Ring Crew Reviews: ROH’s Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black Rivalry

• Schduled Card:
1. From ROH Breakout – 01/25/08 – Tyler Black vs. Bryan Danielson.
2. From ROH Southern Navigation – 05/09/08 – Tyler Black vs. Bryan Danielson.
3. From ROH New Horizons – 07/26/08 – Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black.
4. From ROH on HDNet – Episode 6 – 04/25/09* – Tyler Black vs. Bryan Danielson.
5. From ROH on HDNet – Episode 8 – 05/9/09* – Tyler Black vs. Bryan Danielson.
6. From ROH on HDNet – Episode 18 – 07/25/09* – Tyler Black vs. Bryan Danielson.

• * = All ROH on HDNet match dates are the air dates.

• ROH Breakout – 01/25/08.

• Tyler Black vs. Bryan Danielson. Black gets the stick and says he and the rest of AOTF are those that were held down all their lives and not given shots against “the best in the world.” Tonight, he takes down AmDrag. Crowd tells Black he’s going to get his head kicked in and he pretends to not hear them and then boots away Danielson’s hand. Danielson with the early waistlock but Black escapes and talks shit. BEST IN THE WORLD, HUH?! Danielson with another takedown and Black with another escape. They go to the test of strength and Danielson wins that with an outside trip and they work the cover a couple times. Danielson sends him off but Black flips out of a hiptoss and piefaces him big time. HUH!? Scott Steiner style. Great iconoclastic disrespect here from Black. Danielson grabs a headlock and gets the TO but Black gets the headscissors. One rather loud fan shouts in with “overrated” but is quickly shouted down by an even larger SHUT THE FUCK UP! They bridge a couple of covers and Black gets a back slide for 2 and shoves Danielson away. Prazak: “When you light a fire underneath American Dragon, he will explode right in your face.” Didn’t need to hear that. They lock up and Black drives him into the corner and smacks him again. A few fans chant “You got Bitch Slapped.” Danielson tries to come back with a smack but Black ducks and SMACKS HIM AGAIN…TWICE! Black goes to the arm but Danielson bridges out and smacks Black away and move in the corner and Black takes a breather. Danielson gets a shoulderblock and Black tries a leap frog but Danielson catches him in a flapjack and goes right for the Mexican Surfboard WITH THE FISHHOOK! Whoa x 3 and then Danielson locks it in and then switches to the Dragon Sleeper. Crowd wants a tap but way too early for that. Dragon drops a knee and smacks Black around for the early piefaces. Danielson says he needs to show some respect and gets the rebound suplex for 2. Danielson goes to a chinlock. Black escapes out of the chinlock and piefaces again and Danielson wants the European uppercut and gets a head of steam but Black shoves him to the floor and into the barricade. Black then hits a snap suplex on the floor. Black gouges the eye and hits a chop. Danielson tries to come back but Black whips him hard into the guardrail and actually breaks loose a section. Black then hits a moonsault off the guardrail. Back