Category: Ring of Honor

ROH TV results: Tony Deppen vs. Kenny King

Posted on by Skylar Russell

The Big Takeaway: Dak Draper defeated Fred Yehi, Tony Deppen upset ROH World Tag Team Champion Kenny King, and Flamita defeated Flip Gordon.

The broadcast began with Quinn McKay checking in from the studio. She previewed the three matches that are set to take place tonight and played a clip of Jay Lethal’s comments after winning the number one contendership to the ROH World Championship.

Lethal said despite losing the ROH Tag Team titles, he has a chance to redeem himself at the upcoming 19th Anniversary PPV. Lethal also hinted at the rest of The Foundation being involved in championship matches at the PPV, citing that they have a chance for a “gold sweep”.

McKay revealed later that Rhett Titus and Tracy Williams will challenge Kenny King and Dragon Lee for the ROH World Tag Team titles at the PPV.

*****

Dak Draper had pre-match comments. Draper said he respects Yehi for not letting his success get to his head, but can’t say the same for himself. Draper laughed about letting it go to his own head and called it a good thing. He finished off the promo by saying he eats success for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. 

Fred Yehi reflected on his losses in ROH. Yehi said that if he doesn’t win, he doesn’t “eat”. Yehi then acknowledged that Dak Draper is on a bit of a tear, but asked if he was ready for a hungry savageweight.

Dak Draper defeated Fred Yehi in a Pure Rules match (11:15)

Yehi and Draper adhered to the Code Of Honor.

Both men jockeyed for a position for a good minute before coming to a stalemate. Draper eventually picked Yehi’s leg and tried to keep him grounded but it didn’t work. Yehi had a moment of offense with a few chops that took Draper off his feet. Yehi remained in control as a commercial break ensued. 

Over the break, Draper retained control. Draper hit Yehi with a beautiful tilt-a-world power slam. Draper tried to capitalize but Yehi answered with a series of strikes that brought him to the ground yet again. Yehi attempted a Koji Clutch, but Draper denied it. The two men made it back to their feet and Draper nailed Yehi with a closed fist strike (which is illegal in Pure matches). Draper was issued a warning from the referee. Draper took advantage of a weary Yehi and hit a sloppy-looking Magnum K.O for the win.

******

Quinn McKay had a pre-match interview with Tony Deppen. Deppen said that one match stands between him and being the #1 Contender for the ROH Television Championship. Deppen said he knows La Faccion Ingobernable will be lurking around the ring, but he’s ready for anything.

Kenny King also had pre-match comments. King taunted Deppen for being an “Internet” favorite and dared him to step in the ring with him. King’s work in recent months has been a delight to watch. 

Tony Deppen defeated Kenny King (9:26)

King offered the Code Of Honor to Deppen but then hit Deppen with a forearm instead. King took control of the match early and dominated Deppen in the corner and on the ground into a commercial break.

Back from the break and Deppen tried to roll up King but failed. King retaliated and hit a great pop-up spinebuster for a two count. Deppen made his way back to his feet and flushed King in the jaw with a forearm, followed by a series of chops and slaps. Deppen kept the momentum going with a knee to the face that sent King reeling to the outside.

Deppen followed King to the outside and nailed him with a tornado DDT on the floor. Deppen rolled King back in and attempted a springboard dropkick, but he slipped. King then tried to hit Royal Flush, but Deppen countered and rolled him up for the 3 count. 

Immediately after the bell, LFI immediately rushed the ring and attacked Deppen. Brody King hit the ring to save Deppen but Rush showed up as well, making the odds stacked against King. LFI introduced a table to the ring and put King on it. La Bestia flew off the top rope and crashed into King through the table. The segment ended with LFI standing over King 

******

Flamita def Flip Gordon (10:02)

Gordon and Flamita traded open palm strikes to start the contest. They took the match to the outside quickly, with Flamita connecting with a moonsault off the second turnbuckle onto Gordon. Gordon rolled back in the ring and Flamita tried to dive onto him again, but Gordon caught him with a dropkick. 

Gordon maintained control for a few more minutes, eventually powerbombing Flamita off the top rope. Gordon picked up Flamita by his mask and started to taunt, but Flamita responded by spiking Gordon with a poison rana instead. Flamita went to the top rope and hit a magnificent frog splash on Gordon, but that didn’t put away The Mercenary. 

In the closing sequences of the match, Mark Briscoe appeared from under the ring and slid a chair in the ring. With the referee distracted Briscoe pulled out another chair and nailed Gordon with it, allowing Flamita to roll him up for the win. 

