New Six-Man Tag Team Champions were crowned on the latest episode of Ring of Honor television.
In the main event of the ROH TV episode that premiered this past weekend, Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor & The Soldiers of Savagery) defeated MexiSquad (Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus) to win the ROH Six-Man Tag Team titles. Taylor pinned Flamita to get the win after hitting his Welcome to The Land sit-out piledriver.
The Six-Man Tag Team title match was originally supposed to take place at December’s Final Battle pay-per-view, but Bandido and Flamita were pulled from the PPV due to pre-travel COVID-19 testing. Taylor & The Soldiers of Savagery (Moses & Kaun) were interviewed at Final Battle and declined to win the Six-Man Tag Team titles via forfeit. Taylor said they wanted to win the titles the right way.
Taylor instead defeated Jay Briscoe in a singles match at Final Battle. Shane Taylor Promotions also defeated The Foundation (Jay Lethal, Jonathan Gresham & Tracy Williams) on ROH TV last month.
Prior to losing the titles to Shane Taylor Promotions, MexiSquad had been ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions since January 2020.
The episode of ROH TV that premieres this coming weekend will be headlined by Taylor challenging for Rush’s ROH World Championship. Lethal & Gresham will also defend their ROH Tag Team titles against La Faccion Ingobernable’s Dragon Lee & Kenny King in a Pure Rules match on the episode.
In the opening match, LSG defeated Tony Deppen. The Foundation then took on each other in a great six-man tag team main event.
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This week’s broadcast began with a Jay Lethal-led promo from The Foundation. Lethal said that tonight’s main event is about honor and showing the rest of the roster that there are rules in professional wrestling.
Lethal then decided to shake things up, announcing that he, Wheeler Yuta & Rhett Titus will take on the team of Jonathan Gresham, Tracy Williams & Fred Yehi tonight. Lethal also said that it doesn’t matter who is on which side, but rather the unity that The Foundation holds. It seems that Yehi and Yuta are now associated with The Foundation.
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Quinn McKay checked in from the studio following The Foundation’s promo. McKay noted that this week’s six-man main event pitting two sides of The Foundation against each other is a response to the chaos in last week’s eight-man tag match between La Faccion Ingobernable & Flip Gordon and Brody King, PCO & The Briscoes.
McKay also revealed that tonight’s episode will mark the first time we’ve seen Tony Deppen back in Ring of Honor since Final Battle.
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Speaking of Deppen, he had a promo next. Deppen claimed that a lot of fans and even some on the roster doubted his ability to win at Final Battle, but he proved everyone wrong. Deppen went on to say that this is his opportunity to earn a place on the ROH roster.
LSG also had a pre-match promo. He said that despite wrestling for 15 years, 2020 was his first time wrestling on Final Battle. LSG said while he respects Deppen’s time on the independent scene, he doesn’t think Deppen can hang with the big leagues.
LSG defeated Tony Deppen (11:57)
Deppen and LSG exchanged roll-through pin attempts to begin the match before rolling to the outside and exchanging stiff strikes. LSG rolled Deppen back in and attempted an O’Connor Roll, but Deppen launched him into the ropes instead. LSG became significantly more aggressive after this and ended up yanking Deppen’s feat from underneath him on the apron, causing him to fall face-first into the apron. LSG then threw Deppen into the barricade and rolled back in the ring.
Deppen finally made it back in the ring and got some momentum on his side, releasing some open hand palm strikes on LSG’s skull. Deppen then charged LSG in the corner with the double knees, but it only warranted a two count.
LSG and Deppen engaged in a war of chops, with LSG getting the upper hand and hitting his finisher Rocka-Bye-Baby, but it still didn’t put Deppen away. LSG continued the dominance of his opponent, following up two pump kicks with his signature spinning Torture Rack slam for the win.
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McKay sat down with both Briscoe brothers. Mark and Jay exchanged a metaphorical message about how Jay jumped off a metaphorical boat, a boat that Mark named the “S.S. World Tag Team Championships,” Mark claimed that he jumped off to swim after EC3, but Jay denied it. The metaphor ended with Jay and Mark seemingly making up.
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Jay Lethal, Wheeler Yuta & Rhett Titus defeated Jonathan Gresham, Tracy Williams & Fred Yehi (17:47)
Lethal and Williams began the match. After Williams trapped Lethal on the mat fast with a crab lock, Lethal tagged out quickly to Titus. Titus got an edge on Williams quickly, cinching in a headscissors lock. This startled Williams and caused him to tag in Yehi. Yehi slammed Titus a few times and caused him to tag out to Yuta.
