WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.879 --> 00:00:07.719 Aw had eight thousand people inside Arthur Ashe Stadium tonight 2 00:00:07.839 --> 00:00:11.679 for its fourth Grand Slam show. Did not feel as 3 00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:15.560 special as past Grand Slams have felt in many ways. 4 00:00:15.560 --> 00:00:17.559 It just kind of felt like another Dynamite but in 5 00:00:17.600 --> 00:00:22.640 a slightly bigger building. But they did tease one attraction 6 00:00:23.199 --> 00:00:28.879 for tonight's show. December seventeenth, twenty eleven. That was the 7 00:00:28.920 --> 00:00:34.240 last time that Nigel McGinnis had a singles match, twenty eleven. 8 00:00:35.280 --> 00:00:39.479 It's a long time ago, and it was tonight coming 9 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:42.240 into this match with Brian Danielson. It was a very 10 00:00:43.439 --> 00:00:47.000 bizarre way to build to a match that was fifteen 11 00:00:47.079 --> 00:00:49.679 years in the making. It was a very lackluster build 12 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:54.439 to this match, very rushed. They took a very bizarre 13 00:00:54.520 --> 00:00:57.439 path to get there, and there was some question about 14 00:00:57.439 --> 00:00:59.439 whether or not we were actually going to get a match. 15 00:00:59.479 --> 00:01:03.560 I was promoted as will Brian Danielson be medically cleared? 16 00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:06.439 Will he be able to compete in the ring tonight? 17 00:01:07.519 --> 00:01:10.280 But Tony Kahn is not one who usually will get 18 00:01:10.359 --> 00:01:13.120 to a bait and switch where he'll promise a match 19 00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:14.760 and that he won't give it to you, or he'll 20 00:01:15.079 --> 00:01:17.319 dangle the carrot, but then he won't actually give it 21 00:01:17.359 --> 00:01:19.560 to you when you go to take the bait. There 22 00:01:19.640 --> 00:01:22.799 was no bait and switch, there was no angle. We 23 00:01:22.879 --> 00:01:26.040 got an actual match tonight between these two men, Brian 24 00:01:26.120 --> 00:01:28.359 Danielson and Nigel mcginnison, not only went out there and 25 00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:30.920 had a match. These two men went out there and 26 00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:36.480 they had a twenty minute match to open tonight's show. Obviously, 27 00:01:36.519 --> 00:01:40.680 it was not the hard hitting, knockdown, drag out physical 28 00:01:40.760 --> 00:01:44.000 destruction that many of their earlier matches were from a 29 00:01:44.120 --> 00:01:46.760 Ring of honor fifteen years ago. Nor should anybody have 30 00:01:46.840 --> 00:01:49.920 expected that that is what this would have been, especially 31 00:01:49.959 --> 00:01:51.920 in the case in Nigel, you know, given that he 32 00:01:51.959 --> 00:01:54.599 hasn't been in the ring very much in a very 33 00:01:54.640 --> 00:01:57.560 long time, and Brian Danielson is being held together apparently 34 00:01:57.640 --> 00:02:02.319 by bobby pins and rubber bands. That's the story they're 35 00:02:02.319 --> 00:02:04.120 telling with him every time we see him in the ring. 36 00:02:04.799 --> 00:02:09.080 You know, he's basically being held by a thread. He's 37 00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:12.360 about to fall apart. What we got from these two 38 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:18.000 men tonight, despite the less than stellar build, shall we say, 39 00:02:18.039 --> 00:02:20.960 and the rush nature of how we got here, and 40 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:23.280 the lack of any interaction between the two of them 41 00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:26.319 on television coming into tonight. What we ended up getting 42 00:02:26.360 --> 00:02:31.120 here was a very good professional wrestling match between two 43 00:02:31.159 --> 00:02:34.000 men who cut their teeth and Ring of Honor many 44 00:02:34.039 --> 00:02:36.360 years ago made a name for themselves as two of 45 00:02:36.360 --> 00:02:40.080 the best technical wrestlers in the world, and here they 46 00:02:40.120 --> 00:02:42.000 are now, all these many years later. They got to 47 00:02:42.039 --> 00:02:44.919 go out there, They got to dance with each other 48 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:46.759 one more time in the middle of the ring. They 49 00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:49.039 had a decent crowd there to do it, eight thousand 50 00:02:49.039 --> 00:02:51.280 people here in New