The start of 2007 was an attention-grabbing time for Nigel McGuinness; he as soon as once more gained over the followers with these bouts in opposition to Bryan Danielson regardless of failing to defeat Danielson for the ROH World Championship, however received to expertise a ROH with out “The American Dragon” for a number of months. Danielson, after dropping the title to “The Infamous 187” Murder at FINAL BATTLE 2006, took a sabbatical from wrestling to heal from accidents sustained months earlier at GUT CHECK in a two-out-of-three falls bout with Colt Cabana.
Throughout the 4 months of Bryan’s absence, McGuinness engaged in an incredible rivalry with the late Jimmy Rave, culminating in a Battle With out Honor at FIFTH YEAR FESTIVAL: FINALE as a part of ROH’s return to London. That FIFTH YEAR FESTIVAL sequence of reveals additionally marked the ultimate occasions for ROH Legend Samoa Joe’s unique run, and as one among Joe’s greatest rivals, McGuinness was truly tapped to be one among Joe’s remaining opponents earlier than he bid farewell to ROH. Joe’s departure on the conclusion of FYF coincided with the arrival of one other particular person to the ROH panorama, Professional Wrestling NOAH’s Takeshi Morishima.
A product of the All Japan Professional Wrestling dojo beneath the tutelage of Mitsuharu Misawa and Akira Taue, two of the legendary 4 Pillars of Heaven, Morishima left AJPW alongside Misawa with the formation of NOAH, and on the time of his arrival in ROH, he had already been a 3-Time GHC Tag Champion. Morishima’s preliminary impression on ROH audiences got here at September 2006’s GLORY BY HONOR V, N2 when he and Samoa Joe almost got here to blows within the aisle following a ceremony to honor the legendary Bruno Sammartino. So by February 2007, when Morishima stepped right into a ROH ring for the primary time with Joe as his opponent, followers have been past excited to see what Mori needed to provide:
With an agility that belied his dimension, a willingness to return flying off the highest rope with a missile drop kick, and a Backdrop Driver end that put everybody down, Morishima was an absolute monster within the ring. Although he misplaced that first match in opposition to Joe, he shortly recovered to dethrone Murder because the ROH World Champion, and thereby tie his future to that of each Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness.
Given their mutual ties to NOAH, Nigel and Morishima began as allies, with McGuinness even talking on behalf of the champion on a number of situations, and the 2 truly teaming as much as defeat Samoa Joe and Murder at FYF: CHICAGO. It was that mutual victory that earned Nigel his first shot at Morishima’s World Title in the course of the FIGHTING SPIRT occasion on 4/14/08, however sadly that was not his evening to lastly put on the crown. Following that loss Nigel return to England, profitable the 2007 King of Europe Cup, and truly defeating PAC alongside the best way, and competed within the prestigious wXw 16 Carat Gold Match earlier than returning to the States.
In the meantime, throughout that very same month, Danielson returned to energetic competitors with a prolonged tour of NOAH earlier than coming again to Ring of Honor at REBORN AGAIN on Might 11, 2007, and truly competing in three separate matches on that evening. Coincidentally Nigel was not there on the evening of Bryan’s return, flight issues prevented his participation and altered his scheduled match, however he was there the next evening for one among ROH’s greatest nights to this point: RESPECT IS EARNED. That evening ROH taped pay-per-view for the very first time, and in the principle occasion of that milestone present it could be ROH World Champion Takeshi Morishima and Bryan Danielson dealing with KENTA and Nigel McGuinness. That evening any semblance of a friendship between Nigel and Mori fell by the wayside as Bryan and the World Champion united to assault Nigel earlier within the evening, nevertheless it did not signify a bond between Danielson and Morishima both. After he and Bryan gained the match, Danielson had the audacity to put his palms on the World Title, enraging the behemoth sufficient to dump Bryan on his head with a Backdrop Driver after which when Nigel tried to point out respect to Mori, he too received taken out for his troubles.
