1. ROH World Title Match: Nigel McGuinness vs. Tyler Black- Take No Prisoners 3/16/08
****1/2
It's funny that ROH gets accused of going overkill on finishes yet these accusers have probably not seen this match which is just a terrific use of false finishes to get a guy over. I don't think there has or will ever be one single match that puts somebody as much as this match put Tyler Black over. The crowd was SO sucked into this one and there are SO MANY close calls that all were legitimate false finishes that you can see people jumping up and down on several occasions cheering on Black thinking that that particular pinfall was going to be it. An absolute ROH classic and I must say a great job done by Prazak & Leonard on commentary who are just as into the match as the fans are.
2. Relaxed Rules: Tyler Black and Jimmy Jacobs vs. Jay and Mark Briscoe- Supercard of Honor III 3/29/08
****1/2
Good grief this is an intense all over the place brawl! There comes a point during this match just after Mark Briscoe dives off the balcony to put somebody through a table when I got the feeling like...this is SO chaotic it really gives that ECW feeling and it's GOOD ECW feeling! Everybody's doing crazy stuff including multiple chair shots and several times a person is tossed onto a load of chair in the crowd. The finish is REALLY out of nowhere and was truly innovative at the time. Probably the best Briscoes vs any AOTF combo match.
3. Tyler Black vs. Bryan Danielson- New Horizons 7/26/08
****3/4
Ah yes, my favourite Black vs Danielson match! This is just an out and out wrestling classic. Danielson is just SO captivating with his submission wrestling in the early stages of the match. Black sells it all so well too and it's not long before he gets his own opportunity to show what he does. Of course Black isn't quite the machine he would become in late 2009 and 2010 but he's still damn good here. So many good moments in this match but no doubt the one everybody remembers is the bucklebomb that brakes the turnbuckle. Great moment and an absolute must see match for all wrestling fans.
4. ROH World Title Elimination Match: Nigel McGuinness vs. Tyler Black vs. Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli- Death Before Dishonor VI 8/2/08
*****
What is there to say about this match that has not been said already? When it comes to multiman matches that need to tell a story Gabe Sapolsky is at his finest. The Redepmtion 4 way with Joe, Punk, Gibson & Daniels was a very good memorable journey to Gibsons ROH World Title win and in many ways it laid the foundations for this match.
The story is initially very simple...Nigel is facing his three biggest challengers that he has already defeated by realistically any of them could dethrone him. There's so much goodness to be found here!
For a start the crowd is in uber Bryan Danielson mark mode which means anybody that isn't Bryan Danielson is shit. Case in point the face Claudio Castagnoli get's a lot of heat but what's great is that when the do the turn it adds a justification to it, almost like Claudio can no longer please the fans so screw them, he's going to attack their favourite! It's a very good turn and Claudio looked trememendous for it stamping the chair onto Danielsons head then tossing students around and causing mayhem. Nigels title reign has really picked up steam by this point and he really is THE MAN in ROH. Tyler Black is the next big thing and they play up to that so well. Once it's down to the final two it's like Take No Prisoners all over again and the fans go nuts for every near fall. The atmosphere's amazing and the match increases it with every passing minute. One of the best ROH matches EVER.PERIOD.
5. World Tag Team Title Match: Tyler Black and Jimmy Jacobs vs. Kevin Steen and El Generico- Driven 2008 9/19/08
****1/2
So here we are the last match on the DVD and of course it's another ROH classic! At the time this match got a rediculous amount of hype and when I first got to see it I was a tad let down. On reflection now that it’s been 2 and a half years I must say I enjoyed it a lot more now. It’s not THE best ROH tag team match ever but it’s way up there on the list! The match just flow perfectly and the false finishes at the finishing stretch are so believable that I was reacting just like the crowd. It’s rare where you can’t see a finish coming these days but this match had me on a few occassions and at the time there was a lot of emotion behind the match as Steenerico had been chasing the tag titles for about 18 months. This is a match without over the top moves , overkill finishes and dull drawn out portions to give the match an “epic feel. It’s tag team wrestling at it’s finest and it’s a great example of the goodness that can be found in ROH. Another ROH classic.
I can’t even begin to try and put down some words to go in depth about this DVD. All I can say is it’s not like the old ROH best of DVD’s where you get a full spectrum of matches ranging from ok to great. This is all great stuff and while there maybe a few omissions in some peoples opinions,ROH has served us a very healthy portion of the best of Tyler Black.
10/10
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