York, the same city where they 51 00:02:51.319 --> 00:02:54.960 had many of those battles, not that far not that 52 00:02:55.039 --> 00:02:58.000 far from where they were tonight in Queens over in Manhattan, 53 00:02:59.120 --> 00:03:01.800 many a battle they had many years ago. So it 54 00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:03.639 was kind of appropriate for them to get back in 55 00:03:03.639 --> 00:03:07.520 the ring of all places, here in New York City. 56 00:03:08.479 --> 00:03:12.280 But it was the story of two men whose careers 57 00:03:12.319 --> 00:03:15.639 for a while there paralleled one another, and they left 58 00:03:15.759 --> 00:03:18.840 Ring of Honor at the same time, with the expectation 59 00:03:18.960 --> 00:03:21.639 that they would travel the same roads and they would 60 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:23.639 end up in the same place together. You have, on 61 00:03:23.680 --> 00:03:25.960 the one hand, Brian Danielson, you know, a man who 62 00:03:25.960 --> 00:03:28.479 went on to leave Ring of Honor and went on 63 00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:33.879 to superstardom in his career. Headline WrestleMania, won multiple world championships, 64 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:37.439 made a lot of money. On the other hand, you 65 00:03:37.439 --> 00:03:40.479 have Nigel mcginnison man who should have gone on to 66 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:47.120 superstardom and because of various circumstances medical circumstances, it did 67 00:03:47.120 --> 00:03:50.479 not work out that way for him. That was really 68 00:03:51.319 --> 00:03:53.680 the story that we were left with coming into this 69 00:03:53.800 --> 00:03:57.520 match here today. The other big story other than these 70 00:03:57.560 --> 00:04:01.080 two finally clashing in the ring coming out of tonight, 71 00:04:01.159 --> 00:04:03.280 is that John Moxley is now the new number one 72 00:04:03.319 --> 00:04:08.319 contender for the AAW World Heavyweight Championship. It was Darby Allen. 73 00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:12.319 John Moxley said I want your shot, and Darby agreed 74 00:04:12.360 --> 00:04:14.400 to put his shot on the line in a match. 75 00:04:14.560 --> 00:04:17.199 But Darby had already become number one contender for the 76 00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:21.399 world title by winning the Royal Rampage many many weeks ago. 77 00:04:22.920 --> 00:04:26.439 He was supposed to get the shop tonight against Brian Danielson. Instead, 78 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:29.480 he willingly gave it up to John Moxley in a 79 00:04:29.560 --> 00:04:34.959 match that he lost. And so now John Moxley is 80 00:04:35.040 --> 00:04:38.040 going to wrestle Dream. John Moxley is going to Darby 81 00:04:38.079 --> 00:04:42.560 Allen's home state to headline in the main event and 82 00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:47.000 to challenge for the aw World Heavyweight Championship. Darby Allen 83 00:04:47.199 --> 00:04:51.720 looks like the biggest dweeb in the entire world. Now 84 00:04:51.720 --> 00:04:53.639 that we could take a step back here and see 85 00:04:53.639 --> 00:04:56.399 what they did, and we see the outcome of that 86 00:04:56.439 --> 00:04:59.839 main event tonight, putting his World championship match on the 87 00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:03.199 I know he's a fighting babyface, but putting his World 88 00:05:03.279 --> 00:05:06.560 Championship match on the line when he did not have to, 89 00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:09.360 when the man who he was supposed to challenge and 90 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:13.519 supposedly was in no condition to defend the title. Here 91 00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:17.279 on this show. Not only was Brian Danielson on the show, 92 00:05:18.079 --> 00:05:19.839 but he went out there and he wrestled a twenty 93 00:05:19.879 --> 00:05:23.759 minute match in the opener. So the award for the 94 00:05:23.759 --> 00:05:27.560 biggest fucking moron goes to Darby Allen. Now that this 95 00:05:27.639 --> 00:05:30.079 show was over, I don't really see how this show, frankly, 96 00:05:30.120 --> 00:05:34.319 did a whole hell of a lot to make Darby 97 00:05:34.360 --> 00:05:37.160 Allen look smart or make Darby Allen look any better 98 00:05:37.199 --> 00:05:39.920 than he did coming into this show. I just shook 99 00:05:39.959 --> 00:05:44.040 my head when it was over and I said, what 100 00:05:44.160 --> 00:05:47.160 can you say? You know, what is there really to 101 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:51.279 be said? The biggest surprise of the show. You know, 102 00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:54.680 sometimes on these shows you get a surprise debut or return. 