By the mid 2000s Ring of Honor had become the premier independent wrestling promotion that pro wrestling fans adored. Whether fans were driven away from mainstream wrestling such as WWE, or enjoyed a more in-ring driven product, ROH became the best option in the USA wrestling scene. Early on in ROH’s existence feuds such as Bryan Danielson vs. Low Ki, or Steve Corino vs. Homicide helped to put ROH on the map. Danielson remained in ROH over the years as one of the pillars of the company before departing in 2009. Danielson lended a level of creditability to a wrestling promotion that is hard to find.
One of Danielson’s greatest foes in ROH was Nigel McGuinness. Between April 2006 and September 2009 the two wrestled ten times and often times it was for the ROH World Championship. Prior to arriving in ROH, McGuinness competed mostly in Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA). It wouldn’t take long for McGuinness to find success in ROH and other notable independents following his debut in 2003.
I’ve heard high praise for Danielson and McGuinness matches and shockingly I don’t remember having ever watched their matches. I’ve certainly never reviewed them because McXal has done a fantastic job covering ROH. So, I’m watching the matches with fresh eyes. Lets see how the matches holdup.
ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson vs. ROH Pure Champion Nigel McGuinness — ROH Weekend Of Champions Night 2 — April 29th, 2006
The match is contested under pure wrestling rules, and it’s title vs. title. Danielson tries to get arm control, but McGuinness shoves Danielson away. McGuinness takes Danielson down to the mat, but backs off. McGuinness gets a front face lock on Danielson, but Danielson counters into an arm bar quickly. McGuinness counters with mat wrestling and tries to get leg control, but Danielson rolls free. McGuinness tries to get out of a side headlock, but Danielson takes McGuinness down to the mat. Danielson keeps control on the mat until McGuinness counters with a head scissors. McGuinness delivers a few elbow strikes to Danielson’s back. Danielson breaks free from the head scissors and slaps McGuinness a couple of times before putting a headlock on McGuinness. Danielson grinds his knuckles into McGuinness’s forehead while keeping the headlock on McGuinness. Danielson knee strikes McGuinness, but McGuinness counters an arm lock briefly. Danielson switches to a neck vice. Danielson hangs on out of a slam by McGuinness. McGuinness tries to break free, but Danielson put the hold back on. They counter each other by doing cartwheels, but Danielson controls McGuinness on the mat with a headlock. Danielson uppercuts McGuinness several times, and goes back to the neck vice. McGuinness doesn’t seemingly want to use a rope break and doesn’t use one of his. McGuinness breaks free with a palm strike, but Danielson knocks McGuinness down to the mat and goes back to the neck vice.
McGuinness uses his first rope break to break free from the neck vice. McGuinness seems frustrated with having to use the rope break. McGuinness backs Danielson into a corner and delivers a strike. Danielson responds with a closed fist and gets a warning. McGuinness snuck in two closed fists. Danielson closed fist punched McGuinness a second time and loses a rope break for doing so. McGuinness yanks Danielson down to the mat by his arm. McGuinness hits an elevated arm breaker driving Danielson down to the mat shoulder first. McGuinness stomps Danielson on the leg. McGuinness stomps on Danielson’s arm and kicks Danielson over the back. McGuinness gets arm control on the mat. McGuinness pummels Danielson with elbow strikes forcing Danielson to use his second rope break. Danielson gets control on McGuinness with a sleeper, but McGuinness breaks free to get arm control. McGuinness gouges Danielson’s face and keeps the advantage on the mat. McGuinness lifts Danielson up, but Danielson breaks free and dropkicks McGuinness. McGuinness takes Danielson down and maintains control. McGuinness works over Danielson’s arm on the mat, but doesn’t get a submission. McGuinness tries to keep arm control and traps Danielson in a hammerlock, but Danielson doesn’t use his last rope break. Danielson manages to counter and stomps on the back of McGuinness’s knees. McGuinness yanks Danielson down to the mat by his arm. McGuinness kicks Danielson to the floor. McGuinness tries for a suplex, but Danielson tosses McGuinness with a German suplex. Danielson ducks a clothesline and delivers a clothesline. Danielson hits a running forearm in the corner and hooks McGuinness for a suplex, but McGuinness blocks it. Danielson takes McGuinness over with a snap suplex. Danielson leaps off the top hitting a diving headbutt for a two count.
Danielson locks in a crossface chicken wing, but McGuinness quickly reaches for the ropes and uses a rope break. Danielson slaps McGuinness several times, but runs into an elbow. McGuinness does a headstand and mule kicks Danielson. McGuinness spikes Danielson with the Tower of London for a two count as Danielson used his final rope break. Danielson kicks McGuinness away out of the corner, but is stopped on the top rope. Danielson avoids the Tower of London and locks in the Cattle Mutiliation, but McGuinness reaches the ropes for the final rope break. McGuinness gets on the apron and Danielson delivers forearm strikes. McGuinness shoulder rams Danielson and hits a suplex to the floor! Danielson uppercuts McGuinness on the floor, but McGuinness sends Danielson into the railing. McGuinness presses the ringside table onto Danielson’s chest. The referee counters to nineteen, but Danielson returns to the ring before the count of twenty. They trade uppercuts in the middle of the ring. McGuinness tries for an uppercut, but Danielson gets a backslide for a two count. McGuinness misses a clothesline and is met with a forearm. McGuinness comes off the ropes to deck Danielson with a lariat for a two count! Danielson switches into the Cattle Mutiliation, but McGuinness has no rope breaks. McGuinness teases tapping out, but instead manages to slide to the floor and break the hold! Danielson dives to the floor to take McGuinness out! Danielson tosses McGuinness over the railing into the crowd. Danielson springboards off the top rope and dives onto McGuinness in the crowd! McGuinness hit Danielson with a chair! McGuinness manages to return to the ring before the count of twenty and wins by count-out. McGuinness retains the ROH Pure Championship, and Danielson is still the ROH World Champion. (****1/4. For a first time encounter, this is great. The early stuff setup for the hard hitting action and storytelling can’t be lost on the viewer here. McGuinness proved that he can hang with Danielson and the crowd ate this up. The count-out finish is a cop out, but it makes sense to ensure there isn’t a double champion. However, if it’s under pure rules then a count-out would mean a title change regardless, but whatever. I’m quite interested to see how these two compete under normal rules. To think they managed this level of action with some restrictions is honestly remarkable. Danielson doing a springboard dive to the floor and not managing to return to the ring is a believable finish. Hell of a match.)
ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson vs. ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness — ROH Generation Now — July 29th, 2006
Danielson wants to shake hands and they do after a brief delay by McGuinness. McGuinness backs Danielson into a corner and gains control with a front face lock. The referee backs Danielson off. McGuinness controls Danielson with a test of strength, but Danielson kicks McGuinness away. McGuinness flips Danielson over and they have a standoff. McGuinness keeps a front face lock on Danielson, but Danielson counters on the mat quickly. Danielson controls McGuinness with a leg lock for a moment, but McGuinness breaks free and gets to the corner. Danielson takes McGuinness down and keeps leg control on the mat for a few moments. McGuinness tries to gouge his way free, but Danielson keeps control. McGuinness counters with a hammerlock and switches to modified STF. Danielson breaks free and they have a standoff. McGuinness takes Danielson down to the mat with arm control, and keeps control despite Danielson’s attempts to break free. McGuinness elbow drops Danielson over the back. Danielson takes McGuinness down to the mat and stomps on the back of McGuinness’s knees. McGuinness gains control with a head scissors on the mat, but doesn’t get a submission. Danielson counters with a leg lock and falls backward to add pressure to the knees. McGuinness takes Danielson down with another wrist lock. Danielson counters with a leg lock on the mat, but McGuinness reaches the ropes.
