TAKE PWTORCH
WITH YOU! Get our iPhone App (FREE!): Click Here Or enter "PWTorch.com" on your Blackberry or other Smart Phone browser for mobile-version of PWTorch.
RADICAN'S TAKE
The Top 15 ROH Matches of 2008 Countdown: #2 Nigel McGuinness vs. Austin Aries from Rising Above 2008 Dec 28, 2008 - 7:45:25 PM
(2) ROH World Hvt. Champion Nigel McGuinness vs. Austin Aries Rising Above PPV. December 29, 2007. (****3/4)
Although Nigel McGuinness suffered a concussion during the early stages of the match after accidentally going headfirst into the guardrail, this match was a huge turning point for his heel character after a less than stellar beginning of his title reign. This was a great match, although McGuinness's injury during the early stages of the match did raise some questions about what should be done when a wrestler suffers significant head trauma in the ring.
The match itself was surprisingly incredible, as McGuinness somehow recovered after going head-first into the guardrail and put on one of his more memorable performances as a singles wrestler that I can recall. This match set up the pattern where McGuiness as a heel wrestler would end up costing himself throughout the match by jawing with the hecklers in the crowd.
Aries was great as well and took some incredible bumps, including one that saw him flip head over heels off the middle rope to the outside after a lariat from McGuinness that looked like something you might see in a cartoon.
This match is well-deserving of the #2 slot this year. It featured a lot of drama, a red hot crowd, and capped a great stretch for Aries, who was just coming out of an excellent feud with Bryan Danielson. I'm looking forward to seeing the McGuinness-Aries feud revisited at some point soon. They've got great chemistry in the ring and this match is incredible to watch unfold due to the drama and crowd heat on McGuinness.
You can purchase "Rising Above 2008" at ROHWrestling.com.
Sean Radican records state-of-the-art audio each and every audio every weekend as he proudly presents the Radican Audio Showcase with co-host Derek Burgan. Most weeks, The Radican Audio Showcase is recorded in two parts and features an entire audio dedicated to ROH talk. Contact Sean at PWTorchSean@gmail.com.
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.
INCREDIBLE BENEFITS! Over 50 full-length audio updates per month (iPod compatible)... New weekly award-winning Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter (text and printable pdf versions) with latest exclusive insider news, new Torch Talks, great columns, Keller's cover story, much more... Hundreds of full-length back issues of PWTorch Newsletter from late-'80s to today... Ad-free access to PWTorch.com's Main Listing... VIP Forum with interaction with other subscribers and Torch staff... Torch Talk Library with text and audio of hundreds of interview installments from last 20 years... Great layout... Deepest archives on pro wrestling history anywhere... Keller's PWTorch Today PDF Bulletins with email alerts... VIP Email reports on major PPVs and TV shows... Staff Roundtable Reviews (text and audio) followiing major events... The best staff of writers and world class reporting since 1987... We'd love for you to join us and experience the most entertaining, authoritative, experienced staff of professional reporters and commentators in the business...
Compare the value of four or five months of PWTorch VIP content to the price of just one PPV. Can you cut 25 cents a day from your budget to make room for PWTorch VIP?
AND NEW FOR 2009! Monthly "Vintage Audio Torch Talks." We are releasing for the first time ever audio versions of our text Torch Talk updates, the historical first series of insider interviews ever. Wade Keller's newsmaking in-depth interviews with wrestling's biggest names are now being made available exclusively to VIP members. But you must be a member each month, as these are not archived, so they are replaced with a new one each month! This debuted in January 2009 with a 68 minute interview with the late "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. Who's next? Hulk Hogan? Eric Bischoff? The Rock? Goldberg? Jeff Hardy?