103 00:05:55.319 --> 00:05:58.439 Brian Danielson debuted in the ring. His very first match 104 00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:01.560 in AAW was against Kenny o'mea it was that Grand Slam, 105 00:06:02.279 --> 00:06:04.199 the one Grand Slam show that I went to a 106 00:06:04.199 --> 00:06:07.639 couple of years ago. Sorea made her AW debut and 107 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:09.680 came out and got a big reaction. All right, Britt 108 00:06:09.720 --> 00:06:13.079 Baker was out in the ring and outcomes Soreya. Great 109 00:06:13.199 --> 00:06:15.839 Mooda made an appearance to come to the aid of 110 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:19.079 Sting on that show. So they usually give you something 111 00:06:19.480 --> 00:06:23.040 on these shows. The big surprise tonight was the arrival 112 00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:28.680 of MVP, and he's been dropping little hints you know 113 00:06:28.800 --> 00:06:31.959 that we might see him popping up somewhere else very soon. 114 00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:34.360 I think a lot of us figured this is going 115 00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:38.360 to be the place where he and Bobby Lashley and 116 00:06:38.480 --> 00:06:41.639 Shelton Benjamin are going to end up landing. We did 117 00:06:41.720 --> 00:06:44.199 not see Bobby Lashley, we did not see Shelton Benjamin. 118 00:06:44.279 --> 00:06:48.360 What we did see MVP. There was the other thing 119 00:06:48.360 --> 00:06:52.839 I noticed also in this show, a surprising lack of 120 00:06:53.199 --> 00:06:57.920 promotion for next week's five year anniversary show. Now, if 121 00:06:57.959 --> 00:07:01.040 Tony Kahn went last week and announced a big match 122 00:07:01.079 --> 00:07:04.360 with will Osprey against Ricochet their first AW match, their 123 00:07:04.360 --> 00:07:08.120 first match in many years, and that's the clearly the 124 00:07:08.120 --> 00:07:11.360 big match should be the main event on next week's show. 125 00:07:12.519 --> 00:07:15.680 But outside of a Britt Baker's Serena Dee match for 126 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:18.600 next week, there was nothing else announced for next week. 127 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:21.240 And we didn't even get Ricochet on the show tonight. 128 00:07:21.680 --> 00:07:25.000 You know, he wasn't even there. So that was surprising 129 00:07:25.040 --> 00:07:28.480 to me because you know, this show tonight and next 130 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:31.480 week are two big episodes of Dynamite. You would think 131 00:07:31.480 --> 00:07:33.319 they would have given it a little more of a push, 132 00:07:33.399 --> 00:07:38.480 but strikingly that did not happen tonight. X Caliber mentioned 133 00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:41.040 something else that I have to bring up here. He 134 00:07:41.160 --> 00:07:46.680 mentioned this later in the show. Ex Caliber said that 135 00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:53.279 br Live Bleacher Report is shutting down their streaming service, 136 00:07:53.319 --> 00:07:56.759 pay per view service, whatever it is, they're shutting it down, 137 00:07:56.759 --> 00:07:59.759 and so starting with Wressel Dream, you can order the 138 00:07:59.800 --> 00:08:02.519 AW pay per view at least domestically. I don't know 139 00:08:02.519 --> 00:08:04.720 it might be different internationally, but at least here in 140 00:08:04.759 --> 00:08:07.560 this country, you'll have to order the pay per view 141 00:08:07.800 --> 00:08:14.360 on trailer TV, YouTube or PPV dot com, but you 142 00:08:14.399 --> 00:08:17.199 will no longer be able to watch the shows. On 143 00:08:17.319 --> 00:08:24.120 BR Live and I say, good good. You know why 144 00:08:24.199 --> 00:08:28.079 BR Live is shutting down because it's shit. That's why 145 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:35.519 rest and piss. This is your AW. Grand Slam Dynamite 146 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:38.240 twenty twenty four Review. I am the Solomn Monster. It 147 00:08:38.320 --> 00:08:44.519 is Wednesday, September twenty fifth, twenty and twenty four. Welcome. 148 00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:47.279 Good to be with you here on a Wednesday night. 