PWTorch is customized for your mobile phone such as your Blackberry. Just enter www.pwtorch.com on your phone's browser and choose the "Mobile" option. Samsung Omnia II users, download our free Widget. Apple iPhone users, download our free PWTorch App (search "pwtorch")
Here are my reviews of the first two matches between Bryan Danielson and Austin Aries from their best out of 3 series, which began back in October. I highly recommend going out of your way to see both matches, especially the second match, which I have rated close to 5 stars. I’ll have a full report posted for Chaos at the Cow Palace soon for VIP members, but in the meantime, enjoy both match reviews. You can purchase both of these DVDs at ROHWrestling.com.
Honor Nation. October 5, 2007.
Match 1 of Best of 3 Series: Austin Aries vs. Bryan Danielson. The announcers talked about the past history between Aries and Danielson as they went through a feeling out period during the early stages of the match. The crowd was really hot and chanted “ROH, ROH” after Aries and Danielson came to another stalemate. Danielson got the upper hand and worked Aries’s arm on the mat with a nice submission. Aries fought for a headscissors and got it, but Danielson slipped out and went to work on Aries’s legs on the mat. Danielson got a headscissors on Aries on the mat, but Aries slipped out and tied up Danielson’s legs and bridged backwards forcing Danielson to scream in pain. Aries sent Danielson to the outside with a dropkick out of Danielson’s sunset flip attempt. Aries then faked a dive to the outside and Danielson moved, so Aries came off the apron with an elbow to the back of Danielson’s head.
Aries hit his signature twisting elbow on Danielson and grabbed a headlock. Aries then hit a couple of nice Japanese arm drags and went to work on Danielson’s arm on the mat with a submission. Danielson finally caught Aries with a knee to the midsection and hit a European uppercut to send Aries down to the mat before going for the Mexican surfboard, but Aries eventually reached the ropes when Danielson turned it into a modified single leg crab. Danielson then grabbed Aries in a modified abdominal stretch on the mat. Aries tried to roll his weight so Danielson’s shoulders would hit the mat, but was unsuccessful. Danielson then rolled Aries over and had him crumpled in a submission with his shoulders on the mat for a 2 count.
Danielson and Aries rolled into the ropes and Danielson once again teased saying “I have till five referee,” but didn’t. Danielson went up top and posed, but Aries recovered and pushed him to the floor. Aries snapped Danielson’s neck over the second rope and he crumpled to the apron as the crowd tried to rally both men, who were slow to get up. Aries and Danielson exchanged blows. Aries was able to snap Danielson’s neck over the top rope and then hit a dive through the ropes to the outside, which drew another “ROH, ROH” chant from the crowd. Danielson cut off Aries in the corner with a boot to the face and hit a nice running knee strike and both men were down. Danielson got up first and covered Aries for a 2 count.
After a series of reversals, Aries hit a running kick to Danielson’s mid-section. Aries put Danielson on the top turnbuckle and went for the super brainbuster, but Danielson fought him off and hit a missile dropkick and both men were down again. Danielson kipped up and yelled to the crowd. Danielson hit a roaring elbow, but Aries kicked out at the last second. Danielson then hit a tiger suplex for a 2 count. Danielson switched right into cattle mutilation and the crowd roared as Aries struggled to escape. Danielson landed a series of elbows to Danielson’s head, but Aries backed him into the corner and hit a series of elbows on Danielson. The crowd heat was electric at this point.
Danielson hit a roaring elbow on Aries’s injured arm and locked in the crossface chickenwing. Aries picked up Danielson and suplexed him to break the hold. Aries hit a big dropkick on Danielson in the corner for a 2 count. Danielson blocked 2 brainbuster attempts, but Aries hit 2 kicks to send Danielson down and then a big kick to the head. Aries finally hit the brainbuster and went up top, but Danielson blocked the 450 and locked in the triangle choke. Aries struggled as the crowd tried to rally him and finally powered out of the hold. Danielson locked in the choke again, but Aries locked in an inverted crossface on Danielson and then hit a series of knee strikes to the head. Aries then locked in the inverted crossface submission again and Danielson tapped. (****1/2)
Chaos at the Cow Palace. March, 21 2007.
