I was lucky enough to recieve this DVD as a gift for Christmas this year. I've been wanting it for a while now, so it was nice to finally get my hands on a copy. This DVD features some of Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan in WWE)'s greatest matches in ROH from 2002-2005. It features bouts against Paul London, AJ Styles, CM Punk, Samoa Joe, Austin Aries, Jay Briscoe and many more.
1) Bryan Danielson vs. Paul London - 2/3 Falls Match - Epic Encounter
Some people have called this the match of the year for 2002 and after you watch this you'll see why. These two go at it in a solid, hard hitting technical battle that rages on for near 45 minutes. Near falls, high risk manuevers, submissions - this one has it all. Great way to start the DVD with one of the matches that helped put ROH on the map in 2002.
Match rating - ****1/4
2) Bryan Danielson vs. AJ Styles - Main Event Spectacles
Bryan and Styles are two of my favorite wrestlers so I was really looking forward to this one. Needless to say, it didn't disappoint. It was a very physical match in which each man gave it their all. The crowd was on fire and Bryan would respond to them periodically in the match. Even one time saying to a fan in the crowd "What the fuck do you know about wrestling?" On top of all the action in this match, the two trash talked each other throughout the match which added to the greatness of it. Fantastic match.
Match rating - ****
3) Bryan Danielson vs. Jay Briscoe
Unlike the two previous matches on the set, this one didn't last over 20 minutes. It was still a solid match though. Also on an interesting note, CM Punk was on commentary which was cool to listen to. Anyway, back to the match, it was a good back and forth contest. Jay is mostly known for teaming with his brother Mark, but he is a tremendous singles competitor as well and it showed here. This was the opening match of the show it was on so it didn't last too long, but is still worth watching. Solid contest.
Match rating - ***1/4
4) Bryan Danielson vs. CM Punk - Special Referee: Ricky Steamboat
Crazy to think that these two were wrestling in each other in 2004 in ROH and now ten years later, in 2014, they are both top stars in WWE. What a story. This match was really good. Punk taunted Steamboat throughout the match and played the cowardly heel which is always fun to watch. Bryan delivered great wrestling as always using various submissions. One interesting thing to look out for when watching is that a "YES!" "NO!" chant broke out while Punk and Bryan were on the top rope. Boy, was that a shade of things to come haha. Good match.
Match rating - ***1/2
5) Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries - Survival of The Fittest Finals 2004
This was the first time Danielson and Aries met in an ROH ring and they left everyone wanting more. The match started off slow, but soon picked up and these guys delivered one hell of a match up. Once again, this was another very physical match. Bryan busted Aries' chin open with an uppercut - yeah, an uppercut! It was crazy. One of my favorite moments was when Bryan locked Cattle Mutilation on Aries with his bloodied chin, but somehow Aries countered out. Amazing to see. This match was great, but was just a taste of what we were gonna get from these two.
Match rating - ***3/4
6) Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries - 2/3 Falls Match - Testing The Limit
Only one word can describe this match - EPIC. These guys went at it for near 80 minutes! 76 to be exact, and the first fall didn't happen until 40 minutes into the match up. Aries and Danielson put on a wrestling clinic and as the commentator said "showed everyone that wrestling is a sport." Speaking of commentators, CM Punk was commentating this match as well and boy, did he add to it. He didn't try and play heel or face, he just commentated the match and give insight which was awesome to listen to. So many great moments in the match, but one I must mention for you to look out for is near the one hour mark, Bryan dives outside the ring, but Aries moves and Bryan lands seemingly on his head, HARD. Aries jaws with the ref who tries to keep him away from Bryan and jumps on the top turnbuckle and drops on an elbow onto Bryan on the floor. Awesome stuff. The only negative to this match was that it got a little slow in some parts of the match, but overall it was amazing. If they would have kept this one around an hour, I think this would have been a perfect match. None the less, it was amazing and is definitely a must watch.