Clearly each Nigel and Bryan have been on the unsuitable facet of the World Champion, however that didn’t imply they essentially companions of their mutual endeavor to dethrone Morishima, although they did mix forces at UNITED WE STAND in June 2006 to defeat Mori and Naomichi Marufuji. Actually that evening in Dayton, Nigel grew to become the primary man in ROH to pin Morishima and thereby safe himself a future title alternative. That title alternative got here on July 17, 2007 throughout ROH’s first-ever occasion in Japan dubbed LIVE IN TOKYO. Approaching the heels of a prolonged NOAH tour that Nigel and Bryan each participated in, and have been even made to staff up a number of occasions throughout its course, McGuinness was once more unable to dethrone Morishima, That introduced Danielson to the ring to mock Nigel, declare that he ought to be World Champion, and even slap Morishima within the face solely to show round right into a European Uppercut from Nigel. In contrast to RESPECT IS EARNED, Morishima truly confirmed respect and returned Nigel’s handshake after that tiff with Danielson.
Regardless of their rivalry with each other, regardless of every man’s designs on being the subsequent ROH World Champion, they have been nonetheless thrust collectively as companions at RACE TO THE TOP TOURNAMENT: NIGHT 1 in a World Tag Crew Championship match reverse The Briscoes, then ending up on reverse sides of an eight-man tag the next evening. All both man wished was to dethrone Morishima, however they might not get away from one another regardless of how exhausting they tried, which means the comparisons between the 2 among the many ROH devoted have been perpetual. As a rule the followers sided with Bryan Danielson because the superior wrestler between the 2, a incontrovertible fact that little question ate at Nigel as their rivalry intensified. Then there are nights like MANHATTAN MAYHEM II the place Nigel was engaged in a Trios match removed from the World Title whereas Danielson was getting the championship battle with Morishima; it wasn’t that Bryan gained the belt that evening, in reality he ended up in an emergency room with a indifferent retina and fractured orbital bone, it was that Bryan and Morishima have been being lauded as having the very best match in ROH historical past, that Bryan was once more being boosted up over Nigel it doesn’t matter what McGuinness completed, and even in defeat “The American Dragon” was being praised.
To make issues worse, at ROH’s DRIVEN PPV occasion that aired in September 2007, the 2 confronted off of their first ROH singles match since EPIC ENCOUNTER II, solely this time reasonably than a championship, it was a future World Title match on the road. A bloody Bryan Danielson managed to safe Cattle Mutilation to attain the victory and the title shot, however come MAN UP when he truly received the chance, Bryan misplaced the match by way of referee stoppage when Morishima elected to brutalize Danielson’s nonetheless therapeutic eye. Although there have been so many intangible similarities between Nigel and Bryan (their love for wrestling, their dedication to enchancment, their never-give-up attitudes), it appeared increasingly more doubtless that they’d additionally share the lack to defeat Takeshi Morishima. Then UNDENIABLE occurred, and Nigel McGuinness, along with his barrage of brutal lariats, discovered a approach to put Mori’s shoulders performed lengthy sufficient for a 3 rely, and he was declared the brand new ROH World Champion. It did not take lengthy for Danielson to try to spoil the jubilation, however the entire of the ROH locker room stopped that tantrum as Morishima himself handed the belt over to McGuinness in an final signal of respect.
Nigel McGuinness lastly completed one thing Bryan Danielson had not when he defeated Takeshi Morishima, and now their 2006 roles have been reversed with Danielson as challenger to Nigel’s crown. Their first assembly after Nigel’s title victory befell in the course of the SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST 2007 match reasonably than as a championship bout, and resulted in a 20 minute draw the place neither superior to the Elimination Finals. Their conflict appeared an inevitability although, however then one thing occurred, Nigel suffered a torn tricep muscle throughout a tour of England, and with the choices both being to take a couple of reveals off to let it heal by itself, or get surgical procedure and danger an entire lot extra time than that, Nigel selected the previous. Although unscheduled, he fought Chris Hero at GLORY BY HONOR VI, N1 in Philadelphia in his avenue garments, however the next evening in New York Metropolis, when he knowledgeable the followers he wouldn’t capable of compete, a small portion of the group vociferously booed him.