149 00:08:47.320 --> 00:08:49.799 They were in my backyard tonight they were I'm in Brooklyn. 150 00:08:49.840 --> 00:08:52.039 They were in Queens so not that far away from 151 00:08:52.039 --> 00:08:54.080 where I am. But I had to be here with 152 00:08:54.120 --> 00:08:56.879 all of you tonight. Wouldn't have it any other way 153 00:08:58.120 --> 00:09:02.159 because AW did not waste any time kicking things off Tonight. 154 00:09:02.279 --> 00:09:06.480 Grand Slam opened with Nigel McGinnis making his way down 155 00:09:06.519 --> 00:09:10.799 to the ring. He was not, in fact played to 156 00:09:10.840 --> 00:09:14.919 the ring live by Oasis. Remember there was some confusion 157 00:09:14.960 --> 00:09:17.000 about a comment he made a few weeks ago about 158 00:09:17.000 --> 00:09:19.519 how Oasis is going to play me down to the ring, 159 00:09:20.799 --> 00:09:22.639 and I knew what he meant when he said it, 160 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:25.759 but some people may have taken that the wrong way. 161 00:09:25.919 --> 00:09:28.799 So no, they were not there tonight, but they were 162 00:09:28.799 --> 00:09:32.840 not wasting any time already going into Nigel and Brian. 163 00:09:32.919 --> 00:09:37.159 So Nigel comes out again, fifteen years since the last 164 00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:41.519 match that these two men had, eighteen years since their 165 00:09:41.559 --> 00:09:45.320 first match against each other, So the history was there. 166 00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:49.360 Could have done a better job again of exploiting that, 167 00:09:49.600 --> 00:09:52.240 really playing that up with the two of them, you know, 168 00:09:52.360 --> 00:09:54.440 live on TV in the weeks leading up to it. 169 00:09:54.519 --> 00:09:57.200 But clearly a lot of history there between these two. 170 00:09:57.799 --> 00:10:00.279 Jim Ross was there tonight. He joined on commentary for 171 00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:03.039 the opening match and the main event, and he sounded good, 172 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:07.080 so it was good to hear Jr. Tonight. So Nigel's 173 00:10:07.080 --> 00:10:10.639 in the ring and he is waiting for Brian Danglson, 174 00:10:12.200 --> 00:10:14.720 and all of a sudden, they play his music and 175 00:10:14.799 --> 00:10:18.759 there's no Brian Danielson. Nobody comes out. There is no 176 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:21.600 world champion. Nigel takes the microphone. He says that the 177 00:10:21.639 --> 00:10:25.480 American coward just dropped the ball, and he demands that 178 00:10:25.559 --> 00:10:28.200 the referee count him out and he wants Brian to 179 00:10:28.240 --> 00:10:30.960 be stripped of the aw World Championship, even though this 180 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:33.480 is not a title match. He wants him to be 181 00:10:33.480 --> 00:10:37.919 stripped of the title instead. We hear the final countdown 182 00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:42.799 and then Brian Danielson comes out. Looks fine. I guess 183 00:10:42.799 --> 00:10:47.679 he just wanted to make the big dramatic entrance. Now, 184 00:10:48.759 --> 00:10:53.679 Nigel has been in the ring one time in the 185 00:10:53.720 --> 00:10:57.039 last thirteen years before tonight. We saw him in the 186 00:10:57.080 --> 00:11:01.840 Casino Gauntlet Wembley Stadium. All in looked good. That's the 187 00:11:01.840 --> 00:11:04.000 only time that we have seen Nigel McGinnis in the 188 00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:06.639 ring in the last thirteen years, so I'm going to 189 00:11:06.679 --> 00:11:08.399 cut him a little bit of slack. But I have 190 00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:11.039 to say, even though on the whole I thought he 191 00:11:11.080 --> 00:11:15.559 looked very good. Early in this match, he was throwing 192 00:11:15.799 --> 00:11:20.639 some slaps and strikes. These were embarrassing. They may have 193 00:11:20.679 --> 00:11:23.720 been palm strikes. I think they were just slaps, but 194 00:11:23.840 --> 00:11:27.519 my god, I mean, I have seen six year old 195 00:11:27.559 --> 00:11:33.519 girls in ballpits, okay at the Carnival throwing harder slaps 196 00:11:34.360 --> 00:11:38.440 at the other kids. Then Nigel was throwing at Brian Danielson. Here. 197 00:11:38.759 --> 00:11:42.320 I'm not saying, dislocate the man's jaw, but for fuck's sake, Nigel, 198 00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:48.480 come on, really, really again. I was not expecting the knockdown, 199 00:11:48.720 --> 00:11:51.799 drag out physicality that we got fifteen years ago from 200 00:11:51.799 --> 00:11:55.120 these two, which probably took years off their career. But 201 00:11:55.279 --> 00:12:00.200 these were embarrassing. I'm sorry, these were just embarrassing. Strikes. Yeah, 202 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:03.600 it woke Danielson up. He smacked the shit out of Nigel. 