I can't help thinking that, rather like me, you're ending up rather over-thinking the problem. You started out by suggesting that the Holydiver would be a good choice and having learnt more about what you're after, we generally agree that it would be an excellent choice. Of course, I well understand the need to get it right so let's see what we can do to give you a bit more information about the choices you mention.
In one sense, you could argue that the Black Dog, Rebel Yell and Holydiver are all very similar. They all use alnico V magnets and the EQ for each of them is very close. For each of them, the bass is either 5 or 6, the mids are either 7 or 8 and the highs are either 6 or 7. On the face of it, the DC resistance figures suggest that the Holydiver is the hottest and the Black Dog is the most vintage and this would appear to be supported by the fact that the Black Dog is in the 'Vintage Hot' section. All well and good so far and none of this is wrong but the devil is in the detail and that's where they start to become very different beasts. We have no way of knowing if BKP have done anything to any of the AV magnets to affect their tonality and we don't know exactly what they do with the wind but we do know one important difference and this is happily where I can draw on my recent research into the wire used by BKP because I've only recently discovered just how important this is :D
The Black Dog uses 42.5 polysol wire, the Rebel Yell uses 43 AWG plain enamel wire and the Holydiver uses 44 polysol. These different wire gauges and types means that the DC resistance is not going to be an accurate indication of just how hot each pickup is in relation to each other. The probably do run in the same order already indicated but the differences in output may well be closer than you think. Now surprisingly, it is the Rebel Yell that uses the most vintage wire (though it's still quite modern) and this use of 43 AWG plain enamel puts it into the family of the Cold Sweat, Crawler and Nailbomb. This isn't really surprising as the Rebel Yell is often referred to as an underwound Nailbomb and it is generally known that Steve Stevens liked both the Cold Sweat and the Nailbomb so it's hardly a major shock that the Rebel Yell sits between the two of them. The result is that the Rebel Yell will share some characteristics with both of them. It will be modern enough and tight enough for Metal but also carry more of a 'hot PAF' vibe about it, making it also good for Classic Rock. It will also have a bit of a 'growl' to it and some real aggression as these are also characteristics of the other pickups in the family.
Polysol wire tends to give a more distinctly modern tone than plain enamel and broadly speaking, the bigger the number, the modern it will sound. This helps to give the Black Dog some real cut, which is why it's popular with Metal players but the light asymmetric wind is far more vintage so unlike many modern pickups, it's actually quite open and uncompressed. In many ways you could also describe the Black Dog as a 'hot PAF' so in that respect it's a different approach to the same problem as the Rebel Yell. The Rebel Yell uses slightly more vintage wire on a hotter and more modern wind while the Black Dog uses more modern wire on a more vintage wind. A bit like the Rebel Yell, it is good for Metal but also has a very good Classic Rock voice.
The Holydiver is certainly the most modern sounding pickup of the trio, having the most modern wire on a fairly hot modern wind. Not entirely surprisingly, this is the most obviously 'Metal' pickup of the three. The Black Dog may have more bass in its EQ but the Holydiver has more lower mids to go with it, which is why it tends to give a thick sound. The Black Dog seems to me to have more middy mids and the Rebel Yell has a few more upper mids, which is why people often refer to it as being bright. The Holydiver uses 44 polysol wire just the same as the Painkiller but crucially, the Holydiver uses an alnico V magnet instead of three ceramics and this is what helps to give it those lovely smooth and organic qualities we all know and love. It's this that makes the Holydiver also rather versatile, like many Bare Knuckle pickups. I like it because to me, it sits just where I need it to. Its natural home is 80's Metal due to its smooth delivery of the distortion (think Doug Aldrich and Jake E. Lee) but give it the overdrive that it loves and it will take you into far more modern styles and back off the gain and you're into some genuine Classic Rock territory while all the time retaining its smoothness and sweetness.
All three will do a good job for you but I do think you'll particularly like the Holydiver. It really is awesome :D