in, Black with more smacks and choking in the corner to be a dick. Black sends him into the turnbuckle hard and hits an IED for 2. Black now goes to a shitty cross faced chicken wing. Danielson elbows out but runs into a back elbow, knee drop, and a gamengiri for 2. Black kips up and he’s all arrogant still. Black smacks him around but Danielson is starting to Hulk up. Danielson comes back with the brutal Euro uppercuts. Danielson avoids a charge with a baseball slide and another Euro uppercut. Danielson with a knee and a DR FG to the back for 2. Black comes back with a jawbreaker and chops in the corner. Dragon flips up and over in the corner and hits an elbow. He goes up top and hits the missile double foot stomp. Black powders out and Danielson follows with the suicide dive. Danielson is fired up but Black blocks an apron suplex and instead just DROPS DANIELSON FROM THE PEAK TO THE FLOOR! Black then follows out with the Fosbury Flop. Back in, Black gets the Wall of Death (flapjack into a kick) for 2. That name didn’t get over though and besides that’s Davey’s move. Black smacks him around more. Black tunes up the band but runs into a boot and a leg lariat. Danielson goes to the Curb Stomps for 2. Danielson wants the real Crossfaced Chicken Wing but Black escapes out and gets a sunset flip for 2. They trade covers for a minute and then both duck kicks and then double clothesline and Double KO. Nice. They smack it out and come back with forearms until Danielson comes him up with a ROARINGELBOW! Black shakes it off to get a roll up for 2. Eh? Anyway, Danielson ducks a clothesline and locks in the Cattle Mutilation. Black powers up and into the corner but Danielson puts him up top. Dueling chants and that’s quite the accomplishment considering the crowd was 99% behind Danielson at the beginning. Danielson hits the top rope back suplex for 2. Danielson goes to the MMA elbows and Danielson wants the match stopped but no go. Cover gets 2. Danielson then re-hooks in the Cattle Mutilation. Black refuses the tap out and rolls over Danielson. That kind of thing almost never happens. Danielson tries a Tiger Suplex but Black flips out and hits an enzuigiri. Black tries a roll up but Danielson rolls out so Black hits another enzuigiri and Paroxysm for 2. Black wants the Phoenix Splash and HITS IT! Cover gets 2 and then Danielson small packages him for the 3 at 23:23. Never a fan of that finish as it seems to be a little too much of a no sell of what came before it, but that’s a minor drawback. This put over Black huge and was his sort of “breakout” performance. If you want to put over a guy in a lose, this is how you do it. Black was a step ahead with counters almost the whole way and his “fighting spirit” to just get out of the Cattle Mutilation is a bit much but consistent with the story. For Danielson, it never was personal like with Morishima, he just wanted the win. Outside of that, not much in the way of psychology other than Danielson going through his sequence and Black being able to overcome. ****1/4

