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ROH DANIELSON VS MCGUINNESS DVD REVIEW: EVERY SINGLES MATCH BETWEEN TWO OF THE GREATEST ROH WORLD CHAMPIONS, AS WELL AS SEVERAL TAG MATCHES AND THEIR EMOTIONAL FAREWELL AT GLORY BY HONOR VIII

Over the course of the three years since their initial encounters, Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness had fought one another many times, in many different places, and under many different circumstances. From 2006 when Danielson was the ROH World Champion and defeated Nigel over and over, to 2007 when both were fighting for a title shot against Takeshi Morishima, and to 2008 when Nigel abandoned honor and used every underhanded trick in the book to retain his title against Danielson, it seemed like neither man would ever live an existence that the other didn't want to destroy.

By 2009, the landscape in ROH had changed significantly: wrestlers had come and gone, PPV had come and gone, and ROH finally made the jump to weekly TV with a timeslot on HDNet. But when ROH On HDNet moved to Monday nights, they attracted the attention of WWE, who were very protective of their Monday nights. Rumors started floating around that WWE was talking to members of the ROH roster about coming to work for them and, before you knew it, we discovered that WWE had signed Bryan Danielson to a contract.

In light of Danielson's impending departure, the August and September shows were named the Final Countdown Tour, with Danielson facing the highest caliber competition ROH had to offer on each of his final nights with the company. Danielson's itinerary included Roderick Strong, Davey Richards, and Chris Hero, and Danielson would wrap it up against Austin Aries, the current ROH World Champion and another one of his toughest opponents, on his last night in the company at Glory By Honor VIII.

However, news soon broke that Nigel McGuinness had also signed with WWE, and would also be finishing up at Glory By Honor VIII. In light of their long history, the Glory By Honor VIII match was changed and, appropriately enough, Danielson and McGuinness would finish not only their feud, but indeed their ROH careers against one another at Glory By Honor VIII.

Chapter 4: The Final Countdown

Bryan Danielson vs Nigel McGuinness: Glory By Honor VIII - The Final Countdown (9/26/2009 in New York City, New York)

The fans were very respectful of both men, throwing streamers for each of them and giving “thank you both” chants before the match even started. They did a feeling out process to start with each man trying to outwrestle the other on the mat, but Nigel got the advantage when he went after Danielson's arm and hit an armbar suplex. Danielson came back with a running knee to the midsection and hit a top rope diving headbutt for a 2 count. McGuinness dodged a charge into the corner and hit his kick to the back/forearm combo and then set Danielson up top for a Tower of London, but Danielson blocked and gouged the face of Nigel. Nigel went up top and tried to suplex Danielson to the floor, but Danielson shoved Nigel into the ring, then trapped him in a triangle choke and forced McGuinness to expend more energy going to the ropes. They exchanged pinning combinations in the middle of the ring without either man able to score a fall, then Danielson set McGuinness up top and hung him in the Tree of Woe, stomping him in the chest and hitting a running baseball slide. Danielson put Nigel in Cattle Mutilation, but Nigel quickly slipped out and hit the Tower of London for 2.

Nigel went for a second Tower of London on the floor, but Danielson shoved him into the crowd and went for the springboard dive. Nigel pulled a ringside attendant in front of him to keep Danielson from diving onto him, but Danielson waited for Nigel to make his way back to ringside so he could hit a running knee off the apron, sending Nigel back into the crowd, and then hit the dive. Danielson tried climbing over the guardrail and back to ringside, but Nigel shoved Danielson from behind and sent him crashing into the ringpost, busting him open. Nigel hit a Tower of London on the floor, then began pulling Danielson headfirst into the ringpost the same way Danielson had done to him years earlier in England. Nigel rolled back inside and tried for the countout win, but Danielson rolled in at 19. Nigel punished Danielson with more forearms and a Tower of London to the ring apron, then rolled him back into the ring and covered for 2. Nigel tried the London Dungeon, but Danielson wouldn't quit, so Nigel put Danielson on the top rope and went for the seated lariat, but Danielson ducked and hit a missile dropkick to again change the momentum.

Danielson hit a flying kneestrike and sent Nigel into the ropes, but Nigel came back with the rebound lariat for 2, then caught Danielson right back in the London Dungeon. Danielson went for the ropes, so Nigel cranked him backward into a surfboard position like he had against KENTA earlier that year. Danielson rolled through and hit the MMA elbows, McGuinness reversed and hit MMA elbows of his own, but Danielson fought back to his feet. Danielson hit forearm after forearm, Nigel went for an O'Connor Roll for 2, then came off the ropes and cracked heads with Danielson. Nigel headbutts Danielson, Danielson headbutts Nigel, and they keep going back and forth until Danielson ducks another lariat and gets a small package for 2. Danielson hit a rolling elbow but McGuinness came back with a rebound lariat and covered for 2, Danielson rolled out of the pin and right into the Cattle Mutilation, Nigel rolled over Danielson and tried for a pin, Danielson slipped out at 2 and got the MMA elbows and covered for 2. Danielson grabbed Nigel's arms and kicked his head in before hooking Nigel in the triangle choke, Nigel tries rolling over Danielson's shoulders into a pinning combination, but Danielson rolls through and keeps the triangle choke, then rams elbows into Nigel's head, the very move he was tricked into not using way back at the Sixth Anniversary Show, until the referee stops the match.

Danielson: 7, McGuinness: 4, 2 Draws

The Danielson-McGuinness feud had come to an end and Bryan Danielson had emerged victorious. The crowd erupted in a “we will miss you” chant directed at both men, Danielson extended his hand to his longtime rival and Nigel took it, then both men raised their arms in the middle of the ring to the cheers of the applauding New York crowd. Nigel took the microphone and sayd he didn't know what the future would hold, but he would always be proud to be a part of ROH, and thanked Cary Silkin and the rest of the boys for making the company what it is, and thanked Bryan Danielson for being his toughest opponent. Nigel thanked the fans and told them to keep supporting the company, then kissed the mat to a loud “Nigel” chant.

Now it was Danielson's turn, and he said that he's not the Best In the World anymore because the guys who have been having the best matches have been guys like the American Wolves, Roderick Strong, and Austin Aries. He thanked Cary Silkin for helping ROH survive through the rough times and become what it is today, Nigel McGuinness for becoming the best opponent he ever had, and Todd Sinclair for being the best referee he's ever had, starting a “Todd Sinclair” chant that even Danielson admitted was probably never going to happen again. Danielson says ROH has been his favorite place to wrestle through his entire career, and says if he can make one request of the fans before he leaves, he wants the fans to continue supporting ROH, because he's a boring wrestler who does boring wrestling holds, and if it weren't for the fans, he'd be nowhere today.

There was only one thing left, and Danielson thanked the fans one more time as the Final Countdown played and he went around the ring, celebrating with the fans in New York one final time.

* * *

Danielson and McGuinness left Ring of Honor and went on to seek fame and forutne elsewhere, but each man was such a huge part of the company for so many years that it was impossible to not feel the effects of them leaving, and it took a lot of work to rebuild the main event scene. There were other famous and memorable feuds in ROH history like Punk-Raven, ROH-CZW, and Briscoes-Steen/Generico, but Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness were the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson of Ring of Honor, and what had to be the longest-running feud in ROH history examplified the athleticism and hard work that has always been synonymous with ROH. I don't think it's possible for me to have a higher recommendation for a wrestling DVD, this is one every true wrestling fan needs in their collection, and you can find ordering information at www.rohwrestling.com.

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