Random Ring of Honor Matches #4

-Bryan Danielson VS Tyler Black (Breakout 1/25/08)

-Black is currently in FCW as Seth Rollins. Black is a member of the Jimmy Jacobs-led Age of the Fall at this point, and a heel. Black gets on the house mic and says that even though everyone thinks he has no shot tonight, he is going to pin the "Best in the World". Feeling out process for the first few minutes, with Black showing he's not intimidated by pie-facing, then slapping Danielson. Danielson tries to return the favor with a slap of his own, but Black ducks out of the way, and delivers two more slaps, really frustrating Danielson.

Danielson finally gets a series of stiff slaps in, and Black bails. Danielson turns a surfboard into a Dragon Sleeper, then hits a slingshot suplex for two. They brawl for a bit on the outside, and Black takes control by sending Danielson into the barricade, then hitting a moonsault off the barricade. Back in, Black takes the opportunity to land a few slaps, then hits a basement dropckick for two. Black lands a couple kicks for two, then starts slapping Danielson again, which only serves to piss him off. Danielson hits some European uppercuts, a running elbow, and a missile dropkick to send Black to the outside. Danielson follows with a suicide dive.

Black comes back with a SWEET leap over the ropes, doing a twisting back flip in mid-air before landing on Danielson. Black hits the Wall of Death (tosses his opponent in the air, hitting a kick to the chest on their way down) for two. Danielson comes back and kicks Black's head in for two. They go through a series of rollups and reversals. Danielson gets Cattle Mutiliation, a super belly-to-back suplex, the series of elbows to the side of the head, then Cattle Mutilation again, but cannot put Black away. Black comes back with a series of kicks, then an inverted suplex for two. Black hits the Phoenix Splash for two, but Danielson rolls him up for the pin. Black goes after Danielson's injured eye with the timekeeper's hammer, then lays him out with a small package driver.

Good match, GREAT finishing stretch that really put Black over, and overnight turned him from 2nd banana in the Age of the Fall into a breakout star (hence the name of the show), and ultimately a huge babyface and future RoH Champion.

-Ring of Honor World Championship: Nigel McGuinness [c] VS Bryan Danielson (6th Anniversary Show 2/23/08)

-Danielson, because of McGuinness' recent concussion issues, stated that he would not strike the head in this match. The fans immediately annoy the shit out of me by booing McGuinness out of the building, but then the moment the bell rings, there's dueling chants. Fuck that noise. Good counter wrestling early on. Danielson locks in a bow-and-arrow. Nigel reverses a choke and goes for a big lariat, which Danielson dodges. Danielson keeps control of the match, countering Nigel's corner headstand with a dropkick, then hitting a suicide dive. Nigel holds his head and complains to the ref after Danielson delivers a belly-to-back suplex, which draws chants of "You're a Bitch!". The ref says he can't do anything about it, so Nigel drops him with a forearm for the DQ. Nigel tells the fans that they got the World title match they wanted, and walks off.

Austin Aries leads a group including Roderick Strong, Kevin Steen, and Delirious, telling Nigel that he has two choices: go back in the ring to defend the title with honor, or he has to go through them to leave. Nigel goes back in the ring and the match is restarted. Nigel takes control and works over Danielson's arm as the crowd goes nuts chanting "Fuck You Nigel!" Nigel works over Danielson's arm while taunting the fans. They end up brawling on the outside, with Danielson back-dropping McGuinness into the first few rows. Danielson hits his dive to the outside. Back in, Nigel counters a missile dropkick into an attempt at a Texas Cloverleaf, but Danielson counters that into a Triangle Choke. Nigel escapes, and hits a huge lariat for two.

Danielson fights out of the Tower of London (elevated chinbreaker) and dumps McGuinness to the outside. McGuinness counters a suicide dive with a European uppercut, then hits the Tower of London off the ring apron, to the floor. McGuinness is somehow busted open off that. He locks in Danielson's own Cattle Mutilation, then after Danielson fights out, the Tower of London for two. Nigel locks in the London Dungeon (camel clutch position, but pulling back on the arm instead of the chin), but cannot get the submission. Danielson counters a second attempt into a rollup for two. Danielson hits the Chaos Theory (rolling German suplex) and both men are down. Danielson hits a belly-to-back superplex for two.

