411 ROH Roundtable Preview: Philadelphia & New York – Glory By Honor VI – 11/2 & 11/3

Hello loyal readers and welcome to this week’s 411 Ring of Honor Roundtable Preview. This weekend is one of the biggest of the year for ROH, with the record sixth installment of the company’s Glory By Honor event. As if that milestone weren’t enough, Pro Wrestling NOAH legend Mitsuharu Misawa will be making a pair of incredibly rare North American appearances, including making a defense of his GHC Heavyweight Title, the second straight year that title will be defended during Glory By Honor weekend. Mark Briscoe, now mostly healed from his injuries, will also make a full return to action in Philadelphia and New York City, as he and his brother Jay will make a pair of ROH World Tag Team Title defenses against the likes of the No Remorse Corps and the Age of the Fall. Also, though it was recently announced that ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness will be forced to miss this weekend due to injury, “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson will still be in action, finishing his Best-of-Three series with Austin Aries before locking up with Takeshi Morishima on Saturday. Before we get to the full preview, let’s take a look at this week’s contributing staffers:

Michael Bauer, of the ECW Recap,

Ari Berenstein, of Column of Honor,

Bayani Domingo, of Truth B Told,

Theo Fraser, of Nintendophiles in the Games Zone,

Stuart Carapola, of That Was Then,

Brad Garoon, of our ROH DVD Review team,

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

Now that the staff has been introduced, here are our predictions for this weekend’s shows. Cards are current as of Wednesday, 10/31.

GLORY BY HONOR VI, NIGHT 1
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2007 – PHILADELPHIA, PA

Top of the Class Trophy: Mitch Franklin © vs. Ernie Osiris
Michael Bauer: Um, yeah, this should be something. I don’t think Mitch has defended the trophy at all, so it is not time to pull the carpet out from under him.

Winner: Mitch Franklin

Ari Berenstein: The last time I paid attention to Ernie Osiris, he lost to a woman (Sara Del Rey at Fighting Spirit). Mitch Franklin, with his hairdo, looks like a woman. You do the math.

Winner: Mitch Franklin to retain.

Bayani Domingo: Who?

Winner: Mitch Franklin, via the “I never heard of the other guy” Driver

Theo Fraser: Meh, not too fussed about this one. Franklin retains though.

Winner: Mitch Franklin

Stuart Carapola: How is this getting announced as part of the main card? Sorry Mitch, you’re a hell of a nice guy, but nobody cares about you, and I’d be willing to bet most people don’t even know who Ernie Osiris is. His name sounds like a disease.

Winner: Mitch Franklin

Brad Garoon: Ernie Osiris has had what, one match on a main show? And it was a squash to Sara Del Rey. Franklin should be keeping the title here, not that he’s anything special though.

Winner: Mitch Franklin

Samuel Berman: Franklin wins, because the real move here is to “build him up” so that Bobby Dempsey can squash him… and still get no respect from the Sweet ‘n Sour Inc. guys.

Winner and STILL Top of the Class Trophy Holder: Mitch Franklin

411 Staff Picks: Mitch Franklin (7-0)

Kevin Steen & El Generico vs. Brent Albright & BJ Whitmer
Michael Bauer: Glad to see a follow up to the West Coast trip with this match. Albright and Whitmer need a leg up on the Faction Wars and a win over the main contenders to the tag titles for most of 2007 is a good way to do it.

Winners: Hangmen Three

Ari Berenstein: Steen is supposedly working on a herniated back. I’m sorry, that makes its sound like he’s standing on a herniated back. I meant he’s working with a herniated back. Wait, I’m sorry again, that makes it sound like I’m talking about El Generico. Maybe Brent Albright can unherniate the herniated back with a good old Half Nelson Suplex. Then Whitmer can reaggravate the injury due to Steen having to carry him in the match. I’m sorry again, that may have been too harsh. I meant to say, then Whitmer can reaggravate the injury AND hurt El Generico as well due to BOTH of them having to carry him in the match. THAT’s better. I’m rambling now.

Winner: Brent Albright & BJ Whitmer

Bayani Domingo: So it looks like Steen-erico dropped the PWG tag belts in Europe and Mr. Wrestling is rumored to be taking time off from wrestling. I say that they do the job and somehow Steen gets taken out by the HM3 which allows him some kayfabe time off and Generico goes on a singles program or ends up tagging with another masked man. Yes, hilarity will ensue…for Generico and his partner, not for Steen. I smell an ass whoopin’.

