel like this is going to progress into the next big feud in RoH for the Briscoes. With that in mind I see Panic! at the Necro taking this one leading up tot hem getting a Tag Title shot in the very near future.

Winner: Age of the Fallout Boy

Ari Berenstein: To be honest, I’m not sure I like the tag champions getting dominated all the time, but even thought it’s early on in this feud it seems like they’ve been getting their asses handed to them for like forever. I don’t expect Age of the Fall to lose anytime soon, in fact I don’t even expect The Briscoes to be able to make a dent in them here or anywhere else. Mark’s injury makes this one an easy call. The numbers game takes out The Briscoes.

Winner: Age of the Fall

Michael Bauer: Mark is not 100% yet, so this may just be another chance to get the Age of Fall over. But when you think about it, the odds have yet to be even yet for any match between the two, so you could get interesting, either way. Everyone else seems to going for the Age of the Fall, so I’ll be different.

Winners: The Briscoes

J.D. Dunn: With Mark in questionable health, I see this as another opportunity to put Jacobs & Butcher over as they did with Steen & Generico over the summer. Even if Mark was 100%, I can’t see them blowing this that quickly.

Winner: Jacobs & Butcher

Brad Garoon: I don’t think the Age of the Fall has dominated enough yet for the Briscoes to get a measure of revenge. Something tells me that Mark is still in a fragile mental state after being abducted on the last pair of shows. Look for the AotF to exploit that.

Winners: Jacobs & Necro

Samuel Berman: While I personally can’t wait for the eventual Briscoes vs. Jacobs & Black title match, this match will be far more of a brawl than a technical classic. It should serve not only as a nice counterpoint to the more mat based stuff during SOTF, but also as a good next chapter in the Briscoes’ feud with the Age of the Fall. Mark’s injury leads to another loss to Jacobs and company.

Winners: Jimmy Jacobs & Necro Butcher

411 Staff Picks: Jimmy Jacobs & Necro Butcher (7-1)

SOTF Qualifier: Chris Hero vs. Karl “Machine Gun” Anderson
Jerome Cusson: Since Karl Anderson is making his debut against a guy who needs some momentum, I smell a big victory for Hero, and a whole lot more.

Winner: Chris Hero

Theo Fraser: This will be Karl Anderson’s ROH debut, and Chris Hero is a very good guy to pair him up with, as he’s a good seller and has that great technical-lucha vibe that newbies can easily work around. ROH have been known to pull surprises and push the underdogs in past SOTF tournaments, but Chris Hero is a name I definitely see in the final, so I’m afraid Mr. Anderson will be leaving the building with his tail between his legs.

Winner: Chris Hero

Bayani Domingo: To be honest, I don’t think these guys have ever met 1 on 1 although they have both been PWG regulars for some time. It has to be considered a big deal for ‘Machine Gun’ to be getting his first break in RoH and in a place where he’s had plenty of success. Especially in his run as NWA tag champion. I think this will come off as more a comedy match rather than being a serious traditional wrestling contest but I think the crowd will be entertained. Viva Las Machine Gun!! Too bad he’s going to lose like all newbies. Oh well at least I’ll be there LIVE and in person to cheer him on when he does.

Winner: Chris Hero

Ari Berenstein: The rule of the game is that newcomers to ROH rarely if ever win their debut match. I will say that out of the two West Coast wrestlers making appearances here that Anderson may have the best chance to make it through, but he won’t. A few weeks ago I would have laid out the prediction that Hero would take the tournament, but I’ve come to realize and accept his position in ROH right now is mid card comedy act and for now that suits him well; he does a great job with it. However its not quite his time to rise to the main event position in ROH–there are a lot of players, some of those in this very tournament who have that role right now. Still, Hero gets the qualifying win and a spot in the finals.

Winner: Chris Hero via submission

Michael Bauer: Now, I would do odds, but Ring of Honor already did them for me. Hero is 8 to 1 and Anderson is 100 to 1. Hero needs this win BADLY, but I think one local makes it to the finals. I just am not sure it is this one.

Winner: Chris Hero

J.D. Dunn: I’m of the belief that Hero could never win a match for the rest of his career and remain over. However, it’s time to stop making a joke out of S&S International.

Winner: Chris Hero

Brad Garoon: A lot of people complain about Hero being the victim of bad treatment in ROH, but I think even they’d be hard pressed to think ROH would put the Machine Gun over him. I just find it odd that out of all the heels in PWG the one they pick is Anderson. I’m still waiting on Scott Lost in ROH.

Winner: Chris Hero

Samuel Berman: I think a newcomer is going to get a win somewhere along the line, I just don’t think it’s here. Please note that if Perkins were taking on Hero instead of Anderson, I’d pick Hero to job out here (because, as always, Ring of Honor has yet to figure out what to do with him). As it is, I don’t think that Anderson would fit as well in the finals, so he’s out and Hero gets his (long) shot at glory.

Winner: Chris Hero

411 Staff Picks: Chris Hero (8-0)

SOTF Qualifier: Rocky Romero vs. TJ Perkins
Jerome Cusson: It’s Black Tiger vs. Puma. Romero has been having a great year with some quality matches and this looks to be another squash-like match.