Sadly the identical tune would play only a month later at FINAL BATTLE 2007 when, after being concussed whereas defending his ROH World Title the evening prior, Nigel was compelled to sit down on the sidelines for ROH’s year-end occasion. The boos from the New York crowd have been even stronger this time round, notably when Nigel instructed all of them he wouldn’t vacate the title as a consequence of this damage, and although in entrance of the followers he wore a face of defiance in response to their jeers, internally he was torn up concerning the followers who’d so rabidly cheered ahis scent now calling for his head as a result of he was damage doing what they supposedly beloved to see him do. He knew Samoa Joe did not obtain that response when he was damage in 2006 and was unable to compete on a number of reveals, together with FINAL BATTLE 2006, or when Bryan Danielson was damage and left the corporate for 4 months to heal up. Nigel missed three nights of fights in a single month’s time because of two utterly totally different conditions, however the followers turned on him like he was the worst of humanity for displaying some sense of self-preservation.
It slowly unraveled Nigel’s psyche, and by his sixth ANNIVERSARY SHOW protection in opposition to Danielson, there was nothing however blatant hostility between Nigel, the ROH followers, and the ROH locker room. Earlier within the evening, he goaded Danielson into agreeing to a “no head photographs” rule for the bout, and when Bryan hit a again suplex, McGuinness accused him of concentrating on the pinnacle, and tried to stroll out of the match. Exhibiting solidarity, members of the locker room blocked Nigel’s path of escape up the ramp and ROH’s then-owner Cary Silken referred to as for the match to be restarted instantly. The defending champion went on the offensive, however it doesn’t matter what Nigel did, Bryan refused to go for his head even when the chance introduced itself. McGuinness, alternatively, drilled Bryan with an sudden headbutt, rained down Bryan’s personal signature elbows into his challenger’s cranium, then slapped on his London Dungeon arm submission on the already unconscious Danielson. Simply as occurred at UNIFIED, the referee had no alternative however to cease the match, however this time in favor of Nigel McGuinness.
As heated as their rivalry received in 2006, this subterfuge on Nigel’s half signaled a brand new side to their points, and confirmed the world a darker facet of McGuinness. In his days as Pure Champion, Nigel was able to stretching the foundations as a way to keep his championship standing, however he nonetheless performed inside its distinctive set of restrictions. This was outright deceit on Nigel’s half, abusing the willingness of Danielson to “play truthful” on this battle and never reap the benefits of the champion’s clearly exaggerated weak spot as a way to garner a bonus. He performed off the sympathy of a fellow wrestler, somebody who is aware of the sort of impact head trauma can have on an individual, even in 2008 when our understanding of the scenario was nowhere close to as developed as it’s right this moment. Nigel broke that gentleman’s settlement with Bryan, and in flip demonstrated how little he considered the ROH devoted and any concern that they had for his well-being. From that time ahead, Nigel had an enemy in Bryan Danielson, reasonably than a rival, and had made himself unquestionably a villain within the eyes of the Ring of Honor followers.
A number of weeks after the 2 would find yourself on reverse sides of a tag staff match at DOUBLE FEATURE, an occasion that performed host to scenes filmed for Darren Aronofsky’s film The Wrestler, and a contest the place Danielson and Austin Aries defeated McGuinness and Go Shiozaki. They remained reluctant companions in excursions of Professional Wrestling NOAH, put collectively as a consequence of their standing because the gaijin expertise on the tour, however the actuality at that time was nothing however dangerous blood. It might be 4 months earlier than Bryan and Nigel met within the ring once more one-on-one, although that was throughout a sojourn to Germany’s wXw, with their subsequent ROH bout occurring at DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR VI contained in the historic Hammerstein Ballroom. That evening Nigel McGuinness efficiently retained his title over Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, and Tyler Black, with Bryan’s elimination coming at Nigel’s hand however solely because of the vicious assaulted perpetrated on him by Claudio after his elimination at Bryan’s palms.