McGuinness yanks Danielson down to the mat shoulder first and delivers a leg drop to the arm. McGuinness controls Danielson with an arm bar, but Danielson prevents his shoulders from staying down for a cover. Danielson gets a body scissors on McGuinness and takes McGuinness down to the mat to lock in a surfboard. Danielson drags McGuinness away from the ropes and continues to focus on leg work. McGuinness kicks free and they circle the ring. Danielson dropkicks McGuinness and taunts the crowd. McGuinness kicks Danielson over the back, but Danielson backs McGuinness into the corner where McGuinness headbutts Danielson. Danielson delivers several stiff strikes, but runs into an elbow strike. McGuinness kicks Danielson over the back and delivers a clothesline for a two count. McGuinness tries for Tower of London, but Danielson avoids it and hits a German suplex. Danielson forearms McGuinness and hits a snap suplex. Danielson heads to the top rope and hits a missile dropkick to send McGuinness to the floor. Danielson hits a suicide dive to the floor! Danielson heads to the middle rope and nails McGuinness with an uppercut for a near fall. Danielson locks in the Cattle Mutiliation, but McGuinness reaches the ropes to break the hold.
Danielson sends McGuinness into the corner and delivers a kick to prevent a headstand. Danielson sits McGuinness on the top rope hitting a superplex. Danielson dives off the top, but McGuinness blocks a diving headbutt by getting a knee up. McGuinness manages a two count and has been busted open at this point. McGuinness uppercuts Danielson in the corner. McGuinness hits a running uppercut in the corner. McGuinness uppercuts Danielson, but Danielson responds with an uppercut. They trade several uppercuts until McGuinness ducks a clothesline and delivers a lariat for a near fall. McGuinness sits Danielson on the top rope, but Danielson delivers a few forearm strikes. McGuinness crotches Danielson on the top and hits the Tower of London for a near fall as Danielson got his boot on the bottom rope. McGuinness puts a kimura on Danielson, but can’t get a submission. McGuinness pummels Danielson with several elbows on the mat. Danielson counters and elbows McGuinness several times. Danielson locks in a chicken wing. They trade headbutts in the middle of the ring. McGuinness dumps Danielson to the apron and delivers shoulder ram. McGuinness comes off the ropes and decks Danielson with a lariat for a two count!
Danielson forearms McGuinness on the apron and they climb to the middle rope. Danielson is stopped by a strike and headbutt. McGuinness nails Danielson with a lariat off the top rope. Danielson crawls under the ring and comes in from the other side to surprise McGuinness with an inside cradle and wins the match! (***1/2. The finish didn’t come across well to me. Danielson outsmarting McGuinness is fine, but the idea of going under the ring and sneaking a pin from behind after another hard hitting contest is a little iffy for me. It kind of protects McGuinness since Danielson, you could say on some level, ‘cheated’ to win. At some point there’s going to be a decisive victor between the two and it appears ROH is trying to drag that out as much as possible.)
ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson vs. ROH Pure Champion Nigel McGuinness — ROH Unified — August 12th, 2006 — Pure Rules —Unification Match
They lockup and McGuinness backs Danielson into a corner, but cleanly backs off. Danielson backs McGuinness against the ropes and slaps McGuinness before backing off. Danielson keeps wrist control for a few moments, but McGuinness isn’t going to submit to that. McGuinness counters and slaps Danielson across the face. Danielson backs McGuinness into a corner and delivers a strike before keeping wrist control on the mat. McGuinness counters with another wrist lock, but Danielson rolls through and dropkicks McGuinness before taunting the crowd. Danielson puts a wrist lock on McGuinness, again, but McGuinness snapmares Danielson and delivers a kick over the back before backing off. McGuinness tries to take Danielson down to the mat, but Danielson manages to avoid it. They counter each other a few times while standing and neither man gets a clear advantage. Danielson yanks McGuinness down from the middle rope by his arm and delivers a few stomps. Danielson pulls McGuinness out of the corner and stomps on McGuinness elbow. Danielson delivers an arm breaker and a shoulder block. Danielson pulls back on McGuinness fingers before hitting an arm drag. Danielson keeps McGuinness on the mat with a wrist lock. Danielson sends McGuinness into the ropes and hits a dropkick for a one count.
Danielson controls McGuinness with a double under hook and uppercuts McGuinness several times in the corner. Danielson hits a double under hook suplex for a two count as McGuinness reaches the ropes. Danielson runs into an elbow in the corner and McGuinness delivers a kick to the back followed by an overhand strike to the chest. McGuinness yanks Danielson down to the mat by his arm for a two count. McGuinness forearms Danielson in the corner followed by a running uppercut. McGuinness covers Danielson for a two count. McGuinness uppercuts Danielson to the mat to maintain the advantage. McGuinness keeps Danielson on the mat with a modified cobra clutch, but Danielson doesn’t give up. Danielson ducks a clothesline and kicks McGuinness on the side of the head. Danielson puts a surfboard on McGuinness and pulls back before stomping on McGuinness’s thighs. Danielson kicks McGuinness over the back and sits McGuinness on the top rope looking for a superplex. Danielson manages to hit the superplex and heads to the top rope hitting a diving headbutt for a near fall. Danielson locks in Cattle Mutilation but McGuinness reaches the ropes to break the hold. McGuinness stops Danielson on the top rope and hits an elevated cutter for a near fall as Danielson reaches the ropes.
McGuinness puts the Cattle Mutilation on Danielson, but Danielson doesn’t give in and reaches the ropes again to break the hold. McGuinness uppercuts Danielson at ringside, but Danielson rams McGuinness face first onto the timekeepers table. Danielson chokes McGuinness on the floor for a few moments. Danielson chokes McGuinness with the timekeepers table on the floor. Danielson returns to the ring and taunts the crowd. McGuinness gets back into the ring before the count of twenty to continue the match. They trade forearm strikes in the middle of the ring. McGuinness ducks a strike and nails Danielson with a lariat for a two count. McGuinness does a handstand in the corner, but is dropkicked by Danielson followed by a forearm strike for a two count. Danielson goes for the chicken wing in the middle of the ring. McGuinness is bleeding from the mouth as Danielson locks in a body scissors in the middle of the ring. McGuinness struggles, but manages to reach the ropes to break the hold. Danielson tosses McGuinness with a German suplex before heading to the top rope and misses a diving headbutt as McGuinness got his knee up to block it.
Danielson slaps McGuinness and they begin to slap stiff slaps in the middle of the ring. Danielson delivers far more slaps to stagger McGuinness into the corner. Danielson nails McGuinness with a running strike, but McGuinness crotches Danielson on the top rope. McGuinness leaps off the middle rope to deliver a lariat to knock Danielson to the mat for a near fall as Danielson reaches the ropes to break the count. Danielson stops McGuinness on the top turnbuckle and hooks McGuinness for a suplex, but McGuinness headbutts Danielson to the mat. Danielson dropkicks McGuinness sitting on the top turnbuckle. Danielson puts a chicken wing on McGuinness while on the top rope since there’s no more rope breaks. McGuinness fights free with a few strikes and nails an elevated cutter. Danielson rams McGuinness head first into the ring post, which McGuinness didn’t block at all and is bleeding from the forehead. Danielson baseball slides McGuinness over the railing into the crowd. Danielson leaps off the top rope to take McGuinness out with a somersault dive into the crowd!