• ROH Southern Navigation – 05/09/08.

• Tyler Black vs. Bryan Danielson. Very rabidly pro-Danielson crowd as Black is still a heel although he agrees to the shake this time which means he’s coming closer to face since Jan. Black quickly rams him into the corner with elbows and shitcans him. Black then boots him in the head and sends him into the barricade. Black with a snap suplex and well so much for tweener. Black puts his head against the ringpost and drives it into it with his knee. Back in, cover gets 2. Black with some forearms but Danielson starts to Hulk up and come back with Euro uppercuts. Black comes back with a Bluechipper dropkick for 2. Black with a front facelock but Danielson gets a rope break so Black gets a slam and wants the clap stomp and gets it. Black boots him and then does the Christian choke and flips back to the middle for taunts. Black now goes for the Mexican Surfboard. YOU SONOFABITCH! Black smacks him around but can’t lock it in. Black sends him into the corner but runs into a boot and a leg lariat and now Danielson is getting going. Danielson now wants the REAL set up and instead just drives Black’s legs into the mat. Danielson with a couple of knees and the DR FG and now rolls him back for the Mexican Surfboard and the Dragon Sleeper. Danielson wants the Cattle Mutilation as well but Black gets the ropes immediately. Danielson pounds him down and taunts the he’s the BEST WRESTLER IN THE WORLD! Danielson kicks him down and wants an Indian Deathlock but Black gets the ropes. Danielson won’t release and instead pulls him to the middle and drives it into the mat a few times. Danielson takes some time out to chat with fans while Black writhes in agony. Great stuff. Danielson with the Bow and Arrow now and switches to a half crab. Black gets the ropes and the ref starts the count. Danielson teases but complies with the ref without the catchphrase to a pop. Danielson kicks him around and taunts him to COME ON, TYLER! Tyler obliges and Danielson takes him down with Euro uppercuts a few times. Danielson fishhooks him into the behind the back Dragon Sleeper. Danielson bridges into a cover for 2. This is textbook Danielson picking apart his opponent move by move with submissions. Danielson with some more DR FG kicks for 2. Black grabs a waistlock and fights a counter off and back suplexes Danielson over to the top and to the floor. Black then follows out with a flip splash. Back in, Danielson ducks the springboard clothesline again but eats the leg lariat. Black tunes up the band but gets backdropped to the apron only to get an enzuigiri and a springboard crossbody for 2. Black now tells HIM to come on and Danielson shoves him off the ropes and to the floor and Danielson’s suicide dive carries him into the front row. Back in, Danielson with a missile double foot stomp. Black gets the boot up in the corner but Danielson kicks him down and gets the DR FG ENZUIGIRI!! Cover gets only 2 and Danielson rolls him into the Cattle Mutilation. Black AGAIN powers to his feet and flips out of a suplex like last time but this time goes for a standing rana that Danielson sunset flips for 2. Danielson rolls through a sunset flip and Black gives him the enzuigiri in another borrowed spot. Double KO. Crowd mostly chants for Dragon as they slug it out. Danielson cuts him off with a ROARINGELBOW again and Black shakes it off with an enzuigiri. Black gives him the BuckleBomb and a big boot. Black wants the Phoenix Splash but Danielson crotches him. Danielson wants the top rope back suplex but Black knocks him off. Black rolls through the Phoenix Splash and tries a LARIATO but Danielson catches him in the Cattle Mutilation. Black rolls it over and Danielson goes to the MMA elbows. Black no sells and elbows back and drives Danielson into the corner. Black wants the Pele but Danielson ducks and catches him in the AnkleLock. Black kicks his way free so Danielson switches to a Half Crab on the other leg for the submission tap out at 20:13. A similar story with Black controlling the early going through not letting Danielson get into a groove and Danielson owning the middle section with his stuff and the go home with back and forth with Black again shaking off almost everything Danielson threw at him. But at least this time he paid homage by tapping. Some borrowed spots too. ****

