We’ve got a guy named Nigel joining Marquette men’s basketball this fall, so let’s celebrate with a tour through the best Nigel McGuiness matches from Ring of Honor.
I haven’t been particularly shy about the fact that I enjoy watching professional wrestling on this website. I don’t post about it much, but there’s a reference or two that drops in here and there. So, much like when Sandy Cohen and Dawson Garcia joined Marquette men’s basketball, the addition of Nigel James in the 2025 recruiting class tripped a wire in my brain. “Hey, Nigel! Just like former Ring Of Honor champion Nigel McGuinness!”
I had a very good idea for a silly summer series: Check out Nigel’s page on Cage Match, find the top rated ROH matches on ROH Honor Club, subscribe to Honor Club, watch them, write about them.
And then I found THIS:
Shouts to All Elite Wrestling, ROH’s current parent company, for posting a NEARLY TWELVE HOUR LONG compilation of what they’re calling The Best Of Nigel McGuinness. 25 Nigel matches, just sitting there for free on YouTube.
Yeah, I’m doing that.
We’ll go a match at a time, and they’re all in chronological order in the video, which is neat.
A CELEBRATION OF GUYS NAMED NIGEL: PART 6
Nigel McGuinness vs Bryan Danielson
ROH Pure Championship vs ROH World Championship, Pure Rules
April 29, 2006
ROH Weekend Of Champions (Night 2)
Cleveland Grays Armory
Cleveland, Ohio
We’ve done a big time jump forward here. Last time out, we saw Nigel McGuinness defeat Samoa Joe to win the ROH Pure Championship, but that was back in August of 2005. Since then McGuinness has successfully defended the belt 10 times against the likes of Roderick Strong, former Pure champ Jay Lethal, Claudio Castagnoli, former ROH World Champion Austin Aries, a rematch against Samoa Joe, and finally against Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels one night before this match at the first half of the Weekend Of Champions event. However, saying that Nigel has been “defending” the title is a liiiiiiitle bit on the strong side. Of those 10 title defenses, he has won twice by disqualification — both against Claudio — and once by count out, and that one was the contest against Daniels. That’s right on par with how Nigel took the title from Samoa Joe: Playing fast and loose with the rules to his advantage.
Nigel McGuinness won the Pure title in late August, and then a few weeks later, at Glory By Honor IV, Bryan Danielson defeated James Gibson to become the seventh Ring Of Honor World Champion. Danielson — whom you might know by the name Daniel Bryan if you’re a big WWE fan — was one-third of the very first main event match in ROH history, a three-way dance in February 2002 between himself (as American Dragon), Christopher Daniels, and Low Ki, who would eventually become the first ROH World Champion. Over time, he had built a reputation as one of the best wrestlers in Ring Of Honor, but championship gold had eluded him up until he finally broke through against Gibson. Since winning the title, Danielson had defended it 18 times before this encounter, including one night earlier against Jimmy Yang in Dayton.
With the two men riding long winning streaks, it was only a matter of time before ROH put the two across the ring from each other for what I believe is their first ever confrontation, which will be particularly notable as our Nigel series continues. The question of which belt should be on the line is solved rather simply: Both belts, with the match being contested under Pure rules. Three rope breaks, 20 count on the outside, no closed fist shots to the head.
This version of the match captures the ring introductions, and Danielson interrupts the proceedings to make sure he is introduced as “the best pure wrestler on the planet,” just to stick it to McGuinness a little bit. We get to see the first instance of ROH crowds throwing streamers into the ring as they toss them after Danielson’s introduction, but not for Nigel. Referee Todd Sinclair explains the Pure rules to the wrestlers and the crowd and calls for the Code Of Honor. Danielson extends his hand first and there’s a tense moment as Nigel, the larger of the two men, just stares his opponent down for a moment before eventually shaking, and Danielson returns the slight disrespect by throwing McGuinness’ hand aside fairly quickly.