203 00:12:03.679 --> 00:12:08.159 Nigel kind of smiled. McGinnis pulled Daniels into the outside, 204 00:12:08.279 --> 00:12:10.799 targeted the right arm, which was previously broken in the 205 00:12:10.799 --> 00:12:13.840 match he had with Okada last year. Nigel tried to 206 00:12:13.919 --> 00:12:16.559 drop the steps the ring steps onto the arm, but 207 00:12:17.360 --> 00:12:20.080 Brian was able to move his arm out of the 208 00:12:20.120 --> 00:12:24.720 way at the last second. They channeled back to their 209 00:12:24.799 --> 00:12:27.600 ring of honor days and they teased the spot, pulling 210 00:12:27.639 --> 00:12:30.600 each other into the ring post. Thankfully neither man went 211 00:12:30.679 --> 00:12:33.000 headfirst into the ring post, because we don't have to 212 00:12:33.000 --> 00:12:37.279 see that ever again. Back inside, McGinnis supplied the old 213 00:12:37.320 --> 00:12:41.440 London Dungeon top wrist lock. Nigel then tried a Tower 214 00:12:41.480 --> 00:12:45.039 of London, but Danielson escaped into the Busichu knee, but 215 00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:48.679 he landed on the bad arm. McGinnis fought off a 216 00:12:48.720 --> 00:12:51.679 Labell lock by slamming the injured arm on the mat. 217 00:12:51.799 --> 00:12:54.799 Danielson tried an uppercut with the injured arm and he collapsed. 218 00:12:55.600 --> 00:12:58.000 But then he did his moon Salt push off the 219 00:12:58.279 --> 00:13:00.000 top row. You know, he gets whipped into the corner, 220 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:04.000 he does that little flip over only for McGuinness to 221 00:13:04.279 --> 00:13:08.399 club him with a lariat, covered him. Danielson, they'll kick 222 00:13:08.440 --> 00:13:12.080 out of one. So we got anvil elbows here for 223 00:13:12.279 --> 00:13:16.679 McGinnis or by mcguinnis who hit the Tower of London 224 00:13:16.720 --> 00:13:20.039 for a near fall. McGinnis almost applied a London Dungeons 225 00:13:20.080 --> 00:13:23.919 surfboard combo, but Danielson rolled through into the anvil elbows 226 00:13:23.919 --> 00:13:27.480 of his own, and for the finish, Danielson worked at 227 00:13:27.519 --> 00:13:31.240 Labell Locke. Now it didn't look like it was sunk 228 00:13:31.240 --> 00:13:34.480 in very tight, but he had the hole applied and 229 00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:39.200 Nigel is fighting it a little bit. And after initially 230 00:13:39.240 --> 00:13:41.320 fighting the hole, trying to fight his way out of it, 231 00:13:42.720 --> 00:13:45.879 he appeared to say. Oh. First he appeared to say 232 00:13:45.879 --> 00:13:51.120 the words fuck you before tapping out. Jim Ross on 233 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:53.559 commentary said, oh, it looks like he said thank you, 234 00:13:53.840 --> 00:13:56.720 thank you. So I went back and I watched. It 235 00:13:56.840 --> 00:13:59.159 actually did look like he said thank you, So I'm 236 00:13:59.159 --> 00:14:02.600 pretty sure that that's what he said, even though TBS 237 00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:05.639 censored the audio, and they did that a few times 238 00:14:05.720 --> 00:14:09.399 during this match, because Nigel was cussing up a storm. 239 00:14:09.639 --> 00:14:12.039 So I just assumed that he must have told Danielson 240 00:14:12.080 --> 00:14:14.759 fuck you. Why else would they censor it, but I'm 241 00:14:14.799 --> 00:14:18.879 pretty sure he said thank you. Yes, the censor's got 242 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:25.320 a little trigger happy. Tonight, after the match, Christian Cage 243 00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:28.120 walked out by himself because Daniel again Danielson got him 244 00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:30.679 to tap out. So the match is over. Brian Danielson wins. 245 00:14:31.519 --> 00:14:35.519 Here comes Christian Cage by himself. The rest of the 246 00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:39.320 patriarchy we're not there. He walks out with his Casino 247 00:14:39.360 --> 00:14:43.279 Gauntlet contract and he pulls out a pen just like 248 00:14:43.320 --> 00:14:46.960 this one here, and he teases signing the contract, but 