One other tag match at NIGHT OF THE BUTCHER II gave Bryan a victory over Nigel, this time with Claudio as his companion, and so they’d meet as soon as extra in singles competitors, albeit with out Nigel’s ROH World Title on the road, throughout Ring of Honor’s Battle of the Greatest occasion in Tokyo. Bryan scored one other victory over Nigel that night, incomes himself yet one more title shot, a bout on the RISING ABOVE 2008 pay-per-view occasion the place Nigel retained, and whose final result was closely influenced by the involvement of Castagnoli.
The 2 males would have yet one more tag bout on the WRESTLING AT THE GATEWAY occasion, however the hostilities between Jerry Lynn/Nigel and Bryan/Claudio have been extra the driving drive of that match than the Nigel/Bryan points. Nevertheless that match is notable as a result of the 2 males wouldn’t face one another within the ring once more till GLORY BY HONOR VIII: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN on September 26, 2009, the ultimate Ring of Honor match for each males.
Within the 9 months between that tag bout and their mutual farewell to the home that constructed them, Nigel misplaced the ROH World Championship to Jerry Lynn at SUPERCARD OF HONOR IV in April 2009, and albeit struggled with accidents incurred throughout his reign for the remaining 5 months of his ROH tenure. Wrestling simply 9 matches after dropping his title, Nigel did have a pair of alternatives to regain the World Title throughout that time-frame, however failed on each events. Danielson, following that RISING ABOVE loss to Nigel, was not solely a part of Lynn’s first World Title protection, he would get three different World Championship alternatives earlier than his exit, in addition to three World Tag Title matches. And put in 26 matches in that very same time-frame.
Then when the information broke on 8/24/09 that Danielson had signed a take care of the most important wrestling firm on this planet, a dream that Nigel had held expensive to his coronary heart since leaving Wembley Stadium 17 years prior, ROH introduced a whole FINAL COUNTDOWN TOUR dedicated to recognizing Bryan’s contributions to the corporate, and the place they allowed him to handpick his remaining six matches. On September 4th, simply six days earlier than the FINAL COUNTDOWN TOUR was set to begin, ROH additionally introduced that Nigel McGuinness had come to an settlement with that firm “in principal”, which means the fundamental particulars have been mentioned reasonably than specifics, and nothing had been set in stone. Regardless of the identical day being each males’s departure, the tour title didn’t change from one synonymous with “The American Dragon”, after all of the commemorative t-shirts had already been printed, and the character of Nigel’s nagging accidents meant he was solely obtainable for 3 matches reasonably than the six Bryan would tackle.