As the two grapple and mat wrestle for a while to start, the announcing crew of Dave Prazak and Lenny Leonard note that this is the first title vs title match in Ring Of Honor History. Seeing as the Television Championship won’t be created until 2010, I don’t think it’s terribly surprising that ROH hasn’t gotten around to putting the World and Pure champs in the ring at the same time before now.
Hold, counter, escape, and so on, eventually Danielson gets a headlock on the mat, and takes creative advantage of the rules: He calmly places his closed fist on McGuinness’ head, drive his knuckle into McGuinness’ skull, and twists. Yes, he’s giving Nigel a noogie, but that’s also not a closed fist strike to the head. It’s enough to make Todd Sinclair give him a five count to stop…. for some reason? But that does open the door for a Bryan Danielson trademark: He stops as Sinclair says five and says “I HAVE UNTIL 5, REFEREE!”
Danielson gets a good grip on a cravat and McGuinness tries a number of options to get him to break the grip. This leads to McGuinness trying to regain his feet and he reaches out for the ropes, which felt more like he’s just trying to regain his feet and realized he could pull himself up…. but he quickly realizes that if he does that, it will be one of his rope breaks, not just an assistance to get leverage on Danielson, and he pulls his hand back. Nigel works his way to his feet, but he can’t get out of the cravat and eventually works his way over to the ropes and grabs on to break the hold and use his first of three breaks.
A collar and elbow tie up ends up in the corner, Sinclair calls for a clean break, doesn’t get it and ducks down to force them apart, and McGuinness cheap shots Danielson with a quick closed fist punch. Danielson retaliates, but Sinclair sees that one, and that’s his warning. Danielson objects, rightfully, and as he’s distracted and Sinclair is talking to the ring announcer, Nigel grabs a side headlock and pops Danielson in the face with a punch again. He lets go, Danielson retaliates again, and that’s a rope break penalty to Danielson for the closed first. Both men now down a rope break. It’s not even so much that McGuinness is cheating, it’s that he’s taking advantage of situations to steal a rope break from Danielson after he himself was somewhat forced to use one.
Nigel gets an armwringer DDT, I don’t think that was the same thing as a Divorce Court, and he starts working on Danielson’s arm. He gets a hammerlock, but Danielson’s in guard position, so he has to be careful to keep his shoulders off the mat as Danielson puts his chest down onto him. Eventually, he gets an opening to start throwing elbows to the back of the head, and Danielson knows he’s in big trouble if Nigel gets to keep throwing those and he spends his second rope break to get out of it.
McGuinness regains wrist control and works it around to a headlock on the mat. Danielson postures up, breaks the hold, gets a dropkick in, but as he tries to get his own control, Nigel grabs his arm on the way in and goes back to work. He’s got one foot on Danielson’s shoulder and one on his torso and keeps pulling on his hand, not a true armbreaker, more hyperextending Danielson’s shoulder and elbow than anything else. Danielson keeps looking for counters and escapes, and it takes him a good long while to get out. He eventually does and gets some offense in, Sinclair does Nigel a favor and wards Danielson away after McGuinness falls down partially under the ropes. That’s not a break, Nigel’s not grabbing the ropes and Danielson isn’t in control of him either, but by the rules, Danielson can’t engage a wrestler in the ropes. That lets McGuinness get a Divorce Court in and then shoves Danielson under the ropes and out of the ring.
Danielson was entitled to a 20 count, but he heads back in relatively quickly. McGuinness tries to suplex him back in, but Danielson counters and starts to use speed and agility to get some offense in. A flying lariat, a snap suplex, a flying headbutt, and Nigel’s kickout from a pin attempt lands him right in Danielson’s crossface chickenwing hold. McGuinness spends his second rope break to get out of it, which is pretty smart as he does have a bit of an advantage given the condition of Danielson’s left arm. Nigel baits Danielson in with the handstand in the corner, gets a kick to the face and follows up with the Tower of London. Danielson elects to use his third and final rope break to get out of the pin attempt, which makes the Tower even more dangerous. Remember, that’s exactly how he beat Samoa Joe when Joe didn’t have a rope break remaining.
