Category: Ring of Honor

ROH files trademark for potential new logo

Posted on by Ian Carey

New trademarks have been filed for Ring of Honor. 

ROH Acquisition Co. filed to trademark the term “Ring of Honor” and a potential new logo for the promotion on May 6. The image features the letters “ROH” inside a rectangular shape with points in the middle. 

“Color is not claimed as a feature of the mark,” the filing reads. 

The image is shown below: 

Tony Khan announced that he purchased Ring of Honor on March 2. The deal is said to have officially closed on May 4. 

The listed purposes of the trademarks are as follows:

“Entertainment services in the nature of live wrestling performances; Entertainment services in the nature of production of television shows and multimedia entertainment content featuring wrestling programs and events; Entertainment services, namely, an ongoing multimedia program featuring wrestling distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media; Entertainment services, namely, an ongoing series featuring wrestling provided through a global computer network; Entertainment services, namely, production and distribution of ongoing television programs in the field of wrestling; Entertainment services, namely, providing ongoing webisodes featuring wrestling via a global computer network; Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network”

Mercedes Martinez unifies ROH Women’s World title on AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Mercedes Martinez closed out Dynamite tonight as the undisputed ROH Women’s World Champion.

Martinez, who was the interim champion, defeated Deonna Purrazzo in Baltimore tonight to unify the titles in the main event. Martinez scored the win after placing Purrazzo in a modified dragon sleeper.

Purrazzo, who primarily wrestles for Impact Wrestling, defeated Rok-C to win the championship back on January 9 during a taping of Impact, holding the championship for 115 days. When she was unable to appear at ROH Supercard of Honor on April 1, an interim title match was scheduled, with Martinez defeating Willow Nightingale to win the interim championship.

The Supercard of Honor event was the first held under the ownership of Tony Khan, who announced he had purchased the company in March. The ROH World (Jonathan Gresham), Pure (Wheeler Yuta), Tag Team (FTR), Television (Samoa Joe), and Women’s champions have all made appearances on AEW television in the weeks since the purchase. 

Deonna Purrazzo set for AEW debut in ROH Women’s title match on Dynamite

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Deonna Purrazzo will make her AEW debut on next week’s Dynamite in Baltimore. 

ROH Women’s World Champion Purrazzo will face interim ROH Women’s World Champion Mercedes Martinez in a title unification match on Dynamite. Martinez was crowned interim champ after Purrazzo was unable to defend the title at Supercard of Honor earlier this month. 

Also announced for next week, Jeff Hardy will face Bobby Fish in an Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament qualifier. 

Additionally, Wardlow will be in action against a mystery opponent of MJF’s choosing next week. It was heavily suggested on this week’s show that the mystery opponent will be W. Morrissey of Impact Wrestling, formerly Big Cass in WWE.

Here is the announced lineup for next week: 

AEW Dynamite, Wednesday, May 4 —

  • ROH Women’s World Championship unification match: Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs. interim title holder Mercedes Martinez
  • Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament qualifier: Jeff Hardy vs. Bobby Fish
  • Wardlow vs. a mystery opponent of MJF’s choosing

Tony Khan: Combined AEW/ROH big event may make sense one day

Posted on by Josh Nason

A combined AEW/Ring of Honor event may happen one day if it makes sense, according to the owner of both companies.

In answering a question on a Barstool Sports podcast about the possibility of Bryan Danielson vs. CM Punk in ROH, Tony Khan said he would like to see the two lock up some day in AEW but that it might make sense down the road.

He then mentioned the possibility of a supercard of sorts down the line.

“I think we have a lot of great stars in AEW and a lot of great stars in Ring of Honor. There may come a day where it would makes sense that all the stars of AEW and all the stars of Ring of Honor come together as one and have a big event. We’ll see when that time is.”

Khan corrected host Robbie Fox when he mentioned movement between the two companies as “going down” to ROH. Khan preferred the term “laterally,” indicating that his new acquisition will not be treated as a developmental group but as an equal of sorts.

ROH titles have been on the line on AEW TV over the last week, something Khan said he sees as the best way to keep both the champions and their titles in the spotlight as they figure out their TV future.

After saying he is still working on details regarding ROH TV distribution, Khan again indicated that he has had “exciting conversations with WarnerMedia” about ROH. In talking about the video library, Khan said he wants to incentivize ROH fans to watch more content.

Khan also told a story of a “travel nightmare” getting Samoa Joe to this month’s Supercard of Honor show due to issues with flights from both Florida and, specifically, Tampa. As a result, Joe was flown in via private jet (which Joe shared on social media before his surprise appearance) which wasn’t the original plan.