After the match, Gordon began beating up Flamita and ripped his mask off. Gordon taunted Flamita with the mask until Bandido and Rey Horus hit the ring, standing beside an unmasked Flamita to end the broadcast. 

*******

Final Thoughts:

This week’s episode of ROH TV was exactly what it seems like on paper: filler. The three singles contests were average or good, but didn’t really contribute to any storyline or hype for the PPV. Tony Deppen seemed a bit slow and as if his timing was off during his match. Kenny King has always been very hit or miss for me, but his recent reintroduction to LFI is good and works well for him. King has also teased being annoyed with LFI, so a break-up could be coming soon. 

Not a big fan of Tracy Williams and Rhett Titus challenging for the ROH Tag Team Titles given the ranking system, but it fits the whole “Foundation vs LFI” vibe they’re giving off for the PPV.

Unsanctioned match announced for ROH 19th Anniversary PPV

Posted on by Joseph Currier

An unsanctioned match is the latest addition to the card for Ring of Honor’s 19th Anniversary pay-per-view.

ROH has announced that Matt Taven and Vincent Marseglia will face off in an unsanctioned match at the 19th Anniversary PPV. The match will take place at PAL Hall in Fall River, Massachusetts, which is where Taven and Vincent’s professional wrestling careers began at the Lock-Up Wrestling Academy.

In storyline, Taven has been trying to get Vincent to face him in one more match. Vincent agreed under the stipulation that the match takes place where their careers began.

Taven and Vincent were formerly stablemates in The Kingdom but have been feuding since Vincent turned against Taven in November 2019. Vincent defeated Taven at Final Battle 2019 and then attacked Taven’s ankle with a steel chair. Taven & Mike Bennett defeated Vincent & Bateman at Final Battle 2020, but Vincent and Bateman attacked Bennett’s ankle after that match.

On ROH TV earlier this month, Taven took part in the four corner survival match to decide ROH World Champion Rush’s challenger for the 19th Anniversary PPV. Jay Lethal pinned Taven to win that match after Taven was distracted by Vita VonStarr. VonStarr is part of The Righteous with Vincent and Bateman.

ROH’s 19th Anniversary event will air on PPV and HonorClub on Friday, March 26. Here’s the updated card for the show:

  • ROH World Champion Rush defends against Jay Lethal
  • Grudge match: Jay Briscoe vs. EC3
  • ROH Television Champion Dragon Lee defends against Tracy Williams
  • Unsanctioned match: Matt Taven vs, Vincent
  • ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor & The Soldiers of Savagery) defend against MexiSquad (Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus)

La Faccion Ingobernable to face The Foundation on ROH TV

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Image: ROH

Top factions will face off as part of the final build to Ring of Honor’s 19th Anniversary pay-per-view.

La Faccion Ingobernable (Rush, Dragon Lee, Kenny King & Bestia del Ring) vs. The Foundation (Jay Lethal, Jonathan Gresham, Tracy Williams & Rhett Titus) in an eight-man tag match has been announced for the ROH television episode that premieres the weekend of March 20. The episode is the go-home show for ROH’s 19th Anniversary PPV.

The 19th Anniversary event is airing on PPV and HonorClub on Friday, March 26. It will be headlined by Rush defending his ROH World Championship against Lethal. Dragon Lee will also defend his ROH Television Championship against Williams at the PPV.

“The Foundation deeply believes in competing with honor and adhering to rules. Conversely, LFI prides itself on being ungovernable, winning at any cost and humiliating its opponents,” ROH wrote about the feud between the two factions.

On an episode of ROH TV last month, Dragon Lee & King defeated Lethal & Gresham in a Pure Rules match to win the ROH Tag team titles. The finish of the match was Dragon Lee pinning Gresham after hitting an illegal closed-fist punch while the referee’s attention was turned away.

Six-Man Tag Team title match set for ROH 19th Anniversary PPV

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Another title match has been confirmed for Ring of Honor’s 19th Anniversary pay-per-view.

ROH has announced that Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor & The Soldiers of Savagery) will defend their ROH Six-Man Tag Team titles against former champions MexiSquad (Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus) at the 19th Anniversary PPV. Shane Taylor Promotions won the titles by defeating MexiSquad on ROH television last month.

A Six-Man Tag Team title match between MexiSquad and Shane Taylor Promotions was originally supposed to take place at December’s Final Battle PPV, but Bandido and Flamita were pulled from that show due to pre-travel COVID-19 testing. There was an angle where Shane Taylor Promotions refused to win the titles by forfeit and said they were going to win them the right way.