Yuta and Yehi exchanged a few holds and strikes before Yehi tagged in Gresham. Yuta and Gresham did the same, exchanging some holds and wristlocks before Yuta tagged out to Lethal. Lethal and Gresham picked up the pace significantly here and exchanged multiple strikes and holds. Lethal ended up getting the better of Gresham and began countering anything he threw at him.
While still in control, Lethal tagged out to Titus and Titus tried to take advantage of a down Gresham. Titus tagged Lethal back in for a double-team move, but Gresham wheelbarrowed out of a suplex attempt by Lethal and sprung up and hit a cutter on Titus. Lethal tagged out to Yuta while Gresham tagged out to Yehi. Yehi went to work fast, hitting a stutter brainbuster on Yuta. Williams and Yehi then hit a nice double-team maneuver where Williams threw Yuta into Yehi’s clothesline.
After a few more tags, Gresham and Titus became the legal men. They both exchanged very stiff forearms before Gresham got the advantage by sweeping the legs out from Titus and tagging in Yehi. Yehi came in and bulldozed Titus, but he recovered quickly and tagged out to Yuta. Yuta sprung off the top rope and nailed Yehi with a flying DDT.
Yuta tagged out to Lethal and he went for a Lethal Injection on Yehi, but Gresham pushed Yehi out of the way and took it himself. Titus came in and nailed Yehi with a standing dropkick to get the win.
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Final Thoughts —
This week’s episode of ROH TV was a tale of two halves. The opening contest featuring Tony Deppen against LSG just didn’t do it for me. LSG seemed off at times and like he couldn’t keep up with Deppen. And after going toe-to-toe with Dragon Lee, i felt like Deppen deserved the win here. Watching LSG as a part of the Coast2Coast tag team for the past couple of years, he really has never wowed me as a wrestler.
The main event contest pitting two halves of The Foundation against each other was brilliant. There was some obvious tension at times between the two sides which is always nice to see. This was also Fred Yehi’s showcase match to shine, he absolutely killed it and should be an official member of The Foundation. My only complaint about the main event was that Gresham got dominated a bit too much, but I’m sure he was just letting other guys shine.
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Next Week on ROH TV —
ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions MexiSquad (Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus) defend against Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor & The Soldiers of Savagery)
Ring of Honor will return to pay-per-view on Friday, March 26th with their 19th Anniversary event, announced by the company on Monday.
They held just one PPV in 2020 (December’s Final Battle) and had to cancel last March’s 18th Anniversary show and April’s Supercard of Honor shows due to the pandemic.
All five championships (held by World Champion Rush, Tag Team Champions Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham, Pure Champion Gresham, TV Champion Dragon Lee and Six-Man Tag Team Champions Rey Horus, Flamita, Bandido) will be defended on the show.
The event kicks off at 8 PM Eastern with the first hour airing for free on their social media channels, Fite.TV, YouTube, and Honor Club among others before the PPV starts at 9 PM Eastern. It’s believed the event will be taped as ROH said the show will be a total of four hours.
December’s Final Battle saw Rush defend the World title with a win over Brody King.
A title match that was originally scheduled for Final Battle will now take place on ROH television later this month.
ROH has announced that Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor & The Soldiers of Savagery) will challenge for Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus’ ROH Six-Man Tag Team titles on the ROH TV episode that premieres the weekend of Saturday, February 20.
Shane Taylor Promotions were set to challenge for the Six-Man Tag Team titles at December’s Final Battle pay-per-view, but Bandido and Flamita were removed from the show due to pre-travel COVID-19 testing. Taylor and The Soldiers of Savagery (Moses & Kaun) were interviewed at Final Battle and refused to win the Six-Man Tag Team titles by forfeit. Taylor said they wanted to win the titles the right way.
Taylor instead defeated Jay Briscoe at Final Battle. Horus defeated Dalton Castle at the PPV.
Shane Taylor Promotions defeated The Foundation (Jonathan Gresham, Jay Lethal & Tracy Williams) in a six-man tag match on an episode of ROH TV in January.
Taylor is also challenging for Rush’s ROH World Championship on the ROH TV episode that premieres the weekend of Saturday, February 27.
Bandido, Flamita & Horus have been ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions since January 2020.
Mike Bennett vs. Bateman will also air on the February 20 episode of ROH TV.
One year after first arriving in the promotion, Slex has signed a new contract with Ring of Honor.
It was announced on Thursday that Slex has re-signed with ROH. Slex, who is from Melbourne, Australia, hasn’t been able to wrestle for ROH since February of last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ROH stated that they remain committed to Slex and the rest of their international talent.