249 00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:52.000 you see behind him, Kip Sabean sneaks up behind him 250 00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:55.440 and he snatches the pen out of his hand and 251 00:14:55.519 --> 00:14:59.120 he runs backstage with it, so Christian chases after him. 252 00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:02.639 I'm gonna stop here for a second. Why didn't Christian 253 00:15:02.879 --> 00:15:06.039 sign the contract? If there's a contract inside, why didn't 254 00:15:06.039 --> 00:15:08.279 he sign the contract the night that he won it? 255 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:11.919 Why is he walking around with a contract that has 256 00:15:11.960 --> 00:15:18.120 no signature on it? What? That's something that I would 257 00:15:18.120 --> 00:15:21.080 think he would correct very quickly so he could avoid 258 00:15:21.080 --> 00:15:23.440 this situation to get in the future. But I just 259 00:15:23.440 --> 00:15:25.759 thought that was weird, Like, why wouldn't the contract already 260 00:15:25.759 --> 00:15:28.200 be signed, like I would have put my signature on 261 00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:31.559 it on night one, right, save some time in the 262 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:33.320 future when I want to go out there and cash 263 00:15:33.320 --> 00:15:38.879 it in. So that was weird. So when Christian the 264 00:15:38.919 --> 00:15:42.519 camera followed him. When Christian ran through the tunnel, he 265 00:15:42.679 --> 00:15:46.200 ran into Claudio and Pac who were standing there blocking 266 00:15:46.279 --> 00:15:49.200 his path. He put the brakes on, ended up going 267 00:15:49.240 --> 00:15:54.200 around them in his pursuit of Kipsabian. As far as 268 00:15:54.279 --> 00:15:57.639 the match itself, Nigel, let's talk about Nigel here. Nigel, 269 00:15:57.840 --> 00:16:02.519 he busted out the greatest hits. We saw the London Dungeon, 270 00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:05.799 we saw the Tower of London, we saw the rebound Lariot. 271 00:16:05.799 --> 00:16:07.840 So a lot of the old school moves that were 272 00:16:07.960 --> 00:16:12.600 part of Nigel McGinnis's arsenal, he pretty much busted out 273 00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:15.720 all those moves here with the finish they did. You 274 00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:17.399 know what it felt to me like it felt like 275 00:16:17.480 --> 00:16:22.240 the closure that Nigel was looking for, especially him saying 276 00:16:22.360 --> 00:16:26.120 thank you, you know, before tapping out to Danielson. But 277 00:16:26.200 --> 00:16:28.080 I think it was the closure he was looking for 278 00:16:28.120 --> 00:16:30.720 after all these years, because I mean, he legitimately wanted 279 00:16:30.720 --> 00:16:34.039 this match for a very long time, and I don't 280 00:16:34.039 --> 00:16:36.840 know that that means that he's done. He got it 281 00:16:36.879 --> 00:16:39.440 out of his system and he's retired now. He's never 282 00:16:39.440 --> 00:16:42.440 going to wrestle again. He probably will, I don't know 283 00:16:42.440 --> 00:16:45.200 how often, but I would think that we'll see Nigel 284 00:16:45.240 --> 00:16:47.159 back in the ring still at least from time to time. 285 00:16:47.840 --> 00:16:50.639 But he got the match that he wanted and he 286 00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:53.000 made the most of it. He went twenty minutes with 287 00:16:53.039 --> 00:16:55.519 the world champion. It's very different than going in there 288 00:16:55.519 --> 00:16:59.480 in a gauntlet match with twelve other people. This was 289 00:16:59.519 --> 00:17:01.960 one one. There was no safety net, there was not 290 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:04.119 a handicapped match. It was not a tag team match. 291 00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:06.279 It was not a blood and guts match with ten people. 