• ROH New Horizons – 07/26/08.

• Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black. Black had just come off pinning Danielson in a tag match as Black is one half of tag champs with Jacobs. Jacobs distracts long enough for Black to jump him from behind and choke Danielson with his robe. Black chokes in the corner and looks like Black will get the advantage early like in match 2. Well so much for that as Danielson rolls through a LARIATO attempt and gets a Dragon Screw LW and Black quickly rolls to the floor. Back in, they trade lateral presses until Danielson gets on the arm. Black comes back with knees and a clothesline on the seated Danielson for 2. Black grabs the hair of Danielson to be a dick. Danielson escapes from the arm lock by rolling through and dropkicking Black away. Danielson now kicks the hamstring a couple times and gives Black a couple DR FG kicks for 2. Danielson rolls black into a sort of Tequila Sunrise and then switches that into a Indian Deathlock. Danielson drives it into the mat a few times and then rolls Black into a pinfall by grabbing his arms for 2. That was sick, although I’ve seen it before. Black gets a break and hits some strikes in the corner. Danielson ends that with a few Euro uppercuts. Danielson then armdrags him down and goes to work on Black’s hand as Nigel joins them on commentary and calls Danielson the “American Clamdigger.” Danielson then stomps the hand and butterfly suplexes directly into the armbar. This is just beautiful stuff. Black stacks him up and kicks his head to escape. Black decides to exchange strikes with Danielson and again loses that one as Danielson goes back to the wristlock and Black is selling really well. Danielson now switches it into the hammerlock and then drives his foot into the opposite arm for an armbar into a bridge for 2. THIS IS WRESTLING! Says the crowd. Black sends him off but gets taken down with a shoulderblock. Danielson tries a suplex but Black lands on the apron. Black tries to suplex him to the floor and Danielson COUNTERS this time and lands next to him. Danielson wants the neckbreaker but Black holds the ropes and Danielson eats apron. Great counter and Black boots him off the apron and into the guardrail. Nigel jumps all over him on commentary. Black now chokes him into the ringpost using his knee like in match 2. Black boots him in the head a few times and then mounts with the GnP. Nigel: “This is absolutely fantastic. There is nothing I like more than watching somebody punch that mouthy Dragon right in the ear.” Black with the Christian choke and flips back to the middle for taunts. Danielson gets fired up and comes back with the Euro uppercuts but Black gets the sleeper to cut him off. Nigel: “Dragon might be going to sleep. Normally, it’s the fans that go to sleep during his matches.” Danielson elbows out but Black gets the leg lariat for 2. Black hits his stomp and drives Danielson into the mat a few times. Black with a neckbreaker for 2. Nigel: “You gotta respect Tylenol Black. He probably learned a thing or two from being in the ring with me – the way I picked his body apart. He’s probably trying to learn from me and develop, ya know?” Danielson comes back with a kick. They counter a couple of whips and Black gets a kicks but runs into a dropkick from Danielson. Black charges into the corner but eats turnbuckle. Danielson takes him down with a running forearm in the corner and a DR FG to the back for 2. Black comes back by gouging the eye. Danielson ducks a clothesline and comes back with a leg lariat. Danielson heads up top and hits the missile double foot stomp. Black takes a breather to recover. Danielson kips up and follows out with a suicide dive but Black walks under and Danielson eats mat. Black follows out with a moonsault off the top. Nigel runs both down for taking unnecessary risks. Back in, Black with a springboard clothesline for 2. Black with a hangman’s neckbreaker and tells the crowd to shove it. Black smacks the shit out of him. HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH?! YOUR TIME HERE IS DONE! SMACK! WE ARE THE REVOLUTION, BRIAN! Black tunes up the band but runs into a boot and a flying knee strike for 2. Danielson rolls him into Cattle Mutilation. Seems a bit soon for that but we’ll see. Black gets the ropes but Danielson HAS TIL FIVE! Nigel says that Danielson is stealing his stuff because Nigel used it earlier in the show. Awesome. Danielson smacks around Black. He goes for the Tiger Suplex but Black lands on his feet in a spot used in all three matches. Black goes for the rana and again Danielson counters to the roll up for 2. They again go into a pinfall reversal sequence. Danielson gets the O’Connor roll for 2 but Black goes to the RNC with bodyscissors. Danielson gets the arm raise on the third. Danielson sends him off and gets the sleeper long enough to roll Black into the armbar. Black stacks him up so Danielson switches to the triangle choke. Nigel says if he doesn’t tap he won’t have a future in the business. Black picks him up and gets the Rampage BuckleBomb and the top rope BREAKS ON IMPACT! That’s pretty intense. Double KO. They slug it out and Danielson looks to win but Black gets the Pele. Danielson tries the flip up and over but Black catches him with the F5! Black with the superkick for 2. Black wth God’s Last Gift for 2. This is brilliant because Black can’t go up top for the Phoenix Splash and it appears perfectly logical that the ropes would break to play into the match’s story. They slug it out with forearms and rights. Danielson takes him down with smacks. Danielson goes to the MMA elbows and Sinclair calls for the bell at 24:32. Best one so far with the strongest back and forth psychology and an airtight first 15 minutes of perfect transitions. Black was showing more personality here and I liked it. The turnbuckle collapsing would normally submarine a match but actually played into the finish and made it seem like Black would win if he had it. Incredible. ****1/2

