Official Ring of Honor ROH - Best of Austin Aries: The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (2 Disc Set) DVD

This is a two disc match compilation highlighting the career of Austin Aries. It is the second of two compilations showcasing Aries(third if you count the Generation Next DVD) following on from 'Evolution of A-Double'. It runs for just over six hours.Austin Aries vs. Go Shiozaki - This first match was a very good one. It was a very even, competitive match. Shiozaki had the power and strength advantage of the two but Aries was faster and a better overall wrestler. The action was entertaining from start to finish and there were some good near falls on the way to a strong and decisive finish. The match was followed by The Age of the Fall trying to recruit Aries, which began the storyline that makes up the majority of the first disc. We also see Sunny trying to seduce Aries to counter the AOTF.Austin Aries vs. Genki Horiguchi - This was another good back and fothr match. It had a fast pace throughout and entertaining action. There were lots of quick near-falls and we got a decisive finish. It wasn't as good as the first match but it was still pretty good. It's followed by more of the Age of the Fall storyline. We also see the final minutes of a Ring of Honor Championship match between Austin Aries and Nigel McGuinness and the finishing moments of a match between Aries and Silas Young, both of which are followed by more AOTF storyline progression.Austin Aries vs. Necro Butcher - This was a 'Relaxed Rules Match'. It's more of an angle than a match really. It started off as an ok fight but eventually Aries decided to refuse to fight Necro Butcher to try and make a point to the Age of the Fall and Jimmy Jacobs. As a match it was pretty bad(although that's all you can expect from someone like Necro Butcher anyway) and the storyline parts could just have been shown in a video package or something.Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Jacobs - This was a good, back and forth, personal match. They brawled around the arena and through the crowd early on which caused a laceration on Aries' back which was Jacobs' target for a lot of the match. Jacobs' used a load of crafty tactics to stay ahead, to counter Austin being the better wrestler, such as a hidden steel chain, distractions and interference. The interference didn't last long so didn't harm the match and it didn't directly cause the finish. The action was good and there were some convincing near-falls leading to a decisive finish. Following the match we see another brawl between Jacobs and Aries.Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Jacobs vs. Necro Butcher - This match was alright but was more about storyline progression than in ring action. It was basically a handicap match for the most part with Jacobs and Butcher both being Age of the Fall members. The story of the match was mainly about Necro Butcher working for Jacobs and how much of Jacobs' abuse he would take. It progressed the story but as a match it was nothing special.Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Jacobs - This was a Dog Collar match where the two men are bound together by a long chain connecting two dog collars. The match was decent but I never felt like it was anything better than that. Jacobs refused the dog collar early on and took advantage of his freedom to beat down Aries and tie him to the ring post. Aries eventually got out and busted Jacobs open. They then went back and forth with some good action. Tyler Black got involved but Jacobs sent him to the back to keep this one on one. It wasn't a bad match but other than how bloody Jacobs was it wasn't anything special.Austin Aries vs. Jimmy Jacobs - This was an "I Quit" Match. It was a brutal and violent match. Both men ended up bleeding a lot. They introduced a bunch of weapons such as the chain from their previous match, a chair and Jacobs' signature spike. There were a load of moments where it looked like one man would have to quit and a brutal looking finish. This was the best of their matches together as it was an intense and violent fight that was a perfect way to end their feud.Austin Aries vs. Naomichi Marufuji - This was a good back and forth match. There wasn't much story to it, it was just two people wrestling and striking back and forth. That's not a complaint there just isn't much else to say. Good action, a few near-falls and a strong finish.Austin Aries vs. Tyler Black - This Number One Contender's match was a very good bout. It started off technical but eventually turned into more of a fight as they went to the outside and began striking more. The action was all good with some strong reversals, dramatic near-falls and submission attempts and a good finish. This is the best match between these two men that I've seen, it was a really enjoyable back and forth match.Austin Aries vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Tyler Black - This was a Three-Way Elimination match for the Ring of Honor World Championship. It was a really good match. The action was non-stop from start to finish. There were a load of near-falls and some dramatic submission holds that could have easily lead to an elimination. Aries managed to damage Tyler's leg and I like that it played into the finish. The finish was really good, as was the first elimination. It was a very good, competitive and enjoyable fight.Austin Aries vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Tyler Black vs. Nigel McGuinness - This was a Four-Corner Survival Match for the Ring of Honor World Title which meant the first fall would win the belt. It was a really good fight. The action was fast paced from the very start. There were so many reversals, near-falls and last minute saves to keep the match exciting. I wasn't a huge fan of the finish involving interference but it didn't take away from the entertaining action that came before it.Austin Aries vs. Roderick Strong - This was another very good match. it was mostly wrestled in the ring with back and forth competitive action. It had a fast pace and plenty of reversals as these two knew each other well. There were a load of really convincing near-falls to add to the excitement and while the finish wasn't 100% clean, I enjoyed it anyway and liked that we got a decisive result.Austin Aries vs. Bryan Danielson - This was for Austin's Ring of Honor World Championship and was part of Danielson's final countdown tour. It was another great match. Danielson's final set of matches all seem to follow a similar formula with the early wrestling turning into exchanges of strong strikes and submission attempts. That's not a complaint though because it's a formula that gives out excellent matches. This was probably my favourite of all Danielson's fights with Aries that I've seen. It was a great match with an exciting finish.Austin Aries vs. Kenny Omega - This was an ROH World Championship match. It was a good match. It had plenty of reversals, back and forth action and convincing near-falls. At some times though Kenny didn't feel like he belonged in a main event like this. I'm not sure what it was exactly because he was clearly athletic and a good wrestler, but it just didn't fit. The action was still good though and the match was enjoyable with a good finish.Austin Aries vs. Davey Richards vs. Kenny Omega vs. Roderick Strong - This was a Four-Way Match for the Ring of Honor World Championship. It's a really strong match. There was always something going on, lots of really good exchanges and fast paced action. There were plenty of near-falls and broken up pinfall attempts and the finish was really good too. It was a fun and enjoyable match from start to finish.Austin Aries vs. Colt Cabana - This final match was an ROH World Championship Steel Cage Match. It was a good match but not up to the standard of Aries' previous title matches. Aries worked over the leg of Cabana to prevent him from climbing the cage. Unfortunately he seemed to just forget all about it soon after and it no longer affected him. The action was good apart from that, but the finish wasn't that great.This was another really good DVD by Ring of Honor. The first disc is more storyline based, covering the entire rivalry between Austin Aries and the Age of the Fall. The second moves on to him going for his second World Championship. The match quality is higher on the second disc but there are some good matches that took place during the AOTF feud too. Overall the match quality is high and it's worth a look for ROH fans.