292 00:17:06.839 --> 00:17:09.279 It was two men. He had Nigel McGinnis on one side, 293 00:17:09.319 --> 00:17:11.359 Brian Danielson on the other, who was still one of 294 00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:14.480 the best wrestlers in the entire world, even as he 295 00:17:14.599 --> 00:17:18.400 is winding down his full time career. He's the world 296 00:17:18.440 --> 00:17:21.720 champion and Nigel was in their step for step with 297 00:17:21.799 --> 00:17:24.319 him for twenty minutes. That's not an easy thing to 298 00:17:24.359 --> 00:17:26.160 do when you have not had a singles match in 299 00:17:26.240 --> 00:17:30.799 thirteen years. So I thought, all things considered, Nigel McGinnis 300 00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:33.720 looked very good. Obviously he slowed down a little bit, 301 00:17:34.839 --> 00:17:37.400 but he looked very good. You know here in this 302 00:17:37.519 --> 00:17:41.000 match outside of those awful slaps, which I just again, 303 00:17:41.319 --> 00:17:44.400 I can't review this match and not bring up how 304 00:17:44.559 --> 00:17:49.200 just atrocious that was. So I enjoyed it. I thought 305 00:17:49.200 --> 00:17:51.960 it was a very good match. I only wish that 306 00:17:52.039 --> 00:17:54.960 they would have taken more care with the path they chose, 307 00:17:55.640 --> 00:17:57.519 because that was likely the last time we're we're going 308 00:17:57.559 --> 00:17:59.240 to see them in the ring against each other. This 309 00:17:59.359 --> 00:18:02.720 was it was probably the end, the final chapter for 310 00:18:02.799 --> 00:18:06.079 Brian Danielson and Nigel McGinnis, and I just think it 311 00:18:06.200 --> 00:18:09.160 deserved a better television build. It would have been more fun. 312 00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:10.559 And this is the point that I made the other 313 00:18:10.640 --> 00:18:13.200 night on the podcast. I made it on TNT last night. 314 00:18:15.200 --> 00:18:18.920 Everybody who is a hardcore wrestling fan, or if you're 315 00:18:18.920 --> 00:18:21.319 an old school Ring of Honor fan, right, yes, you 316 00:18:21.400 --> 00:18:24.480 are already aware of the history between these two men. 317 00:18:25.079 --> 00:18:27.200 You don't need Tony Kahan to hold your hand and 318 00:18:27.279 --> 00:18:30.559 explain to you why Nigel McGinnis would be upset at 319 00:18:30.599 --> 00:18:33.799 Brian Danielson or the fact that they had a lot 320 00:18:33.799 --> 00:18:36.079 of matches back in the day and there's a history there. 321 00:18:36.559 --> 00:18:39.759 But it's what makes wrestling fun, right, It's the journey, 322 00:18:40.960 --> 00:18:46.640 it's the journey. It's the car ride getting there instead 323 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:49.359 of just pushing a button and beaming yourself to the locate, 324 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:52.519 which would be great, but pushing a button and beaming 325 00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:54.839 yourself to where you want to go, sometimes you just 326 00:18:54.839 --> 00:18:56.960 want to take a step back and just enjoy the ride. 327 00:18:57.920 --> 00:19:00.160 And that's why you know what I look for when 328 00:19:00.200 --> 00:19:02.440 it comes to these wrestling shows week to week. These 329 00:19:02.640 --> 00:19:06.319 promotions have many hours each week of wrestling TV of 330 00:19:06.400 --> 00:19:11.000 phil and so you expect that on those shows, building 331 00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:14.240 to whatever the big match is going to be, you 332 00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:16.279 would have a segment like a face off or a 333 00:19:16.279 --> 00:19:19.880 contract signing, a meeting of the minds in the ring 334 00:19:19.960 --> 00:19:22.400 with them. It was hard for not Nigel goes out 335 00:19:22.400 --> 00:19:24.039 there and he has to just cut promos on a 336 00:19:24.079 --> 00:19:27.000 man who isn't even there. I don't know if there 337 00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:31.079 was some legitimate family reason why Danielson could not be 338 00:19:31.279 --> 00:19:36.559 on Dynamite the last three weeks, even the last two weeks, 339 00:19:37.200 --> 00:19:39.359 but there was really no good excuse for him not 340 00:19:39.480 --> 00:19:42.160 to be there at least once. So we can get 341 00:19:42.160 --> 00:19:44.880 these two men face to face, no physicality, but just 342 00:19:44.920 --> 00:19:47.400 get them face to face and let them talk about 343 00:19:47.400 --> 00:19:51.720 their past, let them talk about how one guy went 344 00:19:51.799 --> 00:19:53.880 this way with his career. The other guy went the 345 00:19:53.920 --> 00:19:56.680 other way. That should have been me. You had the 346 00:19:56.720 --> 00:19:59.079 career that I should have had. I resent you for it, 347 00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:01.599 I hate your gut. And then we get to hear 348 00:20:01.599 --> 00:20:03.839 where Brian Danielson has to say all we ever heard 349 00:20:03.880 --> 00:20:06.039 from was Nigel McGinnis. We never heard a word from 350 00:20:06.039 --> 00:20:11.359 Brian Danielson, not one word. That's what was missing