Danielson tumbles back to ringside as a bloody McGuinness is close behind. Danielson kicks McGuinness away back over the railing into the crowd. Danielson remains in the ring content with a potential count-out. McGuinness manages to get back into the ring and gets a second wind as the fans are heavily behind McGuinness. Danielson begs off in the corner, but McGuinness headbutts Danielson several times. Danielson backdrops McGuinness to the apron where McGuinness headbutts Danielson again. McGuinness returns to the ring and is met with a few forearms, but McGuinness swings on the middle rope to deck Danielson with a lariat! McGuinness slowly tries for the cover, but Danielson counters and locks in Cattle Mutilation. McGuinness manages to roll out of the hold, and nearly pins Danielson. Danielson switches to a flurry of elbow strikes and McGuinness can’t defend himself. Danielson wins the match by TKO. (****1/2. Holy shit. The moment they went to the floor is when the action picked up to a level that was incredibly intense and the crowd was white hot for it. They were stiff with each other and the ring post shots that McGuinness took were rather uncomfortable to watch. The atmosphere was great and the overall insane stiffness between these two made this memorable.)
ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness — best 2/3 falls — ROH Epic Encounter II — August 25th, 2006
First Fall: McGuinness goes on the attack backing Danielson into corners, but Danielson keeps his feet moving to prevent being trapped. McGuinness backs Danielson into the corner and delivers a strike before backing off. McGuinness slaps Danielson and avoids being taken down to the mat causing Danielson to regroup on the floor. Danielson backs McGuinness into a corner and delivers a slap before putting a headlock on McGuinness. Danielson keeps a headlock on McGuinness on the mat for a few moments. Danielson switches a neck vice with a bridge, but McGuinness doesn’t give up. McGuinness arm drags Danielson to the mat, but Danielson goes back to the headlock. Danielson tells the crowd that he’s keeping the headlock on McGuinness for a full hour. McGuinness breaks free, but Danielson quickly goes back to the headlock. Danielson comes off the ropes with a shoulder block, but McGuinness doesn’t budge and Danielson goes back to the headlock, which the fans pop for in a joking manner. Danielson takes McGuinness down to the mat and gains control with a head scissors on the head, but doesn’t get a submission. McGuinness tries to do a handstand, but Danielson stops McGuiness with a seated piledriver. McGuinness breaks free, but Danielson goes back to a headlock.
Danielson avoids being yanked down to the mat by his arm and once again keeps McGuinness on the mat with a headlock. Danielson hits a back suplex to drop McGuinness on his head for a near fall. Danielson kicks McGuinness over the back followed by a knee drop before putting a chin lock on McGuinness, which McGuinness even tells the fans it’s not a headlock and they need to know their wrestling. Danielson knee drops McGuinness again before going back to the chin lock. Danielson uppercuts McGuinness in the corner several times. Danielson knee drops McGuinness again and keeps control with a chin lock. Danielson tries for a chicken wing, but McGuinness breaks free and leg sweeps Danielson to the mat. McGuinness drives Danielson down to the mat by his arm and Danielson rolls to the floor to regroup. McGuinness follows and tries to ram Danielson into the corner, but Danielson blocks it. McGuinness manages to ram Danielson shoulder first into the post and they return to the ring. McGuinness hooks Danielson’s arms and gets a crossface in the middle of the ring, but Danielson doesn’t submit.
McGuinness controls Danielson on the mat with a hammerlock, but Danielson refuses to give in. McGuinness kicks Danielson over the back leading to another two count. Danielson goes back to the headlock, but McGuinness breaks free by driving Danielson down to the mat by the arm for a one count. McGuinness continues to control Danielson on the mat, but Danielson rubs his forearm into McGuinness’s face to break free. McGuinness counters a headlock to put a hammerlock on Danielson again. McGuinness sends Danielson to the floor and delivers an uppercut to maintain the advantage. McGuinness sends Danielson shoulder first into the guard railing. McGuinness sends Danielson into the railing a second time. McGuinness puts Danielson in a hammerlock and drives Danielson into the railing a third time before returning to the ring. McGuinness keeps a wrist lock on Danielson on the mat and pulls up on Danielson’s face while mocking Danielson regarding the count of five. Danielson gets up and twists McGuinness leg, but Nigel yanks Danielson down to the mat by his arm to keep control.
McGuinness has an Anaconda Vice on Danielson, but Danielson refuses to submit. Danielson stomps on McGuinness’s head, but McGuinness responds with a strike to the midsection and takes Danielson back down to the mat. McGuinness sends Danielson into the corner by yanking on Danielson’s arm and Danielson does a somersault. McGuinness does it again. McGuinness tosses Danielson overhead with a suplex for a two count. McGuinness keeps Danielson on the mat with another headlock. Danielson fights back with a dropkick. Danielson hits a suicide dive to send McGuinness into the railing. Danielson heads to the top rope hitting a missile dropkick and kips up. Danielson forearms McGuinness in the corner and goes to the top rope. Danielson hits a diving headbutt, but McGuinness kicks out at two. Danielson ducks a clothesline and hits a Thez Press, but switches to a crossface. McGuinness doesn’t submit and instead reaches the ropes. Danielson uppercuts McGuinness and puts Nigel on the top turnbuckle. Danielson hooks McGuinness and hits a superplex to the middle of the ring for a two count. Danielson tries for the chicken wing, but McGuinness breaks the hold by reaching the ropes. McGuinness delivers a jawbreaker and a few strikes. McGuinness decks Danielson with a lariat for a two count. McGuinness delivers a headstand kick in the corner for a near fall. McGuinness sends Danielson into the corner, but is met with a boot. Danielson forearms McGuinness and gets an inside cradle to pin McGuinness to win the first fall. Danielson: 1 — McGuinness: 0
Second Fall: Danielson goes to the floor to stall for a bit. McGuinness goes to the floor to stalk Danielson, but Danielson gets back into the ring. McGuinness keeps wrist control on Danielson, but Danielson breaks free and dropkicks McGuinness. Danielson clubs McGuinness over the chest a few times to keep the advantage, but McGuinness gets up pissed off and slaps Danielson several times in the corner. McGuinness forearms Danielson in the corner. Danielson responds with a slap to the face. Danielson snapmares McGuinness and puts a sleeper on McGuinness to maintain the advantage. Danielson smacks McGuinness in the face followed by a knee drop. McGuinness sends Danielson into the corner and delivers a back strike followed by a clubbing blow to the chest for a near fall. McGuinness delivers a hammerlock scoop slam for a two count. McGuinness keeps control on the mat wit a chin lock and strikes Danielson on the chest a few times. Danielson kicks free to knock McGuinness backward. Danielson uppercuts McGuinness into the corner. Danielson hits a butterfly suplex and locks in another chin lock, but McGuinness doesn’t submit. Danielson squeezes McGuinness’s shoulders against the ropes. Danielson uppercuts McGuinness in the corner followed by a chop, but McGuinness fights back with a forearm strike. Danielson slaps McGuinness, but McGuinness gets a second win and Danielson takes McGuinness down to put another headlock on Nigel.
