Welcome to another edition of Fantasy Booking on the Fly, which means it's time for the return of the Markometer. Last time I yanked that baby out, I looked at possible outcomes of the Bret Hart/Miz showdown on RAW for the US Title. Of course, the WWE went with the outcome that registered a big, fat 0 on the Markometer, but this should really surprise nobody.
Anyway, the last run was more or less a calibration of the Markometer, as it was the first time I used it, ever. So, don't expect to see a scaled-up reading like the last time. What am I using it for this time? Well, the Osirian Portal sent out a missive on Facebook yesterday asking their followers to name prospective opponents. I'm gonna pore through the names of the teams that the Portal hasn't faced and run them through the Markometer. Here goes nothing!
Team 1: The World's Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas)
MARKOMETER READING: 2
Our first team, submitted by Detroit Rock City blogger Rob Lee Franklin, is the team facing off against the Kings of Wrestling at Glory by Honor IX, the former Team Angle. The Markometer didn't react as strongly as some boosters of this team would have liked, but it's not for lack of dream match potential by the WWE exiles. TWGTT provides great fantasy potential for a team like the Kings (in fact, the Markometer gave a reading of 5 when applied to the upcoming GxBIX matchup), but they're too much a mismatch for the Portal. The thing you have to keep in mind is that the Portal is among the smallest teams in all of wrestling today. I honestly don't think Haas and Benjamin would be able to work with them after having spent so much time under the blanket of the WWE before they started letting more than two guys under 5'10" work for the company at a time. It would be a nice match, but I wouldn't have high hopes for it to really blow me away.
Team 2: Kings of Wrestling (Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Hero)
MARKOMETER READING: 3
The needle moved a bit more for the Kings themselves for a couple of reasons. Both Claudio and Hero are used to working with the smaller wrestlers of Chikara, so they'd fare better. Also, it would mean that the Portal hit the big time and finally got booked on ROH (since I doubt Hero is doing anything more than a one-off for Chikara and if he does, it's to be COUNTER to Claudio's BDK, not aligned with him), something that would be awesome for both them and for indie wrestling itself. However, where this match didn't have the juice to put higher than 3 on the meter is that it would seem kind of samey without any new stakes being added to the fray. Let's face it, Claudio vs. the Portal has been done, and since this wouldn't have anything behind it (I doubt the Portal would get an ROH Tag Title shot right away), it would just seem like another match. Cool, but predictable.
Team 3: $wi$$ Money Holding (Castagnoli and Ares)
MARKOMETER READING: 4
If you replace Hero with Ares though, you have a potential Campeonatos de Parejas match in Chikara, and being that the Portal is one of the most over teams in Chikara history, well, it's easy to see the meter bumping up by one spot on the scale. Imagine the atmosphere in The Arena or in Easton if the Portal were to earn three points and be the team with a great shot to win the titles back from the BDK, back for Chikara. It would be amazing. And if they won? Yeah, the roof would come off the joint.
Team 4: Brian Kendrick and Paul London
MARKOMETER READING: 1
Unlike many of my smarky brethern, I'm not really all that big a Brian Kendrick fan. Paul London is better to me, but if we were talking ¡Peligro Abrejas!, I might have been on board a little more (even though we did see a sneak preview of what El Generico would do against the Portal from last year's King of Trios). However, this is unappealing to me. Kendrick can't keep up with the smaller, faster indie stars of today.
Team 5: Dark City Fight Club (Kory Chavis and Jon Davis)
MARKOMETER READING: 4
I see this match unfolding like the DCFC/Aeroform match did at EVOLVE 1, which was a match that I liked a lot. I feel like the DCFC wouldn't be too much of a stretch to make a guest appearance in Chikara, and given the platform that the fed gives to outsiders, the two teams would be given more time and more of a platform to expand upon the template that was produced in Rahway in January. I mean really, who doesn't like seeing big guys throw little guys around? It's the whole reason why dwarf-tossing has any appeal at all, and you know the Portal would bump for the FC. Also, I think the FC would do well playing along with the Portal's antics and selling for them as well.
Team 6: Speed Muscle (Naruki Doi and Masato Yoshino)
MARKOMETER READING: 4
There are two reasons why this isn't a total 5 on the meter. One is that Doi and especially Yoshino are two of the only guys that I think the Portal might have trouble keeping up with. Although, if Mike Quackenbush, injured back and all, could keep up admirably, I think the Portal definitely can. The second one, which is the biggie, is that I can't shake that terrible Shingo/Equinox match from Chikarasaurus Rex and think that this match might turn out the same way. The Portal has been used as a pseudo-prelim team before as recently as A Touch of Class, when they put Sara del Rey and Daizee Haze over pretty strongly. I'm afraid the Japanese visitors might want the same treatment. However, that is paranoia on my part, plus, Yoshino and Doi aren't Shingo. I think if you put these two teams together, they'd light up the night.
Team 7: The Briscoe Bros. (Jay and Mark)
MARKOMETER READING: 1
This isn't a good match-up. The Briscoes aren't exactly known for their selling or bumping, and facing off against a team like the Portal would require them to sell for the Egyptians' offense in order for the match to be good. Somehow, I doubt they'd be up to the task.
Team 8: Alex Wright and Disco Inferno
MARKOMETER READING FOR DANCE-OFF POTENTIAL: Scale pegs (>5)
MARKOMETER READING FOR MATCH ITSELF: 0
The dancing before and after this match would be epic. Seriously, it'd be worth admission to the card by itself. Hell, if they booked a dance-off between the two teams, it might anchor the card and produce EPIC DVD buys and ticket sales. However, that'd be the only good part, as I have no faith in Wright or Disco to be able to keep up with the Portal once actual wrestling began.
Team 9: American Wolves (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards)
MARKOMETER READING: 3
I've been hard on DR, but I think he's been better in tag matches than he's been in singles matches. While I don't see this as being a great match, I don't think it'd be a dud either. The Portal would end up being stifled, but they'd at least sell for the Wolves and both Edwards and Richards would end up making them look good in the process.
Team 10: Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin)
MARKOMETER READING: 5
This is the money shot, people. This is the dream match for the Portal. The Guns are among the best spot-fest teams in the country right now, and they'd fit in well with the Portal. Both teams soar with the best of them. Both teams have a comedic twinge to them that would add a much-needed sense of humor to the match. This would be balls-to-the-wall junk-food wrestling nirvana. Yeah, TNA would probably not allow the Portal to go over, but this is one of those matches where the journey would far exceed the predictability of knowing how the match would end.
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