Followers definitely questioned why it was nonetheless dubbed FINAL COUNTDOWN regardless of each males leaving ROH, Nigel himself did as nicely, and it little question took its toll on his already nagging sense of insecurity the place Danielson was involved, however the actuality was that the wheels have been already in movement, and the method of merchandise and promoting was already too far alongside to alter. It was by no means meant as disrespectful to McGuinness, not in spite of everything he contributed to Ring of Honor, however sadly that actuality wasn’t essentially seen by Nigel. Two years later, when he returned to ROH in 2011 to work initially as a coloration commentator however ultimately as an authority determine over the corporate, Nigel might be heard making feedback about that 2009 sequence of occasions. Suffice to say whilst they bid farewell to ROH, with the assumption they have been going to tackle the world collectively, there have been excessive ranges of jealousy and insecurity however they solely traveled Nigel to Bryan not the opposite means round. The statistical actuality of their time spent in ROH is that this:
ROH World Champion: 545 Days, 38 Protection
ROH Pure Champion: 350 Days, 17 Defenses
ROH World Champion: 462 Days, 38 Defenses
ROH Pure Champion: <1 Day, 0 Defenses
Multi-Man ROH File (Trios/4 Nook Survival)
Different ROH Information (Tag/Trios/Multi-Man)
Non-ROH One-On-One Information
Non-ROH Multi-Man File (Trios/4 Nook Survival)
Apparently sufficient, within the eleven matches they labored collectively as a staff for NOAH, they went 6-5, and cut up their two makes an attempt at working collectively in ROH. Think about the drive they might’ve been as a tag staff if the 2 males have been capable of work collectively, as a substitute they gave Ring of Honor one of many best rivalries of its 22 12 months existence, produced genuinely epic matches that have been extensively influential on the technology {of professional} wrestlers that adopted them, and but so few received to see what Nigel McGuinness delivered to the desk as an in-ring combatant whereas the eyes of the world have been on Bryan Danielson for the higher a part of the final fifteen years. See whereas Danielson would go on to compete for the aforementioned wrestling firm for the subsequent seven years, participating in memorable moments and matches, as followers rallied behind him with one easy three letter affirmation. Even when he needed to retire from the game in 2016, followers continued to help him it doesn’t matter what, be it serving as an authority determine on that tv program, or as a number for varied reveals, his followers have been there with him each step of the best way, so calling it a joyous second in 2018 when Danielson returned to the ring could be fairly an understatement.
After two years of preventing for his profession, of his household supporting him as he did all the pieces he probably might to get again to doing the one factor he beloved moreover them, Bryan was lastly cleared to step between the ropes once more, and for 3 years he competed in a group of fantastic bouts that solely additional cemented his standing as one of many best skilled wrestlers of all-time, and that was earlier than he got here to All Elite Wrestling at ALL OUT 2021.
As for Nigel, he did not make it onto that stage, at the least not as knowledgeable wrestler, and never for a number of years after Danielson arrived on that worldwide platform. For Nigel that “in precept” a part of his settlement turned out to be essential as he failed the required physicals largely because of the accidents he sustained in ROH as World Champion, thus his dream of competing on that stage was dashed and he needed to journey a special path than his best rival. For many who’d watched Nigel all through his profession, there was one thing noticeably totally different about him from that time on, as if the spark inside had been dimmed by that perceived failure.
Nigel continued competing for one more 12 months till a viral an infection shelved him from in-ring competitors for fourteen months, the longest he’d gone with out competing inside a squared circle for the reason that day he began, however as soon as that was handled, he’d return to preventing in November 2011 with the intent of closing the guide on his wrestling profession on the finish of the 12 months. McGuinness documented this journey in The Final of McGuinness, a crowd-funded documentary that he produced himself, and is without doubt one of the most emotional, gut-wrenching seems to be on the journey of knowledgeable wrestler conceivable.
Over the course of its run time, Nigel lets all of it out, each pleasure and frustration, each little bit of ache and any happiness he discovered. Nigel lets the followers see him, warts and all, and expertise the cycle of loss and (partial) acceptance that got here with the top of his in-ring profession. There’s even a touching second shared between Nigel and Bryan, albeit by way of textual content, that tied into Bryan’s first World Championship victory for that wrestling promotion. Within the context of the movie, it felt like second, a second of recognition and appreciation, however taking a look at it now, with all the pieces Nigel has stated about Danielson since coming to AEW, maybe it was reasonably one thing that settled in Nigel’s mind solely to proceed consuming away at these emotions of jealousy.
Nigel ultimately got here again to Ring of Honor to function coloration commentator and an authority determine, however that resulted in 2016 when McGuinness lastly received his alternative to stroll onto that huge stage, however as a commentator reasonably than skilled wrestler. McGuinness excelled at that job, placing his all into it and studying along with some true commentary greats, nevertheless it nonetheless at all times felt like his coronary heart was within the ring, and he longed to return to the times of taking individuals’s heads off along with his cornucopia of lariats. Although he and Bryan have been technically working for a similar firm on the identical time, Nigel by no means had a chance to name any of Danielson’s matches, however the two did discover widespread floor in seeing their goals taken away as their very own our bodies betrayed them.