Slex had been set to face Jeff Cobb at ROH’s 18th Anniversary last March, but that event was canceled due to the pandemic. Cobb was replacing Adam Brooks in that match. Brooks is also from Australia and had been pulled from the 18th Anniversary PPV due to travel issues prior to it being canceled.
Slex made his ROH debut against Flip Gordon last February and has had three matches for ROH in total.
Here’s ROH’s full announcement regarding Slex’s new contract:
Ring of Honor is pleased to announce that Slex has re-signed with the company.
Despite the Australian star not having competed in ROH in nearly a year due to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic, the company remains committed to him and the rest of its international talent.
Known as ‘The Business,’ Slex signed with ROH at the end of 2019 and made his ROH debut last February.
The Melbourne native is one of the top stars in his home country. Slex was the first Melbourne City Wrestling (MCW) Heavyweight Champion and is one of only three men to have won the title on multiple occasions.
He’s a two-time holder of the MCW Intercommonwealth Championship and also has competed for New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
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, and ROH Dojo trainee Sledge have also recently re-signed with ROH, while Rush and Dragon Lee’s father La Bestia del Ring has signed his first contract with the company.
ROH has announced a new contract for another member of their roster.
It was announced on Wednesday that Kenny King has re-signed with ROH. King’s La Faccion Ingobernable stablemates ROH World Champion Rush, ROH Television Champion Dragon Lee,, and Amy Rose have also re-signed with ROH, while La Faccion Ingobernable’s La Bestia del Ring has signed his first contract with the company.
King is a two-time former ROH Television Champion and a former ROH Tag Team Champion.
Ahead of December’s Final Battle pay-per-view, ROH announced that King wouldn’t be appearing on the show due to pre-travel COVID-19 testing.
Here’s ROH’s full announcement regarding King’s new contract:
Ring of Honor is pleased to announce that Kenny King has re-signed with the company.
The announcement comes on the heels of King’s fellow La Faccion Ingobernable members — RUSH, Dragon Lee and Bestia del Ring — signing new ROH contracts.
Smooth in the ring and on the microphone, King has long been one of ROH’s most complete competitors.
King is a two-time former ROH World Television Champion and former ROH World Tag Team Champion. He won the Honor Rumble at G1 Supercard in 2019 before a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden.
King’s first stint in ROH was from 2007 to 2012. He returned in 2015 and has been with the company ever since.
Mark Haskins, Bandido, Bateman, Brian Johnson, Sumie Sakai, Tracy Williams, The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser & Brian Milonas), Jonathan Gresham, Jay Lethal, and ROH Dojo trainee Sledge have also recently signed new contracts with ROH.
ROH has set a date for Rush and Shane Taylor’s ROH World Championship match.
On the latest edition of ROH Week By Week, it was announced that Rush vs. Taylor for the ROH World Championship will air on the ROH television episode that premieres the weekend of Saturday, February 27. Jonathan Gresham & Jay Lethal will also defend their ROH Tag Team titles on that episode. Gresham & Lethal’s challengers haven’t been announced.
Taylor won a fan poll on ROH’s The Experience Facebook group to get the World title shot.
Rush is a two-time ROH World Champion. He regained the title by defeating PCO and Mark Haskins in a three-way match in February 2020. Rush’s most recent title defense was against Brody King in the main event of December’s Final Battle pay-per-view.
Taylor defeated Jay Briscoe at Final Battle. Shane Taylor Promotions (Taylor & The Soldiers of Savagery) were originally supposed to challenge Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus for the ROH Six-Man Tag Team titles at that PPV, but Bandido and Flamita were removed from the show following pre-travel COVID-19 testing. Taylor did an interview at Final Battle where he declined to win the SIx-Man Tag Team titles by forfeit. Taylor said they want to win the titles the right way.
Shane Taylor Promotions defeated The Foundation (Lethal, Gresham & Tracy Williams) in a six-man tag match on an episode of ROH TV last month. Taylor pinned Lethal to win the match.
ROH also announced on Tuesday that Rush and ROH Television Champion Dragon Lee have re-signed with the company. Their father La Bestia del Ring has also signed a contract with ROH. The latest episode of ROH TV was headlined by Rush, Dragon Lee, Bestia del Ring & Flip Gordon going to a no contest with King, PCO & The Briscoes.
ROH World Champion Rush and ROH Television Champion Dragon Lee have both re-signed with Ring of Honor.
ROH announced on Tuesday that Rush and Dragon Lee have signed new contracts with the company. Their father La Bestia del Ring, who made his ROH debut at December’s Final Battle pay-per-view, has also signed a contract with ROH.