Winner: Rocky Romero

Theo Fraser: Many are already calling this the sleeper hit of the weekend, and I’d fully agree with that prediction. Perkins’ sporadic ROH appearances have been decent but nothing special, so he really needs to come out of this one looking good if he wants future bookings. Romero has been really ‘on’ in recent weeks so should prove to be a great opponent for the man formerly known as Puma. Ultimately, Romero is the one who could really do with the rub from participating in the SOTF finals, and a Perkins win would just further bury Romero (and by default, the NRC) which is not something ROH want to do.

Winner: Rocky Romero

Bayani Domingo: these guys have always seemed to have pretty good matches in PWG. I’ve seen 3 so far and while 1 was okay, the other two have been very good. The problem is that they were fairly heatless. I actually blame TJ because Rocky is pretty universally loved and respected, and while TJ is just as respected he just doesn’t come off as projecting as much charisma. I don’t know that a showing in RoH will up his charisma any more but this should still be a very good match, perhaps not the MotN but good. TJ has done a good job in Japan and even Mexico to some extent getting over, but if he really wants to endear himself to the America audience now would be the time. Rocky will bump and make TJ look very well due to them being tight for so many years and wanting to make his training buddy look good, but ultimately Rocky can’t lose. This will be a good match but don’t expect the former “Pinoy Boy’ to eek out a win here.

Winner: Rocky “Azucar” Romero

Ari Berenstein: I don’t really have much use for Perkins as Perkins. I like him better as the “Puma” character. I’m reading my fellow 411 staffer’s opinions that these two have good matches together and I will trust them on that but I doubt this will be in the top 3 matches of the night when all is said and done.

Winner: Rocky Romero via pinfall or KO

Michael Bauer: On the other hand, since all three members of the NRC are in this event, and I expect one local to win, I see the one upset coming here. Not to mention, it plays perfectly into Sunday’s card. Odds on the win are Rocky 6 to 1, TJ Perkins 100 to 1. I’d take whatever odds they give me on Perkins to the finals.

Winner: TJ Perkins

J.D. Dunn: The NRC has seemed almost invincible since adding Romero, but then they also always seem to face the hapless Resilience. Still, as much as I loved Puma, Perkins is goin’ down.

Winner: Romero

Brad Garoon: These two usually team when they’re out west, so I think this match has the potential to steal the first round in terms of quality. Perkins may have more ROH experience than Anderson, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a big NRC presence in the main event.

Winner: Rocky Romero

Samuel Berman: These two are gold in the ring together, putting on a handful of tremendous performances in PWG over the past year or so. I think this match will creep up on people as one of (if not the) best of the weekend, with Perkins pulling the surprise upset. I see where a lot of the other writers are going with the NRC in the finals, but I don’t think the storyline for that match will be quite so cut and dry.

Winner: TJ Perkins

411 Staff Picks: Rocky Romero (6-2)

SOTF Qualifier: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Davey Richards
Jerome Cusson: Claudio has been on a major role lately and I can’t see him losing in the first round. It’s amazing to see how far Davey has fallen since he got off to such a hot start. I can’t see all three members of the Corps. getting in and this will be Claudio’s match to win. Plus, they can tease him winning both the Race to the Top Tournament and this tournament.

Winner: Claudio Castagnoli

Theo Fraser: Should be a fun little contest here with good in-ring action. Castagnoli’s out to prove he can win any tournament thrown at him after his impressive Race To The Top Tournament win, and I see him at least getting to the finals. Richards can take a back seat here and allow his NRC comrades to represent him in the six-way.

Winner: Claudio Castagnoli

Bayani Domingo: This should be an interesting match up of “stiff kicks” vs. “European uppercuts”. My guess is that they go with Claudio here to keep his momentum going and avoid the inevitable NRC stable dominance that might await the finals of the tournament, then again maybe I’m wrong and they go that route, but one would think that setting up that possible alliance would make Davey, Roddy, or Rocky look even stupider for not winning if their own stablemate was in the same match as them. For booking purposes let’s go with Double C.

Winner: HEY…Double C.

Ari Berenstein: Claudio has been minimizing the european uppercut as of late and focused on more finesse and aerobic maneuvers. It helps stretch out his matches and keeps them varied. Richards has a very large but predictable moveset based upon strikes and submissions, but he does them all crisply and with a lot of effort. The Race to the Tournament champion should have enough rep for ROH to put him over here and tease a possible running the table of ROH tournaments in 2007.

Winner: Claudio Castagnoli via pinfall

Michael Bauer: This match should be pretty good and it comes down to the idea of double NRC or the very long Hero/Claudio feud in the finals. Odds say Claudio Castagnoli is 4 to 1 to win, while Davey Richards is 6 to 1. I’ll take the odds here and say the NRC only has one man in.

Winner: Claudio Castagnoli

J.D. Dunn: I don’t think all three members of the NRC will make it in, that leaves Richards the odd man out. Plus, if Hero makes it, Claudio should make it.

Winner: Claudio Castagnoli

Brad Garoon: The only hitch in my prediction for the main event is this match. On the one hand I think it would be great for the entire NRC to be in the elimination match to make it seem like the inevitable winner (in the case of this scenario Austin Aries) can’t win. On the other hand I think ROH would be well served to give the entire tournament to Claudio. Should he win both ROH tournaments in one year it would really hammer home that he’s moved up a level. Very tough decision here, but since Aries is a safer choice to win the whole thing than Claudio I’ll go with Richards winning here.