When asked about CM Punk’s public reaction to him buying ROH, Khan said Punk was one of the first people to know he was looking at making the purchase and that Punk’s “reaction in real life was more choked up than when he talked to the media.”

Khan didn’t hint at what his announcement on Dynamite will be or if it will be related to ROH.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett: Tony Khan has reached out to talk potential ROH role

Posted on by Josh Nason

According to Maria Kanellis-Bennett, she and new Ring of Honor owner Tony Khan have spoken about a role for her in the company.

At the post-Supercard of Honor media scrum, Khan was asked about her interest in being involved with the AEW owner saying he would be open to having a conversation.

On a podcast appearance with PW Ponderings, the current member of the Honor No More faction in Impact Wrestling said Khan has indeed reached out with the two trying to find time to talk about a potential future.

“I’m hopeful that happens soon. I’m thankful and appreciative that he even reached out to me because I love Ring of Honor. A piece of my soul might have died a little bit when I was released from the company last year because last year was so fulfilling and I loved working with (the women’s) division. I’m hopeful that we do find a time to communicate and a lot of our friends are trying to make sure we get in touch. I will keep everybody posted as things come into play,” she said.

She said she doesn’t want to come in and run ROH, but would “love the opportunity to come in, grow and learn as Ring of Honor grows into what it becomes in the future.”

“Every company runs differently. Whether that is producing backstage or writing or being in HR or talent relations, I’m open to any of those things. I did all of them last year. We’ll see what comes of it. I’m hopeful and excited,” she said.

Her Impact deal expires following this Saturday’s Rebellion pay-per-view.

Kanellis-Bennett was part of ROH’s Women’s Division Wednesday and last summer’s Women’s title tournament.

ROH TV airs final episode on Sinclair Broadcast Group stations

Posted on by Ethan Renner

ROH TV’s 10-year run on Sinclair Broadcast Group stations has come to an end. 

This weekend’s episode of ROH TV was the final that will air on Sinclair stations, and Dave Meltzer reports that Sinclair did not have interest in continuing to air the product after selling the wrestling company to AEW owner Tony Khan. 

Dave writes: 

ROH finished up on Sinclair this weekend. So that tells you that the deal where Sinclair sold the promotion to Tony Khan didn’t include interest in keeping the show on the air. 

Sinclair purchased Ring of Honor Wrestling from Cary Silkin in a deal announced in May 2011. ROH TV began airing weekly on Sinclair-owned stations and some regional sports networks beginning in September 2011. 

Khan announced his purchase of ROH on the March 2, 2022 AEW Dynamite. He has since run one show under the ROH banner, Supercard of Honor. The ROH World title was defended on Saturday’s AEW Battle of the Belts special on TNT, and the ROH World Television title was defended on last week’s Dynamite. 

The final episode of the series aired this weekend, featuring a 2011 Roderick Strong vs. Eddie Edwards match, a Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal match from 2015, plus a Jonathan Gresham vs. Dak Draper contest from 2021. 

Jonathan Gresham injured, pulled from PROGRESS Sunday & Monday events

Posted on by Ian Carey

Jonathan Gresham is injured. 

The ROH and PROGRESS World Champion has been pulled from PROGRESS 132 on Sunday, April 17 and PROGRESS 133 on Monday, April 18. 

PROGRESS announced that Kid Lykos will replace Gresham and face Chris Ridgeway on Sunday’s show. 

On Sunday, they posted a video of Gresham announcing his injury to social media while saying he will be back at their May 15th event.

“Hello everyone. Unfortunately, I will not be able to make it to London this weekend for the Sunday and Monday events due to an injury,” Gresham says in the video. “I have not been cleared to compete. So, I do want to apologize to PROGRESS and the fans for not being able to make it this weekend. I really wanted to but my health comes first and I have to just take a little time off. Once I’m cleared, I’ll definitely be back and I really look forward to being back and working with PROGRESS and performing for you guys. So, please keep me in your prayers, I’d really appreciate it. I’ll see you all next time and thank you for understanding.” 

According to a report from Fightful, Gresham was checked out for a possible concussion following his match with Dalton Castle on Friday’s AEW Battle of the Belts II taping. It is believed he suffered the injury after taking a gutwrench suplex and landing on his shoulder and head. 

Gresham is currently scheduled to face Eddie Edwards on Impact Wrestling’s live Rebellion pay-per-view this Saturday, April 23.

