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• Ring Of Mabery - Final Battle preview and Big In 2008 Award

  Posted on 12/25/07 12:00 AM

  Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone. I am still John Mabery and I am still battling a cold, though I am finally done with school and happy to be back writing about what I love most. With Christmas Day only a short while away, I'm going to do a quick preview of Final Battle weekend with my pick 'ems. In addition to that, I've decided to hand out one award today - the 'Big In 2008' award. Of course, the awards will be handed out in the TOP 5 format, so we'll be counting down the top five wrestlers to watch out for next year. Let's get right into it.
  
  Final Battle Weekend Predictions
  December 29th PPV Taping
  
  ROH World Title Match - Nigel McGuinness (c) vs. Austin Aries
  This match was originally supposed to take place at Glory By Honor VI Night 2 after Aries had won the spot the night before, but Nigel's biceps injury forced him to take some time off. So the match is being taped with the PPV, and what a story it is. Nigel is battling adversity. Not only is he coming off the sidelines, but he has to prove to everyone that his title win at 'Undeniable' was no fluke. Aries has been making huge waves as of late, with big wins over Bryan Danielson and Roderick Strong since his return to ROH in June. He is also a former champion, and a title run seems like destiny at this rate. Though the odds are stacked against him, I do believe Nigel will walk out with the belt and go on to defend it the following night.
  
  ROH Tag Titles Best 2 Out of 3 - The Briscoes (c) vs. No Remorse Corp
  The Briscoes are on a hot streak in two out of three falls matches. They have won eight straight in 2007, and though the No Remorse Corp will no doubt be a threat to that streak, I don't see them being the ones to break it. In fact, I don't know if anybody will be able to break it. I see the Briscoes retaining in two straight.
  
  Grudge Match - Bryan Danielson vs. Takeshi Morishima
  As I've stated before, the progression of their matches has been absolutely brilliant. Expect the rules to be more relaxed this time around, as I don't anticipate a DQ ending this time out. Danielson will gain a measure of revenge somehow and finally secure a victory over Morishima on PPV.
  
  Grudge Match - Claudio Castignoli vs. Chris Hero
  Claudio is in a tight spot here. He has won every match against Hero so far, but if there was one match he doesn't want to lose, it's this one. Should Hero win, Claudio is out of ROH. Claudio was on his way out last year and actually ended up staying, but this year, it's not looking so good. I expect Hero to pick up the win this time around, and I'll have my reasoning for it in the TOP 5 (teaser!).
  
  Tag Team Scramble - Vulture Sqaud vs. Age of the Fall vs. Steenerico vs. Hangm3n Three
  This is a virtual rematch from Dayton, with the returning Steenerico filling in for the Briscoes. I picked the Hangm3n Three to win it the last time, and I was wrong. This time, however, I think the story is mostly between them and Steenerico, and they are more likely to pick up a win in this one.
  
  Sara Del Ray vs. Lacey vs. Daizee Haze
  The culmination of a year-long feud between these three women in ROH. I could see Haze picking up the win to finally shut Lacey up, but in the end, Shimmer champion Del Ray will once again be victorious.
  
  Jigsaw vs. Necro Butcher vs. Matt Cross
  Matt Cross is returning from his suspension, which came as a result of his loss on the non-PPV portion of 'Undeniable' at the hands of the NRC. I see him picking up the win here.
  
  Final Battle 2007
  ROH Title Four Corner Elimination - McGuinness (c) vs. Hero vs. Danielson vs. Morishima
  The odds couldn't be more stacked against Nigel as they are here, as he has to defeat all three of his top rivals from the past year in one match in order to keep his title. It seems likely to come down to Danielson and Nigel, with Danielson putting down Hero and Nigel getting another win over Morishima. I believe Nigel will finally be able to put to rest the demon of not being able to defeat Bryan Danielson to retain the title yet again.
  
  The Briscoes (c) vs. The Age of the Fall
  The stipuation has yet to be chosen, but I'm sure the Age of the Fall will use it to their advantage. The Briscoes will edge out the nine month record held by Aries and Strong, but only for one day. The combo of Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black seem the likeliest of the three to be a team together, so I think they'll pick up the win here.
  
  FIP Title Match - Roderick Strong (c) vs. Erick Stevens
  Erick Stevens is back and he's ready for big things, but it won't be the FIP Title, and if it will be, then it most certainly won't be in a ROH ring. Strong will pick up the win, most likely by shenanigans like a count out.
  
