My Take On 12.26.08: My Top 10 ROH PPV Matches of 2008

Welcome!
As far as PPV is concerned, 2008 is finished. I have said it before and I will say it again, 2008 was a very good year for PPV, much better than 2007. So with the year in PPV complete, it is time to look back at some of the great matches from the year that was in PPV. Today I begin with Ring of Honor, the company that doesn’t have the money of TNA or WWE, but that works hard to put on some of the best WRESTLING SHOWS you’ll likely see. Plus, they present it to you at a bargain price. I will break down the top 10 ROH PPV matches from 2008 in this column. Some matches will have the same rating, but will be separated by the importance of the match and or how it helped the performer or performers as far as their careers go. Remember, this is the Top 10 ROH PPV Matches of 2008.

~Honorable Mentions~
A) (ROH UNDENIABLE) ROH WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Jay & Mark Briscoe © vs. The No Remorse Corps ***¾

B) (ROH RISING ABOVE) ROH WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH – 2 of 3 Falls: Jay & Mark Briscoe © vs. The No Remorse Corps ***¾

C) (ROH RESPECT IS EARNED II) ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH: Nigel McGuinness © vs. Go Shiozaki ***¾

~The Top 10 ROH PPV Matches of 2008~
10) (ROH NEW HORIZONS) ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH: Nigel McGuinness © vs. Claudio Castagnoli ****

Nigel continued his streak of great PPV performances in the ring. The beginning of the match was just great as Claudio charged in with a bicycle kick and then got the RICOLLA BOMB for a CLOSE two in the first minute. The crowd was with them the entire way due to this hot opening, and that is because they made Claudio look deadly from the opening bell, like he had a real chance to win the title. It started a bit slow, but developed into a great match. Nigel continued to mock Danielson’s trademark catchphrases, claiming them to be his own and the crowd completely hates him for that. It is also great continuity as he and Danielson would eventually face off again for the title. Castagnoli did his best and had the crowd behind him, but Nigel used everything he had to keep the title, clean, all the while still being the dick heel that they all hate. Castagnoli looked strong even in defeat, which is important, and Nigel keeps his streak of good PPV matches alive here. This was just a great match and one you should check out.

9) (ROH DRIVEN) ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH: Nigel McGuinness © vs. Roderick Strong ****

Simply put this was another excellent world title match. They had a good pace, a good plan, executed it well and had the crowd the whole time. Strong continued his streak of excellent PPV efforts when it comes to singles matches here, showing that he is believable in any role they place him in. He started with the feud-ending match with Aries, moved onto the insane match with Stevens (all on this list) and now this match with Nigel. The first was a mix of wrestling and brawl, the second was all out insanity and this was more the straight wrestling match, showing good diversity as a performer. Nigel continues his great campaign as the ROH Champion, and not only has he grown as a heel very well (they actually HATED him here) but the matches are being laid out so well that even when you KNOW he is not losing (due to SPOILERS) you are BUYING the near falls when watching a taped PPV. That is the sign of a great wrestler(s), and in my opinion, Nigel is clicking big time as the champion, even if some disagree.

8) (ROH RESPECT IS EARNED II) FIGHT WITHOUT HONOR: Erick Stevens vs. Roderick Strong ****

For the most part ROH is very careful when it comes to the “gimmick” match. The Strong vs. Stevens feud has been going on for a long time and this was the “war to settle the score” here in ROH. The hatred had escalated to the point that the FIP Title was not on the line here, because this was about trying to kill the other man, to end it all. This was a flat out brutal match, which saw both men try to end the other man’s career, and it was tremendous from bell to bell. I will say that it does depend on if you like this style of match, because I know that it is not everyone’s cup of tea. I like this stuff, especially when it is built up properly. Also, it was so different from anything else on the show (and most of the PPV matches) and that allowed it to stand out. There wasn’t any of that crap where half of the matches involved crowd brawling or weapon shots to take away from this. They used chairs, they used ladders and yes they used tables. But they worked to the climax, which was the Jeff Hardy approved ladder being set up and Strong getting a SUPERPLEX off of that, through the tables below. A crazy visual accompanied by the crowd’s “Please Don’t Die” chants. Strong picks up the hard fought victory, and both men get respect from the crowd afterwards. Again if you like this style of match, you should love this one.

7) (ROH TAKE NO PRISONERS) Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries ****¼

Both men (besides their regular ROH work) have been great on PPV, and I felt that they could deliver big time as we headed into the match. This one of those matches that makes ME personally love pro wrestling. Two men wanting to get back to the top, two men looking for another shot at the title that they both think is theirs; and two men that would be willing to do just about anything for that shot. In the end what we got was a tremendous match here with everything you could want. We got smart and clean work, stiff shots, MMA style submission work and strikes, pro wrestling counters, some high flying, the drama, the crowd heat; and it all worked. This was an excellent match right here, and deserving of its place on the list.