Rush is a two-time ROH World Champion, with his current reign with the title beginning when he defeated PCO and Mark Haskins in a three-way match in February 2020. Rush retained the ROH World Championship against Brody King at Final Battle this past December due to interference by Dragon Lee and Bestia del Ring.
Dragon Lee has been ROH Television Champion since winning the title from Shane Taylor at Final Battle 2019. Lee retained the title against Tony Deppen at Final Battle 2020 and against Rey Horus on an episode of ROH television last month.
Rush, Dragon Lee, and Bestia del Ring are part of La Faccion Ingobernable with Kenny King and Amy Rose.
This week’s episode of ROH TV was headlined by Rush, Dragon Lee, Bestia del Ring & Flip Gordon going to a no contest with King, PCO & The Briscoes.
Amy Rose, Mark Haskins, Bandido, Bateman, Brian Johnson, Sumie Sakai, Tracy Williams, The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser & Brian Milonas), Jonathan Gresham, Jay Lethal, and ROH Dojo trainee Sledge have also recently signed new contracts with ROH.
Tracy Williams put down the newly reinvented World Famous CB in a Pure Rules match. In the main event, La Faccion Ingobernable fought to a brutal no contest with Brody King, PCO & The Briscoes.
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Quinn McKay welcomed us to the show, per usual. She revealed the stacked main event, pitting La Faccion Ingobernable & Flip Gordon against Brody King, PCO & The Briscoes. McKay also announced the opening match on the card: Tracy Williams vs. The World Famous CB (formerly known as Cheeseburger). It seems as though Cheeseburger has been repackaged which is a good move on ROH’s part.
McKay then shifted the focus to last week’s broadcast. We got a recap of the Vincent/Beer City Bruiser incident where Bruiser seemingly turned heel after smashing a bottle over Matt Taven’s head.
Some post-match comments aired from Beer City Bruiser as well. Bruiser essentially said he was tired of being second and being everybody’s bitch. Brian Milonas approached him and questioned his actions, but Bruiser walked away.
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Tracy Williams had a pre-match promo. He said that The Foundation’s goal is to take underutilized professional wrestlers and show them the light of being a Pure wrestler. Williams pointed to stablemate Rhett Titus as an example of this. Williams also noted that he realizes the talent of “World Famous CB” and he won’t be taking him lightly.
The World Famous CB also had some pre-match comments. CB said that the Cheeseburger gimmick is in the past — and that it was the best and worst thing to ever happen to him. He also said that joining the Pure division will help him break through the glass ceiling that the Cheeseburger gimmick set for him.
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Tracy Williams defeated The World Famous CB in a Pure Rules match (13:04)
CB and Williams tangled up early with Williams getting the advantage, locking in multiple headlocks. As commentary noted, Williams had a great reach advantage over CB and it showed.
After a commercial break, CB began to regain some control in the match as he worked on the arm of Williams. CB jumped on Williams’ back and instead of using a sleeper hold, he cinched both arms behind Williams’ back. Williams bit down on the rope, causing him to use his first rope break.
Williams regained his position quickly after, hitting a series of suplexes and then attempting his crossface. CB got his foot on the rope before Williams could lock it in, costing CB his first rope break. CB tried to submit Williams with an armbar, but he used his second rope break. The match sped up after that, with CB getting in some signature offense including a standing superkick. Williams ended up regaining his composure and spiking CB with a piledriver for the win
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La Faccion Ingobernable (ROH World Champion Rush, ROH Television Champion Dragon Lee & La Bestia Del Ring) & Flip Gordon vs. Brody King, PCO & The Briscoes ended in a no contest (14:23)
Amy Rose joined the commentary team for this match.
An interesting note before the match: Mark and Jay Briscoe came out separately.
Mark Briscoe and Gordon began the match. Gordon had the advantage early on, but Mark turned it around and powerslammed Gordon. LFI jumped off the apron while Gordon was getting beat down and began admiring each other’s hair. Jay Briscoe tagged in and stomped on Gordon in the corner. He threw Gordon out of the ring, but LFI tossed him right back in and laughed.
King tagged in and chucked Gordon out of the ring, but LFI again tossed him right back in and taunted. Jay Briscoe tagged back in and ran into a flying Gordon. Gordon tried to extend his arm for a tag, but all three members of LFI jumped off the apron instead. Mark Briscoe came in and hit the Redneck Boogie on Gordon and tried to pin him, but LFI came in and all hell broke loose.
Rush took a chair and drove it into King’s knee and followed that up with taking an extension cord and whipping it into King’s knee as well. LFI positioned King on the apron and draped him while Lee stomped on him and sent him to the floor. Lee and PCO were the legal men after the chaos. But when PCO went to dive on LFI on the outside, they shoved Gordon in harm’s way.