Winner: Davey Richards

Samuel Berman: I think the NRC gets two people to the finals, and given that I already have Perkins upsetting Romero, Richards is going to get the pseudo-upset win here with help from Strong (thus tangentially setting up Claudio’s shot at Roderick in San Francisco). Last year, given the lineup they put out, I actually had Davey picked to win the 2006 SOTF. That said, I picked every qualifying match last year incorrectly, with the notable exception of putting Aries in the finals (which has become the ROH booking equivalent of auto-pilot). Anyway, Richards advances here.

Winner: Davey Richards

411 Staff Picks: Claudio Castagnoli (6-2)

SOTF Qualifier: Roderick Strong vs. Brent Albright
Jerome Cusson: The most interesting match-up takes place right here. I can see either winning, but I can’t see Roderick winning another one of these. However, Albright has been hot and cold. This match may also connect the Hangmen 3 and No Remorse Corps. factions. My hunch is one of these groups may have to go face because right now, it’s pretty uneven. This is very close, but I see Albright moving on.

Winner: Brent Albright

Theo Fraser: Even on paper, you can tell this one will be a stiff contest. Albright would benefit greatly from progressing to the finals, but I think ROH want Aries and Strong to meet in the six-way match, so I’m going with the No Remorse Corps representative.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Bayani Domingo: I’d like to think this will be a fair and balanced finals with each stable getting equal representation but somehow I don’t think it will end up that way. I’m going out on a limb here and saying that the NRC will end up with an advantage after all and Roddy will sneak past Albright with a little help.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Ari Berenstein: As I said in my SOTF ’07 tournament preview in Column of Honor, these two had a fantastic match in FIP that really showed me they could mesh well in a face / heel environment. The trouble is this is heel / heel and I don’t know if the crowd will want to choose sides. Albright may be the lesser evil if anything. Strong wins and will have back up to help him attempt to divide and conquer in the finals and tease a repeat tournament win.

Winner: Roderick Strong via pinfall

Michael Bauer: So if it ain’t Rocky or Davey, it’s gotta be Roderick. Tough break for Albright, but Whitmer should have also been in this event. Like in the last match, I’ll go with the 4 to 1 favorite of Roderick Strong over the 6 to 1 favorite of Brent Albright.

Winner: Roderick Strong

J.D. Dunn: Strong has been hovering around the upper midcard for nearly two years now. He had a great run as half of the tag team champs. It’s time to take him out for a spin and see what he can do as a regular main eventer. If not, the NRC has been a failure.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Brad Garoon: Aside from the fact that both of these guys are heels I find this match very interesting. Their styles should mesh very well. I already picked Richards over my personal choice Claudio so I might as well go with Strong to round out my theory.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Samuel Berman: Strong’s got to get to the finals, so this is pretty much a no-brainer to me. I’ve actually gone from a huge Albright fan during his OVW days to almost not caring about him at all in the ring at this point. Strong’s still a couple of pegs above Albright on the totem pole, so while Albright should get a good showing, he’s not going over here. Oh, and by the way, Strong’s not particularly interesting to me these days either. I mean, no doubt he can still bring it in the ring, but I couldn’t care less about him in terms of the storylines and I think they missed the boat in terms of pushing him for good into the main event mix. If you’re scoring at home, that time would have been like April of 2006.

Winner: Roderick Strong

411 Staff Picks: Roderick Strong (7-1)

SOTF Qualifier: Delirious vs. Austin Aries
Jerome Cusson: Aries is like the Susan Lucci of this thing as he’s been in the finals all three years. Delirious is kind of in a transition period. I think we’ll see a nastier and more vicious side start to come out of him. Aries is also getting a push with no Cross or Stevens as a singles. This will be an interesting match because they may want Delirious to get his hands on Albright or have Aries continue his big push into becoming a world title contender.

Winner: Austin Aries

Theo Fraser: First time match-up here, and Aries is known for busting out the comedy spots on occasion, so I’d expect the early portion of the match to be pretty funny. Things will turn serious once each man realizes what’s at stake, and I see it getting pretty intense, as both men have a lot to fight for. Delirious is hoping to become the first ever two-time, two-straight SOTF winner, whilst Aries is fighting for that SOTF win that has eluded him since the competition’s inaugural event. Aries has been rewarded for choosing ROH over TNA with a renewed push, so I see big things for him this year. As such, he’s going over the masked man in the first round.

Winner: Austin Aries

Bayani Domingo: It hardly seems fair huh?

Winner: Austin Aries

Ari Berenstein: I like this as a first time match up and I would have to believe it will be a match with a lot of energy and enthusiasm from the fans. A possible NRC or HM3 run in could spoil things or maybe they’ll cancel each other out. Or maybe ROH will keep things clean and let the in ring action dictate the outcome. Either way Austin Aries is the man of the hour in ROH right now and I think he will down last year’s champion on his way to the finals.

Winner: Austin Aries via pinfall

Michael Bauer: Wow, tough break for Delirious. Austin Aries practically owns this event, despite the fact he has never won. The odds don’t make it any easier. Delirious is 3 to 1 to win it all, Austin Aries is 4 to 1. Wouldn’t that mean picking Austin Aries to win here would be an upset?

Winner: Austin Aries

J.D. Dunn: Delirious really benefitted from last year’s event. Aries made his name at the very first one. Really, either man makes sense if Roderick makes it in. I think (hope) they’ll hold off on Aries getting any kind of revenge on Roderick. That means Delirious sneaks in and gets his shot first.