Danielson locks in Cattle Mutilation, then when Nigel rolls out does not go for the series of elbows to the head, instead landing them on Nigel's ribs, then locking in an armbar. Nigel holds on, so Danielson locks in a Triangle choke, and again not going for the series of elbows when Nigel's head is exposed. Nigel soon exposes the head injury excuse as a fake, as he headbuts Danielson repeatedly, including in the injured eye, before landing a series of elbows to Danielson's head, with one last one going to the eye. McGuinness locks in the London Dungeon, and Danielson is out, so Nigel retains, getting his first singles win over Danielson.

Great match. Loved the psychology of Danielson living up to his word and it costing him against the shady McGuinness, who finally gave the fans a legtimate reason to start booing him. McGuinness had started to get boos after getting injured shortly after winning the RoH title, and not being able to defend at Final Battle 2007, as the more assholish and entitled fans starting hating him for being "soft", as if having long term neurological damage was worth pleasing them.

-Relaxed Rules: Age of the Fall Members Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black (w/Lacey & Rain) VS The Briscoe Brothers (Supercard of Honor III 3/29/08)

-The fight starts immediately as the Briscoes make their entrance. The Briscoes clear the ring, then send the AOTF into the crowd. Briscoes pull a trampoline from underneath the ring, and Mark uses it to springboard into the crowd, onto the AOTF. The fight continues in the crowd, as the teams pair off and take turns hitting each other with chairs, throwing each other into rows of chairs, and hitting each other with anything they can find. The Briscoes get the advantage long enough to grab a table from the backstage area. Mark fights with Jacobs in the balcony while Jay fights with Black over the table. Jay lays out a "homeless man" that the AOTF had purchased a ticket for, and Mark comes down with a splash off the balcony, driving that guy through the table.

Jay takes Tyler into the ring as Mark is out from the dive. Jimmy Jacobs gets into the ring, and it's now a 2-on-1 on Jay. The AOTF try to suffocate Jay with a plastic bag, but can't get it on right. Double dropkick in the corner gets two. Jay refuses to be put away and even manages to get a couple big moves himself. AOTF hit a Contra Code/powerbomb combo and double-pin Jay, and he still kicks out. Mark gets back into the match, preventing a Phoenix splash from Tyler. Briscoes try a Doomsday Device, but Jacobs somehow manages to lock the flying Mark into his End Times guillotine choke. Tyler keeps Jay at bay as Jacobs chokes Mark out for the win. Fun, chaotic brawl that didn't get too stupid, except for Jay kicking out of the Contra Code/powerbomb.

-Ring of Honor World Championship: Nigel McGuinness [c] VS Austin Aries (Supercard of Honor III 3/28/08)

-Nigel has his fans in the arena. Counter wrestling to start. Nigel catches Aries by surprise with a short elbow off a rope break, then locks in a Cobra Clutch. Aries gets out and delivers a couple knees to Nigel's head. Aries is ready to try a suicide dive, but Nigel sees it coming and walks away. Aries goes to work on Nigel's head. Nigel comes back and works on Aries' arm. Nigel keeps the pressure on, and his arm work pays off when Aries tries a brainbuster, but cannot lift Nigel, allowing Nigel to counter out and apply the London Dungeon.

Aries manages to lock in his Last Chancery, but Nigel survives. Aries gets a missile dropkick, but runs into a boot, and Tower of London gets two. Aries lands a series of dropkicks, but charges into a huge lariat, and both men are out. Aries finally gets the brainbuster, but misses his 450 splash. Nigel immediately locks in the London Dungeon, but Aries holds on, eventually countering into a rollup for two. Aries lands a series of knees to the head and locks in the Last Chancery again. Nigel counters that into the London Dungeon. Aries escapes, hits the big kick to the head, brainbuster, and 450, but Nigel gets his foot on the bottome rope at two. Aries tries a suicide dive, but Nigel moves out of the way, and Aries crashes into the barricade.

Nigel clotheslines Aries into the crowd. When he finally gets Aries back in the ring, cover only gets two, as does a short-arm lariat. Nigel tries another big lariat. Aries ducks and hits the Crucifix Bomb, but Nigel rebounds with the Jawbreaker Lariat for the pin.

Match got really good after a slow start. Not as good as the Danielson match, but not much will be.