Winner: 3 and a ½ Hangmen

Theo Fraser: We saw in PWG this past weekend Steen lose a tag team title match, and as per his own stipulation, would be out of action in the company for some time. It has been noted that Mr. Wrestling is suffering from some nagging injuries, and a healing period is evidently overdue for the guy. With that in mind, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Hangm3n mess up Kevin Steen pretty bad, giving him time off due to the attack, whilst also assuring he has a built-in feud upon his return.

Winners: Brent Albright & BJ Whitmer

Stuart Carapola: I’d like to say that, coming off their amazing feud with the Briscoes, Steen and Generico have the advantage. However, I think Whitmer and Albright could use the win more to legitimize themselves and also come off as bigger bad asses.

Winner: Brent Albright & BJ Whitmer

Brad Garoon: If rumors of Steen taking a break from wrestling are to be believed then the winners of this match are fairly obvious. I’m not sure if he’s just taking a break from PWG of if he’s going to skip out on ROH for a while as well, but either way it makes me think the Hangmen are taking this one.

Winners: Albright & Whitmer

Samuel Berman: With the buzz being that Steen is going on hiatus from the wrestling business, it would be counterproductive to have him get the win over one of the factions that’s trying to establish itself. Actually, I can’t really think of a move that would establish the HM3 in a better way than to have them put a recognized tough guy like Steen ‘out of action’ for a while. Generico should be fine as a single for a bit, so let’s go with Brent & BJ here.

Winners: Brent Albright & BJ Whitmer

411 Staff Picks: Brent Albright & BJ Whitmer (7-0)

Delirious vs. Davey Richards
Michael Bauer: Wow, Delirious just can’t get rid of the NRC at all, can he? He’s much higher up on the food chain than when then whole deal started, so I expect Delirious to get the duke here.

Winner: Delirious

Ari Berenstein: Delirious is feuding with the Hangmen 3, so its only natural he tear through them individually one by one on his way to payback. Hence this match which I’m sure will be a dandy…what? Davey Richards isn’t a part of the Hangmen 3? Oh how embarrassing.

Winner: Davey Richards

Bayani Domingo: Okay…this doesn’t make sense. I could actually see this turning into a bigger angle where Davey does the job, attacks Delirious along with another NRC member and someone comes to his rescue which will lead to a tag match later on (Generico or Hallowicked perhaps?), then again I could also see Aries or Jack helping out since the NRC and Vultures mix it up the next night and Aries would need a 3rd to fill out Resilience in the Trios tournament. Either way I look for Delirious to eek out a win.

Winner: Delirious

Theo Fraser: Here, we revisit the Delirious/NRC feud, and whilst it probably won’t be remembered in the long run, it did produce some pretty good matches. Let’s hope this one follows in the same vein. Richards has stepped up his game in recent months, and Delirious has seemed fresh thanks to a new more serious edge to his character. I’d expect this one to be decent. Delirious didn’t have a very successful weekend during the West Coast debut, so look for him to regain some momentum here with a win over the No Remorse Corps representative.

Winner: Delirious

Stuart Carapola: These guys are just about at the same place in the ROH hierarchy at the moment, so this is really kind of a tossup. I’ll give it to Delirious only because he’s more dedicated to his singles career at the moment.

Winner: Delirious

Brad Garoon: I thought Delirious was done feuding with the NRC. I really don’t have an interest in this match so I’m flipping a coin.

Winner: Delirious

Samuel Berman: Delirious is sort of in limbo at the moment, but I could see him winning anyway. I, too, am pretty up in the air about this one, so I’ll go the other way from Brad just to balance things out.

Winner: Davey Richards

411 Staff Picks: Delirious (5-2)

Scramble Rules: Jack Evans, Ruckus & Jigsaw vs. Jimmy Jacobs, Tyler Black & Necro Butcher
Michael Bauer: Fact – The Age of the Fall have not lost yet since becoming a faction. Fact – The Age of the Fall have a Tag Team Title shot coming in New York City. Add those two together and you get no chance of the Vulture Squad winning.

Winners: The Age of the Fall

Ari Berenstein: Well at the end of this match one team will look like a bunch of jobbers…and the others will BE a bunch of jobbers.

Winner: Age of the Fall

Bayani Domingo: I think the Vultures need a win bad, but I can’t see Age of the Fallout Boy losing since they have so much momentum on their side. Something tells me that this will be a screwy finish leading to a AotF win, perhaps a mystery run in….or… Jigsaw unmasks to reveal he’s really Eddie Kingston. They could be twins you know.