Match rating - ****1/4
7) Bryan Danielson vs. Samoa Joe - World Title Match - The Midnight Express Reunion
This match was a mat/submission based bout. Bryan began working on the knee of Joe and kept doing so throughout the match. He kept the upperhand for the most part of the first half of the bout. When Joe had control he targeted the ribs of Danielson with various submissions such as the STF. The tide turned about half way through the match when Joe got full control. He positioned Danielson outside of the ring in a chair and hit several running kicks slamming his head into the railing. Joe rolled Danielson back in the ring, but when he did he lost control of the match as Danielson went back to the knee. The ending sequence was the best part of the match as the crowd got more and more fired up as the bout went on. Bryan hit a big suplex then locked Joe in Cattle Mutilation, but Joe got the ropes. Joe got back to his feet and came back with a fury of offense with MMA style knees to the head, but Bryan returned them. I won't spoil who won, I'll just leave it at that. Great match that kept me on the edge of my seat.
Match rating - ***3/4
8) Bryan Danielson vs. Jushin Liger - Weekend of Thunder Night 1
The crowd was absolutely on fire for this bout as it was Liger's first time competing in ROH. It was a very good match, but it wasn't a technical showcase that Bryan normally puts on. It was still entertaining though and definitely worth a watch considering this is a dream match for many fans including myself.
Match rating - ***1/2
9) Bryan Danielson & Low Ki vs. Samoa Joe & Jushin Liger - Weekend of Thunder Night 2
This was a very entertaining tag team match. It is one of my favorite matches on the DVD. The crowd was on fire as this was the second night of Liger's debut in ROH and it made this match that much better. Joe & Liger worked very well together, one of my favorite moments being where Joe ran and dove out of the ring onto Danielson, while Liger jumped off the apron on the other side of the ring onto Low Ki. Another cool moment was seeing Joe and Liger take turns doing the ole kick outside of the ring. Great tag team bout.
Match rating - ****
10) Bryan Danielson vs. Homicide - Steel Cage Match - The Final Showdown
This match was different than the majority of the others on this set as it was we saw a more aggressive side to Bryan. Both men end up getting busted open as Homicide brings his fork into the match and both men use it as a weapon. A match like this was a nice choice to spice things up after the previous matches on the DVD against Liger. This is one of my favorite matches on the DVD and the ending is amazing to say the least. Watch this one, you won't be disappointed.
Match rating - ****
11) Bryan Danielson vs. James Gibson - Glory By Honor IV - 9/17/05
From the time these guys locked up I knew this match would be great. It was one of those bouts that clicked right from the beginning. For those who don't know James Gibson was known as Jamie Noble during his time in WCW and WWE. This match shows a different and an extremely talented side that I didn't know he had. Awesome match.
Match rating - ****1/4
12) Bryan Danielson vs. Christopher Daniels - A Night Of Tribute - 11/19/05
Another solid match here as Bryan and Daniels went at it for near 30 minutes. Daniels had already wrestled once on this night against Matt Sydal and AJ Styles, but he still delivered a great performance here. Danielson stuck more his typical mat/submission based approach while Daniels did that as well, he also used some kicks and high flying moves to weaken Danielson. The crowd was heavily behind Christopher Daniels which allowed Danielson to play the heel, which he is very good at, so that was entertaining to see. This match got quite physical as Daniels got busted open and Bryan began biting his wound and spitting the blood out towards the crowd. Great, enjoyable match.
Match rating - ***1/4
13) Bryan Danielson vs. Naomichi Marufuji - Final Battle 2005 - 12/17/05
This match was quite good. It was more fast paced opposed to most of the other matches on this set which was a nice change. Pretty entertaining match although it isn't as awesome as some of the other matches on here. None the less, this was a solid match to close out the DVD.
Match rating - ***1/4
Overall thoughts: There are numerous outstanding matches on this DVD. If you are only familar with Bryan's work in WWE, I highly recommend checking this out as it gives you a look at a different side of Bryan. There isn't a match on this set that I didn't enjoy and there are several I will go back and watch again. Big recommendation.
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