However the place Bryan discovered his means again to the within of the ropes, Nigel didn’t, as a substitute serving as commentator till October of 2022, the place upon he was launched from that gig, and despatched the wrestling fandom right into a tizzy about the place he might find yourself subsequent. As current historical past tells us, it was a return house to ROH with SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023 after which the transition to COLLISION later that 12 months, however all serving as a commentator although it was fairly apparent Nigel himself was in super situation.
The opposite factor fairly apparent with Nigel again in the identical sphere as Bryan Danielson, and actively calling matches wherein Bryan was concerned, was that the animosity and jealousy Nigel carried by their Ring of Honor tenure did not mellow. Actually it got here throughout like Bryan’s successes had solely stoked these flames of insecurity, that watching Danielson rise like a phoenix from career-ending accidents solely made the disdain extra intense, and Nigel let the world hear it each likelihood he received. Bryan did not even need to be on-screen for Nigel to discover a approach to take a dig at “Clamdigger Danielson”, and when Eddie Kingston defeated Bryan at REVOLUTION 2024 of their Continental Crown bout, Nigel jumped out of cheer within the greatest outburst of pleasure one might think about, not due to Eddie’s success however reasonably in response to Bryan’s failure.
That, greater than something, instructed the story of simply how Nigel stands with reference to Bryan in 2024, nevertheless it did not appear to be it could ever be something extra than simply verbal jousting till McGuinness, in the very best form of his life, achieved his life-long dream of preventing at Wembley Stadium when he entered the On line casino Gauntlet:
Nigel did not win the bout, that reward went to Christian Cage, nevertheless it confirmed the world that McGuinness was as soon as once more in it to win it, and the reception he received from the followers in Wembley was deafening to make sure. Followers had clamored for this second for a dozen years, and so they lastly received it on the most important occasion of AEW’s 12 months. Simply being concerned might have been sufficient for Nigel, the flexibility to say he received to wrestle in Wembley if solely Bryan Danielson hadn’t gained the World Title from Swerve Strickland later within the evening. In that second Nigel’s failure to win the On line casino Gauntlet meant he might by no means get a chance to battle Bryan once more, however greater than that, it is attainable that in Nigel’s eyes, Danielson discovered a approach to upstage him as soon as once more. As an alternative of speaking about Nigel’s return, it grew to become all about “Brittle Bryan”, and McGuinness grew to become an afterthought.
Then, simply over the course of the final week, with the mix of Jon Moxley’s assault on Bryan and his problem to Darby Allin for GRAND SLAM 2024 alternative introduced itself to Nigel. He went to AEW President Tony Khan about it, he went in entrance of the world to and made a problem for the match, and if Danielson is cleared to compete by AEW Medical, it will likely be “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson versus Nigel McGuinness one-on-one at Arthur Ashe, in the future shy of the fifteenth anniversary of their final match collectively!
We do not but know if Bryan can be there on September twenty fifth in any situation to battle, hopefully we study extra about that this week with AEW in Wilkes-Barre, PA and Springfield, MA. Nevertheless this goes down at GRAND SLAM 2024, Nigel McGuinness has gotten some small victory during the last month. Between getting again within the ring at Wembley, watching Danielson undergo by the hands of males he thought have been his brothers, and getting the possibility to make this grandstand problem, he has discovered little successes. If Bryan will get within the ring, Nigel has the possibility to decimate him on worldwide tv, and present the world why he was such an influential determine on the wrestling panorama. If Bryan would not battle, then Nigel will get the bragging rights of being the person Danielson was too scared to face; both means, Nigel is in it to win it…
Simply added to the BEST OF ROH Part, the “Danielson vs. McGuinness” compilation highlighting their epic rivalry throughout the panorama of Ring of Honor. This is without doubt one of the most definitive assortment of history-making matches Ring of Honor ever created, and it’s now obtainable right here for Honor Membership subscribers!