6) (ROH UNDENIABLE) GRUDGE MATCH: Austin Aries vs. Roderick Strong ****¼

We have seen the evolution of the feud through the stable wars, we have seen the return of Aries on PPV and we saw the best of three series on the last show between the factions. It all built to this moment. The grudge match, the final battle to see who truly was the better man of the tag team that ruled 2006, to see who was the better man from Generation neXt. And that is how the match and commentary was built. They explained that this was personal, but not about blood, it was simply about supremacy. They worked that match with hatred, but controlled it. The first half of the match isn’t for a lot of people, they did a lot of mat work, a lot of grappling, and a lot of strikes. It is slow, but if that isn’t your deal and you can make it past that, then you are in for a treat as they really turn it up a notch and go full throttle to the end. This was a big match, they kicked out of each others finishes and they also countered each others trademark stuff, what you’d expect former tag partners to do. The end was crazy shit as Aries got the BRAIN BUSTA through a table to the floor. Karma is a bitch, and I bet in hindsight, Strong was mad at himself for setting that table up. I am also sure he didn’t appreciate the 450 Knee Buster by Aries (Shades of Kurt Angle) that finished him off. In the end we got a kick ass 20-minute match, and at the time it was an early match of the year candidate. Aries also becomes the #1 contender for the ROH World Title with the win.

5) (ROH RISING ABOVE) ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH: Nigel McGuinness © vs. Austin Aries ****½

Following up from the previous match was this one, an excellent main event and a great way for Nigel to kick off his title run on PPV. They both worked hard, and avoided what could have been a complete disaster in the opening minutes when Nigel hit the railing like he did. He is lucky that he wasn’t hurt worse or completely knocked out, it was a sick spot. But he rebounded and together they had an awesome match. Much respect to Aries, who sold everything like death and made Nigel’s offense look even better than it actually was. That isn’t a knock on Nigel, just a compliment for Aries who looked like he died on several occasion. A very good match, and again, at the time it was looking to be at the top of the MOTY voting. Unfortunately for them, some other raised the bar.

4) (ROH RESPECT IS EARNED II) ROH TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Age of the Fall (Jacobs and Black) © vs. Bryan Danielson and Austin Aries ****½

This is the direct follow up to match #7 on my list. Aries and Danielson had now joined forces to battle the new tag team champions, the Age of the Fall. Aries and Jacobs have hate over the Lacey situation (she left wrestling under MYSTERIOUS circumstances) and they tried to kill each other with chairs early and we got a DQ about a minute in. Their second’s had to give them speeches, Danielson reminding Aries that taking the titles would hurt Jacobs more than a chair, and Black reminding Jacobs that they can’t get revenge if the match ends. I thought that this chaos to calm before the storm was a great set up for the match, it added to the drama of the match nicely I felt. The match got a “do over,” the ref essentially told them “If you behave, we can still have the match.” And they did! The first 10-minutes or so were just solid wrestling from all involved. The AOTF would get the heat on Danielson, which was rather odd because he normally isn’t in that position, but it worked due to Aries story wit Jacobs. Jacobs would continually tag in, charge Aries and knock him to the floor and that ended up leading to a lot of double teams on Danielson. Very Midnight’s vs. Rock and Roll there as Danielson played Morton. In a way it is odd, but Danielson is both great at comebacks as well as selling the beating. Danielson would eventually tag in Aries and things picked up big time. You could tell that these guys HATED each other, the action kept climbing and eventually Aries and Jacobs would brawl to the floor and to the back. They were gone for the rest of the match at this point, and the last 5-minutes or so was all Danielson vs. Black, and it was AWESOME! I mean, it went to a whole other leveling that time. They had some great back and forth, but in the end Black was too much for the man that is considered my many the face of ROH. He got the superkick, the small package driver and the Phoenix Splash for the win. I often talk about wins and losses, and while many fans don’t think they mean a lot Danielson is one of those guys that has been booked SO WELL that when he DOES lose, and lose clean as he did, it means something. Tyler Black shined again here on ROH PPV, and is showing why he is considered a future star for the promotion.