• ROH on HDNet – Episode 6 – 04/25/09*.

• Tyler Black vs. Bryan Danielson. Prazak and Hogewood are playing this as split crowd but it’s 80/20 Danielson even though Black has already broken off from AOTF. Black pulls him through on a lock up and they go to the test of strength and Black gets the trip this time and they work a cover a couple times. Danielson bridges up and Black in unable to break it. Danielson goes for a monkey flip but Black lands on his feet and we’re square. Black with a facelock but Danielson shoots for the single and NOW we go to school. Danielson hooks in the Indian Deathlock and torques it. Black tries rolling him into a half crab out of it but Danielson gets the ropes. Prazak playing up how Black has not defeated Danielson and that tonight could be his night. Black with a bodyslam and wants the clap stomp but Danielson moves. Hogewood says that Danielson is trying to get in Black’s head but I don’t see what the hell he’s talking about. Danielson hooks in the Bow and Arrow but Black escapes out. Crowd wants the 5 taunt but Danielson does not go for it yet. Black tries to shoot but Danielson throws him into the ropes. In the corner, Danielson gets a Euro uppercut and Black shoves him away. Rather than give a clean break, Black gets the knee to the gut. He goes for a leap frog but flips back to his feet and gets a standing rana for 2. Black goes to the wristlock but Danielson sends him off. Black comes back with a snapmare and the clap stomp for 2. Black boots him in the corner but Danielson comes back with the Euro uppercuts. Danielson now wants the Mexican Surfboard. He fishhooks Black and then rolls him back into it and goes to the Dragon Sleeper. Black punches his way free as Hogewood tries to keep up but is having a hard time. Danielson gives him a few DR FG to the chest and another that takes him down for a 2 count. Danielson hooks in the Tequila Sunrise variant again and back to the Indian Deathlock and then drives Black’s knee into the mat. Black tries shoving him away but is favoring the leg. They slug it out with chops and Euro uppercuts. Black gets the O’Connor roll for 2 and Danielson takes him down with a Euro uppercut. Danielson with a knee to the gut and Black is staggering so Danielson smacks him around more. Black comes back with a few clotheslines but Danielson shakes them off and gets takes him down with one of his own. Danielson follows out with a suicide dive. Back in, Danielson wants the double foot stomp but Black counters with a Bluechipper dropkick. The match seems to be missing a little something. Black ducks a LARIATO and gets the handspring Pele. Black puts him up top and gets the top rope Frankensteiner for 2. They trade counters and both duck kicks. Danielson wants the ROARINGELBOW but Black dropkicks him down to the floor. Black follows out with the flip splash. Back in, Black springboards in with the clothesline for 2. Danielson starts Hulking up. He blocks a suplex and gets the flip up and over. Black tries another Pele but Danielson catches him in the anklelock and grapevines the leg. Black struggles and finally reaches the ropes. Black flips out of a German suplex but lands gingerly on the knee. He wants a standing rana and again Danielson rolls him up for 2. That’s like the third time they’ve used that so far. Danielson clips the knee with a dropkick but runs into an F5. Black wants the superkick but Danielson counters with the anklelock but catching the foot and grapevining it again. Nice callback to earlier in the match AND a previous match where he ate that superkick. Danielson releases the grapevine but gets a LEG CAPTURE GERMAN SUPLEX! Bridge gets 1, 2—only 2. Danielson smacks him around to wake him up and wants the Top Rope Back Suplex but Black floats over with the crossbody. Looked like Black landed RIGHT on Danielson’s face. Double KO spot. They get to their feet and slug it out. Danielson gets the ROARINGELBOW. Black shakes it off and goes for a roll up but Danielson rolls through so NOW Black hits the enzuigiri in something like a quadruple callback! Black follows it up with Paroxysm for 2. Announcer says 1 minute to go. Black goes for Phoenix Splash but Danielson rolls under so Black rolls through. Danielson gets the gamengiri and hooks in the Triangle Choke. Black picks him up for the Rampage BuckleBomb from last match and gets it. Double KO and the bell rings for the time limit draw at 20:00. I like that ending as again Black looks on the verge but can’t quite close Danielson out. That being said though, that was the weakest of the bunch. A workmanlike first half for both of them even with a few twists to the set up with Danielson avoiding the clap stomp and then eating it and Black STILL acting a bit heelish toward Danielson. It just seemed to be missing a little something to set it off from being a cliff’s notes of the others. ***3/4

• ROH on HDNet – Episode 8 – 05/9/09*.