Danielson counters McGuinness, gets both of his arms hooked behind him, and forces him to the mat for his signature Cattle Mutilation submission hold. McGuinness is close enough to the ropes to be able to inch his way over to force a break for his third and final rope break. McGuinness rolls underneath and climbs back to his feet outside the ring but on the apron, and Danielson charges in for some offense. McGuinness counters with a shoulder to the get and suplexes Danielson to the floor outside.
McGuinness throws Danielson into the barricade at ringside and then clears off the timekeeper’s table, not to put Danielson through the table, but to use the edge as a weapon on the downed Danielson as Sinclair counts to 20. McGuinness abandons the table at 17, but Danielson quickly slides back in after Sinclair gets to 19. Back inside, Nigel gets the seesaw lariat for two, but he’s not fast enough to follow up and Danielson pounces on him for a Cattle Mutilation. McGuinness gets to the ropes, but he’s out of breaks, Danielson gets to keep the hold. McGuinness just keeps inching further and further and eventually uses the gravity of the drop off the apron to the floor to force Danielson to let go.
Nigel goes for a constitutional outside as the ref counts, but he wanders around to the entrance aisle and Danielson hits him with a tope suicida. McGuinness may have smacked his head on the steel entrance ramp on the landing, and as the pair fight outside, Danielson dodges a charge and McGuinness goes flying over the barricade into the fans. Danielson goes back to the ring and as Sinclair counts somewhere in the teens (I can’t hear for certain), DANIELSON HITS THE SPRINGBOARD FLYING CROSSBODY OFF THE TOP ROPE OVER THE BARRICADE AND INTO THE CROWD WHERE MCGUINNESS IS STANDING THERE HOLDING A CHAIR.
My god. Danielson absolutely hits the chair more than he hits McGuinness, and it’s unclear whether or not the chair bounced into McGuiness on impact. At the very least, Danielson took the brunt of the impact more than McGuinness did.
Sinclair starts his count over, because Danielson was inside the ring and thus is entitled to a fresh 20…. Even though this means that Nigel’s been out there waaaaaay past a 20 count at this point. Somehow, it’s McGuinness who emerges from the carnage first, climbing up over the barricade and throwing himself back in the ring as Sinclair gets to 19 and Danielson’s still on the crowd side of the barricade.
20.
Your winner by countout in 28:34: Nigel McGuinness.
Ring announcer Bobby Cruise says “AND NEWWWWWW” and that prompts a flurry of handwaving from Todd Sinclair in the ring. I see what happened. The match is Pure Rules, and Cruise was under the impression that Danielson had agreed that the ROH World title COULD change hands on a countout, just like the Pure title always can. But that’s not the case. Nigel McGuinness retains the Pure title because of his victory, and Bryan Danielson retains the World title even though he has lost the match.
Great match, crazy finish, and definitely a bit of unresolved tension between the two men. Remember back at the beginning when Danielson made Bobby Cruise declare him to be the best pure wrestler on the planet? Yeah, I’m guessing that this countout victory isn’t changing his mind.
In fact, Danielson drags himself up over the barricade and back into the ring and stares McGuinness down while holding all five fingers up over his head. That prompts a FIVE MORE MINUTES chant from the crowd, and Danielson waves them on in encouragement. Nigel looks at Danielson and at the crowd and at Todd Sinclair……. And then demands that Sinclair raise his arm in victory. He does, and McGuinness leaves to a shower of boos. Danielson shouts “I’M STILL THE BEST WRESTLER IN THE WORLD” at the crowd, and that’s where we cut away to the next match in the series.
NEXT TIME: We return to Cleveland Gray’s Armory in three months time for a rematch between Nigel McGuinness and Bryan Danielson, this time only for Danielson’s World title.
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