Taylor pinned Flamita to get the win in last month’s Six-Man Tag Team title match. This will be the first time Taylor & The Soldiers of Savagery (Moses & Kaun) have defended the titles since becoming champions.

ROH’s 19th Anniversary event will air on PPV and HonorClub on Friday, March 26. Here’s the updated card for the show:

  • ROH World Champion Rush defends against Jay Lethal
  • Grudge match: Jay Briscoe vs. EC3
  • ROH Television Champion Dragon Lee defends against Tracy Williams
  • ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions Shane Taylor Promotions defend against MexiSquad

Television title match added to ROH 19th Anniversary PPV

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A Television title match has been added to the card for Ring of Honor’s 19th Anniversary pay-per-view.

ROH has announced that Dragon Lee will defend his ROH Television Championship against Tracy Williams at the 19th Anniversary PPV. The show will air on PPV and HonorClub on Friday, March 26.

Dragon Lee is currently a double champion in ROH. La Faccion Ingobernable’s Lee & Kenny King defeated The Foundation’s Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham last month to win the ROH Tag Team titles. Williams is part of The Foundation with Lethal, Gresham, and Rhett Titus.

Williams defeated LSG and Bandido in a three-way match that aired on the latest edition of ROH Week By Week. After the match, Williams declared that he’s coming after Dragon Lee’s TV title.

Dragon Lee has been ROH Television Champion since winning the title from Shane Taylor at Final Battle 2019. His most recent title defenses have been against Brian Johnson, Rey Horus, and Tony Deppen.

A match between La Faccion ingobernable and The Foundation members will also headline ROH’s 19th Anniversary PPV. ROH World Champion Rush is defending his title against Jay Lethal in the main event of the show.

Here’s the updated card for the 19th Anniversary PPV:

  • ROH World Champion Rush defends against Jay Lethal
  • Grudge match: Jay Briscoe vs. EC3
  • ROH Television Champion Dragon Lee defends against Tracy Williams

Jay Briscoe vs. EC3 official for ROH 19th Anniversary PPV

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A grudge match has been confirmed for Ring of Honor’s 19th Anniversary pay-per-view.

On the latest edition of ROH Week By Week, it was announced that Jay Briscoe vs. EC3 will take place at the promotion’s 19th Anniversary PPV on Friday, March 26. The match was originally supposed to happen at Final Battle in December, but EC3 was pulled from that show due to pre-travel COVID-19 testing.

EC3 returned to ROH television last month and helped cost The Briscoes a number one contender’s tag team match. The storyline was that EC3 paid off Flip Gordon to interfere in the match.

The latest episode of ROH TV featured Briscoe and EC3 both taking part in a four corner survival match to decide ROH World Champion Rush’s challenger for the 19th Anniversary PPV. Briscoe and EC3 fought to the back near the end of the match. Jay Lethal then pinned Matt Taven to get the win after Taven was distracted by The Righteous’ Vita VonStarr.

It was announced last month that EC3 has signed a contract with ROH and is making ROH his pro wrestling home.

Rush vs. Lethal for the ROH World Championship and Briscoe vs. EC3 are the first two matches that have been announced for the 19th Anniversary PPV. The event, which is ROH’s second PPV since the COVID-19 pandemic began, will be available via PPV and HonorClub. Every ROH title will be defended on the show.

Last year’s scheduled 18th Anniversary PPV didn’t take place due to the pandemic.

ROH TV results: Four corner survival match for ROH World title shot

Posted on by Skylar Russell

A video package recapped last week’s ROH World title match between Rush and Shane Taylor, including post-match comments from La Faccion Ingobernable. Kenny King shamed Taylor for thinking he wasn’t loyal to LFI. Rush came in and said whoever they decide to throw at him will be conquered just like the rest.

Dalton Castle defeated Josh Woods in a Pure Rules match (9:44)

Beforehand, Woods said he fairly submitted Castle in their last match and bragged about beating three former world champions in the past month (Castle, Jay Briscoe and Jay Lethal). Castle said he’s not trying to dwell on the previous loss, but it still is on his mind sometimes. He also admitted he was disappointed in himself and pitied himself for not being in any of the ROH rankings. 

Castle and Woods exchanged a few headlocks and waistlocks. Woods dominated the majority of the grappling ground game and eventually applied a gorilla lock which prompted Castle to use his first rope break. Castle rolled out of the ring and baited Woods to follow him which Castle capitalized on by throwing him over the barricade.