  Tables Are Legal - Steenerico & Delirious vs. Hangm3n Three
  I expect a lot of brutal spots in this match, just as long as all six competitors are able to walk away from this one with their livelihood intact (notice I didn't mention anything about Shane Hagadorn in there). Steen and the masked men pick up the win here for a measure of revenge.
  
  Special Challenge - Jack Evans vs. Necro Butcher
  This should be an interesting match, as Jack is known for being able to take a lot of punishment from larger opponents, and Necro is known to dish it out. I expect Jack to pull out the win here, so as not to make J-Train mad.
  
  The Vulture Squad vs. Matt Cross & Bobby Fish
  Jigsaw vulture and chocolate vulture pick up the win here. Nuff said.
  
  So here are the breakdowns with the pick 'em's point system.
  Manhattan 12/29:
  Nigel/Aries - Nigel (5)
  Briscoes/NRC - Briscoes in 2 straight (6)
  Danielson/Morishima - Danielson (7)
  Claudio/Hero - Hero (2)
  Vulture/Age/Steenerico/HM3 - HM3 (1)
  Del Ray/Lacey/Haze - Del Ray (4)
  Jigsaw/Necro/Cross - Cross (3)
  
  Final Battle:
  Four Corner Elimination - Nigel (1)
  Briscoes/AOTF - AOTF (4)
  Strong/Stevens - Strong (6)
  Tables Legal - Steenericous (3)
  Evans/Necro - Evans (2)
  Vulture/Cross&Fish - Vulture (5)
  
  I also expect Stevens vs. Richards to be added to the PPV and Marufuji vs. Aries to finally happen at Final Battle.
  
  The Big In 2008 Award
  This award is given to the wrestler who I anticipate to have the biggest year next year based on what we have seen from them this year. As I mentioned before, this award will be done in the TOP 5 format.
  
  5. Erick Stevens - The kid has come so far so fast. After being heavily pushed in the NRC-Resilience feud and only six months with the company, Stevens had recieved a world title shot at Morishima. The next couple of shows will see the big man be faced with some huge tests, as he faces Roderick Strong, Austin Aries, and Bryan Danielson. I don't think the ROH World Title is far from his grasp, it's just a matter of when and where. In my estimation, it's highly likely to occur sometime in 2008.
  
  4. Davey Richards - And who better to feud Erick Stevens with than this man? If ROH is right in having us believe that Davey is the future of ROH, the time to pull the trigger on that moniker is drawing nearer. Davey Richards has emerged from the shuffle of faction warfare and is starting to shine in his role. With him as ROH champion and Roderick Strong as FIP champion, the No Remorse Corp would secure their dominance over ROH.
  
  3. Jimmy Jacobs - Even being out of action for half of 2007 couldn't stop Jimmy Jacobs from being one of the most important wrestlers of the year. The evolution of Jacobs in 2007 was probably the best to watch, and it's the finest example of the potential someone has if they are able to stay healthy. If Jacobs is able to avoid injury in 2008, then it will no doubt be the brighest year of his young career.
  
  2. Chris Hero - If one thing is certain, Chris Hero will be ROH champion in 2008. His whole shtick with Larry Sweeney and the rest of Sweet 'N Sour Inc. has been comedic gold for months now (they don't call it 'The Chris Hero Show' for no reason). Above all else, Hero can get more out of a crowd in one match. Love him or hate him, he is just too good at what he does to not be champion this coming year. Whether it happens at Final Battle or in Dayton or sometime in the distant future, I guarantee that Hero will finally win the big one this coming year.
  
  1. Claudio Castignoli - So by this point, you might be a little confused. While I do think Claudio will be forced to leave ROH after his loss to Chris Hero at the PPV taping, I do believe it will only be for a short period of time. Should Chris Hero win the ROH title from Nigel, Claudio's eventual return and chase for the title would be all the more dramatic. The possibilities for that kind of a feud are endless. But no matter the outcome of this coming weekend's events, Claudio will no doubt be the biggest star of ROH in 2008. Earlier this year, his career woes left him in midcard limbo. At some point, however, Claudio tapped into his underlying charisma and made himself very marketable for ROH (see Supercard of Honor II when Claudio had his coming out party). It earned him the Race To The Top trophy, an excellent title match against Morishima, and a slew of great matches, particularly on PPV. Claudio is rapidly becoming a big star. He is undoubtedly one of the most over stars on the roster, and he constantly puts on great matches. No doubt he will continue to do so in the forthcoming year.
  -----
  Enjoy the holidays everyone. I'll be back with a quick write-up of the shows after Final Battle, and then back with the rest of the awards thereafter. Until then, have a very Merry Christmas.