Winner: Panic! at the Necro

Theo Fraser: Haven’t seen a Scramble Rules match in ROH in a little while, so this should be a nice change of pace. The Vulture Squad have had issues with the Age of the Fall since the latter group’s debut at Man Up, and this will no doubt lead nicely into the upcoming Trios Tournament. AotF are currently unbeaten, and I don’t think that will change here. Whilst the Vulture Squad could very well do with a high profile victory, I personally don’t see them as the right choice for being the ones to go over the team of Jacobs, Black and Butcher. AotF remain dominant.

Winners: Jimmy Jacobs, Tyler Black & Necro Butcher

Stuart Carapola: Now that The Resilience is on a short hiatus, it appears that Jack Evans and his crew have taken over as the de facto jobber stable led by a former Gen Next member. AOTF is big time and, by the way, have a tag title shot coming up the next night.

Winner: Jimmy Jacobs, Tyler Black & Necro Butcher

Brad Garoon: Now this is more like it. The AotF have really emerged as the dominant faction in ROH, and I think that trend will continue here. If the scramble rules advantage gives the Vulture Squad the win then I’ll be sure that Jacobs’s crew is winning the Trios Tournament.

Winners: Age of the Fall

Samuel Berman: Age of the Fall hasn’t lost and won’t start here, especially with the tag straps on the line in New York City. The Vulture Squad only wins here if involves the words ‘surprise debut of Eddie Kingston’, which won’t happen.

Winners: Jimmy Jacobs, Tyler Black & Necro Butcher

411 Staff Picks: Jimmy Jacobs, Tyler Black & Necro Butcher (7-0)

3rd Match in Best-of-Three Series: Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries
(Series tied 1-1)
Michael Bauer: Ok, let us all assume for now that the winner of this match gets his shot at Nigel at Final Battle Weekend. Now, which match would be so big that you could have no choice but to have it at Final Battle. The answer is Nigel vs. Danielson, hands down. Before Nigel got hurt, I could swear that Aries was getting this shot. But now, with having to wait almost two months for the shot, assuming Nigel can compete then, I almost feel like Danielson has to win this match. No offense to Aries, but I saw Final Battle as that one last match with Roderick, to finally close that chapter in a more definitive way.

Winner: Bryan Danielson

Ari Berenstein: Um…this will be good? Seriously I think I’ve run out of things to say about these two. Just enjoy their wrestling match. Winner gets the title shot for Final Battle, so at least we have a bit of advanced booking on our side.

Winner: Abstain because I honestly have no clue and no preference either way.

Bayani Domingo: I think the time has come for a new focus and if you saw Aries when I did in Vegas the man looked ripped out of his mind, like he was waiting for a huge push and didn’t care what kind of….”vitamins” he had to take to get in Championship shape. So perhaps we’ll see a screwy finish but perhaps we’ll see Aries on his way to a 2nd title reign.

Winner: Austin Aries

Theo Fraser: These guys always deliver, and reports have suggested that the previous two matches in the series did not disappoint. This match means so much more following Nigel’s injury, as the winner will now challenge for the title in the main event of Final Battle 2007. As ROH fans know, Final Battle is often considered the “Wrestlemania” of the company, so this is a big spot for either man. As I’ve mentioned countless times before, 2007 is Aries’ year after proving his loyalty to ROH, choosing the promotion over TNA back in early Summer. Austin’s reward will likely turn out to be this spot, with a possible second run at the title on the cards. Aries picks up the victory and moves on as the official number one contender.

Winner: Austin Aries

Stuart Carapola: I think that no matter who wins this match and series, both men are going to be in the ROH Title picture for the next several months, at least until Nigel gets back. That said, Danielson’s been in the title picture for most of the last two years, and I think that winning this series would better help Aries get himself back in position where he could justify title shots.

Winner: Austin Aries

Brad Garoon: Danielson vs. Nigel is tired and Aries vs. Nigel has only happened once before in ROH. It was pretty good back then (during Nigel’s Pure title reign) and I think it could be great now. Aries will reestablish himself as a main eventer in ROH with this match.

Winner: Austin Aries

Samuel Berman: Danielson’s probably the smarter pick, but I really think that ROH is serious about putting Aries over as a main event guy again. Dragon’s pretty above the rest of the roster in the eyes of the fans, so he doesn’t need the win here to validate anything. Meanwhile, Aries spent the first three-quarters of the year either in the mid-card or in limbo, so a win here, over the company’s de facto standard bearer, puts him back up to the level he had reached by mid-2005 during the final stages of his ROH World Title reign. ROH can’t miss the opportunity to re-elevate him like that.