McGuinness delivers a back suplex, but Danielson doesn’t break the hold. Danielson knee strikes McGuinness and delivers a slap in the corner. Danielson chops McGuinness in the corner and they begin to trade slaps near the middle of the ring. Danielson smacks McGuinness to the mat and plays to the crowd. Danielson goes back to the chin lock, but Nigel refuses to give in. McGuinness fights free and is met with a dropkick by Danielson. Danielson fakes a surfboard and stomps on Nigel’s thighs instead. Danielson puts a figure four on McGuinness in the middle of the ring. Danielson uses the ropes for leverage, but McGuinness still doesn’t submit. McGuinness rolls over and reaches the ropes to force a rope break. Danielson eventually lets go of the hold and argues with the referee. Danielson chokes McGuinness over the ropes for a moment. Danielson chops McGuinness in the corner and crotches Nigel on the top turnbuckle. McGuinness counters in the corner and has Danielson on his shoulders hitting a middle rope electric chair slam for a two count. McGuinness locks in a key lock, but Danielson struggles and reaches the ropes to break the hold. Danielson goes to the top rope and missile dropkicks McGuinness, who slingshots off the middle rope to nail Danielson with a lariat for a tow count. McGuinness puts the key lock on Danielson again and manages to get a submission to tie the match at one! Danielson: 1 — McGuinness: 1
Third Fall: McGuinness puts the key lock on Danielson again, but Danielson breaks free and gets a leg lock on McGuinness. Danielson puts a chin lock on McGuinness and leans backwards. Danielson locks in a modified STF, but McGuinness continues to refuse to give in. Danielson wrenches on the leg of McGuinness for a moment. Danielson has the referee pull his shoulder back into socket. McGuinness locks in Cattle Mutilation, but Danielson quickly reaches the ropes to break the hold. McGuinness works over the injured arm and hip tosses Danielson out of the corner. McGuinness forearms Danielson followed by another hip toss. Danielson runs into a back elbow, but nails McGuinness with a running headbutt to counter a headstand in the corner for a two count. Danielson sits McGuinness on the top turnbuckle and hits a back suplex! Danielson tries for a cover, but McGuinness kicks out at two. Danielson puts the Cattle Mutilation on McGuinness, but Nigel reaches the ropes quickly. Danielson hits a snap suplex for a near fall. Danielson slaps McGuinness across the face, but McGuinness responds with a few strikes. Danielson takes McGuinness down to the mat delivering a strike to the face. Danielson puts another chin lock on McGuinness, but still can’t get a submission.
Danielson puts a sleeper on McGuinness, but McGuinness struggles and counters with a sleeper of his own. Danielson stops McGuinness with a jawbreaker leading to a near fall. Danielson puts an ankle lock on McGuinness, but McGuinness reaches the ropes to break the hold. Danielson drives McGuinness’s knee down to the mat and follows up with a leg drop over the knee. Danielson keeps the advantage with a bridging leg lock, but McGuinness continues to fight the pain. Danielson has McGuinness all sorts of tied up on the mat, but McGuinness continues to avoid submitting. Nigel open hand slaps Danielson and they begin to trade strikes. Danielson and McGuinness are staggered as Danielson blows snot at McGuinness. McGuinness uppercuts Danielson, but is dropped to the apron. Danielson dropkicks McGuinness to the floor off the apron. Danielson baseball slides McGuinness over the railing into the crowd. Danielson springboards off the top going to the crowd, but McGuinness hit Danielson with a chair!
McGuinness tosses Danielson over the railing back to the ringside area. McGuinness crotches Danielson over the top rope and leaps off the middle rope to nail Danielson with a lariat. McGuinness covers, but Danielson kicks out at two. Danielson headbutts McGuinness and hits a German suplex for a two count. Danielson slaps McGuinness in the corner and puts McGuinness on the top turnbuckle. Danielson dropkicks McGuinness on the top rope and hits the Tower of London, but McGuinness kicks out at two. Danielson hits a snap butterfly suplex and goes to the top rope. Danielson leaps off the top, but McGuinness gets his knee up to counter a diving headbutt. McGuinness puts Cattle Mutilation on Danielson, but Danielson reaches the ropes quickly to break the hold. McGuinness crotches Danielson on the top rope and tries for the Tower of London, but Danielson breaks free and tries for Cattle Mutilation, but McGuinness avoids it and manages to hit the Tower of London for a two count.
McGuinness crotches Danielson on the top rope, but Danielson avoids the lariat and locks in Cattle Mutilation. McGuinness tries to reach the ropes, but Danielson rolls towards the middle of the ring and locks in the hold again. McGuinness manages to reach the ropes to break the hold. Danielson kicks McGuinness several times on the chest, followed by forearm strikes. McGuinness decks Danielson with a lariat for a two count and locks in another key lock, but Danielson doesn’t submit and reaches the ropes. McGuinness slaps Danielson in the middle of the ring several times. Danielson drops to the mat and responds with a slap to the face. McGuinness uppercuts Danielson, but Danielson responds with one of his own. They slap each other a few more times. They trade a flurry of strikes as Danielson forearms McGuinness, but McGuinness responds with a lariat for a two count. McGuinness locks in Cattle Mutilation again in the middle of the ring. There are two minutes remaining in the sixty minute time limit.
Danielson manages to break free from the hold and both men are exhausted on the mat. McGuinness hits another Tower of London out of the corner and covers, but Danielson kicks out at two. McGuinness goes back to the key lock. Danielson counters out and elbows McGuinness several times as McGuinness isn’t protecting himself from the blows. McGuinness breaks free and headbutts Danielson followed by several elbow strikes of his own. Danielson isn’t able to protect himself and the bell rings, but it’s the time limit expiring. Danielson retains the title as the match ends in a draw. (****. Here’s the thing, it’s a great match, but the finish should lead to the referee being fired. Danielson was not protecting himself on the elbow strikes and was clearly knocked loopy to a point that anyone would have called for the end of the match. It felt as if the crowd got a little burnt out by the beginning of the third fall, but this was another really good hard hitting battle between these two that is quickly becoming a memorable rivalry in ROH history. Now that McGuinness lost, he can’t challenge for the title as long as Danielson is champion during this reign. So, that added some extra emotion during the closing moments of the match. Doing an hour long match can be a difficult task, and they did a great job at it here.)
Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness — ROH World Championship #1 Contender — ROH Driven 2007 — June 23rd, 2007
The crowd split between both men as they start the match trying to get mat control, but neither man can accomplish it for a significant amount of time. Danielson slaps McGuinness on the chest and backs off. McGuinness keeps a front face lock on Danielson, but Danielson drops down to the mat and counters with a wrist lock. Danielson keeps a wrist lock on McGuinness, but McGuinness counters for a moment with a head scissors. Danielson quickly counters to control McGuinness on the mat. Danielson puts a bow and arrow on McGuinness, but McGuinness lands on top for a two count. McGuinness shoulder blocks Danielson and they have a standoff. McGuinness comes off the ropes and shoulder blocks Danielson, but Danielson mounts McGuinness trying to deliver forearm strikes on the mat. McGuinness hugs Danielson, but Danielson pries McGuinness off and they remain on the mat. Danielson slaps McGuinness across the face and delivers an uppercut. Danielson kicks McGuinness over the back followed by a knee drop. Danielson kicks McGuinness several times across the chest. Danielson slaps McGuinness several times in the corner. McGuinness mule kicks a charging Danielson and the crowd is fired up. McGuinness drives Danielson down to the mat with an arm breaker.