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• Jimmy Jacobs - Is He "The Best In The World?"

  Posted on 12/12/07 9:24 AM

  Fate may have played a hand in proving just how good Jimmy Jacobs is. In fact, if the weather had been fine and the Trios Tournament had gone on without a hitch, it might have taken us a long time to see how much of a threat he has become. The simple fact now is that Jimmy Jacobs just might be the best in the world.
  
  The weather in Chicago less than two weeks ago caused ROH to go unscripted for the third time ever due to several wrestlers were unable to reach the venue. The script was thrown out and the night was filled with lots of stalling and exhibitions. Chris Hero and Claudio Castignoli battled in a lengthy two out of three falls match and the Hangmen 3 proved their dominance over a gamut of opponents in several singles matches.
  
  Then Jacobs took to the ring, and made mention of beating the best in the world. Then "The Final Countdown" hit, and the "Best in the World" himself, Bryan Danielson, came to the ring for an impromptu match with the leader of the Age of the Fall. For over 20 minutes, Jacobs and Dragon battled it out in a grueling match. Then, Jacobs was able to score the guillotine DDT (known as the End of Time) off the top rope and keep it locked in until the referee stopped the match due to Danielson being unable to respond. To say that Jacobs had score an upset would be an understatement. In fact, the win made him only the second person (aside from Morishima) to score a fall over Danielson since his return in May.
  
  The question now is how does this affect the grand scheme of things? On one hand, one can say very little. The show was booked on the fly, and a win at Unscripted could prove to have little value due to the fact that the match was impromptu. On the other hand, a win is a win. Perhaps it was a sample of what was suppose to come that night, as a win for the Age of the Fall in the Trios Tournament (which I predicted) would have more than likely moved Jacobs closer to title contention. Its also important to mention that a win over Danielson, no matter the circumstances, does not come often. Danielson has been in title contention himself since he returned to ROH, and it seems unlikely that Jacobs won't reap the benefits of such a huge victory.
  
  There is no doubt in my mind that Jimmy Jacobs' star shines brightly in 2008. This is going to be the biggest year to date of his young career, and possibly a year that will bring an ROH World Title reign. Love or hate him, the man has improved by leaps and bounds in the past year. Even after being sidelined for most of 2007 with a knee injury, he has come back to show that potential he promised in his feuds with BJ Whitmer and Colt Cabana in a big way. A win over Danielson also offers bragging rights, not just in terms of getting a title shot, but also because Danielson represents ROH in the same way that the Briscoe brothers do. This victory could only be a sampling of the damage that Jacobs is capable of here in ROH.
  
  In my estimation, Jimmy Jacobs is in line for a shot at the ROH World Title. He has proven that he is capable of scoring huge upsets already, and if he finds himself in a title challenge situation, it's only a matter of three seconds before he does it again. Then there would be no doubt in anyone's mind that he would truly be the best in the world.
  -----
  Ring of Mabery returns later this weekend (my last few days of college have really been killing me).

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• Ring Of Mabery - Dayton & Chicago Previewed and more

  Posted on 11/30/07 12:55 PM

  Welcome back one and all to Ring Of Mabery. This week was really rough for me getting back into the swing of things after a nice toasty Thanksgiving weekend, as I?m sure it was for all of you out there as well. I have a lot to discuss today ? with two huge events this weekend ? so I?ll get right into it.
  
  I. Ruminations of Honor
  II. TOP 5 ? Things I?m Thankful For
  III. Trios Tournament Predictions
  IV. Going Home
  
  I. Ruminations of Honor
  Enter The Dragon: Bryan Danielson has been added to the Four Corner Elimination Match at ?Final Battle.? One had to see this coming, though I had predicted he and Morishima would actually battle it out for the spot at the PPV taping the night before. Morishima will no doubt be added as the fourth and final person, and if not him, then I?ll probably have to go with Marufuji, who, as we all know, I feel is overdue in getting another shot at the ROH World Title.
  
  Goodbye Brooklyn: The Brooklyn Street Fight between the NRC and the Vulture Squad that had been booked for ?Final Battle? has been removed from the card, ?due to some lineup reshuffling.? I?m not sure what that means, but now we get a truly unique match in Jack Evans vs. Necro Butcher. This should be an interesting match up, with both men taking a lot of punishment. I?m sure we?ll get a preview Saturday night at the ?Trios Tournament.?
  
