Background: It’d been over five years since the original “Fate of an Angel” event occurred where Christopher Daniels wrestled CM Punk to a sixty minute draw and failed to capture the ROH World Championship. With a different champion in Roderick Strong and fresh off another memorable return to the company, Daniels looked to become the new ROH World champ by dethroning the current titleholder in his first defense.
Fate of an Angel II
Mississauga, ON
November 13, 2010
Roderick Strong vs. Christopher Daniels
A stern collar & elbow tie up kicked off the action between two of ROH’s stalwart talents. When the bodies tumbled into the ropes, Roderick broke the tie up clean before getting into a war of words with an … um, unique looking woman. “The Fallen Angel” quickly made Strong understand the fight’s happening in the ring, not in the crowd by almost catching Roderick in a pinning combination off the two exchanging holds on the mat. The World champ recovered, hammerlocking Daniels when they grappled again. Using great flexibility, Daniels head scissored his way out of the hold, angering Strong enough for the champ to slap Daniels’ face. Daniels paid Strong back for that slap moments earlier, using the strike to side headlock Strong. Working his way off the mat, Strong ended up being atomic dropped and constantly struck by Daniels’ legs either through knee drops or unruly stomps. Catching Daniels nearing him was Strong with a basement dropkick. This left Daniels wide open for a couple of those chest-cutting chops. A big belly to back suplex put Daniels on his shoulders for a two count. The challenger recovered in time to turn an Irish whip against Strong, dropping him throat first across the top rope before putting him in a figure four headlock while they were tangled in the ropes. The referee forced “The Fallen Angel” to break the illegal hold, but it didn’t stop Daniels’ momentum as he slammed Roderick face first against the top turnbuckles.
What did stop Daniels’ momentum was Roderick back dropping a charging Daniels over the top rope, to the floor chest first. In a great show of maneuvering, the World champ slid in a chair to distract the referee so the champ could body slam Daniels across another chair Roderick set up seconds earlier. To Daniels’ physical and mental dismay, Strong had Daniels debilitated due to his back just quivering in pain. The release vertical suplexes by Roderick almost gained him the victory. Between the suplexes, Strong verbally attacked that obnoxious woman again, bringing a huge roar from the pro-challenger crowd. Strong seemingly made a mistake by pulling Daniels off the mat, allowing him to fight back, but it worked in the champ’s favor as Daniels ran into a leg sweep, followed by the Stronghold. In a valiant show of heart, “The Fallen Angel” clawed his way to the ropes before succumbing to the pain. Once again, Strong dragged Daniels to his feet, looking for a super Gibson Driver. Daniels turned the possible attack against him, super arm dragging the champ. Daniels started peppering Strong with strikes when they got to their feet, setting up and executing iconoclasm shortly after for a two count. As quickly as the match’s pace sat in Daniels’ corner, Roderick threw a flying knee strike that put his latest challenger in position for the falcon arrow. Hoisting Daniels across his shoulders, Strong hit the double knee gut-buster … for a near fall!
Daniels kicked out of Roderick’s follow up pin, and the next one when he took several elbows to the jaw. The fans were rooting for Daniels, and he heard them as he turned the gut-buster against Roderick, putting the champ in his own Stronghold. Like Daniels, Roderick made his way to the ropes, scurrying to the floor. Daniels caught the fleeing champ with a dropkick that put him in position for the Arabian press to a huge, “R-O-H!” chant. Daniels wanted to pay Strong back for whipping him into the barricades from earlier by doing the same. After taking two whips against the steel, Roderick caught Daniels, dropping him back first across the ring’s edge. Somehow, Daniels made his way onto the apron before the twenty count. Daniels couldn’t get anything started as Strong met him on the apron, hitting another backbreaker on the edge of the ring. When the challenger made it to his feet, and on the apron again, Strong grabbed him for the Gibson Driver. Daniels blocked the attack, hitting a DDT on the apron for a near double count out. When Strong kicked out of Daniels’ follow up pin, “The Fallen Angel” bounced off the ropes for another roll up. Strong blocked the pinning combination, super kicking Daniels before he could rise off his knees … for a near fall!
Strong waited for Daniels to get up to unleash a series of knife-edge chops. Daniels ducked one of those chops, hitting a downward spiral that Daniels converted into the Koji clutch. Martini coached Roderick until Strong’s hand clasped the bottom rope, saving himself and the title. The challenger wasn’t shaken off his game by Strong’s submission escape, hitting a blue thunder bomb just seconds after for another close count in his favor.
Scaling the ropes, Daniels hoped for fly. Instead, Roderick caught him with an enzuguri that put Daniels in position to be superplexed. I guess Daniels did fly. Roderick stumbled to his feet, going forearm to forearm with Daniels after his failed pin attempt after the superplex. Those chops of Strong proved to be more effective than Daniels’ forearms. Daniels fired back after sidestepping a running forearm, only to get tripped by Martini. Daniels dragged Martini onto the apron by his long hair. Hearing Roderick approaching, the challenger moved so Strong could knock Martini off the apron. When Roderick turned around, he fell to the Angel’s Wings … and another near fall!
Daniels tried to put Roderick in a pinning combination after each failed attempt, only to end up being double underhooked and Gibson Driven. Somehow, some way, Daniels kicked out right before the three count to the shock of everyone. Strong threw a wild Rolling Elbow, but Daniels ducked the attack, hitting the uranage to put the titleholder in position for the Best Moonsault Ever. Strong threw his knees up at the last second, stunning Daniels long enough to unleash the Sick Kick that proceeded a release suplex into a double knee backbreaker (the eventually dubbed “End of Heartache”). Roderick hastily made the cover, pinning the ROH legend.
Winner: Roderick Strong (35:21)
Is It A Classic: Roderick and Daniels used a nice, slow build that added a great amount of heat during the final stretch. What also made the match better was the fact Strong won clean. I know that might not sound like much, but during this time most of Strong’s matches ended with some interference from his manager. Here, Roderick showed once again why he was a fighting champion in the making by taking it to one of the biggest names in ROH history and winning. A very good way to start Strong’s reign.