Winner: Delirious

Brad Garoon: So much for all the former champions making it to the finals. Delirious has been a huge DUD as SOTF champion. The way he’s been booked since his win has been all over the place. Aries is starting to regain momentum and is definitely being built towards a title shot, so he goes over the former champion here.

Winner: Austin Aries

Samuel Berman: I really wish this wasn’t a qualifying match, as I’d love to see both guys in the finals for prestige reasons, but it is what it is and this is what we’ve got to work with. I’d personally love to see Delirious improbably repeat as champion, but it’s not going to happen, so with that out of the way Aries is the next best option overall. Aries has as much momentum now as he did in late 2004 when he was building towards his title shot at Samoa Joe, so this is probably when they put him over everyone to finally win the entire tournament.

Winner: Austin Aries

411 Staff Picks: Austin Aries (7-1)

SOTF Qualifier: Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson
Jerome Cusson: I think they’re building to these two having a huge world title match down the road, meaning Dragon will clearly win this match because it’s non-title and Nigel not being able to beat Dragon would be a key element of the match.

Winner: Bryan Danielson

Theo Fraser: I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, it’s great that the Las Vegas debut is honored with such a prestigious match, but as this is merely the first round of the competition, I can’t see how it will live up to the expectations set by the incredible encounters these men have had with each other in the past. I’d hate for them to do what they did last year with the Danielson/Joe first round match, where they fought to the time limit draw and therefore were both eliminated. Which means that SOMEONE needs a definitive win here to progress to the finals…except I can’t see a clean win here. I’d say Danielson will pull a ‘Death Before Dishonor IV’ and go into business for himself, losing by DQ. By getting in Nigel’s head, he’s pretty much guaranteed another shot at the title anyway, regardless of a SOTF win. He could intentionally get himself disqualified here, softening up the champion for a later encounter between the two, whilst also setting Nigel up for a fall in the SOTF finals, as he could be eliminated early on due to injury, which would be a massive embarrassment for the World champion.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness by DQ

Bayani Domingo: Something tells me that this won’t end up clean and I can’t imagine they’d job out Nigel to AmDrag so soon after his win. This either ends in a DQ win for Danielson with Nigel being taken out of the tournament or a No-Contest. I’ll go with the last one.

Winner: No Contest

Ari Berenstein: It’s a huge risk to run this match for a number of reasons, including inevitable comparisons to their high end MOTYC match from the Driven PPV and the fact that ROH should want to have Nigel look good coming out of winning the ROH title. A loss to Danielson will immediately put his title run into question and while that may be good for the storyline, it will not be good for fan confidence in Nigel. On the other hand I think ROH runs the risk of pissing off a new fan base if they run this one with a draw or an unclean finish, yet I can’t imagine Nigel defeating Danielson without any hype behind a title match between the two. I don’t know. This will either work itself out or will blow up in their face, but as far as in ring I don’t think I can question at all that this will be a very good match. I think Danielson may get so angry that he will get himself disqualified, a compromise if there ever was one.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness via DQ

Michael Bauer: First and foremost, there is no way in hell this match should be happening in Vegas. For me, it makes me feel like there is no way I will see Nigel vs. Danielson in NYC on 11/3 (But I get Danielson vs. Morishima again, so no complaints). Anyway, both of these guys are 2 to 1 favorites to win the whole event. I almost want to believe it will be a no contest due to the time limit, but at the same time, I almost feel like you need a slight tease of Aries and Nigel to lead up to NYC on 11/3, considering Aries does lead the Best of 3 Series with American Dragon and having Aries and Dragon in the finals kinda plays against that.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness

J.D. Dunn: I don’t foresee another MOTYC here. No offense to either guy, but the context is all off. What I do see is the opportunity for a time-limit draw because neither guy really has any business in the final considering where they are now.

Winner: None.

Brad Garoon: The hardest match to call is this one. This is Nigel’s first match since becoming champion so having Danielson go over is very risky. On the other hand having Danielson go over would make for a very interesting title feud right off the bat, as Danielson could say that Nigel doesn’t deserve to be champion at all, losing his first match out. This is a very tough call, but I’m going to guess Nigel goes over here and gets eliminated early in the tournament by the entire NRC.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness

Samuel Berman: See, I’m torn here. While I think that champions shouldn’t be made to look weak, I think Danielson makes more sense in the finals than Nigel. Also, having a draw or no contest would make this two years in a row that the champion and their opponent have been simultaneously eliminated, leaving us with five guys in the finals instead of six. I happen to think that’s a horrible booking crutch that shows a lack of creativity and a massive amount of disrespect to the point of the tournament overall (but hey, what do I know?). I could see Nigel via disqualification or Danielson via nefarious means, but as for the no contest or draw, I just don’t see it happening again. Honestly, the more I think about it, the dumber booking this match in the first place seems to me. I guess they could pull some sort of wacky deal where BOTH guys advance and then get themselves out of the corner that way, but they run the risk of pissing the fans off that way. Eh, the mental coin flip yielded the following:

Winner: “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson

411 Staff Picks: Nigel McGuinness (4-2-1-1)

Survival of the Fittest Finals
Jerome Cusson: My six finalists are: Chris Hero, Rocky Romero, Claudio Castagnoli, Brent Albright, Bryan Danielson, and Austin Aries. I’m curious to see when this world title shot will be used. Personally, I think this should be the equivalent of the WWE’s Royal Rumble. Have the winner of this match go to Final Battle to cash in his world title opportunity. If that would be the case, I’d pick Danielson. Otherwise, I say Hero cause he needs to be a main eventer in this company.