After a commercial break, Woods delivered multiple running strikes to Castle in the corner. Woods hit a beautiful butterfly suplex that got a two count. Woods applied another gorilla lock and Castle used another one of his rope breaks. Both men made it back to their feet and exchanged open palm strikes which bought Castle enough time to attempt a Bang-A-Rang. However, Woods reversed it into a roll up that got a two count.

In the closing sequence, Castle faked a back injury. Woods came over to check on him and Castle took advantage, rolling him up for the win. 

After the match, Castle left the ring quickly and a wild Silas Young appeared out of nowhere. Woods gives him a shove and asked where he had been. Young critiqued his ability to win big matches and offered to reform the “2 Guys, 1 Tag” team. Young walked off and Woods looked pretty happy to see him. It was great to see Young back.

Jay Lethal defeated Matt Taven, Jay Briscoe and EC3 in a four corners survival match to earn a ROH World title shot at the 19th Anniversary Show

This match was contested under lucha rules, meaning only two competitors could be in the ring at the same time. 

All four men adhered to the Code Of Honor except for EC3 and Jay Briscoe. Briscoe went right for him, stomping on him in the corner. They spilled to the outside while Taven and Lethal went at each other in the ring. Taven hit a nice dropkick on which sent Lethal reeling to the outside while Briscoe and EC3 got back in the ring. EC3 threw Briscoe into the turnbuckle and nailed an incoming Lethal with a clothesline.

Back from the commercial break, Briscoe caught a running Lethal and threw him into Taven in the corner. EC3 sent Taven to the outside and made himself the legal man with Briscoe. The two ran the ropes for a moment before EC3 caught him with a Thesz Press, unloading constant fists on Briscoe. Briscoe made it back to his feet eventually and both Taven and Lethal entered the ring. Every man hit a strike on one another which lead to all four being down.

EC3 rolled out of the ring and Taven went to the top rope. Lethal followed Taven to the corner and attempted to superplex him, but Briscoe yanked him off. Briscoe tried the same thing, but Lethal yanked him off. This went on a few more times before they decided to team up and suplex Taven. EC3 ran in and completed the dreadful tower of doom spot.

Lethal was the first one up and applied a figure four to Briscoe. EC3 grabbed Taven and power bombed him onto the still tangled Lethal and Briscoe. EC3 and Briscoe spilled to the outside again and brawled to the backstage area. After that, the cameras cut where we saw Vita Von Starr sitting on the barricade outside the ring. Taven was motivated and hit two running knee strikes, but still couldn’t put Lethal away. Von Starr tried to hop up on the apron a few times which distracted Taven enough for Lethal to hit a cutter followed by a Lethal Injection for the win. He moves on to face World Champion Rush at the 19th Anniversary PPV this month.

Final Thoughts:

As the build for the huge 19th Anniversary PPV continues, ROH surely earned some buys with this episode.

Josh Woods is a really good amteaur wrestler and always seems to have entertaining matches, no matter who they’re with. It’s also really nice to see Silas Young back as he’s always an entertaining promo and his work with Woods as a team is fun. The four corners survival match was a lot of fun as well. I’m starting to come around to the EC3 character now that his promos and his agenda make more sense. He’s also ripped as hell. Lethal winning was the right call as every other person in the match has something else going on. It was interesting to see him take advantage of Taven’s distraction though — something i wouldn’t consider very Foundation-like. 

Main event set for ROH 19th Anniversary PPV

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The main event of Ring of Honor’s 19th Anniversary pay-per-view is now official.

ROH World Champion Rush will defend his title against Jay Lethal at ROH’s 19th Anniversary PPV on Friday, March 26. On the latest episode of ROH TV, Lethal won a four corner survival match to be confirmed as Rush’s challenger for the Anniversary event.

Lethal pinned Matt Taven to win the four corner survival match. Taven, who is feuding with The Righteous’ Vincent Marseglia, was distracted by Righteous member Vita VonStarr leading into the finish. Jay Briscoe and EC3 were also involved in the match but fought to the back near the finish after EC3 tried to get away from Briscoe.

Rush is a two-time ROH World Champion, while Lethal has also held the ROH World Championship twice during his career. Rush regained the title by defeating PCO and Mark Haskins in a three-way match in February 2020.

On the ROH TV episode that premiered on February 27, Rush retained the ROH World Championship against Shane Taylor. Rush’s La Faccion Ingobernable stablemate Kenny King acted like he was going to stop Rush from using a chair during the match — but King instead hit Taylor with the chair himself.

King & Dragon Lee also defeated Lethal & Jonathan Gresham for the ROH Tag Team titles on that February 27 episode of ROH TV.