In the final moments of the match, King and Lee had an exchange in the ring that saw Lee get the best of King with help from LFI. Mark Briscoe set up a chair in the ring and dove onto a pile of practically everybody in the match. King positioned Rush on a table and instructed PCO to go to the top rope, which he did. PCO then crashed into the table by himself after Rush moved out of the way. Finally, referee Todd Sinclair called the match a no contest as all hell continued to break loose.
After security and multiple ROH officials rushed the ring to put a stop to the chaos, the cameras cut backstage to The Foundation. Jonathan Gresham and company shook their heads as the broadcast went off the air.
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Final Thoughts —
Another Monday and another great showing for ROH. Seeing Cheeseburger repackaged was something i didn’t expect, but it was for the better. CB put up a great fight against Tracy Williams and i hope he is a future player in the Pure division.
I’m also glad we saw the return of ROH World Champion Rush and his faction. They’re absolutely phenomenal heels and do a lot for the ROH product. They just need to be on TV more. The dynamic of the match with them letting Flip Gordon getting beat up by himself early was brilliant. The match was an absolute war and one of my favorites so far this year. The no contest finish was the right move, as well. All in all, this was my favorite ROH TV episode of 2021 so far.
Former ROH World Champion and current ROH Tag Team Champion Jay Lethal has signed a new contract to remain with the company.
It was announced on Wednesday that Lethal has re-signed with Ring of Honor. Lethal currently holds the ROH Tag Team titles with ROH Pure Champion Jonathan Gresham and is part of ROH’s The Foundation stable with Gresham, Tracy Williams, and Rhett Titus.
Gresham and Williams are also among the wrestlers to have recently re-signed with ROH. Since the start of January, ROH has announced that Mark Haskins, Bandido, Amy Rose, Bateman, Brian Johnson, Sumie Sakai, Williams, The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser & Brian Milonas), Gresham, and Lethal have re-signed with the promotion.
Lethal made his ROH debut in 2003. He departed the company in 2006 and has been part of the ROH roster since returning in 2011. He’s held the ROH World Championship and ROH Television Championship twice previously and is also a former ROH Pure Champion.
ROH’s full announcement regarding Lethal’s new contract is available below:
Ring of Honor is pleased to announce that Jay Lethal has re-signed with the company.
Lethal is rightfully regarded as ‘The Franchise’ in ROH. The Elizabeth, N.J., native made his debut with the company as a teenager in 2003 and is the only man to have held all three singles championships — the World Title, World Television Title, and Pure Title.
Lethal also is the only man to hold the ROH World and World Television titles simultaneously. He is a two-time winner of both of those championships and holds the record for most days as champion for each title.
His first stint in ROH was from 2003 to 2006. He returned in 2011 and has been with the company ever since. In his mid-thirties, Lethal is still in his prime and continues to be the measuring stick in ROH.
Currently, he is one-half of the ROH World Tag Team Champions with Jonathan Gresham. Lethal and Gresham are members of The Foundation, a quartet of outstanding technical wrestlers whose mission is to ‘restore honor’ to ROH.
Jonathan Gresham defeated Joe Keys in a Pure Championship match, while The Bouncers fell to The OGK in tag team action. After being goaded by Vincent, Beer City Bruiser smashed a beer bottle over Matt Taven’s head in the show-closing angle.
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Per usual, Quinn McKay welcomed us to the program and ran down the card. Jonathan Gresham is defending his Pure Championship against Joe Keys and The Bouncers are squaring off with The OGK.
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Keys had a pre-match video package. Keys revealed that the ROH Dojo participants didn’t have much faith in the system until Gresham took over and went to bat for them. He got emotional at one point, noting that his original trainer RJ Meyer tragically passed away a few months ago. Keys dedicated the match to him and the rest of the ROH Dojo.
Gresham also had some comments before the match. Gresham touted the success of The Foundation at Final Battle. He shamed Flip Gordon for even trying to become a pure wrestler, saying it takes years and years to master that craft.
Gresham applauded Keys for earning a Pure Championship shot and dared him to come at the throne. Gresham’s promo skills have turned the corner since coming back — he’s showing real confidence and ease with the microphone.
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ROH Pure Champion Jonathan Gresham submitted Joe Keys to retain his title (12:42)
Dak Draper joined the commentary team before the match.
The Code of Honor was adhered to.
After a few seconds of back and forth, Gresham locked in a leg head lock on Keys. Keys almost immediately used his first rope break. Gresham stood Keys up and shook his hand, separating themselves and locking up again. Gresham started a shoulder tackle battle that Keys ended up winning.