Winner: Chris Hero

Theo Fraser: Chris Hero vs. Rocky Romero vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Roderick Strong vs. Austin Aries vs. Nigel McGuinness. As a line-up, that’s pretty fantastic in that each competitor, save for maybe Nigel, has something huge to gain from a win in this match. Castagnoli could add to his tournament-winning repertoire, cementing himself as THE man to beat in this kind of environment. Strong could become the first ever two-time SOTF winner. Romero could solidify a move into the main event scene, perhaps even overtaking Strong as leader of the NRC. Hero could get that major win he’s desperately been needing as of late in ROH. And Aries could give us the feel-good moment of the year, finally being named Survival of the Fittest champion after coming so close before in 3 previous failed attempts. I mentioned before about Aries’ renewed push, and I see this as the start of things to come; perhaps even that second title run fans have been asking for…

Winner: Austin Aries

Bayani Domingo: Let me look back at my picks now; Hero, Rocky, Roddy, Claudio, and Aries. That seems about right because you end up with three “heels”, two “faces” and two feuds all wrapped up in one. While I think that it would be foolish to have Aries come out and beat both members of the NRC once Claudio and Hero take each other out, that seems very likely here. Still, I’ll go ahead and throw out the wild card and put a vote in for who should really win a “Survival of the Fittest” tournament. Because everyone knows that only the Strong survive.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Ari Berenstein: So for me the finals comes down to Chris Hero vs. Rocky Romero vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Roderick Strong vs. Austin Aries vs. Nigel McGuinness. I detailed the order of elimination in my preview column and I am going to keep to it here. Although, once again keep in mind that I HAVE NEVER BEEN CORRECT IN SOTF PREDICTIONS. I may have a worse record than Charlie Brown’s baseball team. Austin Aries has been the runner up on two occasions and made it to finals in the other. It’s time for the runner up to become the first place winner. A huge push for Aries began with a win over Danielson via a wacky submission, defeating Strong at the PPV tapings and it will continue with a SOTF tournament win and possibly lead up to a title shot before the end of the year. Eliminations: 1. Claudio Castagnoli eliminated by Chris Hero with help from Sweeney. 2. Rocky Romero eliminated by Nigel McGuinness by pinfall.3. Chris Hero eliminated by Nigel McGuinness by pinfall. 4. Roderick Strong eliminated by Austin Aries by submission (with an outside shot of Strong being eliminated by Claudio if he’s still around to set up their FIP title match the next night). 5. Nigel McGuinness eliminated by Austin Aries by pinfall, with assistance unbeknownst to him from Bryan Danielson setting up the 450 Splash and pin. This tightens the new three way fight at the top for the ROH World title.

Winner: Austin Aries

Michael Bauer: Ok, my final six are Chris Hero, Claudio, TJ Perkins, Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, and Nigel McGuiness. Wow, how many damn storylines can we fit here? You have Hero/Claudio, the Aries/Roderick saga, Aries/Nigel tease for NYC, and Nigel/Roderick due to Roderick claiming his reign as FIP champ will be better than Nigel’s. Wow. I couldn’t have planned that any better if I was booking it. Perkins is obviously the first one out. Then have Claudio pin Roderick to add a little fuel to the fire for the title defense on Sunday. I agree Hero should eliminate Claudio to finally gain some ground on him. Hero then loses to whoever, leaving Aries and Nigel and a foreshadowing for the future. So does Aries get the pin on Nigel? Yeah, I like that idea as well.

Winner: Austin Aries

J.D. Dunn: Delirious, Roderick Strong, Claudio, Romero, and Chris Hero. Let’s see. Romero and Roderick will certainly try to overwhelm Delirious. Hero will probably try to offer friendship to anyone – including Claudio. I look for the NRC to wear down Delirious, but Romero will get eliminated. Strong can then eliminate Delirious. Claudio eliminates Hero, leaving Claudio and Roderick. Roderick wins.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Brad Garoon: So I’ve got Nigel McGuinness vs. Austin Aries vs. Chris Hero vs. Davey Richards vs. Rocky Romero vs. Roderick Strong and this is how I see it playing out. Nigel knocks Hero from the match early on to establish some sort of dominance. After that the NRC triple-team the champion and put him out of the match, furthering the FIP champ vs. ROH champ angle and giving Nigel 3 more challengers. Now it’s down to Aries vs. the entire NRC and I see Aries pulling them down one by one to finally win the tournament he’s come so close to winning so many times and putting his feud against the NRC to bed.