  Manning Up: ROH?s third PPV ?Man Up? debuts tomorrow and the hype for it so far has been off the charts ? which might actually be true considering that some critics have stated that it surpasses ?Driven,? which was about as good as it gets. Personally, I have Io and I don?t know if I can get the PPV, but needless to say, I am stoked to see it. Top to bottom, it looks like one of the most solid cards they have produced this year, and that in itself is a bold statement.
  
  Owning Up: Gabe has been quite active on the message boards as of late, giving us a lot of his personal insight that most bookers wouldn?t give. His most recent post, ?Regret,? has to do with booking matches with light tubes and his regret over doing so. He also goes into why the ?Ladder War? from the ?Man Up? PPV will be the last one. It?s a really great post, and as I said before, it?s great that Gabe is giving us his insight. Hopefully, he will continue to do so.
  
  Puder to ROH: It was announced last week in the newswire that Daniel Puder would be at ROH for the 12/29 PPV taping and ?Final Battle.? I?ve heard of Puder before, but I missed out on him when he was breaking in. Through the wonders of youtube though, I was able to see his match with Angle and his initiation during the Royal Rumble where he gets chopped to hell. No word yet on whether he will wrestle or just show up to say ?hey.?
  
  Shimmering: The Shimmer Women?s Title Tournament is out now in Shimmer Vol. 11 & 12. I?m real interested in checking this out, so if anyone has picked it up and has feedback, I?d be glad to hear it.
  
  2008 On The Horizon: That means the end of the year awards will be coming soon. All honors will be done in a series of top fives ? including Top 5 Wrestler of the Year, Top 5 MVP of the Year, Top 5 Match of the Year, and so on. I?ll also have a huge preview column for the PPV taping and ?Final Battle,? both of which I will be in attendance for.
  
  II. TOP 5 ? Things I?m Thankful For
  Okay, okay, I know I should have done something like this last week, being Thanksgiving and all. But really, we should be thankful for things all year round as opposed to just one day out of the year. So this week, I?m discussing the five things about ROH that I?m thankful for.
  
  5 ? Bryan Danielson. I wanted one spot on this list to be occupied by an actual wrestler, and one, in my opinion, who epitomizes ROH for me. I don?t think I?m alone here when I say that ?American Dragon? Bryan Danielson is that wrestler. To me, Bryan Danielson is part of ROH?s Mt. Rushmore, along with Joe, Punk, and Homicide. It was his title reign that truly got me tuned into ROH and symbolizes to me a time in my life when I fell back in love with wrestling again. I?ve been witness to so many great Danielson moments, including battles against KENTA, Joe, Homicide, Morishima, and Nigel. To me, Danielson is ROH. He could wrestle himself and I would pay money to see it.
  
  4 ? International exposure. It is through ROH that I became intrigued by international wrestling, particularly the rich history of the Japanese. Joe vs. Kobashi got me interested in Kobashi?s better work, which in turn got me interested in All Japan. If it hadn?t been for this match, and many others as well, I would never have seen some of the most amazing matches of all time (i.e. Misawa vs. Kawada ?94 or Misawa/Kobashi vs. Kawada/Taue ?96).
  
  3 ? Being an alternate. All I really need to say here is that, when Monday nights get really rough, I can always pop in an ROH DVD and get all the entertainment that I?m not getting on the USA network.
  
  2 ? The live experience. I?ve discussed with other writers about how sometimes being there adds to the experience for you, and this couldn?t be anymore true. There?s something about being there in the thick of it, seeing the action unfold before your eyes with other fans that are as rabid and hungry as you are. I?ve been lucky enough to see Danielson vs. KENTA I, stand next to Homicide in the crowd when he just won the ROH World Title, and two GHC Titles matches, including seeing Misawa live and in person. Missing an ROH live show is like missing a meal when starving.
  
  1 ? Making me a wrestling fan again. For three and a half years, I didn?t watch wrestling on a regular basis. I had an idea of what was going on in the WWE, TNA, and even ROH, but I wasn?t tuned in regularly and I certainly wasn?t going to shows either. Then, as I began to watch again, I got tuned into ROH. I was instantly blown away and decided to become a fan again. It didn?t take me long at all to go to a show and become knowledgeable of their history. It was like being swept along for an incredible ride that I haven?t gotten off of yet, and can?t see myself getting off for a very long time.
  
  III. Trios Tournament Predictions
  This is the event where faction warfare truly kicks into overdrive. I think from here on out it will truly be every man/faction for himself. Hopefully the repercussions of this event will be felt all the way into the sixth year festival (or whatever they are going to call it).
  