The 19th Anniversary event will be ROH’s second PPV since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Last year’s scheduled 18th Anniversary PPV didn’t take place due to the pandemic.

Joey Mercury files lawsuit against ROH, Sinclair Broadcasting

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Adam Birch, best known as Joey Mercury, has filed a lawsuit against Ring of Honor and parent company Sinclair Broadcasting.

Wrestle Zone reported that Birch has filed a suit in the state of Maryland against ROH and Sinclair, claiming that he was misclassified as a independent contractor rather than an employee. Birch was part of Ring of Honor as a producer from May of 2018 through October of 2019

Birch claims that he was forced to resign due to the company’s lack of concern regarding talent, and working without a “commensurate increase” in pay. Birch’s suit also claims that Sinclair and ROH failed to respond to Birch’s complaints regarding what he viewed as an unsafe working environment. He also claimed that he was paid substantially less than others who were performing the same work, and is also seeking royalties.

Birch is not the only former Ring of Honor talent that has filed a lawsuit. Last month, Kelly Klein filed a discrimination lawsuit against ROH and Sinclair, claiming sexual harassment, dsicrimination, unpaid royalties, breach of contract, and violation of state and federal equal pay acts.

Number one contender’s match announced for ROH TV

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A four-way number one contender’s match will decide the next challenger for Rush’s ROH World Championship.

ROH has announced that Jay Briscoe, Matt Taven, Jay Lethal, and EC3 will face off in a four corner survival match on the ROH TV episode that premieres this weekend (will begin airing on local affiliates starting Saturday, March 6). The winner will challenge for Rush’s ROH World Championship at ROH’s 19th Anniversary pay-per-view on Friday, March 26.

Rush retained the ROH World Championship by defeating Shane Taylor on the latest episode of ROH TV. Rush’s La Faccion Ingobernable stablemate Kenny King acted like he was going to stop Rush from using a chair while the referee was down during the match — but King then hit Taylor with the chair himself. La Faccion Ingobernable’s King & Dragon Lee also defeated Lethal & Jonathan Gresham to win the ROH Tag Team titles on that episode.

It was announced last week that EC3 has signed a contract with ROH and is making the company his pro wrestling home. He recently returned to ROH TV and continued his storyline with Briscoe. 

After Mike Bennett defeated Bateman on ROH TV in February, Taven attacked Bateman and threatened to hit Bateman’s ankles with a chair unless Vincent Marseglia would agree to face Taven. When Marseglia said no, Taven hit Bateman’s ankles with the chair and said he’ll do this every week until Vincent faces him.

The ROH TV episode that premieres this weekend will also feature Dalton Castle vs. Josh Woods in a Pure Rules match.

ROH TV results: Rush vs. Shane Taylor World title match

Posted on by Skylar Russell

The Big Takeaways:

In a big “Championship Edition” of ROH, Kenny King and Dragon Lee captured the ROH Tag Team titlesin a tainted win while Rush retained his ROH World title — also in a tainted victory.

The broadcast started with La Faccion Ingobernable backstage. Rush said that no matter who they put in front of him, the result will be the same every time. Bestia slapped a chair and repeated Rush’s sermon. Kenny King then approached and told Rush he didn’t need a chair to beat Shane Taylor. Rush argued and told King that LFI is all about pure humiliation. 

Dragon Lee and Kenny King (w/ Amy Rose) defeated Jon Gresham and Jay Lethal to win the ROH Tag Team titles (14:11)

The commentary team noted that if somebody breaks up a pinfall, it counts against their team as a rope break use. 

Lee and Gresham began with a very fluid exchange of takedowns that ended in a stalemate. After their partners tagged in, Lethal quickly locked in a figure four and King used a rope break. King tagged out to Lee who used a closed fist on Lethal and the referee issued him a warning. Lee took advantage and shoved Lethal out of the ring, following it up with a suicide dive that took us into a commercial break.

The match heated up after Lethal and King got hot tags. Gresham and Lee exchanged forearms for a good 20 seconds, followed up by a waist lock exchange that Gresham won. Gresham and Lethal tried their rolling cutter combination but Lee caught Gresham and planted him with a piledriver. King got in and nailed Gresham with a rolling brainbuster followed by a knee to the skull from Lee. Lethal broke up the pin, using one of their rope breaks.

Lethal went for a dive on King on the outside, but crashed into Rose instead. With the referee distracted, Lee used a closed fist and nailed Gresham in the jaw, picking up the pin afterward.