Gresham and Keys exchanged forearms to the skull before Gresham began targeting the shoulder of Keys. Gresham cinched in a head scissors submission, but Keys escaped quickly and turned it into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Keys took advantage of the situation and turned Gresham’s attempt at a small package into a beautiful deadlift suplex. Keys kept on the attack, lifting Gresham into a deadlift German suplex.
Keys attempted a Boston crab that didn’t look very good, but it forced Gresham to use his second rope break. Keys kept the speed on and went to the top rope, then flew onto Gresham with a flying headbutt. Keys attempted a pin, but Gresham used his third and final rope break. This was only the second time Gresham has used three rope breaks in a Pure match. He gave Keys a lot in this match.
In the final sequence, Keys missed a diving headbutt and Gresham took advantage, twisting the arm of Keys behind his back and making him submit.
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Mike Bennett was shown backstage getting his ankle taped up. Matt Taven approached him and told him constantly that he didn’t have to go out there tonight and compete. Bennett waived Taven off and told him he’d be out there.
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Danhausen had a promo introducing himself to the ROH fans. Danhausen said he wanted to become a wrestler because it gets him on television and makes him famous in order to take over the world. Danhausen also said he doesn’t swear because it’ll get him taken off TV. He called Brian Johnson an idiot for challenging him again.
Johnson had some words for Danhausen. Johnson said the problem with ROH is that nobody is talking about him. He called the fans clowns for getting Danhausen a contract and said he sacrificed his life for the business. Johnson claimed that Danhausen’s tombstone will read “Mecca vs. Everybody.”
It was announced that the Danhausen vs. Johnson rematch will be a match streamed on HonorClub and YouTube. This doesn’t really make much sense in my eyes, since the hype for it got 10 minutes of TV time.
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The Bouncers hyped themselves up before their match with The OGK. Beer City Bruiser said that their quest to the ROH Tag Team titles starts tonight. Brian Milonas said they’re done messing around and they’re serious contenders now.
Taven and Bennett had a pre match promo as well. Taven apologized to Bennett for involving him in the Vincent feud the second he came back. Bennett said it’s always been about The OGK and to not worry about Vincent anymore, as he’s banned from the building for their match.
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The OGK (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) defeated The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser & Brian Milonas) (11:56)
Milonas and Bennett started the match off. Bennett tried to test his ankle out a few times to no avail. He then tried to shoulder tackle Milonas again to no avail. Milonas threw Bennett into the ropes, causing Taven to tag in. The OGK then hit a double dropkick on Milonas.
Milonas drove Taven into his corner and tagged in Beer City Bruiser. The Bouncers were showing more heel tendencies here, which was nice to see. Bennett tagged himself in and tried to start chopping Bruiser, but Milonas tagged himself in.
After a while of tagging in and out, Bennett superkicked Milonas with his bad ankle. Taven came in to check on him, but Bruiser delivered a strong right hand to him and stomped on the ankle of Bennett. Bruiser continued to destroy Bennett’s ankle while Milonas looked on in confusion. Bennett eventually baited Milonas and Bruiser to run at him. Bennett dodged both men and sent them over the top rope and onto the floor. Bennett finally tagged in Taven, who kicked Bruiser and dove onto Milonas at ringside.
Milonas eventually regained control of the match, slamming Taven to the mat and almost getting the pinfall victory, but Bennett broke it up. Taven jumped on Milonas’ back and tried to apply a sleeper hold. Bennett then superkicked Milonas, sending him on his back and crushing Taven.
Bruiser tagged himself in and tried to bulldoze Taven, but Bennett came in and speared Bruiser. That prompted Taven to lock in “The Trendsetter” for the win.
The Bouncers tried to toast with Taven and Bennett after the match, but Vincent and The Righteous interrupted. Vincent insulted Beer City Bruiser, calling him a lost cause in ROH. He also went after Milonas, calling his 18-year career a waste.
Vincent said that Taven’s stock is at a high right now while Bruiser and Milonas are collecting lint in their pockets. Bruiser had heard enough and smashed a bottle across Taven’s head and walked off. Milonas sat there in shock as the show went off the air.
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Final Thoughts —
Another good show for ROH, but it definitely had its flaws. Gresham gave Keys a lot in their Pure Championship contest, but Keys unfortunately messed up a few key moments in the match.
Despite using about seven minutes of TV time to promote a Danhausen vs. Brian Johnson rematch (which I bought into), ROH is deciding to put the match on HonorClub and YouTube. I personally think the match belongs on TV, especially for a guy like Johnson who is trying to build his stock.
The main event was a good match on paper, but it really didn’t deliver. All involved just seemed off in their timing.
