These matches are all from the first couple years of the promotion, starting with the first anniversary show in 2003, and ending with the final show of 2004...
-Bryan Danielson VS Samoa Joe (One Year Anniversary Show 2/8/03)
-Danielson is current Smackdown Money in the Bank holder Daniel Bryan, while Joe is mired in the TNA mid-card after looking like he could be a breakout start for them a few years ago. They fight for holds for the first five minutes or so, with Danielson focusing on Joe's legs, while Joe works on Danielson's back. Chop and slap exchange does not go well for Danielson, until Joe delivers a delayed vertical suplex, and Danielson responds by popping up and slapping the taste of of Joe's mouth before delivering some hard chops. Danielson charges into a vicious urinage (which draws a "holy shit" chant), and Joe just brutalizes him with strikes. Joe continues to work Danielson over, hitting a big powerbomb, then locking in an STF when Danielson kicks out. Danielson comes back with a pair of enziguiris to stagger Joe, then he starts nailing some big strikes of his own.
Joe gets a German suplex for two. Joe gets the facewash for two. Danielson gets a superplex and a diving headbut for two. Slap exchange is pretty even. A pair of roaring elbows gets two for Danielson. Joe avoids a roaring elbow and starts laying waste to Danielson, hitting several vicious knees to his head. Danielson gets a small package for the pin out of nowhere, which would actually be a running theme for Joe in RoH, as he would always have a problem with quick pins like that, while Danielson would eventually develop a small package that was inescapable. Pretty decent match, but I think these two are able to do better, especially with more time.
-CM Punk VS Bryan Danielson (Reborn Stage 1 4/23/04)
-Before the match starts, Rick Steamboat, who Punk is feuding with at this time, comes out and says the RoH paid him to come to the show and ref a match. He asks the crowd if they want him to ref this match, and they reply in the affirmative, much to Punk's displeasure. Lots of stalling by Punk early on. Punk complains of a hair pull. Steamboat asks the crowd, who says there was no hair pull, so Steamboat pulls Punk's hair to show him what it feels like. Danielson tries working over the arm, but Punk cuts him off. Danielson gets a modified abdominal stretch, and wrenches Punk's head into really uncomfortable positions. Punk fights back, but a split-legged moonsault hits Danielson's knees.
Danielson goes to work on Punk's abdominal area. Punk avoids an abdominal stretch, and dumps Danielson over the top to the outside. Punk goes to work on Danielson's back, slamming him into the barricade. Punk chokes Danielson, getting a quick count from Steamboat. When Punk complains about it, Danielson rolls him up, and Steamboat gives another quick count for two. Punk locks in a modified camel clutch, but Danielson escapes. Danielson gets an airplane spin, but misses on a diving headbut. Danielson manages to get the Cattle Mutilation, but Punk rolls out and turns it into a jawbreaker. Punk goes for the Pepsi Plunge (Pedigree from the top), but Danielson turns it into a superplex. Danielson locks in an abdominal stretch, and sits down with it, forcing Punk to tap. Too much stalling and periods of inaction. Plus Gabe Sapolsky is terrible calling a match by himself.
-RoH Tag Team Championship: The Briscoe Brothers [c] VS The Second City Saints [CM Punk & Colt Cabana] (Reborn Stage 2 4/24/04)
-Crowd is pro SCS as Punk turned babyface earlier in the show. Punk and one of the Briscoes (I can never remember which one is Jay, and which is Mark), do some mat wrestling before tags are made on both sides. Colt and the other Briscoe do shoulderblocks with neither budging, then when the Briscoe tries for a third, Colt simply trips him as he runs by. SCS break out some double teams, including a Billy Goat's Curse (inverted Boston Crab) from Colt while Punk has the man in a camel clutch, and tying both Briscoes together so that one accidentally kicks the other in the nuts, and rolling them over so both can lock in camel clutches while the Briscoes are still attached at the feet.