Winner: Austin Aries

411 Staff Picks: Austin Aries (5-1-0-1)

ROH World Tag Team Titles: Jay & Mark Briscoe © vs. Roderick Strong & Rocky Romero
Michael Bauer: Let’s get the obvious out of the way. The Briscoes are not losing the straps here. But also, I don’t think they win the match. Since The Age of the Fall also has issues with the No Remorse Corps, or at least they seemingly do, it makes a lot more sense to see them interfere and for this match to be thrown out into a wild six man brawl.

Winner: No contest

Ari Berenstein: Good to see Mark finally back at close to full health and ready to kick ass and go back to defending the tag titles. Too bad they’ll only get to Saturday in doing so.

Winner: The Briscoes

Bayani Domingo: Yeah right, like this one is even in doubt. I would think that Roddy/Davey would stand a better shot against the Briscoes but personally I like Roddy/Rocky more. Too bad they won’t win because the NRC needs gold in the worst way possible.

Winner: Briscoes

Theo Fraser: As long as Mark’s foot is OK, this could be something really great. The Briscoes had a tremendous match against the different NRC pairing of Strong and Richards back at FYF: Finale, so we know that there’s definitely chemistry there. Romero has been awesome as of late as well, so these four men should provide the Philly fans with a title defense to remember. Briscoes retain, and then go on to face nemeses Age of the Fall in New York.

Winners: Jay & Mark Briscoe

Stuart Carapola: The Briscoes aren’t losing the title before meeting AOTF. That’s it.

Winner: Jay & Mark Briscoe

Brad Garoon: If any combo of the NRC was going to win the tag belts it’d be Romero and Richards. Roderick already has gold and doesn’t need any more. The Briscoes are keeping the belts at least until they lose them to the Age of the Fall or put the Age of the Fall out of their way.

Winners: The Briscoes

Samuel Berman: The Briscoe Brothers won’t lose the titles before their big showdown with Jacobs & Co. I’m right there with Brad on the ‘Roderick doesn’t need more gold’ front, and split between him and Bayani on the ‘this isn’t the right combination to hold the tag belts anyway’ issue. So add it all together and it’s another successful (and probably excellent) defense for the boys from Southern Delaware.

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

411 Staff Picks: Jay & Mark Briscoe (6-0-0-1)

Mitsuharu Misawa & KENTA vs. Takeshi Morishima & Naomichi Marufuji
Michael Bauer: Wow, how on Earth do you pick this match? I can’t for the life of me see this match turning into a KENTA/Misawa issue for their GHC Title match on Saturday. But it is also pretty damn obvious that Misawa is not taking the fall. He did that in Japan last week, no need to do it again here. This could very well be match of the night and it will simply be amazing.

Winners: Misawa and KENTA

Ari Berenstein: Misawa didn’t give those who watched the match against Samoa Joe much confidence that he can bring an amazing “Buddokan level main event” as has been hyped. He’s slow, doesn’t have a lot of mobility and is outwardly very stoic and doesn’t wear his charisma on his sleeve. Those are three major strikes against him. However, I hardly count him out of having at least a “good” match and probably a very good match in Philadelphia and again in NYC. For this one he’s got his fellow NOAH wrestlers who are very confident, super talented and majorly over with the ROH crowd. Those three pluses will help counter the negatives and I’m sure they will do their best to help Misawa continue to be over with the crowd. I say continue because I’m sure Misawa will get a great welcome reception from the crowd, but anything after that is a wait and see.

Winner: Mitsuharu Misawa & KENTA

Bayani Domingo: So this is interesting. Shouldn’t it be KENTA and Morishima vs. Misawa and Marufuji? That way KENTA could take a pin and build intrigue for the next night’s title match? I guess not. Well something tells me that KENTA doesn’t take the fall here because he has to look good for his loss to Misawa the next night. Morishima won’t job twice in a row, so that leaves me with….Marufuji taking the 1,2,3.

Winner: KENsawa

Theo Fraser: So here we are, Misawa steps foot on US soil…and in an ROH ring no less. This is a very tough one to predict actually. Misawa let Joe get a fall on him just last week; the first time he’s been pinned in well over a year. So does that mean there’s no chance in hell of ‘Shima or ‘Fuji getting the rub, as he wouldn’t want to take ANOTHER loss so soon after the last one? OR has the guy gone into “Put Over” mode and realizes that he has the ability to make these performers into bonafide superstars? Misawa has said that he wants to make his mark in ROH, and you can’t really get any bigger than one of these two getting a win over him. Of course, the likely path is that there will be some miscommunication between Misawa and his partner KENTA, leading to KENTA being pinned, thus pissing off the champion and setting up the GHC title defense the following evening. Yes, I’m going with that theory.