The final angle of the show was very good though. Vincent getting so far in the head of Beer City Bruiser to make him turn heel was a good way to complete the turn, as Bruiser was already showing heel tendencies. I don’t really know where Milonas goes from here though.
Though Rush will be back in an eight-man tag match next week, he’s getting to Brock Lesnar territory in terms of his championship run. He hasn’t appeared on ROH TV once since they came back from the pandemic break, only appearing at Final Battle. He should be on TV more, even if it’s just a phone promo.
Gresham and Lethal are stablemates with Tracy Williams and Rhett Titus as part of The Foundation in ROH.
In addition to wrestling for ROH, Gresham is also the head trainer of the ROH Dojo.
Gresham retained his Pure Championship against Joe Keys on the episode of ROH television that premiered over the weekend. Keys is an ROH Dojo student who won a four-man gauntlet match against fellow Dojo students Dante Caballero, Ken Dixon, and Eric Martin to get the Pure title shot.
Here’s ROH’s full announcement regarding Gresham’s new contract:
Ring of Honor is pleased to announce that Jonathan Gresham has re-signed with the company.
‘The Octopus,’ who is arguably the premier technical wrestler in the sport and has wrestled all over the world, is coming off the best year of his 15-year career.
Gresham has accomplished the rare feat of holding two ROH titles simultaneously, as he currently is the Pure Champion as well as a co-holder of the ROH World Tag Team Championship.
He was instrumental in ROH resurrecting the Pure Title last year. Gresham won a 16-man tournament to become the first Pure Champion since the title was retired in 2006.
As part of his mission to ‘restore honor’ to ROH by bringing the pure style to the forefront, Gresham formed The Foundation with Jay Lethal, Tracy Williams and Rhett Titus a few months ago.
Gresham, who made his ROH debut in the 2011 Top Prospect Tournament, also is the head trainer at the ROH Dojo.
It was also revealed in January that Mark Haskins, Bandido, Amy Rose, Bateman, Brian Johnson, Sumie Sakai, Tracy Williams, and The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser & Brian Milonas) have re-signed with ROH.
– An eight-man tag match will headline Ring of Honor television the first weekend of February.
ROH has announced that Brody King, PCO & The Briscoes will face La Faccion Ingobernable (ROH World Champion Rush, ROH Television Champion Dragon Lee & La Bestia del Ring) & Flip Gordon in an eight-man tag match on the ROH TV episode that premieres the weekend of February 6.
“LFI member Kenny King is unable to appear, so the ROH Board of Directors named Gordon to be his replacement. RUSH, Lee and Bestia are said to be less than thrilled about the board’s decision. Their reaction is understandable considering Gordon, Brody King and PCO were associates not all that long ago,” ROH’s Kevin Eck wrote.
Rush retained his ROH World Championship against King in the main event of December’s Final Battle pay-per-view. Rush won that match after interference by Lee and Bestia del Ring.
– In an interview with PWinsider, The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser & Brian Milonas) revealed that they’ve come to terms with ROH on new contracts. Beer City Bruiser & Milonas are facing The OGK (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) on the episode of ROH TV that premieres this weekend.
ROH announced earlier this month that Mark Haskins, Bandido, Amy Rose, Bateman, Brian Johnson, Sumie Sakai, and Tracy Williams have also re-signed with the promotion.
The Big Takeaway: Flip Gordon defeated Rhett Titus in a stiff Pure Rules match and Dragon Lee defended his ROH Television Championship against 1/3rd of the ROH Six-Man tag team champions Rey Horus.
We began the broadcast with Quinn McKay, per usual. She ran down the TV card. McKay also showed a contender ranking system for the Television title similar to AEW’s. In first place was Rey Horus, followed by Tony Deppen, Dak Draper, Kenny King, and LSG. McKay mentioned that this will be a regular thing going forward for all divisions in ROH. I like this a lot and it should work out for ROH a lot better than it does for AEW.
McKay also announced that for the health and safety of the crew, Matt Taven and Vincent are banned from appearing at the same ROH event for now. I don’t think I really care about drawing this feud out more.
*****
Rhett Titus cut a promo package before his match. He shamed Gordon for not shaking Jonathan Gresham’s hand after his loss at Final Battle. Titus also made fun of Gordon for thinking the earth is flat. He said he is going to beat the honor into Gordon.
Flip Gordon was up next and he defended his decision to not adhere to the Code Of Honor at Final Battle. He said there was no honor in the way Gresham won the match. Gordon also bragged about defeating Titus every single time they’ve wrestled each other. This wasn’t Gordon’s best promo work at all. His facial expressions really ruined it for me.