Winner: Austin Aries

Samuel Berman: My final is as follows: Chris Hero vs. TJ Perkins vs. Davey Richards vs. Roderick Strong vs. Austin Aries vs. Bryan Danielson. Strong surreptitiously avoids Aries throughout, constantly tagging out to Richards whenever he’s in jeopardy. Perkins is out to prove he’s able to hang with the veterans. Danielson has current issues with Hero and Aries. I could see Perkins pulling off the surprise elimination first, getting rid of Danielson and earning his stripes right out of the gate. The No Remorse Corps then overwhelm Perkins, eliminating him, but leaving him with an overall great night (similar to Colt Cabana’s run in the first SOTF). Hero then works with the NRC to work over Aries, only to have Richards turn on him and get the next elimination. Strong and Richards work over Aries, but one of them (probably Richards, but it’d be a better story if it were Strong) succumbs to a rollup and gets knocked out. Aries and the remaining Corps member then go toe-to-toe for ten or fifteen more minutes until Aries is able to string together his combo to get the final elimination and the win. Assuming Strong gets eliminated first, it not only sets up the final Aries vs. Strong match, but sows the seeds for Richards eventually turning on Strong and taking over the NRC with new member TJ Perkins joining to rejuvenate the group’s ranks. Think ‘Shelley and Aries with Generation Next’ if you want more context.

Winner and 2007 Survival of the Fittest Champion: Austin Aries

411 Staff Aggregate Finals: Chris Hero vs. Rocky Romero vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Roderick Strong vs. Austin Aries vs. Nigel McGuinness
411 Staff Picks: Austin Aries (5-2-1)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2007 – SAN FRANCISCO, CA

Chris Hero vs. Human Tornado
Jerome Cusson: The pressure is on Tornado since he’s had a ridiculous amount of hype surrounding him. Plus, he could very well join Evan’s stable since he would fit right in. Hero will have come his big win from the night before so this will be a nice easy night for him.

Winner: Chris Hero

Theo Fraser: Human Tornado makes his ROH debut, and again Chris Hero drew the short straw and has to show the ROH newbie the ropes. I won’t pretend to be a Human Tornado expert, but from what I’ve seen of his PWG stuff, he’s a pretty fun guy and has really improved his game this past year. Of course, in PWG these guys are wrapped up in an increasingly intense feud, but I doubt any of that will make the transition into an ROH ring. Look for Hero to show all is usual cockiness before being cut off by a swank Tornado attack. In the end, the new guys rarely win in these exhibition matches, so Hero should be safe in his slow rise back to the top.

Winner: Chris Hero

Bayani Domingo: I saw a sneak preview of their match last weekend, I wasn’t all that impressed. Then again with Tornado working “face” here it should make for a better match-up. I think Tornado can do a lot for his stock here and a good showing here would all but guarantee him a spot in at least one stable in the coming months, probably by year end. Still, he’s a newb and you know what happens to newbs.

Winner: Chris Hero

Ari Berenstein: I still like the work of Tornado in the ring but I’d be lying if I said I was comfortable with seeing either of these men go at it against each other given certain activities Tornado did and Hero and Candace LeRae obviously approved of at PWG BoLA. It will also be strange to see these men with their roles reversed, Hero as a heel instead of a face in an area where he is currently playing the face role. That said, I’m sure it will be a fine and entertaining endeavor and Tornado will likely make an impact considering he’s very popular on the West Coast.

Winner: Chris Hero

Michael Bauer: Ari brings up an interesting point about the heel Hero in a PWG crowd where he is normally a face. Then again, this is Ring of Honor, where the line gets blurred quite a bit anyway. Human Tornado should put on a good show, but this weekend looks like it belongs to Hero.

Winner: Chris Hero

Brad Garoon: PWG just ran this match and reports say it was decent. I see this happening early on the card and not being any more special for ROH.

Winner: Chris Hero

Samuel Berman: If you follow PWG, then the heel/face dynamics here will probably give you a headache. Hero wins, but Tornado looks good.

Winner: Chris Hero

411 Staff Picks: Chris Hero (7-0)

Adam Pearce vs. Karl “Machine Gun” Anderson
Jerome Cusson: I’d never even heard of Anderson until he won the NWA tag team title titles. This is a very random match and I guess Pierce will win because he’s a regular and about to get involved in a very heated feud with Delirious.

Winner: Adam Pierce

Theo Fraser: With all the debut matches going on over the weekend, I think this will be the one where the newbie gets the win. The Hangm3n really need to start winning, so normally I’d be against this, but Pearce is very good at doing the “holy-shit-i-lost-to-the-new-guy” shtick and could put over Anderson big time, if ROH wanted to invest in the Machine Gun. I’ll go wild and pick Anderson.

Winner: Karl Anderson

Bayani Domingo: It’s almost like having the Gymini wrestle each other. These guys are both old school, are both familiar with each other because of the NWA and AWS here in SoCal and wrestle a very similar old school style. I mean, Pearce finishes with a piledriver and Machine Gun finishes with a Boston Crab for God’s sake. Something tells me this could be the start of something for Mr. Anderson and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the 3 become a 4 eventually.

Winner: Adam Pearce

Ari Berenstein: Another ultimately fine but odd choice for a match up, since both men have similar builds, similar looks and both men seem to be more comfortable as heels. I guess Anderson will be cheered here due to his wacky charisma and well the fans love to hate Pearce. As Pearce is currently the leader of a major stable in ROH, Anderson will complete job duty on his double shot stint in ROH.

Winner: Adam Pearce

Michael Bauer: I hate to see Anderson lose twice on the West Coast this weekend, but it will probably happen. Pearce staying strong is very, very key right now.

Winner: Adam Pearce

Brad Garoon: Because when two guys look anything alike they must fight! Pearce is a former PWG champ and Anderson is a PWG regular, so Pearce gets the advantage.

Winner: Adam Pearce

Samuel Berman: Second verse, same as the first. Anderson has a good showing, but falls to Hangm3n-ference.

