5) Samoa Joe vs. Claudio Castagnoli
Castagnoli is a rich guy from Switzerland who betrayed ROH by joining their rival, CZW. Joe is an ROH icon, as he was champion for almost 2 years. Fans were chanting "Joe's Gonna Kill You" from the instant the Olympic anthem began playing to announces Claudio's arrival. Joe shook off Claudio's early offense and just ripped into him with kicks and slaps. Joe hit three "Ole Ole kicks" (running kicks into the guardrail on the outside) to ensure that everyone went home happy. Surprisingly, Claudio was able to mount some semblance of a comeback land some beautiful European Uppercuts. But Joe ended that with a Musclebuster for the easy victory.
Post match, Joe discussed his "unfinished business" with Bryan Danielson and laid down the challenge for a title match in Chicago on 10/28. Fortunately, I had already brought my ticket. I would not miss seeing my two favorites go at it. Here's a photo of Joe as he's just entered the ring.Also during the promo, he referenced his legendary Chicago match from 2 years ago with CM Punk, now in ECW. As the fans were chanting their hometown hero Punk's name, Joe settled them down and said in a shot at the WWE-owned ECW, "Don't get so excited, he's wrestling vampires now!" Huge laugh.
6) Austin Aries & Roderick Strong vs. Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal (ROH World Tag Team Titles)
From an action standpoint, definitely the match of the night This was one of the best tag matches I've ever seem. Aries came out with his injured ribs taped up so Daniels and Sydal worked them for much of the match. Both Strong & Aries and Daniels & Sydal have worked with each other enough this year that they were able to land some fantastic double team moves. Nothing I could write about the action would do it justice. Anyone who saw Aries' tag matches in Chicago on Wrestlemania weekend will have an idea of the rapid pace and crisp manuevers that all four men were able to uphold throughout the entire match. There were these two girls (about 17 or 18 I think) a few seats down from me, screaming for Aries. And I mean glass shattering screaming. When Aries first entered the match, they started. He leaned towards them and said "Do that again baby." We all went nuts. Aries and Strong win with backbreaker and 450 splash combo. Afterwards, Daniels and Aries agree to wrestle next time we're in Chicago. Awesome. This is Aries with the microphone and Strong close to the camera.
7) Bryan Danielson vs. Colt Cabana (ROH World Title Match), 2 of 3 falls.
Cabana, the Chicago boy, had his last shot at the world title. And the crowd was hot for him. And he comes out to Copacabana, the Barry Manilow classic. Danielson came out to "The Final Countdown" got on my side of the ring, threw his arms out, and screamed "Best Wrestler in the World!"
Cabana jumped out to a 1 fall to none lead within the first ten minutes of the match , following a Colt 45 (Tiger driver/Pearl River Plunge). Colt was clearly in the head of Danielson early and it showed. The Colt 45 and following pinfall stunned the World Champion and put him on the defensive the entire rest of the match, while at the same time increasing the need to get a decision over Colt with each passing second. 15 minutes into the match, Danielson fell through the ropes to the outside and separated his right shoulder. He had to wrestle 45 minutes using his left hand to chop, suplex, headlock, etc. It shows how great he is to be able to improvise like that after such a severe injury. I've separated my shoulder and couldn't put a shirt on myself for 4 days!
Most of the next 30 minutes was mat wrestling with Cabana controlling most of it. Around the 40-45 minute mark, however, the match took a sudden, unexpected brawling twist with Colt and Dragon brawling all around the arena for a good 10 minutes. Danielson hit hit springboard dive onto Colt in the 3rd row of Section B (I was in C) and from that point on, the final 20 minutes were filled with desperation for Danielson, possibility for Colt, and a rollercoaster of emotion for the fans. I couldn't quite catch a lot of the action from my vantage point, but at one point Dragon went to work with a chair and delivered a suplex on Colt to the floor. As they went all around the building, we were shoving our chairs out of the way to let them through. At one point, they actually went right by me! The entire brawling and highspot sequence was brilliant because it not only added some much needed variety to the match, but left the crowd standing on their feet whether they wanted to or not.
Cabana had so many near falls, including another Colt 45. Danielson worked the leg of Cabana, and relied on his trademark maneuvers, especially the Cattle Mutilation, Crossface Chickenwing, and Elbows to the head. Then the announcement came that there were only 5 minutes left. For the final minutes, every move, every hold, every pin attempt sent the crowd into a frenzy because they realized just how close Dragon was to losing the title on a technicality. I have never experienced a crowd atmosphere like the one during the final minutes. I pray that it will come across on the DVD because you just can't imagine how hot the crowd was whether they were cheering for Dragon or for Cabana. The finish was the embodiment of the phrase "edge of your seat" (metaphorically speaking of course because everyone was standing).
With 2 minutes left, Cabana could almost feel the World Title belt around his waist. He constantly asked Todd Sinclair to confer with Bobby Cruise over the time left in the match. He made every attempt possible to dodge Danielson and try to escape with a 1 fall victory and a home win over Danielson. He ran around the ring for a 20 seconds with Danielson chasing. The n with 40 seconds remaining, Danielson asked Sinclair to check the time and when his back was turned, Danielson hit a low blow on Colt, allowing him to utilize a small package to get a 1-2-3! The falls were even at 1-1 at the 59:35 mark. Both men spent the remaining time spent, exhausted, and gasping for air as the 60 minute time limit expired. This match was absolutely incredible! This is Cabana mortified at losing the opportunity and championship that was snatched away from him.
I know the finish sounds cheap, but Danielson did it his way and he once again proved why most consider him the "Best in the World." There is clearly more doubt on the title reign of Bryan Danielson and how much longer he can retain, but the fact is the man went 60 minutes in back-to-back nights and for the 3rd time in 22 days. His endurance is unmatched and when it seems like his back is against the wall and the title will leave his waist, he finds the ability to retain. I hope his injury isn't too serious.
This show was way better than the June show, and I will be purchasing it on DVD when it comes out.
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