Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
Incidentally, one big match that was not included on this set was the four way match for the ROH World Title at Death Before Dishonor VI, as Nigel defended against Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, and Tyler Black. Claudio turned heel in the match after Danielson eliminated him with a rollup, brutally attacking Danielson and leaving him easy prey for Nigel, who beat Danielson with a lariat before going on to beat Black to retain. It was like a 40 minute match and the Danielson-Nigel feud wasn't heavily focused on, but Nigel did pin Danielson, so we'll give him credit for the win there and make it four wins for Danielson, three for McGuinness, and two draws.
Chapter 3: The Tables Have Turned
ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness & Claudio Castagnoli vs Bryan Danielson & Austin Aries: Night Of The Butcher II (8/16/2008 in Chicago Ridge, Illinois)
We only see a clip of the end of this match, as Danielson and Nigel battled again just two weeks later in this tag match. Danielson was facing two heated rivals this time around instead of one, but Danielson managed to get his hands on Nigel alone at the end. While Aries neutralized Claudio on the outside, Danielson pummeled McGuinness with MMA elbows and then forced him to tap him out to Cattle Mutilation.
Danielson: 5, McGuinness: 3, 2 Draws
ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness vs Bryan Danielson: Battle Of The Best (9/13/2008 in Tokyo, Japan)
After fighting one another in literally every other market ROH had gone to: the Northeast, the Midwest, Great Britain, and even their one and only trip to the west coast, Nigel McGuinness and Bryan Danielson completed their collection by taking the feud to Japan. This match was a bit of a departure from some of the more violent, hard hitting matches they had been having recently and included a lot more technical wrestling and submissions that were reminiscent of their earlier encounters. Danielson outwrestled Nigel in the early part of the match, but Nigel caught Danielson with a hard whip into the corner and was finally able to dish out some punishment with some hard forearms and chops. Danielson tossed Nigel to the floor and tried a dive, but Nigel nailed him coming through the ropes and hit a Tower of London on the floor. Nigel hit another Tower of London back in the ring and also the seated lariat, but Danielson survived and they wound up exchanging forearms in the middle of the ring before going to a back and forth series of near falls. Danielson finally caught Nigel out of nowhere with a small package to get the win, and had now beaten the champion clean as a whistle in a singles match, proving that he could still beat Nigel on a level playing field.
Danielson: 6, McGuinness: 3, 2 Draws
ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness vs Bryan Danielson: Rising Above 2008 (11/22/2008 in Chicago Ridge, Illinois)
After scoring his first ever win over Bryan Danielson back at the Sixth Anniversary Show via questionable means, Nigel had spent the rest of 2008 doing everything he could to avoid facing Danielson in another title match. He told Danielson that he would need to beat everyone Nigel had beaten on PPV before he'd get a title shot, and Danielson had done that. Danielson had also managed to defeat Nigel head-to-head the last two times they had been in the ring in non-title situations, and finally ROH officials declared that Danielson had earned a title shot, and it would come on ROH's final PPV of 2008 at Rising Above. The Frontier Fieldhouse was packed, as the Chicago fans had come to see the blowoff match that had been built to all year, the final ever ROH World Title match between Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness.
Danielson took control of Nigel early in the match with various submission holds, but then opened up with the heavier offense, hitting a dive through the ropes and then bringing Nigel in to try the unprotected stomps to the head. Nigel managed to avoid taking too much damage by making it to the ropes, then targeted Danielson's knee, which had been injured the night before against Claudio Castagnoli. Nigel got Danielson in a figure four in the middle of the ring, but Danielson refused to give up and fought out of the hold, then started coming back on the champion, countering his corner headstand to a leg trapped German suplex and then hooking him in the crossface chickenwing. McGuinness escaped and they traded pinning combinations with neither man able to catch a fall. Nigel tried a lariat, but Danielson ducked and got the champion back in the crossface chickenwing. Nigel got to the ropes and clipped Danielson's knee out from under him, but Danielson knocked Nigel to the floor and followed him into the aisle with a dive.
Danielson and Nigel brawled in the aisle and Nigel tried to hit Danielson with a chair, but the referee grabbed it and sent Nigel back to the ring. While the referee had his back turned, Claudio Castagnoli ran out with a chair of his own and nailed Danielson in the knee with it, then put the chair over Danielson's head and stomped on it. Danielson had once again been badly hurt by Castagnoli and nearly got counted out, but “Sugerfoot†Alex Payne, a prelim wrestler and graduate of the ROH Wrestling School, helped Danielson to his feet and literally dragged him back down the aisle, rolling him back into the ring just in time to beat the count.
Nigel was now completely in control and smashed Danielson with a lariat, but only got 2, so he put a bloodied Danielson in a half crab instead. Danielson fought for his life and crawled to the ropes, then laid Nigel out with a running kneestrike. They exchanged forearms in the middle of the ring and Nigel went for the rebound lariat, but Danielson countered it into a rolling cross armbreaker. Nigel wouldn't tap, so Danielson transitioned into a triangle choke and started firing the elbowstrikes at Nigel's head, but McGuinness wouldn't go out, so Danielson got a small package instead for 2. Danielson countered another lariat to a crucifix for 2 then started pummeling Nigel with the MMA elbows, nearly collapsing from exhaustion but then coming back to life and hitting more elbows. Nigel still wouldn't go down so Danielson covered Nigel for 2, then went right into Cattle Mutilation. Danielson had Nigel in the middle of the ring, but Nigel still wouldn't quit, so Danielson allowed him back to his feet and hit a Tiger Suplex for 2, then went back to Cattle Mutilation. Nigel escaped yet again and elevated Danielson over his head and onto the ropes, and hit the Tower of London. Nigel hammered Danielson with another lariat, but that only got 2, so McGuinness started bashing Danielson with his own MMA elbows. Danielson somehow made it back to his feet, but Nigel cracked into him with a pair of running headbutts and turned Danielson inside out with the rebound lariat to finally pin Danielson and retain his title.
Danielson: 6, McGuinness: 4, 2 Draws
After spending all year fighting his way back to another one-on-one title match against McGuinness, Bryan Danielson had failed to regain the ROH World Title. McGuinness had proven everyone who said he couldn't beat Danielson wrong, as he had now finally and decisively beaten him right in the middle of the ring in the main event of a PPV. McGuinness had worked his ass off to beat Danielson since their initial encounters, and now that he had done so, the two of them would never battle for the ROH World Title again.
They did, however, face off one final time as their long-running feud culminated in one final confrontation, and indeed the Final Countdown of their ROH careers. Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness square off for the last time on Page 4!
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
Bang On Casino