Winner: “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce

411 Staff Picks: Adam Pearce (6-1)

Davey Richards & Rocky Romero vs. TJ Perkins & Tony Kozina
Jerome Cusson: Same thing as the Pierce match. San Francisco isn’t exactly getting an A-level card here, are they?

Winners: Romero and Richards

Theo Fraser: Playing off of the Romero/Perkins match from the previous night, this could be a great little showcase for TJ and Kozina. This will be the third veteran vs. newbie match of the night, and I don’t see another shock win for the non-contracted talent, so the NRC members will pick up the win, potentially putting them into contention for the tag titles.

Winners: Davey Richards & Rocky Romero

Bayani Domingo: I am so, soooooo sorry you guys. I know you had big dreams of all the West Coast big leaguers coming out for this but I guess you end up with a lower card PWG tag match instead. All 4 guys know each other well. Davey/Kozina are tag champs in AWA Pinnacle in Washington and run the school up there together. Rocky/TJ are training partners and also help train others around SoCal so this should be a good match. Maybe not he most exciting or competitive and perhaps will lack a lot of heat due to RoH fans not really knowing these guys well, but considering there should be enough Cali fans going then this should get some good crowd heat. Still, no way NRC loses to T2. Not in this life time.

Winner: NRC

Ari Berenstein: I’m not a huge fan of Kozina although I know he’s put in his time and is a solid worker. This will be a solid but average mid card match meant to put over the NRC faction to the convention crowd. It will focus on them working together as a unit. The Cali crowd already knows Richards and Romero intimately through PWG and other area independents and I think they will like this match just fine. I just don’t think it’s the “best match” possible to present to this new area.

Winner: Richards & Romero

Michael Bauer: So TJ Perkins beats Rocky in the Survival of the Fittest tournament? There ain’t a chance in hell that happens twice in a row.

Winners: The No Remorse Corps

Brad Garoon: Are you kidding me? Is there really any question about who’s going over here? Give Richards and Romero a title shot already.

Winner: Richards & Romero

Samuel Berman: I don’t think this is where the Perkins turn happens, but he further earns the NRC’s respect with a good showing before Kozina falls to Richards. This one will surprise anyone not familiar with the West Coast team. I mean the non-ROH regulars West Coast team.

Winners: Davey Richards & Rocky Romero

411 Staff Picks: Davey Richards & Rocky Romero (7-0)

Delirious vs. Brent Albright
Jerome Cusson: I smell a rare disqualification here as I think Delirious is gonna go crazy (er) and just try to beat Albright up. Pierce will probably get involved here as well.

Winner: Brent Albright by DQ

Theo Fraser: The Hangm3n are really in need of some decent victories here, so I think it’s fine for Albright to come out on top in this mini-feud against Delirious. That may mean two straight losses during the weekend for Delirious, but he’s the kind of character that can easily bounce back. The Hangm3n have yet to be taken seriously, so this win is vital to save them from being lost in the undercard.

Winner: Brent Albright

Bayani Domingo: Someone is going back to the East coast with a losing streak. I’m going to say that it’s probably Delirious tho. Poor lil guy.

Winner: Brent Albright

Ari Berenstein: This match on the other hand I am really looking forward to, as its a fresh and different combination of wrestlers while at the same time maintaining one of my favorite stories, big man vs. little man. Albright is just scary talented as a bruiser. I’ve been going heel heavy so far so I expect Delirious to pull out the upset and finally pick up a win over the Hangmen Three. Although this could just as easily be a spotlight match for Albright’s talents.

Winner: Delirious

Michael Bauer: Delirious has been used as nothing more than a tacking dummy for the Hangman Three lately and needs to bounce back sooner or later. Albright does need the win as well to keep the group strong. Considering Albright is not the head of the group, I’ll take the slight upset.

Winner: Delirious

Brad Garoon: Delirious is in way over his head with this feud, and he needs some kind of victory here to look credible at all. I think he gets it over Albright.

Winner: Delirious

Samuel Berman: Albright will probably win, but I like Delirious more. They’re my picks, and I’ll use them as foolishly as I want.

Winner: Delirious

411 Staff Picks: Delirious (4-3)

FIP World Heavyweight Title: Roderick Strong © vs. Claudio Castagnoli
Jerome Cusson: Dear ROH, stop trying to make the FIP title mean something. It doesn’t to ROH fans. Thank you.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Theo Fraser: This will basically be another string to Roderick’s title defense bow. Strong recently commented that Nigel will never match his FIP title run, possibly setting up a future feud for the two of them. As such, I see continued success for Strong in these singles matches, as he further builds up the reputation of his reign and the value of the FIP title itself. It’s bound to be an excellent match, but the finish is elementary.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Bayani Domingo: Wow, I can’t believe they are still defending this thing in RoH. I would be PISSED if I went to FIP shows and it finally changed hands, but on the totally opposite coast. I don’t think they have anything to worry about here however. Actually come to think of it, I’m a bit disappointed there’s no PWG title match. That sucks. WTF??