Punk becomes the face-in-peril for quite a bit, until he's able to make the hot tag to Colt. Colt tries to set up one of the Briscoes for a Doomsday Device, but the Briscoe counters that with a reverse hurricarana for two. Briscoes get Punk in position for a Doomsday Device of their own, but Punk catches the flying Briscoe with a powerslam instead. Everyone is laid out after an alternating series of big kicks. Mark Briscoe hits Punk with an Ace Crusher from the second rope, while Jay hits Colt with the Jay Driller (double underhook piledriver). Colt shocks everyone by kicking out. Briscoes chop the shit out of Punk and set up for a double team superplex, but the SCS block that with Punk throwing one off the top into the barricade, then hitting the other with the Pepsi Plunge for the pin and the titles. Not a bad match, as this was apparently before the Briscoes used their matches as opportunities to go through every double-team move they know. I'm not a fan of tag matches where they forget about tagging for lengthy stretches, and that happened here for about the last third of the match. Still, the twenty minutes went by pretty fast.
-I Quit Match: Alex Shelley VS Jimmy Jacobs (Joe VS Punk II 10/16/04)
-These two used to be tag partners, but Shelley turned on Jacobs and has since formed, and is the leader of, Generation Next with Austin Aries, Jack Evans, & Roderick Strong. Match immediately spills outside, and Jacobs tries to choke Shelley out with a chair. Shelley comes back by slamming Jacobs into the guardrail, then hitting the Skullfucker (placing your opponents head between your knees, rolling onto your stomach, and humping the mat, driving your opponent's face into it) on a chair. Shelley teases a second, but just rakes Jacobs' eyes and tells the fans to go fuck themselves. Jacobs pulls a spike from his boot, but Shelley gets a hold of it, and jabs it into Jacobs' forehead, busting him open. Jacobs tries the Contra Code (Sliced Bread #2), but Shelley turns it into a tombstone through a chair.
Shelley ties Jacobs to one of the corners with duct tape, then starts nailing him with a kendo stick. Shelley gets too cocky and too close, allowing Jacobs to back kick him in the nuts and pull a second spike from his boots to break the tape. Jacobs tries to spike Shelley, but takes a kendo stick shot to the head. Jacobs comes right back with a big boot, and a couple kendo stick shots. Jacobs applies a camel clutch with the kendo stick across Shelley's throat, but does not get the submission. Shelley gets a hold of the spike and the stick, and alternates between spiking and striking Jacobs before locking in the Border City Stretch (Crippler Crossface with the opponents' near arm stretched back behind your head). Jacobs almost passes out, but fights out and manages to apply the hold to Shelley.
Jacobs uses three chairs to make a small bridge, but Shelley drives him through it with a fisherman buster, and the Border City Stretch gets the submission for Shelley. Really good match that was all action bell-to-bell.
-Bryan Danielson VS Low Ki (w/Julius Smokes) (Final Battle 2004)
-Low Ki has had a few different stints in TNA, but didn't fit in WWE as NXT Season 2 winner Kaval. Both guys are wearing simple black boots and tights, making this look like a matchup between quickly creates CAWs from the wrestling video game of your choice. CM Punk is on color commentary again. Long feeling out process. Danielson tries to tie up Low Ki, so Ki bites his thumb to prevent it. Ki goes to work on Danielson's arm, slamming, stretching, and stomping on it. Danielson does a masterful job of selling it, making like something has been dislocated and he can't even move it, even at one point having the referee yank on it.
Danielson appears to be out after a kick to the face, but he comes back (and stops selling the arm for the most part), and starts working on Ki's leg before locking in a surfboard and stretching Ki so far back that Danielson was essentially tea bagging him. Danielson locks in another surfboard and combines that with a dragon sleeper, but his shoulders are down, so Danielson has to release the hold to avoid being pinned. Danielson tries an airplane spin. Low Ki locks in a Dragon sleeper while he's on Danielson's back, so both guys go outside. They end up fighting into the crowd, where Danielson is attacked by Smokes and Homicide, and the match is thrown out. Homicide takes a chair to Danielson's injured arm as Ki holds it out stretched.
Back in the ring, Low Ki grabs the ref and demands to be declared the winner, then drops the ref with a punch when he refuses. Ki then chokes the ref out with a belt. This would result in Ki being suspended for much of 2005. Match was another one where I think the guys involved could do better. Still worth watching though.
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