— Shane Taylor cut a promo, saying that people like him aren’t supposed to win the ROH World title. He wasn’t speaking about race, but rather the truth he speaks. Taylor said the way he carries himself and speaks up on social issues scares people and that’s okay. He’s grateful that the ROH fans voted him to become no. 1 contender and that he wants to become the champion that Nigel McGuinness and Samoa Joe were.

ROH World Champion Rush defeated Shane Taylor (18:14)

Kenny King joined the commentary booth for this bout.

Rush ran the ropes and Taylor bulldozed him with a shoulder tackle. Rush popped right back up, but Taylor put him right back down with a spinebuster. Taylor took the fight to the outside and threw Rush into the barricade multiple times. Taylor positioned him on the apron, planting him with a DDT to the floor to head into the break.

After the break, Rush was in control on the outside, slamming Taylor’s head into the barricade. He introduced extension cords into the match and whipped Taylor twice, transitioning into a choke using the cords. Rush rolled Taylor back in the ring and continued his dominance into another commercial break.

After the break, Rush remained in control. He hit a double stomp from the second rope, but Taylor powered out of a pin attempt at two. Taylor and Rush then exchanged forearms and headbutts with Taylor hitting a piledriver as well. Rush popped up, catching the flying Taylor and throwing him into the turnbuckle. Taylor threw Rush off of him, causing him to knock down the referee.

Bestia ran in and handed a chair to Rush. King ran in off commentary and stopped Rush in a show of respect for Taylor. But, King then swung the chair and nailed Taylor, shouting his loyalty for LFI. Rush connected with The Horns afterward for the win. 

Final Thoughts: 

The Championship Edition this week was a great watch. LFI now holds three of four championships in ROH, which I believe won’t last for long. While it does, it’s great. Faction-focused wrestling is something a lot of companies do nowadays, but ROH does it very well.

Dragon Lee is a top ten wrestler in the world and 100% deserves to hold two titles. With Kenny King hitting Taylor with a chair, it truly cements his place and belonging in LFI. While Taylor deserved to win the belt, I still think his time is coming. 

Title change on Championship Edition of ROH TV

Posted on by Joseph Currier

One title change took place on this week’s Championship Edition of Ring of Honor television.

La Faccion Ingobernable’s Dragon Lee & Kenny King defeated The Foundation’s Jonathan Gresham & Jay Lethal in a Pure Rules match on the show to win the ROH Tag Team titles. After Lethal had accidentally taken out La Faccion Ingobernable’s manager Amy Rose with a dive to the outside when King moved out of the way, Lee used an illegal closed-fist punch on Gresham while the referee was distracted. Lee then pinned Gresham to get the win.

Lee & King had defeated The Briscoes on ROH TV last week to become the number one contenders to the ROH Tag Team titles. Lee, who also holds the ROH Television Championship, is now a double champion.

Prior to losing the titles to Lee & King, Gresham & Lethal had been ROH Tag Team Champions since defeating The Briscoes at Final Battle 2019.

This week’s Championship Edition of ROH TV was headlined by La Faccion Ingobernable’s Rush retaining his ROH World Championship against Shane Taylor. Kenny King acted like he was going to stop Rush from using a chair while the referee was down during the match — but King then hit Taylor with the chair himself. After that, Rush hit a Superman Punch and his Bull’s Horns dropkick to retain the ROH World Championship.

Kelly Klein files discrimination lawsuit against ROH, Sinclair

Posted on by Josh Nason

Former Ring of Honor wrestler Kelly Klein filed a discrimination lawsuit against Ring of Honor and Sinclair Broadcasting, first reported by Heel by Nature.

In the suit filed this past Wednesday, the 35-year-old Klein is claiming discrimination and harassment, an unsafe work environment, breach of implied contract, unpaid royalties, violations of both state and Federal equal pay acts, and abusive discharge.

Klein alleges that ROH and Sinclair terminated her contract on December 31, 2019, “because of her complaints regarding the disparate pay for WHO female wrestlers, the lack of safety and medical protocols after Plaintiff suffered the concussion in October of 2019, and the sexual harassment at ROH.”

Listed in the suit was ROH general manager Greg Gilliand; Chief Operating Officer Joe Koff; booker, producer and trainer Hunter Johnson; and Jay Lethal (Jamar Shipman).

She is seeking $75,000.

In the suit, she details several specific incidents dating back to September 2016 where she didn’t receive proper treatment after matches in which she was injured, claiming medical personnel weren’t available. She also detailed a 2017 incident with Shipman leering at her while in a hot tub and asking about if she was staying alone in the hotel. When she brought these issues up, she said she learned in July 2018 that they were never brought up with Sinclair human resources and no investigation was done.