Winners: Takeshi Morishima & Naomichi Marufuji

Stuart Carapola: Let’s get one thing straight here: when big name guys come over from Japan or anywhere else, they don’t come over the pond to do a job. Especially when the other guys in the match work for them. Misawa and KENTA go over and then do some kind of stare down to prepare for their match the following evening.

Winner: Mitsuharu Misawa & KENTA

Brad Garoon: Misawa and KENTA are main eventing on Saturday night and Morishima and Marufuji are in novelty matches. Who do you think will win?

Winners: Misawa & KENTA

Samuel Berman: Yeah, I can’t really see Morishima & Marufuji winning here either. I mean I happen to personally like those two guys more than their opponents, but that’s not going to overcome the crushing weight of politics enough to have Misawa officially have an overseas loss on his tab. KENTA lucks out and rides the champ’s coattails to a victory, even though in terms of ROH booking he’s probably a step behind Morishima & Marufuji at the moment.

Winners: Mitsuharu Misawa & KENTA

411 Staff Picks: Mitsuharu Misawa & KENTA (6-1)

GLORY BY HONOR VI, NIGHT 2
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2007 – NEW YORK, NY

El Generico vs. Chris Hero
Michael Bauer: This matchup should be a lot of fun and, seeing who is not booked yet, will probably lead into a Kevin Steen vs. Adam Pearce match or something of the like to follow it up. That said, despite how many people are in Chris Hero’s corner, he loses by DQ due to even more outside help. (NOTE: More Bobby Dempsey chants!!)

Winner: El Generico by DQ

Ari Berenstein: A relatively fresh match for Ring of Honor as its only the second time these two have fought against one another in this promotion. Hero and Sweet and Sour have brought the wrestling and they have brought the comedy and entertainment. El Generico can be pretty comical and entertaining in his own right. This one should be a given in quality.

Winner: Chris Hero

Bayani Domingo: Hero just looked really good on the West Coast and I can’t imagine he’ll lose here to Generico. I think this is going to be a tough loss for Generico but ultimately I think his best shot at RoH success is in the tag ranks. Let’s hope I’m wrong, but I think Hero takes this one fairly easily.

Winner: Chris Hero

Theo Fraser: A rematch of the Race to the Top Tournament Quarter Finals, which generally received very positive reviews. I guess since Hero won the SOTF, he wants to beat Generico badly, since it was Generico that knocked him out of the RTTT tournament. The RTTT match was slightly hindered by the fact that Generico had to wrestle twice after the match, so he was obviously saving himself a little bit. Here, however, he can be completely focused, so I’d expect it to go a little longer and be a bit more fast-paced. If given the time, it could easily be a show stealer.

Winner: Chris Hero

Stuart Carapola: Chris Hero finally seems to be getting the big push everyone has been screaming for him to get for almost two years. Having ran through the Survival Of The Fittest finals the way he did, I don’t expect Generico to stop him.

Winner: Chris Hero

Brad Garoon: This match would be more of a novelty had Generico won the Race to the Top tournament. As it is it will be a nice follow up to Hero’s SotF win and make him seem worthy of a full-on feud against Castagnoli.

Winner: Chris Hero

Samuel Berman: Just like with Human Tornado, El Generico will impress but ultimately fall to the new wave of momentum that Survival of the Fittest Champion Chris Hero is now riding. On a separate note, Generico would make a good choice to join up with the Resilience now that Steen will (theoretically) be out of the picture for a bit.

Winner: Chris Hero

411 Staff Picks: Chris Hero (6-1)

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Naomichi Marufuji
Michael Bauer: This will be my first time seeing Marufuji live, but from what I’ve seen, Claudio and Marufuji should have some great chemistry. I can’t see anyone coming over from Japan and losing two straight nights and though it may happen later on, it won’t happen here.

Winner: Marufuji

Ari Berenstein: Marufuji looks to continue Mid Card Domination Tour of ROH Wrestlers 2007. He’s been given a very nice push all year round, although it didn’t culminate in a title shot against Morishima as I had suspected it might. I think Marufuji’s run in ROH will come up against a roadblock in the former of Claudio, who is at a career high. This may be the start of a good rivalry, but I’m hoping Claudio will come out on top in this first ever encounter.