Best Out of 3 Series: Match 2 – Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries. The crowd chanted for both men as they tied up in the middle of the ring. Aries pushed Danielson in to the corner and then backed off without taking a shot at Danielson, although both men were very intense. Danielson tied up Aries’s legs, but he got the ropes. Aries hit a couple of arm drags and then locked in an arm submission on Danielson, who countered and rolled Aries into a hammerlock. Danielson transitioned into a cross arm break. The crowd chanted “This is wrestling” at both men. The crowd then chanted “ROH, ROH,” as they came to another stalemate. Danielson tripped up Aries and tried to lock in the Mexican surfboard. Aries wouldn’t give him his arms, so Danielson dug his fingers into Aries’s face. Danielson then locked in a bow and arrow submission, but Aries turned over and landed on top of Danielson for a nearfall.
Danielson cautiously stalked Aries before grabbing a leg. Danielson aggressively attacked Aries in the corner this time without a clean break. Danielson then went after Aries’s eyes and told the ref he had until five to break the count. Aries fired back with a nice springboard elbow. The crowd chanted for both men as Aries stomped away at Danielson’s chest in the corner. Aries targeted Danielson’s leg with a submission on the mat, which he turned into a leg submission/abdominal stretch as the crowd applauded. Danielson countered and went for the cross arm breaker, but Aries held his arms together to prevent the hold from taking effect. Aries then got the ropes and both men went for a test of strength. Danielson got the upper hand and suplexed Aries. The crowd applauded as both men struggled to their feet. Aries went for a dropkick, but Danielson avoided it.
Danielson went after Aries’s leg like a dog on the attack with a series of dragon screws. Danielson then locked in a leg submission with a bridge. Aries fought to keep his shoulders off the mat, as Danielson got a 2 count. Danielson then switched the hold and targeted Aries’s arms. Aries reached the ropes and screamed. Danielson claimed his legs were stuck and asked the ref to push him over. Danielson still held a leg submission after the ref pushed him and Aries continued to scream. The ref finally made Danielson break the hold, but not until Danielson had done a lot of damage. Danielson posed for the crowd and smiled as they chanted “Best in the world.” Both men traded blows from the standing position, but Danielson sent him down to the mat with a huge forearm. Danielson hit a butterfly suplex and went for the cross arm breaker. Aries tried to free himself and ended up getting on top of Danielson, who had all his weight on top of him for a nearfall.
Danielson charged at Aries’s leg and took him down again. The announcers said Danielson was trying to get Aries to think about something else in order to get at his legs easier. Aries tried to fight out of another leg submission, but Danielson dropped an elbow across his back. Danielson went for the crossface chickenwing, but Aries fought off Danielson and used his momentum to send Danielson to the floor. Aries and Danielson traded blows near the apron. Danielson got a sunset flip off the top rope, but Aries rolled through and hit a dropkick. Aries tripped Danielson and hit a springboard twisting bodypress for a 2 count. Aries sold his knee a little as he got to his feet. Aries went for a running dropkick in the corner, but Danielson kicked him right in the face. Danielson went for the crossface chickenwing again, but Aries fought him off. Both men traded blows in the middle of the ring. Aries blocked an uppercut and rolled Danielson up for a nearfall. Aries then went for the soccer kick to Danielson’s head, but Danielson avoided it and rolled up Aries for a 2 count. The crowd applauded as both men were slow to get up. Danielson went for a kick to Aries leg, but Aries caught it and hit a shin breaker/ suplex combination. Aries then hit his signature dropkick in the corner for a nearfall. Aries went up top, but was slow to get his balance and Danielson cut him off and hit a belly to back superplex and the crowd roared in appreciation. Danielson was slow to cover and Aries kicked out. Danielson went for cattle mutilation and got it in the center of the ring. Aries screamed and tried to fight out of it. Danielson then laid into Aries with a series of elbows, but Aries drove Aries into the corner and hit a series of elbows of his own. Danielson cut him off and went for a German, but Aries slipped out and kicked Danielson in the head. Aries hit the brainbuster and then went got the hangman’s clutch. Aries laid into Danielson with a series of knee strikes and locked in the hangman’s clutch again. Danielson rolled forward with his momentum and got an inside cradle for the pin. What an incredible match! (****3/4)
-The crowd chanted “ROH, ROH” after the match and both men shook hands. Danielson signaled to Aries that they had one more match to go.
Email Sean Radican. Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.
