Here we are merely days away from one of the biggest weekends in ROH’s seven and a half year history. “Boston: The Final Countdown” and “Glory By Honor VIII: Final Countdown”: the final two events in the ROH careers of Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness. That alone makes them historic events, but the actual content of each night plays a large part in elevating these two dates to the next level. First let’s see how the matches set for “Boston: TFC” came to be…
September 25th, 2009- Boston University (Case Gym), 285 Babcock Street, Boston, MA 02215
First Time In ROH
Bryan Danielson vs. Davey Richards with Shane Hagadorn
It’s been the match the ROH faithful have wanted to see since Davey made his debut at “Destiny” back in 2006. Well, after three years those fans are finally getting their wish, and it is at the request of Danielson. When it was first announced that Bryan was moving on, the majority of his matches were already set. So when ROH officials approached the former ROH World Champ and asked him whom he would like the face in one of his final bouts, he handpicked Davey Richards. Both are hard hitting athletes with exceptional technical wrestling ability, phenomenal cardiovascular conditioning, and both can dish out the punishment. We’ve seen them on opposite sides of tag matches, but this will be the first time in a one-on-one contest in ROH. Can Davey establish himself as the real “best in the world” with a victory over Danielson, or will Bryan show Davey that he’s still got a few rungs to climb?
Special Challenge Match
Nigel McGuinness vs. Roderick Strong
Originally set for NYC, ROH officials moved this battle to make it possible for one last McGuinness vs. Danielson match in The Big Apple. McGuinness thought that meant he was getting away from Roddy for good, but when he realized he still had to face the ‘Messiah Of The Backbreaker’, he pitched a fit. Roddy, on the other hand, is looking forward to one last chance to chop the flesh from Nigel’s chest and to send him packing battered and bruised. Strong has long stood on the precipice of greatness, and a victory here, combined with his win over Danielson in Philly, may just be that needed boost.
Tag Team Special Attraction
ROH World Champion Austin Aries & Rhett Titus vs. Colt Cabana & Kenny Omega
In recent months all four of these men have developed a bit of a rivalry. Aries has suffered to pinfall losses to Omega in ROH’s last two trips to Canada and recently scraped by in a non-title victory over Colt. Just last weekend in Dayton, Cabana (with Petey Williams) picked up a win over the Aries/Titus duo, and left Rhett with a huge gash in his “pretty” face. Pinfall wins for either Colt or Kenny would put them right in line for a shot at the ROH World Title, but a loss may set them to back of the pack.
Anything Goes Match
Kevin Steen vs. Eddie Edwards with Shane Hagadorn
On the eve of Ladder War II, one half of each team will go head-to-head in a different type of war. Last time in Boston, it was Steen & Richards who brutalized each other under these stipulations, and now Edwards will have to face the music for interfering. It’s the chance to leave your opponent unable to compete in the Ladder War, but given the mentality of both competitors, there is nothing that would prevent them from going to NYC. It’s just a matter of how much punishment these two will have to take before they can even think about the tag team title match.
Four Corner Survival
El Generico vs. Chris Hero vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Petey Williams
This is four of the best in ROH looking to take one more step towards title contention. Three of these men have had that chance before, one is creeping on achieving that goal, and all four would receive a huge boost with a victory over the others. It will all come down to one question: which of these fighters wants it bad enough?
The Rubber Match
Delirious vs. Sonjay Dutt
1-1. Delirious beat Sonjay in Philadelphia, and Dutt returned the favor in the same city, albeit with some questionable tactics. This is round three, and could likely set the tone for the rest of 2009 for each competitor. Delirious has been training like never before as he pursues his goal of challenging for ROH gold while Dutt wishes to bury his past and write his own future. Which man will take that next step?
Tag Team Action
The Young Bucks vs. Cheech & Cloudy
The Bucks are coming off a tremendous weekend where they gave The Briscoes one of the toughest fights of their careers, and picked up their second victory over The Dark City Fight Club. Now the Bucks must contend with another hungry team who would like to knock The Jackson’s out of contention and take their spot in the tag team rankings. Cheech & Cloudy have shown great potential in their ROH outings, and have shown themselves capable of a little high-flying action of their own. Could this be the night C&C break out? And don’t forget, The Dark City Fight Club will be in attendance and you can bet they have their sights set on Nick & Matt.