Winner: Claudio Castagnoli

Bayani Domingo: This should be a really good match, problem is that Dub-C isn’t going to end up jobbing out Marufuji after he takes a pin the night before. If anything I look for either Hero to be a factor or Marufuji to pull out a squeaker. This weekend looks like a very good double header and perhaps a good gift for yours truly if anyone is paying attention. *ahem…x-mas time*

Winner: Marufuji

Theo Fraser: Call me crazy, but I think we’re in store for a big upset here. Outside talent rarely take losses to regular roster guys, but Castagnoli has proved to be an asset to the company this year, and an ‘international’ win of this caliber would be huge for him. I’m expecting a really solid match, as Castagnoli is a perfect base for Marufuji’s lightning-quick offense, and in the end I see Claudio getting the W, boosting his stock into the stratosphere.

Winner: Claudio Castagnoli

Here we run into the standard Outside Japanese Wrestler Rule, which states that even though the ROH guy will get a hell of a match out of it, the Japanese visitor always goes over. The only possible exception is if the match is for the ROH World Title, but since this isn’t for that title, Marufuji’s going over.

Winner: Naomichi Marufuji

Brad Garoon: If I recall correctly Marufuji hasn’t lost a singles match in ROH since his first match against Bryan Danielson. Nothing will change in this match, as much as Castagnoli deserves a win over him.

Winner: Naomichi Marufuji

Samuel Berman: I’m also on board with the ‘Claudio should actually get the win here’ theory, but he won’t. I think this one will be great, and actually think they could give Claudio the win in an eventual rematch. Hopefully they get a lot of time, like Marufuji did with El Generico a couple of months ago in Detroit.

Winner: Naomichi Marufuji

411 Staff Picks: Naomichi Marufuji (6-1)

Jack Evans, Ruckus & Jigsaw vs. Roderick Strong, Davey Richards & Rocky Romero
Michael Bauer: The Vulture Squad have pretty much been looking like chumps lately and maybe that is a good thing, because nobody would expect a win from them here. The No Remorse Corps don’t need this win as badly, but will probably get it.

Winners: The No Remorse Corps

Ari Berenstein: The Vulture Squad debuted three months ago in NYC and were off to a hot start. Now they have sort been lost in the muddle of stable warfare and have become a victim of ROH’s DVD schedule not putting out their spotlight matches in time for them to increase their popularity. They’re also being jobbed out left and right. Where have we seen that before (cough…cough…Resilience)? In order for the V Squad to maintain some sort of momentum as we head into Trios Tournament 2007, they have to win one of the two matches they’re booked in during this weekend. They won’t.

Winner: No Remorse Corps

Bayani Domingo: Vultures need a win. NRC continue to look like an over hyped jobber squad. Hell, shouldn’t Jimmy Rave be brought back to debut with them soon? I hate to say it but if the NRC don’t take a win here, I can’t see them even being close to contenders in the Trios tournament. But the VS need a win more. Sorry guys…

Winner: VS

Theo Fraser: I think this could serve as that high profile win I was talking about earlier for the Vulture Squad. Again, it plays into the Trios Tournament, and adds another dimension to the competition, as the losing team here will be looking to gain it back next month during the tournament. This is where the Vulture Squad need to shine, and I’m going to give them the win here.

Winners: Jack Evans, Ruckus & Jigsaw

Stuart Carapola: The Vulture Squad is going to be pulling job duty for two nights in a row, it seems.

Winner: Roderick Strong, Davey Richards & Rocky Romero

Brad Garoon: Here’s another feud that I really thought was over. If my Friday night predictions are correct then both teams will be coming off loses. That leaves me flipping a coin.

Winners: The Vulture Squad

Samuel Berman: I really have no idea where the different groups rank in this Gang Warz angle (outside of the Age of the Fall, I guess), which I suppose is the point. Eh, the Vultures are newer, so let’s go with them.

Winners: Jack Evans, Ruckus & Jigsaw

411 Staff Picks: Jack Evans, Ruckus & Jigsaw (4-3)

ROH World Tag Team Titles: Jay & Mark Briscoe © vs. Two of Jimmy Jacobs, Tyler Black & Necro Butcher
Michael Bauer: Ok, first things first. The two people who should compete for the Age of the Fall are Jimmy Jacobs and Necro Butcher. As long as Jacobs doesn’t have a singles title reign coming, that is straight forward. Now, their is a big difference between this new feud and the one with Steen-erico. With Steen-erico, the Briscoes did get some early wins mixed in with loses. When it came to the title matches though, there was no beating them. This time, they have lost EVERY single time, but at no time was Mark at 100%. Assuming he is, you would think there is no beating them… but isn’t that kinda getting old. They need a chase to change up the style a little bit and this is the right time to pull it off.