After four years with the company, ROH announced in November 2019 that they were not re-signing the former three-time Women’s champion which upset her and then-husband B.J. Whitmer with how it was handled. At the time, she said she was recovering from post-concussion syndrome. She hasn’t wrestled since a October 2019 title defense for ROH.

EC3 signs contract with Ring of Honor

Posted on by Joseph Currier

EC3 is no longer a free agent.

It was announced on Thursday that EC3 has signed a contract with Ring of Honor. ROH’s announcement stated that EC3 is “making ROH his home.”

After being released by WWE during last April’s roster cuts, EC3 made his ROH debut at a set of television tapings that took place in August. EC3, who is a former TNA World Heavyweight Champion, also returned to Impact Wrestling in July. He faced Moose in a cinematic match at Bound for Glory in October. 

EC3 was supposed to face Jay Briscoe at December’s ROH Final Battle pay-per-view but was pulled from the show due to pre-travel COVID-19 testing. On the ROH TV episode that premiered this past weekend, EC3 made his return and continued his storyline with Briscoe.

Here’s ROH’s full announcement regarding EC3’s contract:

Ring of Honor is pleased to announce that EC3 has signed with the company.

EC3, who had been pro wrestling’s hottest free agent since he hit the open market last summer, made a few appearances with ROH in the fall. He made his unannounced return on last weekend’s episode of ‘Ring of Honor Wrestling’ to confront Jay Briscoe.

EC3 and Briscoe had been scheduled to face each other at Final Battle in December, but the match was called off after EC3 tested positive for COVID-19.

Recognized as a two-time former world champion, EC3 boasts one of the most chiseled physiques in the sport and stellar speaking skills.

EC3 seized control of his narrative during his time as a free agent. A darker, more intense and more dangerous EC3 showed up in ROH declaring that he was on a quest to see if honor is real.

Now that EC3 is making ROH his home, he’ll have ample time to find out.

ROH has also announced over the past several weeks that Mark Haskins, Bandido, Amy Rose, Bateman, Brian Johnson, Sumie Sakai, Tracy Williams, The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser & Brian Milonas), Jonathan Gresham, Jay Lethal, Rush, Dragon Lee, Kenny King, Slex, and ROH Dojo trainee Sledge have re-signed with the company. Plus, Rush and Dragon Lee’s father La Bestia del Ring has signed his first ROH contract. 

ROH TV results: MexiSquad vs. Shane Taylor Promotions title match

Posted on by Skylar Russell

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

The Big Takeaway —

New number one contenders to the ROH Tag Team titles were crowned in Dragon Lee and Kenny King, EC3 made his return, and Shane Taylor Promotions defeated MexiSquad to win the ROH Six-Man Tag Team titles.

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Quinn McKay welcomed us to the broadcast and hyped this week’s card, including a star-studded main event with MexiSquad defending their ROH Six-Man Tag Team titles against Shane Taylor Promotions. McKay also announced that Shane Taylor will get an ROH World Championship match against Rush on next week’s episode. 

McKay also noted that next week’s show will feature ROH Tag Team Champions Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham defending their titles against the winner of this week’s Briscoes vs. Dragon Lee & Kenny King number one contender’s match.

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Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman were on the call this week, per usual. One of the more underrated commentary booths in all of wrestling.

Number one contender’s match: Dragon Lee & Kenny King (w/ Amy Rose) defeated The Briscoes (12:03)

King and Mark Briscoe started the match. King applied a stiff headlock early on, trying to wear down Mark. Mark fought back and tried to get King in an armbar, but King rolled to his corner and tagged out to Dragon Lee. Mark tagged out to Jay Briscoe as well.

Jay was aggressive with Lee, but Lee retaliated with seemingly triple the aggression, causing Jay to tag back out to his brother. Mark and Lee engaged in a chopping war for a moment before Lee trapped Mark in his corner and tagged out to King. King came in and was double teamed quickly by The Briscoes, with Mark hitting a flying elbow off the apron onto the floor. This took us into a commercial break.

Back from the break, King and Mark hit a double clothesline on each other which caused Lee and Jay to get ready for the hot tag. Both tags were made, Jay and Lee came in, and they exchanged stiff forearms. Jay ended the exchange by catching a running Lee in a rolling fireman’s carry slam. Jay positioned Lee on the top rope and followed him up there, but King came from behind and swept Jay’s legs, allowing Lee to perform a top rope stomp on Jay. Lee followed it up with a diving top rope stomp, but Jay kicked out.

King tagged in and hit a beautiful leg hook suplex and then applied a submission on the leg of Jay, but Mark came off the top rope with a flying elbow drop on King. 