Report: Jonathan Gresham signs contract with AEW

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Ring of Honor World Champion Jonathan Gresham has signed a contract with AEW, according to a report. 

Fightful reports that Gresham, 34, has signed a contract with AEW, but will continue to perform on the ROH brand. Gresham is set for action on tonight’s AEW Battle of the Belts show, which will be taped for air on Saturday on TNT. He will defend the ROH World title against Dalton Castle at the event. 

The report states that similar to Kaun and Toa Liona, Gresham’s deal is technically an AEW contract, though he remains an ROH talent. 

AEW owner Tony Khan purchased Ring of Honor in a deal announced on the March 2 edition of AEW Dynamite. The first ROH show under Khan’s ownership was Supercard of Honor, held on April 1. Gresham defeated Bandido in that show’s main event to become the undisputed ROH World Champion. He captured the title originally at Final Battle last December, but Bandido had continued to stake a claim to the title after never losing it in the ring. Bandido was stripped of the title when he was unable to defend it at Final Battle due to a positive COVID-19 test. Gresham then defeated Jay Lethal to win the vacant Championship.

Samoa Joe wins ROH Television title on AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Samoa Joe became Ring of Honor World Television Champion on tonight’s edition of AEW Dynamite.

In the main event, Joe defeated Minoru Suzuki with the muscle buster to win the championship for the first time. This ends Suzuki’s streak after 12 days, defeating Rhett Titus at ROH Supercard of Honor back on April 1.

After the match, Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt interrupted Joe’s celebration and said they had a surprise for him. They at first gave him the finger, but then the lights went out. When they came back on, former NBA draftee Santam Singh emerged behind Joe and attacked him, sending him down with a vice grip. Lethal then laid Joe out with the Lethal Injection. The show ended with Lethal holding Joe’s ROH TV title.

Joe made his debut under the AEW umbrella back at Supercard of Honor, interrupting a beatdown by Lethal and Dutt on Jonathan Gresham. The following Wednesday, he defeated Max Caster to qualify for the upcoming Owen Hart Foundation tournament that will start next month.

Kaun reportedly signs with AEW/ROH

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A new name has reportedly signed with Ring of Honor/All Elite Wrestling.

Kaun, one half of the new tag team Gates of Agony with Toa Liona that made their debut at ROH’s Supercard of Honor event, has signed with the two companies according to Fightful Select. 

Previous to the sale of Ring of Honor to Tony Khan, Kaun had been part of the Shane Taylor Promotions stable, where he was one third of the Six-Man Tag Team titles along with Taylor and former tag team partner Moses. They lost the titles to Vincent, Bateman, and Dutch at Final Battle in December. Since ROH shut down temporarily following Final Battle, Kaun had made appearances on AEW Dark.

At Supercard of Honor earlier this month, Tully Blanchard introduced Kaun and Liona as the first members of his new stable called Tully Blanchard Enterprises. Later, Blanchard introduced another member of his stable, Brian Cage, who took out Ninja Mack during the Supercard of Honor main card.

ROH Supercard of Honor brings in more than 20,000 pay-per-view buys

Posted on by Josh Nason

Last Friday’s Ring of Honor Supercard of Honor pay-per-view brought in over 20,000 buys through both streaming and traditional PPV providers.

Dave Meltzer reported the news on the post-Raw Wrestling Observer Radio.

The number does not include HonorClub, ROH’s video on demand service that gives subscribers the ability to stream live events without paying additional money. The amount of subscribers, or any information on how many viewed last Friday’s event, are unknown.

Meltzer considered the number “phenomenal” considering last Friday’s competition as part of WrestleMania 38 weekend.

The main card started at 8 PM Eastern, head-to-head with WWE SmackDown. Its final hour also went up against AEW Rampage, owned by new ROH head Tony Khan.

Additionally, there was several streaming PPVs on Friday which included New Japan’s Lonestar Shootout (6 PM Eastern), Impact’s Multiverse of Matches (10 PM Eastern) and night one of GCW Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6 (1 AM Eastern).

The show was the first PPV under the Khan regime and the first since last December’s Final Battle. It featured a highly-anticipated bout between ROH Tag Team Champions The Briscoes vs. FTR in addition to a World title unification bout between Jonathan Gresham and Bandido. Several surprises were teased by Khan before the show which included the return of Samoa Joe and a Young Bucks run-in.

Khan said attendance for the show was over 2000.

Jonathan Gresham crowned undisputed ROH Champion at Supercard of Honor

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Jonathan Gresham defeated Bandido to become the undisputed ROH World Champion in the main event of Supercard of Honor. 