Winners: Jimmy Jacobs and Necro Butcher

Ari Berenstein: Tyler Black has sort of been hanging around in the background but I think here is where he swoops in for some of the glory. It’s Jacobs and Black in this one and I think that there may be no stopping them from winning this one. They have totally owned The Briscoes and I think they not only win here but they do it in dominating fashion to serve a message to ROH and its fans: there is NO glory by honor.

Winner: Age of the Fall to win the ROH World Tag Team Titles.

Bayani Domingo: Jimmy and Necro took it to the Briscoes pretty good. I think it might be a surprise here and if anything I would think that this would be the perfect time to give the fans a title change to take their minds off having no World Champ for a couple of months. If it’s Jimmy and Tyler then the Briscoes win clean. If it’s Jimmy and Necro then the Briscoes win pretty clean. But, if it’s Tyler and Necro…I think Jimmy sneaks in for a well timed cane shot and we have brand new Tag Champs.

Winner: and NEW RoH Tag Champions, Tyler Black and Necro Butcher, aka Panic! at the Necro

Theo Fraser: Jimmy Jacobs and Necro Butcher were successful in defeating the Briscoe brothers in a non-title affair at Survival of the Fittest 2007, so why change what worked before? Jacobs and Butcher team again, this time challenging for the titles, and on this night I feel that the era of Briscoe comes to an end. Jay & Mark have been on top of the tag division since April, but since the arrival of the Age of the Fall, things have not been too great for them. Obviously, the feud will continue, and I highly expect the Briscoes to get a win over them at some point, but I’ve got a feeling the AotF are walking out with the tag titles on this occasion.

Winners and NEW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: Jimmy Jacobs & Necro Butcher

Stuart Carapola: Okay, I’m going to pick Tyler Black and Jimmy Jacobs to be participating in this match, but I don’t see them going over the Briscoes just yet. I expect this feud to drag out for a good long time, and it wouldn’t do to have AOTF take the titles in their first meeting.

Winner: Jay & Mark Briscoe

Brad Garoon: I think this will be Black and Necro with Jacobs managing and I think the Briscoes will retain. They could hotshot the belts to the AotF but that’s been done before. I think the Briscoes will win the match, probably by DQ, but then get destroyed as has been happening lately.

Winners: The Briscoes

Samuel Berman: I’d like to think Jacobs & Black (because that would give us the best match in my opinion) would be the team, but they’ll probably go with Black & Necro instead like Brad and Bayani suggested. There’s an outside shot at a title switch here, as history has shown that the best way to get to the Briscoes is in the first encounter (see also: Doi & Shingo), but this feud has legs for a while and they don’t need to have the titles move yet. Also, with the announcement that the Briscoes will be (have) defending (defended) the titles in Dayton retroactively for the 4th PPV (on the 4th PPV) against Richards & Romero, this one’s has to be a win for the champs. Or else Gabe could just be working us. Briscoes take a close match, setting up a rematch at Final Battle.

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

411 Staff Picks: Two of Jimmy Jacobs, Tyler Black & Necro Butcher (4-3)

Bryan Danielson vs. Takeshi Morishima
Michael Bauer: Danielson/Morishima III, wow, how fucking glad am I to be able to not see this match once, but twice live in three months. They tore the house down back in August and I expect no less this time around. Now, I said before that nobody from Japan should lose twice in a weekend. But Danielson has yet to get a win over Morishima and right now would be the one last chance that I can see it happening.

Winner: Bryan Danielson

Ari Berenstein: It’s quite a statement to make that I am more buzzed and hyped for this match on less than a week’s notice and build than I am the main event, but nonetheless it is the statement I’m making. Live, I thought their first match was match of the year and on tape its a great match and it certainly captured the atmosphere and drama of the match. Now even with only pride at stake, this is a match to look out for and for certain another MOTYC possibility. I’m ready to see these two throw down again.

Winner: Bryan Danielson

Bayani Domingo: No idea what to expect but something tells me Danielson is going to want to kill someone after losing to Aries. If Danielson loses and Aries wins then it only makes sense to have him go over Morishima to put him back in the title picture. If Aries wins, then doesn’t show on the next night and Danielson has to take a second straight pin then it makes him look pretty bad. I don’t think Danielson comes out of the weekend with two loses…or wins.