• Tyler Black vs. Bryan Danielson. Jerry Lynn is watching on from the production studio as he’s become champ since Nigel lost it. Black pulls Danielson through on the lock up. Another locks up goes nowhere until Danielson gets the fireman’s carry TO and into the wristlock. Dueling “Fuck Em Up” chants. Black gets a drop toe hold and he goes to the arm until Danielson armdrags him over. Danielson grabs a side headlock as Hogewood calls this a “Mexican Standoff” which makes no sense. Black sends him off but Danielson gets the shoulderblock. Danielson with another headlock takeover and Danielson adds in a top wristlock with his legs. Black bridges into a cover for a 2. He sends Danielson off but eats another shoulderblock. We go the test of strength and Black wins that one but Danielson rolls backward with double jointed shoulders and gets the advantage now. That was pretty slick. Black sends him off and does the leap frog backflip again. Black then monkey flips him over. Danielson shoots for a single and now gets the Indian Deathlock and drives it into the mat but Black gets the ropes. Danielson sends him off but now Black gets the shoulderblock and Danielson wants the monkey flip but Black gets the clap stomp instead. Cover gets 2. Black knucklelocks him into more covers. Danielson kips up and over and sends Black off and gets a Bluechipper dropkick to come back. Danielson with a couple of headbutts. Danielson goes into side control to get the wristlock and torque it back. Danielson turns a wristlock into a thing of beauty. Each great grappler seems to adopt a certain submission (other than their finisher) as a kind of heat parable for the match like Bret has the headlock and Danielson uses the wristlock among others. Black gets the ropes though. Danielson hits some knees and some front kicks for 2. Danielson now hooks in his Tequila Sunrise variation and switches to the back of the legs. Black won’t give his arms so Danielson drives him into the mat and kicks the hamstrings some and Danielson gets a twisting anklelock before Black gets the ropes. Black tries coming back and Danielson kicks him legs out from under him and hits a couple of chest kicks. Danielson with a Euro uppercut for 2. They work a cover for a while off the test of strength. Danielson with some elbows but Black gets the go behind so Danielson pulls him to the outside. Danielson tries a plancha but like match 2 Black moves out of the way. Black then follows out with a flip splash. Black tries shaking his leg back into shape. He wants the springboard clothesline but Danielson ducks so Black gets a flying burrito and a neckbreaker. Danielson backdrops him to the apron and Black gets the enzuigiri and the springboard clothesline this time for 2. Black lands on his feet trying a Lionsault and then hits a standing SSP for 2. Black wants the BuckleBomb so Danielson drives him into the corner and all that leg work is gone until Danielson gets the flip up and over and the ROLLING CANADIAN MAPLELEAF! OH YEAH! Lance Storm smiles at that one. Black gets the ropes though. Danielson heads up top and gets the missile double foot stomp as Hogewood basically demands that Prazak say there’s no quit in Tyler Black but Prazak refuses and instead puts over Danielson. Odd. Is Prazak playing a very subtle heel commentator? If so, that’s a nice little touch that could help put over his final victory even more. Danielson gets the running knee to the chest for 2. They slug it out and Danielson wins that one and then gets a dropkick to Black in the corner. Black is toast. Danielson tries the half crab but Black small packages him for 2. He tries a back slide but Danielson avoids as they go through a pinning reversal sequence. They roll through the same reversal and count for about a dozen times as the crowd seems to like it but I’m not too thrilled as it’s a comedy spot in the middle of this feud that doesn’t really fit. Danielson with a ROARINGELBOW but Black no sells and gets the Pele. Double KO. Danielson ducks some stuff and gets some chest kicks but Black gets the F5. He wants the BuckleBomb but Danielson slowly counters to the triangle choke. That was a bit too telegraphed. Black tries the Rampage Powerbomb but Danielson rolls through and under and stays on the hold. Danielson and Prazak want a tap but he won’t do it. Danielson puts him up top for the top rope belly to back suplex but Black slides under and Black gets the BuckleBomb and drops Danielson ON HIS HEAD! DAMN! Ordinarily, that’s a back first spot but not today. Black then stiffs him with the superkick. He covers but Sinclair won’t count because he’s under the ropes. He pulls the arm back and covers but Danielson gets the foot on the ropes. Love that little interruption of the near fall. I guess they’ve extended the time limit because we just passed the 20 minute mark. Black wants the Phoenix Splash but Danielson keeps trying to stop him. Finally, Danielson shoves his ass OFF THE TOP ROPE AND INTO THE CROWD! INSANE! Danielson then follows out with the PLANCHA OFF THE TOP! Crowd chants for ROH and loves all of this. Sinclair starts the count. Danielson elbows Black back but Black sends him into the barricade. Black is about to get back in and grabs the bottom rope but Danielson lunges for his leg and pulls him back for the Double Countout at 21:27.

• As usual, these guys have a very good, but not great encounter for the majority of the match. In fact, other than Black’s arrogance in 1 and his jump attack from 2, there’s almost no difference between the shine and heat all of the matches. The feud even seems to lose a little juice as Black turns more and more face but loses some personality. You’ve got two extremely talented guys going through their routines with Danielson mostly getting the best of Black but Black’s “never say die” attitude keeping him in it and almost pulling out the victory each time. Danielson’s clearly the better seller of the two, but the story doesn’t depend on Black being pitiable, even though he’s getting manhandled for sections, so it’s somewhat of a wash. The ending’s the best part again with them finding exciting and interesting ways to prolong the feud all while still using signature spots. All the pieces are in place for them to have a 5 star classic, but they haven’t done it yet. ****1/4

• ROH on HDNet – Episode 18 – 07/25/09*.