from this. 351 00:20:11.880 --> 00:20:14.200 That's what some people don't understand. You know, they get 352 00:20:14.279 --> 00:20:16.960 very upset, they get very offended if you know the 353 00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:21.000 slightest bit of negativity. They're very trigger happy. But that's 354 00:20:21.039 --> 00:20:23.079 what was missing from there, and you can't get that back. 355 00:20:23.440 --> 00:20:25.359 You know, we had the match tonight, it was very good, 356 00:20:25.400 --> 00:20:27.480 but you can't get that back. That, to me, was 357 00:20:27.519 --> 00:20:30.839 the biggest disappointment about this entire thing. But I'm happy 358 00:20:30.839 --> 00:20:33.119 for Nigel because he went out there and he had 359 00:20:33.119 --> 00:20:35.759 the match that he wanted for a very long time. 360 00:20:35.960 --> 00:20:38.119 I'm glad he got that opportunity, and I think New 361 00:20:38.200 --> 00:20:40.680 York City was a great place for it to happen. 362 00:20:40.759 --> 00:20:43.839 Wembley I think would have been better in front of 363 00:20:44.079 --> 00:20:48.119 fifty thousand people as opposed to eight, but New York 364 00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:50.640 City was a very appropriate place for these two to 365 00:20:50.680 --> 00:20:56.240 write their final chap. We had Roderick Strong challenging Hook 366 00:20:57.079 --> 00:21:00.960 speaking of New York City, Saint Mark's place. Right Hook 367 00:21:01.039 --> 00:21:04.559 is very well acquainted with New York City. Maybe we 368 00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:08.240 can make Hook the mayor. Maybe maybe we can vote 369 00:21:08.279 --> 00:21:11.039 for Hook to be the mayor of New York City. 370 00:21:11.119 --> 00:21:15.119 Right Hook will take care of things. You can make 371 00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:19.960 Taz his chief of staff FTW title on the line. 372 00:21:20.440 --> 00:21:23.880 Matt Tavan and Mike Bennett were outside in Roddy's corner. 373 00:21:23.880 --> 00:21:26.799 They got involved a whole bunch of times. The numbers 374 00:21:26.839 --> 00:21:29.759 got to be too much, which led to Roddy launching 375 00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:31.839 Hook into the ring post that took us into a 376 00:21:31.880 --> 00:21:35.039 commercial break. Tavan threw a chair into the ring as 377 00:21:35.160 --> 00:21:37.799 Roddy wedged it in the corner. That allowed Roddy to 378 00:21:37.960 --> 00:21:41.559 escape red Rum and drive Hook into it again. It's 379 00:21:41.720 --> 00:21:47.119 FTW rules, All of this is legal. Strong placed two 380 00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:50.559 chairs together, hooked, though hit a judo throw through them. 381 00:21:51.279 --> 00:21:54.240 Roddy hit a fireman's carry gutbuster onto the chair, and 382 00:21:54.240 --> 00:21:56.240 then a sick kick for a close to count of 383 00:21:56.279 --> 00:21:59.279 his own. Hook floated over an end of heartache attempt 384 00:21:59.319 --> 00:22:01.599 into red rum and he got Roddy to tap out 385 00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:06.519 and Hook retains the FTW title. Pretty paint by number 386 00:22:06.599 --> 00:22:10.720 stuff as far as Hook matches go, wasn't terribly long, 387 00:22:10.880 --> 00:22:14.680 wasn't terribly special. Yeah, by the standards of Roderick Strong, 388 00:22:14.720 --> 00:22:18.079 We've seen Roddy have much better matches than this. But again, 389 00:22:18.119 --> 00:22:20.079 pretty paint by number of stuff. No, when the match 390 00:22:20.160 --> 00:22:24.680 was over, Strong put his hand out, No, he's a heel, 391 00:22:25.079 --> 00:22:28.680 put his hand out for a handshake. Hook accepted the 392 00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:30.640 other members of the Kingdom. They gave him a nod 393 00:22:30.680 --> 00:22:32.880 out of respect as they left, So that was surprising. 394 00:22:32.920 --> 00:22:36.319 I was not expecting to see that. Tony Shavanni got 395 00:22:36.400 --> 00:22:38.799 up at ringside from the announced desk and Hook went 396 00:22:38.839 --> 00:22:41.759 over to be interviewed by Tony Shavanni on the outside, 397 00:22:43.160 --> 00:22:46.359 and he brought up this being the eleventh defense for 398 00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:50.359 Hook and how the FTW Championship was created just a 399 00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:55.240 short drive from where they were tonight in Queens by 400 00:22:55.359 --> 00:23:00.559 his father. And for those who don't know the FT's title, 401 00:23:00.599 --> 00:23:03.559