Gresham pinned Bandido with a cradle to earn the undisputed title, then was immediately confronted by Jay Lethal. Sonjay Dutt entered to break the two up, but then joined Lethal in attacking Gresham. Lee Moriarty tried to save, but was taken down by Lethal and Dutt. Gresham and Moriarty were then saved by the former ROH World Champion Samoa Joe, making a surprise return to the promotion. 

Joe’s signing to AEW was then announced by ROH and AEW owner Tony Khan on Twitter. Joe will make his AEW debut on Wednesday’s Dynamite. 

Gresham officially won the ROH World title at December’s Final Battle pay-per-view, which turned out to be the final show under the old ROH regime. Bandido held the ROH title in the leadup to that event, but a positive COVID-19 test left him unable to defend the title at the show. The company then officially stripped him of the title, and Gresham defeated Lethal for the vacant title at Final Battle. 

After never losing the title in the ring, Bandido defended a version of the ROH Championship at Terminus in January, but no longer has a claim to the title after Gresham’s win. 

Wheeler Yuta wins ROH Pure title, announced as All Elite

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The new ROH Pure Champion is All Elite. 

Wheeler Yuta captured the Ring of Honor Pure Championship at tonight’s Supercard of Honor event, then his signing to a full-time AEW deal was announced by AEW and ROH owner Tony Khan on Twitter. 

Yuta defeated Josh Woods to win the Pure title after the two traded pinning combinations. 

Yuta made his AEW debut in June 2021 as an enhancement talent on Dark: Elevation, but was quickly aligned with the Best Friends group and has been a staple on television and Being The Elite ever since.

Also at Supercard, Mercedes Martinez defeated Willow Nightingale in a match to determine the interim ROH Women’s World Champion. Deonna Purrazzo remains the official ROH Women’s World Champion, but was unable to defend the title at Supercard. 

The ROH World Television Championship also changed hands at Supercard, as Minoru Suzuki defeated Rhett Titus with a Gotch-style piledriver to win the title in a short match. 

The ROH World Tag Team Championship also changed hands, as FTR defeated The Briscoes to win the titles. FTR will make their first defense of the ROH Tag titles, and also put the AAA Tag titles on the line on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite against The Young Bucks. 

In Supercard’s main event, Jonathan Gresham defeated Bandido to become the undisputed ROH World Champion. Gresham officially won the title at Final Battle in December after Bandido was stripped of the belt when unable to make a defense at the event, but Bandido made at least one defense of his version of the title at January’s Terminus event after never losing the belt in the ring. 

AEW’s FTR win ROH World Tag Team titles at Supercard of Honor

Posted on by Bryan Rose

FTR are the new ROH World Tag Team Champions.

In what became a bloody, brutal match, FTR defeated The Briscoes to win their first ROH World Tag Team Championship. The finish came when the Briscoes went for the Doomsday Device, but Dax Harwood fought out of it and dumped Jay Briscoe to the floor, allowing FTR to hit the Big Rig on Mark for the win.

After the match, the two teams shook hands and FTR left the ring, allowing The Briscoes to get an ovation from the audience. However, The Young Bucks suddenly showed up and attacked The Briscoes from behind. FTR came back and made the save and challenged The Bucks to a match right there and now. Matt Jackson agreed to the match, but said it would be this Wednesday.

The Bucks and FTR have been feuding on AEW television as of late. On this Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite, Harwood had issued the challenge to The Bucks, saying that he and Cash Wheeler wanted to prove who was the best tag team. The two have met before, with The Young Bucks defeating FTR at AEW’s Full Gear event back in 2020.

Brian Cage introduced as Tully Blanchard’s client at ROH Supercard of Honor

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Tully Blanchard has introduced Brian Cage as his newest protege.

Blanchard introduced Cage as his newest client for Tully Blanchard Enterprises during tonight’s ROH Supercard of Honor event as Ninja Mack’s mystery opponent. Cage controlled most of the match and won quickly with the Drill Claw.

After the match, Toa Liona and Kaun came out and celebrated with Blanchard and Cage. Blanchard had introduced the two as a new tag team called Gates of Agony on the Supercard of Honor Zero Hour pre-show, where they defeated Cheeseburger and Eli Isom in a squash match.

Cage, who recently had his AEW contract extended, had not been on AEW television since the October 6 edition of Rampage, where he lost an FTW title match against Ricky Starks.

Ninja Mack had been announced for Supercard of Honor prior to Tony Khan purchasing the company last month. He is a regular for Game Changer Wrestling and is also set to debut in Pro Wrestling NOAH.