Winner: Danielson

Theo Fraser: Awesome, Danielson/Morishima III. Naturally, I’ve yet to see their first encounter yet, but even so, you just know this is going to be off the charts. Both men are on form and have a lot to prove here. Danielson obviously wants that elusive win over Morishima, just so he can prove that it isn’t impossible. Morishima needs a high profile win so he doesn’t go back to Japan with defeat looming over him. Since losing the title to Nigel, we haven’t heard a thing from the big man, so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of mindset he’s in. Whatever the case, it’s gonna be stiff, it’s gonna be brutal, and above all else it’s gonna be frickin’ great!

Winner: Bryan Danielson

Stuart Carapola: Now that Morishima doesn’t have the title anymore, I expect Danielson to finally get his win back. With that win, Danielson will prove himself worthy of more title matches. I also expect that this match will be at least as brutal as the two previous matches.

Winner: Bryan Danielson

Brad Garoon: I don’t know where this match leaves Aries on Saturday night but it was the right call given the history between Danielson and Morishima. Their first match was great (saw it on MySpace) and their second match was also quite awesome (saw it live). No reason why this match shouldn’t follow the trend. Danielson has fallen twice and Morishima has racked up a lot of wins in ROH. It’s time for the big man to give a little back.

Winner: Bryan Danielson

Samuel Berman: Danielson should get his win back, especially with Morishima moving into a role as a part-time player. This pretty much mirrors Danielson’s interactions with KENTA in 2006, where he took a pair of falls (while ROH World Champion no less) only to win the (then-) final encounter, coincidentally during Glory By Honor weekend. Symmetry is awesome.

Winner: “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson

411 Staff Picks: Bryan Danielson (7-0)

GHC Heavyweight Title: Mitsuharu Misawa © vs. KENTA
Michael Bauer: Ok, let me start by saying this. I watched Joe vs. Kobashi for the first time earlier tonight. I felt how nuts New York City was then and now that I will be in NYC for this match, I can only imagine how nuts the place will be. Since it is a title match, Misawa will easily retain, but I can not imagine a more anticipated match for Ring of Honor ever.

Winner: Misawa

Ari Berenstein: I liked KENTA the first time I saw him wrestle on tape, and liked him even more the first time I saw him wrestle live, against Low Ki at Final Battle 2005. I think ROH fans have an affinity for KENTA and with good reason. He has a flair for the dramatic, he hits hard, he’s got youth and appeal. Misawa equals KENTA in all those categories except youth, and therein is the ultimate question of Misawa’s appearances. Will the fans be able to overlook youth in this match for the drama of the situation? This is only the second time the GHC title has been defended on American soil. That has to count for something, although I don’t know how realistic it is to expect anything less than a Misawa win (following the FIP Title principle).

Winner: Mitsuharu Misawa to retain.

Bayani Domingo: What are the chances that Misawa jobs to the Jr. heavyweight over seas? What are the chances that the Japanese would riot if the belt changed hands on “foreign” soil? Who thinks that Misawa is going to come out of the weekend without at least one big pin to his name? How racist will it sound when KENTA jumps up after a devastating knee to the face and Dave Prazak calls it “Nipping up”? Why can’t I write a statement during my thoughts section?

Winner: Misawa retains via the leftover Japanese booking

Theo Fraser: In what is perhaps becoming a tradition for Glory By Honor weekend, the GHC Heavyweight title will be defended in an ROH ring. I have to admit, I haven’t seen the Misawa-KENTA match from 2004, so I can’t judge this based on previous efforts, but I think anyone will tell you that KENTA is even better now than he was 3 years ago. He’s also a hell of a lot more over, and so he should get some pretty good offense in there. As the title is on the line, I think it’s a pretty safe bet that Misawa is the clear cut winner, as the space-time continuum would likely implode if the belt were to change hands on US ground.

Winner: Mitsuharu Misawa

Stuart Carapola: Anyone who thinks KENTA has a chance in hell of going over Misawa is seriously out to lunch. Again, big Japanese names do not job when they come to ROH. The sooner we all accept this, the happier we’ll all be.

Winner: Mitsuharu Misawa

Brad Garoon: If Marufuji and Joe couldn’t put Misawa down then KENTA sure as hell isn’t going to. I have been very unimpressed with Misawa’s current title reign, so I hope he steps it up this time around.

Winner: Mitsuharu Misawa

Samuel Berman: Misawa in a fun match that is ostensibly a walk in the park. The atmosphere will be the selling point here, not the substance of the match itself. If the title changes hands here, Tokyo goes up in flames.

Winner and STILL GHC Heavyweight Champion: Mitsuharu Misawa

411 Staff Picks: Mitsuharu Misawa (7-0)