McGuinness focuses his offense on the left arm, but Danielson refuses to submit on the mat. McGuinness bends Danielson’s arm backward and leans backward onto the right arm, but Danielson still doesn’t submit. Danielson counters with an STF on the mat for a few moments. Danielson controls McGuinness on the mat with a straight jacket choke. Danielson pulls back on the straight jacket choke, but McGuinness doesn’t give up. McGuinness nails Danielson with a lariat causing Danielson to bail to the floor to regroup. McGuinness follows up with an uppercut and a throat thrust backing Danielson into the railing. McGuinness continues with uppercuts and charges to nail Danielson with a running uppercut. Danielson responds with uppercuts and chops of his own. Danielson rams McGuinness into the timekeepers table and tosses a chair at McGuinness. Danielson slams the table onto McGuinness. Danielson uppercuts McGuinness, but McGuinness responds with a lariat to knock Danielson over the railing into the crowd. McGuinness climbs to the top rope and leaps off to hit a crossbody into the crowd!
McGuinness uppercuts Danielson on the floor and gets a running start, but Danielson forearms McGuinness. Danielson suplexs McGuinness onto the top of the railing! Danielson gets on the apron and taunts the crowd. Danielson delivers a suplex on the floor and rolls McGuinness back into the ring managing to get a near fall. Danielson knee drops McGuinness on the lower back several times. Danielson knee drops McGuinness over the back and kneels on McGuinness to keep control. Danielson steps on McGuinness’s face and eye rakes McGuinness before delivering an overhand strike to the chest. Danielson continues to strike McGuinness over the face a few times. Danielson uppercuts McGuinness several times in the corner. Danielson pulls McGuinness out of the corner to deliver a headbutt. Danielson casually kicks McGuinness on the mat followed by a few slaps. McGuinness asks for more slaps and Danielson is decked by a lariat. McGuinness throat thrusts Danielson in the corner followed by elbows. McGuinness uppercuts Danielson in the corner. Danielson backflips off the ropes and is met with a superkick. McGuinness delivers another lariat for a two count. McGuinness kicks Danielson on the back followed by a strike to the chest after avoiding a splash.
Danielson rams McGuinness into the corner, and delivers a spin kick in the corner. Danielson kicks McGuinness in the head for a near fall. Danielson uppercuts McGuinness and heads to the top rope, but McGuinness crotches Danielson. McGuinness tries for the Tower of London, but Danielson avoids it and sunset flips McGuinness. McGuinness battles back with a powerbomb for a two count. McGuinness locks in a half Boston Crab in the middle of the ring. McGuinness leans backward on the lower back of Danielson. Danielson reaches the ropes to break the hold. McGuinness strikes Danielson, but Danielson dropkicks McGuinness as Nigel did a headstand. Danielson kicks McGuinness over the back and hits a top rope back suplex. Danielson covers McGuinness for a two count. Danielson goes for the chicken wing and lays down in the middle of the ring. McGuinness doesn’t give up and rams Danielson into the corner. McGuinness tries for the Tower of London and hits it after a brief struggle. McGuinness forearms Danielson in the corner several times. McGuinness sits Danielson over the top rope and leaps off the middle rope to nail Danielson with a lariat for a two count.
McGuinness pulls Danielson off the ropes, but is met with a kick to the head. They begin to trade slaps in the middle of the ring with Danielson getting the advantage. They trade stiff headbutts until McGuinness nails Danielson with a lariat. Danielson is busted open and forearms McGuinness leading to a near fall. Danielson tries for Cattle Mutilation, but settles for elbow strikes and locks in the submission in the middle of the ring. The referee calls for the bell. (****1/2. Good lord. The final two minutes of this match were insane. The headbutts led to Danielson to bleed quite a bit and Danielson’s look as a psycho with a bloodied face was pretty cool. The crowd ate this up and these two are becoming a must-see rivalry for ROH. They can absolutely rely on these two to put forth an incredible outing. To think that neither of these guys is the world champion just shows how loaded ROH is at this time for their roster.)
ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson — Non-Title —ROH Survival Of The Fittest — October 19th, 2007
They back each other against the ropes, but Danielson cleanly backs off leading to a standoff. McGuinness gets wrist control to kickoff the match and takes Danielson down to the mat. Danielson bridges up and dropkicks McGuinness. McGuinness arm drags Danielson to the mat and keeps wrist control for a moment. Danielson counters with a dragon sleeper. McGuinness counters with a leg lock on the mat. Danielson crawls around the ring and rolls through to break free. Danielson brags that he didn’t need to use the ropes. McGuinness keeps control with a side headlock and shoulder blocks Danielson. McGuinness taunts Danielson into the corner. McGuinness takes Danielson down to the mat and keeps leg control. Danielson counters with leg control. McGuinness counters with an arm bar and Danielson goes to the ropes to break the hold. Danielson keeps McGuinness on the mat with a leg lock, but McGuinness doesn’t submit. Danielson pulls back on McGuinness’s face with a chin lock. McGuinness manages to reach the ropes to break the hold. Danielson takes McGuinness down to the mat and splashes down onto Nigel’s left knee. Danielson splashes down onto the left knee again. Danielson uppercuts McGuinness to the mat and taunts the referee about the count. Danielson gets a running start and splashes McGuinness on the knee. Danielson keeps a leg lock on McGuinness, but doesn’t get a submission. Danielson leg whips McGuinness to the mat. Danielson wraps Nigel’s leg over the middle rope and pulls down on the leg. Danielson kicks McGuinness over the middle rope several times. Danielson runs the ropes and delivers a dropkick to the thigh.
McGuinness fights back with an uppercut and yanks Danielson down to the mat by the arm. McGuinness slams the left arm to the mat and delivers a kick to the back. McGuinness leg drops Danielson on the arm and tries to get a submission, but can’t. McGuinness keeps Danielson on the mat with a double arm submission. McGuinness continues to bend Danielson’s arm, but doesn’t get a submission. Danielson counters with a single leg Boston Crab, but McGuinness gets to the ropes quickly. Danielson locks in a bow and arrow submission attempt. Danielson lets go and focuses on an Indian death lock. Danielson bridges back on an Indian Death Lock, but McGuinness doesn’t give up. McGuinness counters with an arm lock, but Danielson reaches the ropes to break the hold. Danielson takes McGuinness down, but is met with a kick to the head. Danielson responds with a kick on the mat. Danielson kicks McGuinness several times on the chest. Danielson locks in a figure four leg lock, but McGuinness refuses to submit. McGuinness powers out of the hold preventing his shoulders from staying down for three seconds and rolls over, but Danielson reaches the ropes.
Danielson kicks McGuinness on the leg and they trade a series of uppercuts. McGuinness uppercuts Danielson and hits a running uppercut. McGuinness nails Danielson with a lariat to the back. McGuinness puts Danielson on the top, but Danielson counters the Tower of London. McGuinness plants Danielson with Divorce Court for a two count. McGuinness is met with a forearm and tries for a lariat, but Danielson forearms McGuinness and gets a leg lock on Nigel, but McGuinness reaches the ropes. Danielson takes McGuinness over with a snap suplex. Danielson heads to the top rope and tries for a diving headbutt, but McGuinness got his boot up. Danielson controls McGuinness on the mat with a leg lock. McGuinness drives Danielson down with a back suplex. McGuinness uppercuts Danielson and elbows Danielson in the corner. McGuinness mule kicks Danielson into a corner, but runs into a bot. Danielson nails McGuinness with a flying kick out of the corner. They begin to trade uppercuts until Danielson locks in Cattle Mutilation for moment and delivers elbows until McGuinness reaches the ropes. Danielson tries for a top rope back suple, but McGuinness elbows Danielson. McGuinness breaks free and goes for the Tower of London, but the bell sounds to signal the time limit has expired and the match ends in a draw. (***. Well, this was nowhere near the level of intensity or drama than their previous matches. Realistically, this is probably a good thing. The stakes for the match is only advancing in the SOTF. The title isn’t on the line and it’s arguably a lower level show compared to other ones. If ROH were living strictly house shows, I’d say this was a house show level effort, and it was still a solid match.)
ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson — ROH 6th Anniversary Show — February 23rd, 2008
Danielson controls McGuinness with a wrist lock for a moment. McGuinness manages to counter with a wrist lock on the mat. McGuinness pulls on Danielson’s chin, but Danielson breaks free and dropkicks McGuinness on the left knee. They do a test of strength, but McGuinness kicks Danielson’s arm. Danielson manages to take McGuinness down to themat and keeps control on the mat. Danielson puts a bow and arrow on McGuinness, but doesn’t get a submission. Danielson counters a pin attempt and mounts McGuinness on the mat. Danielson puts a straight jacket choke on McGuinness, but McGuinness counters with a choke of his own. Danielson ducks a lariat attempt and plays to the crowd. Danielson sends McGuinness into the ropes, but McGuinness gets control with a headlock. Danielson counters with a head scissors on the mat. Danielson puts a modified half Boston Crab on McGuinness, but doesn’t get a submission as McGuinness reaches the ropes.
McGuinness delivers a headbutt to the midsection followed by an uppercut in the corner a few times. McGuinness taunts the crowd regarding the count. McGuinness does a headstand, but Danielson dropkicks McGuinness to the floor and hits a suicide dive to the outside. Danielson heads to the top rope and nails McGuinness with a missile dropkick. McGuinness tries for a back suplex, but Danielson counters with a back suplex of his own. McGuinness is holding the back of his head and rolls to the apron. McGuinness decks the referee with a forearm fro the apron and Danielson doesn’t want the match to end the match. The referee has disqualified McGuinness, and McGuinness taunts the fans as they got the title match they wanted. McGuinness tries to leave, but Austin Aries appears on the aisle telling McGuinness that he can’t disrespect the title and either returns to the title match or he’ll have to go through the locker room. McGuinness is forced back into the ring to continue the title match.
Danielson chops McGuinness several times in the corner. The match is restarted. McGuinness rams Danielson into the corner and delivers a kick/overhand strike combo. McGuinness sends Danielson shoulder first into the corner a few times. McGuinness keeps a hammerlock on Danielson before delivering a leg sweep. McGuinness leg drops Danielson on the arm, but can’t get a submission. They trade a couple of kicks until Danielson drops to the mat. McGuinness taunts the crowd as Danielson recovers in the corner. McGuinness uppercuts Danielson in the corner and charges the corner to deliver a running uppercut. McGuinness pulls on Danielson’s arm under the bottom rope. McGuinness wraps Danielson’s arm around the ring post and continues to taunt the fans. McGuinness posts Danielson’s shoulder and continues to taunt the fans. McGuinness yanks Danielson down to the mat by his arm and controls Danielson with a neck vice in the middle of the ring. McGuinness keeps a submission on Danielson, but can’t get a submission still. McGuinness continues with uppercuts. Danielson blocks an uppercut and hits a flying kick. Danielson gets a second wind with the crowd behind him. Danielson knee lifts McGuinness a couple of times. Danielson kicks McGuinness over the back.
Danielson kicks McGuinness over the back to knock the champion off the apron to the floor. Danielson grabs McGuinness trying to suplex McGuinness back into the ring. McGuinness counters with a suplex to the floor! McGuinness uppercuts Danielson and gets a running start to uppercut Danielson against the railing. McGuinness knocks Danielson into the timekeepers table. Danielson fights back to send McGuinness to the railing. Danielson backdrops McGuinness over the railing into the crowd. Danielson returns to the ring and hits a springboard somersault dive into the crowd! Danielson goes to the top rope, but McGuinness counters a missile dropkick attempt. Danielson counters with a triangle choke, but McGuinness escapes to deck Danielson with a lariat for a near fall. McGuinness crotches Danielson on the top rope and tries for the Tower of London, but Danielson shoves McGuinness away and body scissors McGuinness over the topes to the floor. Danielson tries for a suicide dive, but McGuinness uppercuts Danielson and hits the Tower of London off the apron to the floor.
McGuinness tries for a cover, but only manages a two count. McGuinness is bleeding from the left eye and locks in Cattle Mutilation. Danielson almost gets a pin on McGuinness. Danielson ducks a lariat, but misses a knee strike and gets caught on the ropes. McGuinness sits Danielson on the top rope to deliver another lariat. McGuinness plants Danielson with the Tower of London for a near fall. McGuinness puts an arm bar on Danielson, but Danielson manages to reach the ropes. McGuinness goes back to the arm bar, but Danielson counters with a rollup for a near fall. Danielson hits a rolling German suplex! They begin to trade strikes in the middle of the ring. McGuinness throat strikes Danielson in the corner. McGuinness misses a splash in the corner. Danielson kicks McGuinness over the back and sits McGuinness on the top rope. McGuinness elbows Danielson to break free. Danielson hits a top rope back suplex for a two count. Danielson locks in the Cattle Mutilation. McGuinness rolls over and Danielson doesn’t deliver elbow strikes. Danielson almost wins with a tiger suplex. Danielson elbow strikes McGuinness on the ribs and locks in an arm bar. McGuinness teases a tap, but Danielson switches to a triangle choke. McGuinness appears to be fading, but doesn’t pass out. Danielson adds some leverage, and McGuinness almost drops three times. McGuinness is able to reach the bottom rope.
Danielson nails McGuinness with body strikes and tells the referee to count McGuinness out in the corner. The referee starts a rather fast count, but McGuinness gets up. Danielson goes for more body strikes. McGuinness stops Danielson with a headbutt. McGuinness headbutts Danielson again, but is met with a kick. McGuinness headbutts Danielson to the mat. Danielson is clutching his eye, but the referee backs McGuinness off. McGuinness runs the ropes to hit a lariat. McGuinness traps Danielson’s arm and nails Danielson with a flurry of elbow strikes. McGuinness delivers an elbow to the eye and locks in an elbow submission. Danielson is out cold. McGuinness retains the title. (****1/2. McGuinness is such a dick. The story of the match is Danielson avoiding strikes to McGuinness’s head, and clearly McGuinness took that to his advantage and prevailed over Danielson’s morales. The NYC crowd was hot for this one and they gave their best here as well. A hell of a match and McGuinness proving to be one hell of a heel.)
ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson — Non-Title — ROH Battle Of The Best —September 13th, 2008
Danielson backs McGuinness into a corner, but backs off. McGuinness gains wrist control and keeps Danielson on the mat with a hammerlock. Danielson backs McGuinness into the ropes and McGuinness breaks free cleanly. Danielson takes McGuinness down to the mat and keeps control with a leg lock. Danielson digs his knuckles into the lower back of McGuinness. Danielson bridges into the Muta Lock, but McGuinness doesn’t submit and instead counters with a headlock. McGuinness reaches the ropes to break the hold. Danielson backs McGuinness into a corner and delivers an uppercut. McGuinness keeps a front face lock on Danielson, and delivers an uppercut to drop Danielson to the mat. Danielson takes McGuinness down to the mat and keeps leg control with a half Boston Crab. Danielson switches to a leg lock, but McGuinness tries to break free with a crossface, but fails. McGuinness counters on the mat, but Danielson quickly counters with a modified Stretch Muffler for a moment until McGuinness reaches the ropes to cause a rope break. McGuinness backs Danielson into a corner and elbows Danielson. McGuinness continues with a spinning elbow strike to knock Danielson to the mat. McGuinness continues with a scoop slam. McGuinness scoop slams Danielson again for a one count. Danielson counters with a rollup and switches to an arm lock.
Danielson wrenches on McGuinness’s arm while keeping a hammerlock locked in on the champion. Danielson manages a two count, but returns to mat based control. McGuinness fights back by slamming Danielson to the mat by his arm and puts a dragon sleeper on Danielson for a moment. McGuinness keeps control for a few moments. McGuinness keeps Danielson on the mat with a headlock, but Danielson counters with a hammerlock. Danielson keeps a hammerlock on McGuinness, but McGuinness rams Danielson into the corner back first followed by an elbow and throat thrust. McGuinness elbows Danielson and delivers a mule kick. McGuinness tries for a cover, but only manages a near fall. McGuinness throat thrusts Danielson in the corner and sends Danielson hard into the corner across the ring. McGuinness uppercuts Danielson into the corner and continues with strikes. McGuinness uppercuts Danielson in the corner, but can’t keep Danielson down long enough. Danielson misses a splash in the corner and McGuinness hits the kick/overhand strike combo. McGuinness tries for half crab, but Danielson gets to the ropes. Danielson nails McGuinness with a kick to the head and connects with a butterfly suplex managing a two count.
Danielson dropkicks McGuinness while doing a headstand and Danielson hits a missile dropkick to send McGuinness to the floor. Danielson tries for a suicide dive, but McGuinness delivers a strike and hits the Tower of London to the floor! McGuinness tries for a cover, but Danielson kicks out at two. McGuinness puts a half crab on Danielson, but can’t get a submission. Danielson is able to reach the bottom rope. Danielson forearms McGuinness into the corner and delivers a flurry of strikes and demands the referee count. Danielson splashes McGuinness in the corner followed by a German suplex for a two count. McGuinness avoids the Cattle Mutilation, but Danielson delivers a series of elbow strikes to the neck area on McGuinness. McGuinness backs Danielson into a corner trying to break free. Danielson doesn’t let go and tries for Cattle Mutilation again. McGuinness counters to hit the Tower of London for a near fall. McGuinness slaps Danielson across the face, but Danielson responds with a slap, as well. McGuinness drops Danielson with a knee strike. McGuinness crotches Danielson over the top rope and delivers a chop. McGuinness leaps off the middle rope to hit Danielson with a lariat for a near fall.
McGuinness tries for a lariat, but Danielson counters with a rollup for a near fall. Danielson elbows McGuinness, but McGuinness delivers one of his own. They trade uppercuts in the middle of the ring. McGuinness delivers a few more uppercuts. They trade several more uppercuts, but Danielson avoids a lariat and almost wins with a rollup. They exchange several pin attempts. Danielson backflips after McGuinness blocked a kick, but Danielson surprises McGuinness with an inside cradle to pickup the win. (****. Another good match between these two and they likely worked a different kind of match in front of the Japanese crowd. They had a good mixture of hard hitting action and a strong focus on mat wrestling focused with counters throughout. I felt a level of formula between these two, which isn’t a bad thing. It just takes me out of the match a tad when it’s obvious where they are going.)
ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson — ROH Rising Above — November 22nd, 2008
Danielson kicks McGuinness to start the match, but doesn’t follow up with the advantage. McGuinness gets wrist control in the early moments of the match. McGuinness takes Danielson down to the mat to keep the advantage, but Danielson fights back with a suplex and controls McGuinness on the mat. Danielson stomps on McGuinness’s elbow and covers for a two count. McGuinness bails to the floor to regroup. McGuinness backs Danielson against the ropes and kicks Danielson on the inner thigh. McGuinness keeps a hammerlock on Danielson, but that doesn’t last long and Danielson takes McGuinness down to the mat with a hammerlock. Danielson pulls back on Nigel’s wrist causing Nigel to reach the ropes to break the hold. McGuinness shoulder blocks Danielson and keeps control with a headlock on the mat. McGuinness keeps a headlock on Danielson. McGuinness shoulder blocks Danielson, but Danielson drop toe holds McGuinness and pulls back on Nigel’s mouth. Danielson stomps Nigel’s knees to the mat and continues with an uppercut. Danielson controls McGuinness on the mat with an arm lock and falls backward to add leverage. Danielson steps on McGuinness left arm, but doesn’t get a pin. McGuinness misses a lariat and is met with a big boot causing McGuinness to bail to the floor to regroup.
Danielson runs off the apron to knee strike McGuinness into the railing. Danielson rolls McGuinness into the ring and keeps control of the match with a series of stomps on the mat. Danielson sends McGuinness into the corner and misses a splash. McGuinness delivers the kick to the back/overhand strike combo and focuses his attack on the right knee. McGuinness snapmares Danielson into the ropes leg first. McGuinness stomps on Danielson’s thighs while trying for a surfboard. McGuinness kicks Danielson on the mat several times and locks in a half Boston Crab. Danielson reaches the ropes quickly. McGuinness drags Danielson out of the corner and puts a standing figure four on Danielson. McGuinness lets go and performs a spinning toe hold before locking in a figure four. Danielson is able to roll over and reach the ropes to break the hold. They trade several uppercuts in the middle of the ring. McGuinness kicks Danielson, but Danielson responds with a knee lift and a kick to the chest. Danielson strikes McGuinness several times in the corner. McGuinness strikes Danielson in the corner several times. McGuinness tries for a mule kick, but Danielson counters with an ankle lock.
Danielson hits a German suplex for a two count. Danielson goes for a chicken wing, but McGuinness counters quickly. McGuinness elbows free and they trade several pin attempts. McGuinness slams Danielson’s leg down to the mat. McGuinness uppercuts Danielson and delivers a running uppercut. McGuinness misses a lariat and Danielson locks in the chicken wing. McGuinness reaches the ropes to break the hold. Danielson kicks McGuinness over the back several times. McGuinness chop blocks Danielson as Danielson was distracted by the referee. McGuinness crotches Danielson on the top rope and traps Danielson’s right leg under the ropes to deliver forearm strikes as Danielson can’t block them. McGuinness leaps off the middle rope to hit a lariat for a near fall. Danielson baseball slides McGuinness into the railing. Danielson hits a springboard somersault dive to the aisle. Danielson uppercuts McGuinness, but McGuinness responds with strikes. McGuinness grabs a steel chair, but the referee runs to the floor to stop the attempt.
Claudio Castagnoli attacks Danielson from behind with a chair. Alex Payne comes out and supports Danielson to get back into the ring before the twenty count. Danielson has been busted open and manages to return to the ring, which McGuinness can’t believe it. McGuinness nails Danielson with a lariat for a near fall. McGuinness puts a half Boston Crab on McGuinness, but doesn’t get a submission. Danielson struggles, but manages to reach the ropes. McGuinness backs Danielson into the corner and forearms the right knee of Danielson. McGuinness charges, but Danielson gets a boot up and nails McGuinness with a running knee strike. McGuinness uppercuts Danielson, but Danielson responds with an uppercut as well. They trade uppercuts with Danielson getting the advantage. Danielson avoids a lariat with a cross arm breaker. Danielson switches to a triangle choke, but McGuinness doesn’t submit. Danielson nails McGuinness with several elbow strikes. McGuinness appears to be fading. McGuinness manages to break free and briefly had a single leg crab locked in as Danielson countered with an inside cradle for a two count.