Flip Gordon pinned Rhett Titus in Pure Rules match (14:47)
Gordon again refused to adhere to the Code Of Honor.
Both men twisted up early with the end result being Titus attempting multiple pinning maneuvers with Gordon’s arms pinned to the mat. Titus maintained control afterward, wrenching in multiple armbars. Gordon eventually used his first rope break. Titus still remained in firm control of the match, locking in a Boston crab that caused Gordon to use his second rope break.
Gordon came back firing on all cylinders with a couple of open hand chops, followed by a swinging neck breaker on Titus. Gordon kept the momentum up with a stiff kick to the throat and cinching in a leg lock. Titus eventually made it to the ropes, using his first rope break to stop the hold.
Titus gave Gordon a stiff running boot in the corner that made his eyes turn inside out. Titus tried to cinch in another Boston crab after but Gordon escaped quickly. Titus went to the second turnbuckle but Gordon got up and sprung off the second rope, planting a kick square on Titus’ jaw. Titus fell to the outside and Gordon followed him and dumped him back in the ring. Gordon talked trash for a second before Titus rolled him into another Boston crab, causing Gordon to use his final rope break.
Gordon and Titus made their way back to their feet, with Gordon using a closed fist that sent Titus crashing to the mat. Gordon was only issued a warning and capitalized with a Flip-5 to get the win.
Gordon met with Quinn McKay after the match. McKay informed Gordon that due to his lack of honor and using a closed fist, he’s been suspended from the Pure Division. Gordon said he didn’t care and would join another division.
*****
Rey Horus cut a promo prior to the main event. He revealed he was trained by Rey Mysterio Sr and that he has spent his entire life in the wrestling business. Horus said despite using a lot of Lucha Libre, he’s wrestled all over the world and can adapt to any style.
Dragon Lee appeared on screen with an ROH producer. The producer mic’d him up and asked him to sit, but Lee kicked the chair and shooed away the producer. Lee said that he’s going to destroy Horus and make him feel pain like never before. Lee came across like a superstar and a badass here with a short, effective promo..
Dragon Lee pinned Rey Horus to retain the ROH TV Championship (11:14)
Before Lee could enter the ring, Horus came flying over the top rope. Horus rolled Lee into the ring and planted him with a hurricanrana DDT which only warranted Horus a two count. Horus went to the apron but Lee came flying over the top rope and took Horus out with a hurricanrana to the floor. Lee and Horus stood back on their feet and began exchanging blows to the head until the ref reached a 19 count. Both men rolled back in the ring.
Lee connected with a pump knee, but Horus retaliated with a Spanish fly. Lee eventually cornered Horus and began delivering elbows to a grounded Horus. Lee brought Horus back to his feet and attempted to dropkick him, but Horus launched him over his head and into the turnbuckle.
Horus hoisted Lee on the top rope and connected with a Spanish fly. Lee bounced back with a flurry of offense and followed it up with a running powerbomb for a two count. Lee tried another powerbomb, but Horus reversed it into a Mexican destroyer. Horus still couldn’t put him away, however. Lee rose back to his feet and delivered two running knee strikes for the win..
Final Thoughts:
ROH started off 2021 with a strong TV episode, despite a few weak points. Gordon’s promos came off really weak and forced. Dragon Lee was the highlight of this show by far, his promo was phenomenal and he’s an ELITE wrestler.
Not a fan of Gordon winning if he was just going to get removed from the pure division rankings. Speaking of rankings, I’m a big fan of them introducing a ranking system. As i said before, I feel like it will benefit ROH more than it does AEW.
After winning a fan vote, Shane Taylor is getting a shot at the ROH World Championship.
ROH has announced that “Taylor was the winner by a wide margin of a poll on the ROH The Experience Facebook group page that asked which top contender should challenge two-time ROH World Champion RUSH.” ROH wrote that they’re going to make the title match, but a date for it has yet to be set.
Rush retained the ROH World Championship against Brody King in the main event of last month’s Final Battle pay-per-view. King was announced as Rush’s challenger for that PPV after defeating Taylor in a matchup of top contenders.
Taylor defeated Jay Briscoe at Final Battle last month. Shane Taylor Promotions (Taylor & The Soldiers of Savagery) were originally supposed to challenge for Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus’ ROH Six-Man Tag Team titles at the PPV, but Bandido and Flamita were removed from the show following pre-travel COVID-19 testing. Shane Taylor Promotions did an interview on the show and refused to be awarded the Six-Man Tag Team titles via forfeit. Taylor said they want to win the titles the right way.
Rush’s second ROH World Championship reign began when he defeated PCO and Mark Haskins in a triple threat match in February 2020. Taylor is a former ROH Television Champion.