The final sequences of the match saw Jay hold down King as Mark went to the top rope, but Flip Gordon ran in out of nowhere and kicked Mark as he was on the top rope, allowing for King to roll up Jay for the win.

As The Briscoes were heading to leave, EC3’s music hit. EC3 came out and said that he sees more in Jay then what he’s doing now. He also said there’s no honor in the almighty dollar, implying that he paid off Gordon to attack The Briscoes. EC3 told Jay to control his own narrative and chase the ROH World Championship. 

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Mike Bennett defeated Bateman (w/ Vita Von Starr)

Bennett immediately opened the match with a running spear. Bateman tried to recover on the outside, but Bennett followed him and stayed on the attack. Bennett went to spear Bateman through the barricade — but he moved out of the way just in time, sending Bennett shoulder-first into the barricade. Bateman stayed in control, launching Bennett throat-first into a piece of metal underneath the apron mat. This took us into a commercial break. 

Both men were back in the ring as we came back from the commercial.

Bennett and Bateman engaged in a chopping war that turned into a constant exchange of forearms, ending with both down and out. Bateman nailed Bennett with a brainbuster that only got him a two count. Bennett got right back up and speared Bateman. Bennett then followed up the spear with a piledriver for an anticlimactic win. 

After the match, Matt Taven ran into the ring and began nailing Bateman with punches. Taven introduced a wooden block and a chair into the ring while Bennett held Bateman down. Taven grabbed a microphone and told Vincent that he can stop all of this now if he agrees to another match. 

Vincent appeared on the video screen and told Taven something he never gets to hear: No. Taven proceeded to smash the chair into Bateman’s ankle and told the camera that he’ll do this every week until Vincent agrees to a match. 

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Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor & The Soldiers of Savagery) defeated MexiSquad (Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus) to win the ROH Six-Man Tag Team titles

Maria Kanellis-Bennett joined the commentary booth for this match. 

Taylor and Horus started the bout, but all hell broke loose quickly as Moses and Kaun jumped in to fight off Bandido and Flamita. The whole match spilled outside quickly and Taylor clocked Bandido with a forearm to the skull. Kaun unloaded a few chops on Flamita as referee Todd Sinclair restored control and brought the match back in the ring. 

Kaun and Flamita exchanged a few strikes and reversals before Kaun tagged out to Moses. Bandido tagged in and dropkicked Moses, but it didn’t rattle the big man. Moses leaped over Bandido and then bulldozed him with a clothesline. Taylor tagged in along with Horus. Taylor demolished Horus with a brutal shoulder tackle that took us into a commercial break.

Back from the break, Moses and Horus were the legal men. Horus sprung off the top rope and planted Moses with a spinning DDT. Moses and Horus both got the hot tags to their respective partners Bandido and Taylor. Taylor tried to take down Bandido, but he ducked out of the way multiple times. Flamita tagged in and sprung off the top rope and then off Bandido’s shoulders to complete a hurricanrana on Taylor. MexiSquad took advantage of Shane Taylor Promotions being on the outside and all took turns diving onto the group. 

All three members of MexiSquad took their turns performing signature moves on Kaun in the ring. Taylor made the tag and began using bodies against bodies, catching Bandido’s kick and sending it into Horus instead. Taylor sent both Bandido and Horus out of the ring while Moses flew onto them with a running cannonball from the apron.

Taylor took advantage of Bandido and Horus being out by spiking Flamita with his Welcome to The Land piledriver for the win.

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Final Thoughts —

Another week, another great episode of ROH TV. It’s like clockwork at this point. The first point I’m going to make is that Dragon Lee is a top 10 wrestler in the world, bar none. ROH is very fortunate to have him on the roster and it’s a genuine pleasure to write about him every week. I’m not quite sure that Kenny King fits into the La Faccion Ingobernable stable or vibe, but they’ve only been together a few times so hopefully chemistry will be built.

Bennett vs. Bateman was good, but the focal point was the aftermath where Taven crushed Bateman’s ankle. I suppose this leads to one last match between Taven and Vincent, hopefully with a big stipulation. 

Ever since i began writing these ROH TV recaps, Shane Taylor and The Soldiers of Savagery have stood out like nobody else. Taylor has vastly improved as a wrestler and as a talker, almost weekly it seems. Moses and Kaun are guys who only joined the ROH Dojo system in early 2019, so to see them come full circle and win their first titles in ROH is impressive as hell. I would have preferred the match to get a little bit more time, but the outcome was still correct and doesn’t hurt MexiSquad at all.