McGuinness headbutts Danielson, but Danielson gets a two count with a crucifix. Danielson hangs on and strikes McGuinness with several elbows. Danielson is exhausted from the blood loss. Danielson gets a second wind and pummels McGuinness for a two count. Danielson locks in Cattle Mutilation, but McGuinness refuses to give in. Danielson hits a dragon suplex, but McGuinness recovers to hit the Tower of London. McGuinness decks Danielson with a lariat, but Danielson kicks out at two. McGuinness delivers a flurry of elbow strikes as Danielson isn’t defending himself. Danielson gets a second wind from the crowd. McGuinness forearms Danielson several times, but Danielson gets a second wind and slaps McGuinness several times. McGuinness headbutts Danielson, but misses a lariat. They collide heads and McGuinness delivers the jawbreaker lariat to pickup the win and retain the title. (****1/2. I loved that match. The only thing I didn’t like was the involvement of Claudio. It didn’t directly play a part in the finish, but I wish it was just a straight up battle between these two great athletes. The Chicago crowd was rapid for the action and these two absolutely put on a killer match. This may be my favorite one of the series thus far.)
Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness —ROH Glory By Honor VIII — September 26th, 2009
Early on, they counter each other with basic wrist locks. Danielson dropkicks McGuinness and they have a standoff after McGuinness does a cartwheel. Danielson kicks McGuinness arms away and keeps control on the mat with a wrist lock. Danielson switches to a hammerlock on the mat. Danielson pulls back on McGuinness’s arm and presses down on Nigel’s wrist. Danielson steps on McGuinness’s arm managing to get a near fall. McGuinness knee drops Danielson on the arm and keeps control on the mat. McGuinness leans back on the right arm. McGuinness kicks Danielson away and taunts the crowd. Danielson slaps McGuinness to the mat. Danielson pulls back on Nigel’s mouth and delivers several strikes to the ear. Danielson kicks McGuinness on the chest for a two count. McGuinness kicks Danielson against the ropes while having a hammerlock on Danielson. McGuinness tosses Danielson with an overhead suplex. McGuinness stomps Danielson on the arm and works over the arm in the corner. Danielson boots a charging McGuinness and hits a middle rope uppercut. Danielson uppercuts McGuinness several times and knee lifts McGuinness to the mat. Danielson kicks McGuinness over the back leading to a near fall. McGuinness kicks Danielson, but is met with a dropkick. Danielson tosses McGuinness overhead with a suplex.
Danielson heads to the top rope hitting a diving headbutt for a two count. Danielson uppercuts McGuinness in the corner. Danielson misses a splash in the corner and McGuinness delivers a kick to the back followed by an overhand strike to the chest. McGuinness tries for the Tower of London, but Danielson blocks it. McGuinness forearms Danielson on the top turnbuckle and tries for an overhead suplex. Danielson shoves McGuinness off, but McGuinness avoids a dropkick. Danielson counters into a triangle choke in the middle of the ring, but McGuinness doesn’t submit and reaches the ropes. They trade a few pin attempts and both men are gasping for air on the mat. McGuinness headbutts Danielson in the midsection, but Danielson responds with a leaping clothesline. Danielson waits in the corner to deliver a running forearm strike. Danielson sits McGuinness on the top turnbuckle, but McGuinness elbows free to knock Danielson to the mat. Danielson puts McGuinness in the tree of woe. Danielson nails McGuinness with a baseball slide dropkick. Danielson continues with a top rope back suplex leading to a near fall.
Danielson tries for Cattle Mutilation and locks it in, but McGuinness counters and hits the Tower of London! McGuinness tries for the cover, but Danielson kicks out at two. McGuinness tries for the same move, but off the apron. However, Danielson shoves McGuinness over the railing into the crowd. Danielson goes to the ring and tries for a somersault dive, but McGuinness put a worker in the way. Danielson runs off the apron to knee strike McGuinness and McGuinness goes back over the railing into the crowd. Danielson springboards off the ropes and dives onto McGuinness in the crowd! McGuinness sends Danielson face first into the ring post. Danielson has been busted open as a result. Danielson gets in the ring before the count of twenty. McGuinness hits the Tower of London off the apron onto the floor! Danielson looks dazed. McGuinness breaks the count and drives Danielson into the ring post shoulder first several times. McGuinness rolls into the ring accepting a potential count out victory. Danielson manages to break the count to continue the match.
McGuinness backs Danielson into a corner and delivers a forearm strike a few times. McGuinness sits Danielson on the top rope and teases a Tower of London, but lets go and instead delivers the Tower of London onto the apron. McGuinness locks in the London Dungeon elbow lock. Danielson refuses to give in and reaches the ropes to break the hold. McGuinness crotches Danielson over the top rope. McGuinness leaps off the middle rope missing a lariat. Danielson hits a missile dropkick and both men are down. Danielson kips up and is fired up. Danielson runs into a boot in the corner. McGuinness sits Danielson on the top, but Danielson breaks free. Danielson hits a running knee strike, but McGuinness hits the jawbreaker lariat for a near fall. McGuinness goes right into the elbow lock. Danielson crawls to the ropes, but McGuinness falls backwards wrenching on the arm. Danielson manages to rollover and delivers a few elbow strikes. McGuinness knee strikes Danielson and delivers several elbow strikes of his own. Danielson tries to get to his feet, but McGuinness clobbers Danielson several times. Danielson gets a second wind.
Danielson responds with a series of forearms against the ropes. McGuinness runs the ropes after a rollup and they collide heads in the middle of the ring. Danielson remains standing and headbutts McGuinness a few times. McGuinness responds with headbutts, as well. Danielson avoids a lariat and almost wins with an inside cradle. McGuinness boots Danielson and is met with a forearm strike. McGuinness nails Danielson with a jawbreaker lariat. McGuinness slowly goes for the cover, but Danielson counters and locks in the Cattle Mutilation. McGuinness tries to counter into a cover, but Danielson counters again and elbow strikes McGuinness on the mat several times. Danielson covers McGuinness for a two count. Danielson stomps McGuinness on the mat several times. Danielson puts a triangle choke on McGuinness, but McGuinness doesn’t submit. Danielson elbow strikes McGuinness on the top of the head and the referee calls for the bell to give the match to Danielson. (****1/4. For it being their final showdown in ROH as Danielson is going to WWE and McGuinness is joining TNA, it’s a great sendoff. They hit the classic spots and the told a longstanding story between the two. Now, the crowd felt a little dead, but that may be because they witnessed a loaded show prior to the main event including a Ladder War. Despite the crowd being a bit silent, the match is a great bout and ends one of the best rivalries in ROH history.)
There’s not much that needs to be said about the Danielson and McGuinness story in ROH. Whenever they met inside the squared circle it was a must-see event. These two helped cement ROH as one of the best in-ring focused wrestling promotions during a time when there wasn’t a strong number two promotion behind the WWE. I suggest checking out their matches and enjoy it.
Thanks for reading.