[2003-11-01-ROH-Main Event Spectaces] Bryan Danielson vs A.J. Styles

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[supersonic]

 

ROH Title Shot Match

AJ Styles vs. Bryan Danielson

After sitting through what I consider to be a horrendous in-ring show that has not stood the test of time, this one saved it in spades. This should have easily been a five star match, but I blame the Scramble Cage for burning the crowd out, as well as the awful fourway in between. This match deserved a Philly, NYC, or Boston crowd.

Not only did these men build off of their All Star Extravaganza classic, but they obviously studied their five star classics against Paul London too. In this one, Danielson came one step closer to his heel turn that was lurking inside him, and instead of a sympathetic London, you had the ultra-aggressive Styles instead. A recipe for a MOTYC if you ask me.

The counters in this match, which were a mix of new stuff as well as moves from their previous major matches, were just beautiful and graceful. The psychology, going back-and-forth between the left arm of Styles and Danielson's left knee, was nothing short of breathtaking. The aggression, not just fueled by the competitive professional spirit of both men, was only intensified all-the-more as both men gave it their all for another shot at the company's premier championship.

If Sapolsky had just paced this event better, this contest could have been on the same level of matches that both men had with London earlier in 2003. This is where the pacing problems began to glare for Sapolsky before he cut a lot of Rob Feinstein's dead weight in 2004. The crowd heat suffered going into this one, and that is through absolutely no fault of AJ Styles or Bryan Danielson.

Not only is the 2/3 falls match against London on Danielson's new ROH comp, but this match is as well. As if you needed another reason to get that DVD now. If you haven't seen this match already, get that comp during the current ongoing sale ROH is having.

Rating: ****1/2

[Jordan]

ROH must’ve read my mind because Gabe & Jeff decide to leave the booth early in this match! I liked this a lot more, with us getting an early test run of ‘06 Danielson shit talking crowds and daring AJ to hit him harder. He really did sound like a dork though on some of the lines but we’ll let that slide. The dueling limbwork covers the middle of this match so you get them centering their strikes and sub attempts on the arm and leg and it feels more focused and purposeful. This match also had far more effort being made to actually counter, block and actually stop a person’s offense. Every big move actually felt earned and not just a moment for the crowd to clap to. The final Styles Clash sends this message home fairly well.

[JKWebb]

I loved this one. It's pretty close to the London/Danielson match (mentioned above) just because I loved AJ's explosive and creative offense so much. I particularly enjoyed how AJ picked apart the left knee on the outside of the ring and it even drew blood to the leg Bryan. Bryan's focus on the left arm of AJ throughout the match was awesome, and he got pretty creative as well with some of his counters that led to cool submissions on that arm. That back suplex from the outside/second rope was something else! I agree it doesn't quite hit the level of the London encounter, but like I said... it's pretty close for me. The match was worked at a little faster pace, and I'm not sure AJ got the chance to really sell the left arm throughout as much as London was able to sell his injuries. Or, maybe he just didn't work it in as well as London was able to. I did enjoy the match without the commentary.

[ShittyLittleBoots]

This is Dragon's first appearance in ROH since his MOTYC vs. Paul London. So what does he do in his first match back? Has another classic for the company. GOAT shit only. And it's against a man he had one of the finest matches of 2002 against. So their first match already was an amazing contest, and their 2nd match here is just as good. They bring that now-signature Danielson vs. Styles strategic pro-wrestling aggression & competitiveness into it. You know right from the first time they touch that it's gonna be a good one, as they quickly move into some grappling, which indeed comes with a nice sense of aggression & violence. Extremely intense, just the way you would expect from the two. Eventually Bryan sees a target in AJ's shoulder/arm as he ties him up on the ropes; Bryan's work on the arm is SUPERB in all of its vicious glory. AJ also bumps & sells for it big time, which makes it all feel & look all the more brutal n' amazing. Styles eventually finds an opening by dumping Bryan on the outside legs first, which results in him returning the favor from the arm-destruction that Danielson did on him by going after his knee. AJ is also brutal as hell targeting it; he is dumping Bryan knee-first into the post n' guardrail, which actually also cuts the knee open, really putting over the brutality of it all. The dueling bodypart-targeting story that is going on is wonderful to watch unfold, and the pure sense of competition is so grabbing throughout. Absolutely adore the whole finishing sequence too, especially everything leading up to that one-armed Styles Clash -- so much struggle in display, but that could be said about the whole match, because they brought that in spades. Absolutely WONDERFUL stuff all in all. If I had to choose which is a better match between 'em, this or the first one @ All-Star Extravaganza, it wouldn't be an easy one, because they really are just as good. ****1/2

[Superstar Sleeze]

AJ Styles vs Bryan Danielson - ROH Main Event Spectacles 11/1/03

Everyone here is raving about this match, but I had never heard this talked up. This ruled so hard! I think early ROH is going to be my next project. ROH is such an interesting promotion. It was marketed as a workrate promotion, but it has very few matches that are canonized as all-time classics in the Pantheon of the Greatest Matches of All Time. I dont think this match quite gets to that level but it is definitely an MOTYC. In a particularly weak year in the USA, I think this would be my pick over HHH vs HBK,  XXX vs AMW in a Cage and a shockingly good Brock vs Big Show Stretcher Match at Judgement Day (is it really that shocking since Brock is involved?). That being said I have seen neither of the heralded London matches which will be next on my list. 