Winner: Chief Roddy Strong-Bow

Ari Berenstein: Once again I have to join the chorus of those who say FIP title defenses such as this one are highly ridiculous. No one expects Strong to lose the title and in fact it would be pretty stupid for it to happen considering this is not Florida. I think we know how good Strong is without having the added prestige (such as it is) of an FIP title defense. Just let these two go out and do their thing and they will impress, but now with the added pretense of a title defense this match becomes pedantic and predictable.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Michael Bauer: Well, if I’m right, Claudio will have the advantage going into this match, by pinning Strong on Friday. I have never been a fan of the FIP title being defended in the Ring of Honor, but this time it adds intrigue to a bigger event earlier in the weekend. Roderick retains, that’s the point/

Winner: Roderick Strong

Brad Garoon: The last time I saw Claudio go for a title in FIP it was in an amazing match against Erick Stevens for the Florida Heritage Championship. Stevens sells better than Strong but they do wrestle a similar style, so I hope for really good things from this match. The FIP belt isn’t changing hands in ROH again.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Samuel Berman: The FIP Title is on the line. The FIP Title won’t change hands again outside of FIP. ROH is not FIP. Ergo Strong Retains. QED. Match should be great, regardless of my sarcasm.

Winner and STILL FIP World Heavyweight Champion: Roderick Strong

411 Staff Picks: Roderick Strong

2nd Match in Best-of-Three Series: Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries
(Aries leads series 1-0)
Jerome Cusson: There is a minimal amount of drama in this one since there really is no way they’re going to have a third match that means nothing. ROH wants their Misawa shows to mean a lot so they can sell a lot of DVDs. A significant third match (and also keeping the main event a surprise as long as possible seems to be the order of the day.

Winner: Bryan Danielson

Theo Fraser: Best-of-Three series rarely end in two straight victories, so already I’m predicting a Danielson win on this occasion. I’m still predicting an overall win for Aries (thus giving us Danielson vs. Morishima III in New York), but Dragon will likely even things out here. I love Danielson-Aries matches, so I’m naturally super hyped for this one.

Winner: Bryan Danielson

Bayani Domingo: is Aries going to pull a Briscoes here and take both in a row? Probably not, especially after Danielson will be looking for blood after not winning the SotF. Danielson wins, resoundingly.

Winner: Danielson

Ari Berenstein: Now we’re talking. ROH always tries to give great double main events for its show and no doubt this is part one of the equation. Aries and Danielson will have a great wrestling match and will probably have the match of the night when all is said and done. Aries is up one match to none and Danielson is due for a win in ROH action while in a new territory for the company. Therefore he ties it up and we head for the homestretch of the series in Philadelphia.

Winner: Bryan Danielson

Michael Bauer: If anyone expects Dragon to lose two in a row to Aries or on a single weekend, you are out of your fucking mind. This series will head to Philly on 11/2.

Winner: Bryan Danielson

Brad Garoon: Aries leads and there’s no doubt in my mind that the series is going the distance. So much for momentum coming out of the SotF tournament.

Winner: Bryan Danielson

Samuel Berman: Honestly, though series’ almost always (read: absolutely always) go the distance, Ring of Honor has had a penchant for head-faking fans in situations like this (see also: The Briscoes in 2/3 Falls matches). I’d love to see Aries continues his tidal wave of momentum by running through Danielson for a second straight time here, but it won’t happen. Danielson will get back some of his heat after a surprising loss in SOTF and set up the epic third and final match in the series.

Winner: “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson

411 Staff Picks: Bryan Danielson (7-0)

ROH World Title: Nigel McGuinness © vs. Jay Briscoe
Jerome Cusson: The biggest question is when Jay Briscoe earned this world title match. I know he got the fall against Nigel back in July, but that was back in July and Briscoe hasn’t won any sort of a match in a month. San Francisco isn’t exactly getting an A-level main event here.

Winner: Nigel McGuiness

Theo Fraser: The Era of McGuinness is ushered in here with this title defense against Tag Team Champion Jay Briscoe. This will likely be a much more even contest than Jay’s last attempt at taking World Championship gold against Morishima, and Nigel has already expressed concern over the Jay Driller, putting it over as a legitimate finisher. I expect this to be played upon during the match, with Nigel barely escaping the maneuver each time, eventually capitalizing on Jay “going to the well one too many times” with a Jawbreaker Lariat from out of nowhere.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness

Bayani Domingo: Yeah, this match makes no damn sense. Plus, where is the AotF in Frisco? Oh, that’s right, probably f’n up this match in one way or another. I know Necro is in SoCal on Saturday, is a trip up the coast that morning that much of a hassle? Nigel is holding on to that belt at least through Final Battle this year.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness

Ari Berenstein: I think I’m looking forward to Nigel’s reign as a sort of Bret Hart like champion, taking on all comers and challenging them to bring their best. This is a good example of the potential of such a reign, as Jay has challenged for the ROH title before and made a good showing. I expect a good back and forth match up here but Nigel should pour it on in the backstretch of the match and show his dominance as a champion. Oh, and expect lariats, lots of them.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness

Michael Bauer: This is an odd match for Nigel’s first defense, I will admit. Jay will probably still be selling some sort of beat down from the Age of Fall, so Nigel should have some easy pickings here.

Winner: Nigel McGuiness

Brad Garoon: Nigel has to go over very, very strong here since he isn’t winning the SotF tournament. Look for some AotF interference in this one.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness

Samuel Berman: I would love to see ROH World Champion Jay Briscoe, but then I also would like a new car and I’m not getting that anytime soon either. Jay will bring his usual awesome performance, but Nigel gets the win to get back on track.

Winner and STILL ROH World Champion: Nigel McGuinness