• Tyler Black vs. Bryan Danielson. Danielson refuses a shake this time even though they tagged on the last show. Dueling chants, mostly even. They trade arm wringers and Danielson bridges up and smacks the shit out of him. Black rubs his jaw and laughs it off. Test of strength takes them into the corner. Black tries a shot but Danielson ducks and smacks him again. Danielson now the arrogant one in a nice change over from the first couple of matches. Danielson shoots for a single and works the leg but Black drives him into the corner. They both block smacks. Black gets sent off and gets a shoulderblock and an arm drag. Danielson counters and arm drags him over and goes to the top wristlock. Black refuses a whip an gets the Bluechipper dropkick for 2. They trade shots in the corner. Danielson smacks him around and Black gets pissed and goes for the takedown but Danielson gets the Crippler Crossface. Black gets the rope and Danielson taunts. Danielson with the hammerlock but Black reverses and armdrags him down. Black with a snapmare and wants a smack but Danielson blocks and gets the armbar but before he can sink it in Black gets the ropes. Danielson taunts and says that Black can’t handle him. Crowd agrees and Black shoves him and gestures that he has his number. They exchange shoves a couple times. Danielson gets a head of steam but Black gets the bodyslam and a Lionsault for 2. Black throws him into the turnbuckle and hits a couple elbows but Danielson switches and smacks him some more. Danielson with the Euro uppercut and poses. Danielson basically heel here as he chokes and boots Black around. Danielson with an elbow to the neck and a headbutt. Danielson with some DR FG kicks to Black’s back. Black no sells and comes back with shots to mild boos but runs into a sleeper. Danielson releases to switch to a neck wrench and then the behind the back Dragon Sleeper but Black gets the ropes. Danielson with a headlock but Black elbows out. Yet Danielson slides out of a suplex and gets the sleeper again. Black sends him off and counters to his own again to mild boos. Danielson now sends him off and goes back to the sleeper. Black with a back suplex but Danielson STAYS ON THE HOLD! Black counters with a jawbreaker and Dragon still stays on the hold. Black elbows his way to his feet and drops Danielson over the top rope in a spot from one of the other matches. Black wants the flip splash but Danielson counters with the elbow in a counter from earlier. Danielson comes off the top but into the dropkick in a spot from the first HDNet match. Black with a series of clotheslines and another off the second rope. Black gets backdropped to the apron but hits his enzuigiri again and the springboard clothesline again for 2. Black now smacks Danielson around in the corner. Black tunes up the band and hits the F5. More smacks from Black and goes for the superkick but Danielson catches him in the anklelock in another borrowed spot but Black rolls through to counter (unlike last time) and dumps Danielson. Black now follows out with the flip splash. Danielson FINALLY ignores that springboard clothesline and goes for a German but Black lands on his feet. He ducks a clothesline but eats a running forearm. Danielson now gets the German for a VERY close 2. Danielson and the crowd argue with Sinclair. Danielson puts Black up top and then hits a running kick and a top rope Frankensteiner. Black rolls through the cover for a 2 count but gets caught in the Triangle Choke. Black stacks him up for the Rampage BuckleBomb and the superkick. Delayed cover gets 2. Black heads up top but AGAIN Danielson shoves him out into the third damn row into some fans and Danielson flies out with the crazy splash off the top. Sinclair on the count and Danielson kicks Black back into the barricade as Sinclair gets to 19 before Black makes it back in. Danielson is exasperated with that. Danielson gives him some DR FG kicks. He wants the ROARINGELBOW but again Black rolls him up into the seated enzuigiri. Danielson no sells and comes back with a sleeper. Danielson hiptosses him over and switches into the CC but Black gets the ropes. Danielson now with the MMA elbows but Black no sells and comes back with the Pele. Danielson shakes that off to get the running knee strike. They trade waistlocks and Black gets the German suplex. Danielson no sells but runs into a brutal superkick and the seated superkick and the God’s Last Gift finishes it at 21:21. I’ve heard this is the best of the lot but I’ll take the New Horizons match as the sheer adrenaline of the spontaneous catastrophe with the ropes breaking and Black being unable to hit his move and that costing him the match is unequalled storytelling in the entire “feud.” This is another very good match but again one that doesn’t feel all that different from the others. Danielson was the arrogant dick at the beginning but that was gone after a few minutes and they settled into their routines and Danielson reverted back to quasi-face. I want to stress that it’s not that I don’t like this match or the others they put on but I’m comparing them to each other and I’m comparing them to Danielson’s other great matches and they come up just a hair short for me. ****1/4

The 411: Another great series of matches for Bryan Danielson but not quite up there with either his Morishima or KENTA series. Still definitely worth checking out.
Final Score:  8.5   [ Very Good ]