It is getting kind of late here (I dawdled on my review), but I thought this was fantastic. My recollection of the match from a year prior was that it was too competitive to be described as a spotfest, but it was too noisy to be described as something truly classic. This was a clear step up from both. I am a massive AJ Styles fan and sometimes that comes with having an inferiority complex with Danielson. Both people can be great and they truly are. I really do think AJ Styles is the better wrestler, but that doesnt mean I dont think Danielson is Top 50 of all time. These two just work so well together. The opening sprawling and amateur grappling is exactly what I want from pro wrestling, tons of struggle and ferocity. I loved them being dogged even on the outside. Thank God the dweebs leave the commentary booth and we can just watch them wrestle. I think one thing everyone agrees on with regards to ROH is how shitty their commentary is. 

I have zero context going into this other than Danielson has not been in ROH since April. Can anyone tell me why? Danielson shows heelish tendencies and is clearly the heel by mid-match. He sneaks in a punch on a non-clean break and hits a very nice Saito Suplex. Great Euro Uppercut on the floor. These two know how to lay it in. The AJ spot using the guardrail is very nifty. I love they do some teases before the payoff. Nice use of the dropdown, dropkick by AJ to keep Danielson off balance. I liked how Danielson bumped onto AJ after the dropkick and AJ sold it. Danielson trapped the arm in the ropes and went to town. I liked how they slowed it down, but it never dragged. Danielson worked a really entertaining heat segment on the arm. He did some good jawing with the crowd. Loved the Butterfly Suplex attempt with those kneelifts great reversal by AJ to backdrop into the pinning predicament. AJ dumped Danielson onto the floor with a desperation suplex and Danielson comes up selling his knee. This is when the match kicks into overdrive. Daniels shouts at him to "stay away you dick" and watch how AJ dropkicks the knee. He dropkicks THROUGH the knee it looks so much better that way. The Kneecrusher on the railing was fucking sick! He drew blood from Danielson's knee. Danielson's counter of a leg submission into his own single leg crab while grinding AJ's face was beautiful. This was such a terrific competitive pro wrestling match. It built so organically, but it had much more time to breathe than the ROH matches from the year prior. Danielson lures AJ into the corner and gets the boot up. They do a great job countering each other. AJ counters a super back suplex. Danielson jostles the ropes when AJ goes for a springboard. This leads to Danielson getting the back suplex he just missed but from a more interesting vantage point from the apron back into the ring. I love, love, love when not everything hits. There needs to be more misses, mistakes and counters in wrestling. I love when the moves are earned. Danielson was able to get the Back Suplex from a  more organic way. 

I dont love Cattle Mutilation, but AJ makes it to the ropes quickly. It is one of those submission either submit or tap quickly because it is not an interesting one to work within. Danielson goes back to it after from crisp shots to the arm. He cant hold it. Great use of the Pele from AJ here was a head rocking move to get him back in it. AMAZING PUNCH FROM AJ! WICKED! Massive lariat too that Danielson really made him earn. AJ goes for the Styles Clash, Danielson does enough to have AJ drop him and he goes for a Triangle/Cross Armbreaker, but AJ powers up enough for the Styles Clash! He cant capitalize right away only gets two! STYLES CLASH 1-2-3! Another one for the good guys! 

Loved the opening. I thought the arm work was crisp and well-executed. I didnt think it lasted long enough or was violent enough that AJ had to carry it through the entire match. I thought AJ stopped Danielson's offensive onslaught early enough. I though AJ's brutal kneecrushers on Danielson's knee was enough that Danielson should have carried through the rest of the match. This has been an issue for me with Danielson for a long time which is blowing off selling. However, I did like this Danielson as opposed to million miles per hour KENTA-esque Danielson. Danielson that takes his time and really build his match is the best Danielson. I thought the last five minutes was really strong work that built nicely into that organic finish. ****1/2 

[ohtani's jacket]

Man, am I glad to see Danielson back in ROH. I don't buy into the argument about him being the Best in the World since day one, and I find his heel gimmick a little forced (his acting in general has never gelled with me the way it does with so many others), but this was a shot in the arm that ROH desperately needed after treading in the water for much of its second year. Match-wise, that is. Diehards may have enjoyed the booking more than I have. Immediately, you can see this is a guy on AJ Styles' level, as opposed to someone like Punk, and they work a really great smash mouth style of wrestling that's full of piss and vinegar. Ordinarily, grappling on the floor would annoy me, but I liked the intensity here. This wasn't in the all-time classic range, but it was relevant to the time and place it was wrestled. There was a lot of clever wrestling and the big spots were nicely done. Good stuff.