''Glory By Honor VIII: The Final Countdown'' -September 26th, 2009, Manhattan Center (Grand Ballroom- 7th Floor), 311 West 34th Street, New York, NY 10001
Main Event #1: World Tag Team Title Match - Ladder War II
The American Wolves with Shane Hagadorn vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico
It’s been building ever since “Final Battle 2008” and culminates in the heart of NYC with a stipulation once banned by ROH officials. Ladder War I left four men black and blue for months, so who knows what will be left of these four men when the smoke has cleared. The bad blood has boiled over and will hopefully be settled when those Tag Team Title belts are pulled from the ceiling. There is too much history here to sum up in one paragraph, but you can check out this video for a preview of what’s to come: http://www.youtube.com/user/ROHonHDNet#play/all/uploads-all/0/C1pWZSC284A.
Main Event #2 - The Final Countdown
Nigel McGuinness vs. Bryan Danielson
Their history is another that is too detailed to cover in just one paragraph. Suffice to say that these two warriors have battled in some of the most legendary matches in ROH history, and this will be the last time in ROH, and possibly the last time ever. It’s ROH’s gift to the fans, and the match both wrestlers feel is their perfect swan song. This is a match for the ages, and is your chance to say thank you for everything these two have given the fans during their time with ROH.
The “A Double L Double” (Austin Aries WILL defend the ROH World Title)
The first time Aries tried this stunt he ended up with matches against Grizzly Redwood and Alex “Sugarfoot” Payne. The next time resulted in a fireball being thrown into Tyler Black’s face. This time Aries has guaranteed only top shelf competition will be put into the hat, and just looking at the names of the talent who aren’t in officially announced matches makes that a great possibility: Roderick Strong, Delirious, Petey Williams, and Sonjay Dutt. And those are just 4 of the alleged 20 names in the hat. Any of these men would give Aries a run for his money, and that seems to be the one thing that A Double DOESN’T want.
The Rematch
Jay & Mark Briscoe vs. The Young Bucks
The first outing in Philly had no conclusion as The Dark City Fight Club ruined an otherwise stellar match, and in the rematch last weekend in Dayton, Jay & Mark picked up the ‘W’. So now they will do the dance one more time as part of “Glory by Honor VIII”. The Bucks have proven they have what it takes to run with the big dogs in the tag team division, and a victory here will surely catapult them into title contention. The Briscoes want the win to get another shot at the Wolves after the way things went down in Chicago Ridge, and beating The Bucks will certainly put them in position to get their revenge.
Grudge Match
Eddie Kingston vs. Chris Hero with Shane Hagadorn
The bad blood here is only rivaled by that of Ladder War II. Their rivalry has spanned years and crossed company borders, and Kingston is looking to settle it in his hometown. This will be a battle; blood may be spilled, jaws may be broke, but when all is said and done, there may be no resolution for these two. The only resolution will be when one man is permanently removed from professional wrestling forever. Kingston has promised to play the game like Hero, and even has the Emerald Elbow Pad in his possession. Who will make the first mistake in this game of chess? Here is a look at their feud: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik9xSRfCCJg.
Singles Action
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Kenny Omega
Omega holds a victory over Claudio from “”Final Battle 2008”, and Claudio wants redemption: plain and simple. The results from this match will go a long way towards shaping both men’s future here in ROH. Both want the ROH World Title, and a win here will only help their positions.
Special Challenge Match
Colt Cabana vs. Rhett Titus
Cabana & Petey Williams beat Titus & Aries in Dayton last Friday, but in the process Colt also split Rhett’s head open. The gash required multiple stitches to close, and required more stitches after being reopened in Chicago Ridge. Originally it seems Rhett was merely an obstacle in Colt’s quest to get to Aries, but Titus has a fire lit under him for “Boom Boom” damaging his beautiful face. It is without a doubt the toughest challenge of Rhett’s young career, and pinfall would skyrocket his value. Cabana’s victory would get him one step closer to getting his hands on ‘A Double”.
Tag Team Action
The Dark City Fight Club vs. Cheech & Cloudy
The DCFC are out to destroy everything in their path en route to getting their hands either The Young Bucks or the ROH World Tag Titles. Cheech & Cloudy will have to use every last ounce of speed & quickness in order to survive this fight, much less come out with the win. But if they can, C & C may just jump to the front of the line in this stacked division.
And in addition to all these great matches, don’t forget that Bret “Hitman” Hart will be in attendance in both Boston, MA and NYC, NY for a special meet & greet autograph singing. And as an added bonus, both Nigel McGuinness & Bryan Danielson will be available for autographs with commemorative 8x10 photos on sale at these live events.
Tickets are still available for the Boston event & the Hart Autograph signing here at www.rohwrestling.com, but the NYC event is completely SOLD OUT! We will have Bret Hart tickets for sale at the door in NYC, but those are limited to those who already have event tickets.