3) (ROH DRIVEN) ROH TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Age of the Fall (Jacobs and Black) © vs. STEENERICO ****½

As I have mentioned many times, ROH has made the habit of making the second half of their shows must see, and this main event was a big part of that trend. The chase that has been going on for over a year, close but not close enough for STEENERICO so many times. But Steen had promised to win ROH Gold by the end of 2008, and on this night, it was the right time. Many people had feared that by the time they pulled the trigger on STEENERICO, no one would care. They were wrong. This was the right match in front of the right crowd on the right night. It all clicked, the crowd was HOT the whole fucking match and they were biting BIG TIME on the near falls. The ending was excellent as we had miscommunication between Black and Jacobs, to play off the opening of the show, and STEENERICO then took the clean, and long awaited victory. This actually felt like a big moment for STEENERICO, the crowd reacted as if it were a big deal and as STEENERICO got the time to celebrate, I actually felt like this meant something important. This was just an EXCELLENT match with all of the variables coming together at the same time to close out another strong PPV effort. Again, in another year this could have topped the list, but it was just not meant to be.

2) (ROH NEW HORIZONS) Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black ****½

Following the ROH Title match on the New Horizons PPV was going to be a tough task, because Claudio and Nigel had a very good match. Tyler Black and Bryan Danielson were up to that task and then some on this night, and they simply delivered. This would be the direct follow up from match #4 on the list. Both men have been performing well on ROH PPV, making all of their appearances count, and this was no different. Danielson had the experience, Black works hard, is always learning and they have the one thing that you cannot teach, CHEMISTRY. Watching Danielson dissect the arm is becoming a joy as his blend of wrestling and MMA style submissions are so clean and effortless. Sometimes working submissions and or an MMA style seems very forced, but Danielson has been working it for so long that it is almost second nature now Black is the new kid to watch, and if you haven’t been paying attention to him, you need to and fast. The match was just excellent wrestling and was building to the climax after the 20th minute. Danielson got the arm bar and transitioned to the triangle choke. Black manned up and pulled Danielson off the mat and up into powerbomb position, and then executed a running powerbomb to the corner. Danielson hit the corner and THE TOP ROPE BROKE! This was just an excellent visual. Now I can’t remember since it has been so long since the show was taped, I am still not sure if the gimmicked the corner or it just broke, what ever the case may be this played into the end of the match so well. Black now had the Phoenix splash taken away from him, he was able to hit the small package driver, but that was just not enough. Danielson would pull Black down and lay in a barrage of MMA style elbows for the stoppage, which he has worked hard to get over and IS over as a finish. The final five minutes of the last PPV (Match #4 on this list) was the perfect set up for this match. It was a great ending to that PPV and they took from that and delivered here big time. Danielson is always up for the main event, and watching the evolution of Tyler Black is just a joy right now. This is another case of a guy coming out looking great in the loss. Black is a guy that is constantly impressing, and while he didn’t beat Danielson one on one, he stood toe to toe with him and you believed that he could win. This was excellent stuff, but again, one last match outdid it.

1) (ROH TAKE NO PRISONERS) ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH: Nigel McGuinness © vs. Tyler Black ****¾

This was a match that scared me going into it. With ROH PPV being taped as it is, you hear lots of comments on the show before it actually airs. I try to avoid these comments as much as possible, but when you report the news for 411, you cannot escape it. To be blunt, there was so much hype for this match that this easily could have been a let down. Early on I was a bit cool on the match, but what happened was that this was one of those matches that you think doesn’t live up to hype, and then it kicks into an entirely different gear and it all makes sense. Basically they did an excellent job of making the Cinderella story with the four-way win and building to this match. The story of the underdog is one everyone loves and it was done very well here. You have to respect ROH taking a 21-year old kid, yes he is a kid, and giving him the shot on PPV here. The crowd was hot, the near falls were tremendous and Nigel takes home another hard fought victory, while Black looked like a million dollars in defeat. This was truly Tyler Black’s breakout performance, and the match that made people think, “Wow, this kid has it.”

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~PPV Stand Outs and PPV MVP~

Roderick Strong – 3 Matches in the Top 10

Bryan Danielson – 3 Matches in the Top 10

Nigel McGuinness – 4 Matches in the Top 10

Austin Aries – 4 Matches in the Top 10

ROH PPV MVP for 2008: Tyler Black – 4 Matches in the Top 10
Tyler Black was not only in four of the top 10 ROH PPV matches in 2008, he was in the TOP FOUR ROH PPV matches of 2008. That to me is MVP material. I do not want to take away from what Nigel McGuinness accomplished in 2008, especially on PPV. The man did very well for himself, but honestly I expected him to do well. Aries also had a great comeback to ROH, and it showed as well on PPV. The race for the award was tight, but in the end I chose Black. Black was not only an MVP, but also this was the definition of a breakout year for him. Now let’s see if the kid can keep it going in 2009.

Stay tuned for My Top 10 TNA PPV Matches of 2008 as well as My Top 10 WWE PPV Matches of 2008!