  The Briscoes & Claudio vs. Sweet & Sour Inc.
  The Briscoes & Claudio have one thing going for them that Sweet & Sour Inc. does not ? they don?t have a weak link in Bobby Dempsey on their team. Like I said last week in the top five, Chris Hero can?t be a stable by himself. The dream team should advance to the finals with no real trouble here, which will instigate a beat down on Dempsey after the match.
  
  Age of the Fall vs. The Vulture Squad
  It looks like the whipping boys shall be whipped once again, as the Age of the Fall will no doubt brutalize the Vulture Squad once again before moving onto the finals.
  
  No Remorse Corp vs. Hangmen 3
  This will be the most interesting and definitely the hardest hitting match of the tournament, if not the night. Expect it to get out of hand and stay that way. It?s a tough choice, but I?d think it a safer bet to go with the NRC.
  
  Do Or Die
  Tornado made Hagadorn tap back at ?Survival of the Fittest,? and I wouldn?t be surprised if we saw that again. I?m not as familiar with Young and Skyfire, but in this environment they will hopefully be able to impress. Tornado is way too over and will win this one to get future bookings.
  
  Aries vs. Stevens
  Had Stevens not been chosen as the third partner for the Briscoes, I actually expected this match to be signed. It makes sense, as Aries will want to test himself against a much larger opponent before his title match and Stevens will want to prove the he can hang with main eventers like Aries. Aries will pull out the win to continue his hot streak leading up to the PPV.
  
  Danielson vs. Delirious
  While fans in attendance may get a nostalgia trip at one point for another with Dragon close to submitting to Delirious, I don?t see the masked man being able to replicate the upset magic this time. Dragon will no doubt stomp or elbow his way to victory here.
  
  Trios Tournament Finals
  So I?ve got The Briscoes & Claudio vs. Age of the Fall vs. No Remorse Corp. I think that seems most likely. The Briscoes have issues with both teams, as the NRC have been gaining on the Briscoes via their many wins, and their beef with the AOTF is only beginning to boil over after the recent Street Fight at ?GBHVI.? The way I see it, two out of these three teams can lose here without looking weak. The third team will be the winners. That, my friends, will be the Age of the Fall. From a storyline perspective, they?re the outsider team; the one ROH doesn?t want having control booking-wise. If they lose in this match, then three to four months of hype would all have been for not.
  
  Since I did Dayton early, here?s a quick recap of my entire results for the weekend. I?ve also assigned confidence points to each pick, much like the Pick ?Ems on the message board.
  
  Recap: Quick Dayton Predictions with points
  Tag Title Match: Briscoes/NRC. Winners: Briscoes (4)
  30-Minute Iron Man: Aries/Strong. Winner: Aries (2-1) (3)
  Relaxed Rules: Dragon/Necro. Winner: Dragon (5)
  Scramble: Briscoes/AOTF/Vulture/HM3. Winner: HM3 (1)
  Falls Count Anywhere: Delirious/Pearce. Winner: Delirious (2)
  Special Attraction: Jigsaw/Hero. Winner: Hero (6)
  Special Challenge: Claudio/Skyfire. Winner: Claudio (7)
  Bonus Match: Stevens/Tornado. Winner: Stevens (8)
  
  Recap: Quick Chicago Predictions with points
  TT 1st Round Match: Briscoes&Claudio/S&SInc. Winners: Briscoes & Claudio (5)
  TT 1st Round Match: AOTF/Vulture Squad. Winners: AOTF (4)
  TT 1st Round Match: NRC/HM3. Winners: NRC (2)
  TT Finals Scramble: B&C/AOTF/NRC. Winners: AOTF (1)
  Rematch from CSN2: Dragon/Delirious. Winner: Dragon (7)
  Special Challenge: Aries/Stevens. Winner: Aries. (6)
  Do Or Die: Hagadorn/Tornado/Young/Skyfire. Winner: Tornado (3)
  
  IV. Going Home
  On a non-ROH related note, I?m super excited about the recent returns of Chris Jericho, Edge, and Ric Flair. I don?t want to say I love these angles, because it is too early to judge, but I feel as though things around the WWE are truly picking up now that three of my favorite wrestlers from the E are back in action.
  
  That wraps it up for this week. Next week, there will be plenty of news to talk about coming out about the final two events of the year and the fallout from Dayton and Chicago. Until then?just be thankful you?re chest doesn?t look anything like Puder?s

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See all of jmabery's wrestlingmarks blog (5 total)