Shane Taylor & The WorkHorsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry) defeated Schaff & Midnight Heat (Eddie Pearl & Ricky Gibson)
Kyle Fletcher (w/ Mark Davis) defeated Tony Deppen
Dark Order (Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, John Silver & Alex Reynolds) defeated The Trustbusters (Slim J, Sonny Kiss, Jeeves Kay) & Josh Woods
ROH Women’s Champion Athena defeated Skye Blue to retain the title. The match had plenty of time to build for some late drama. Post-match, Athena shook Blue’s hand before knocking her down and gloating.
Show 2:
Mark Briscoe defeated Shane Taylor
Willow Nightingale defeated Madi Wrenkowski
Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal defeated Zack Clayton & Cole Karter
Lady Frost defeated Miranda Alize
Angelico & Serpentico (w/ Luther) defeated Eli Isom & Cheeseburger
NJPW TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. defeated AR Fox to retain the title. It was on the line with the winner defending at NJPW Dominion. In a post-match interview with Dasha, Sabre Jr. said he’s the best TV Champion which brought out ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe who was ready to fight. Sydal and Daniels interrupted and offer to face the two and if either of them win, they would get a TV title shot of their own.
Gates of Agony (Kaun & Toa Liona) (w/ Prince Nana) defeated Dalton Castle and one of the Boys. Castle was thrown off that he only had one Boy.
Mercedes Martinez defeated Ashley D’Amboise. This was Martinez’s first match since last December’s Final Battle.
Action Andretti & Darius Martin defeated The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) (w/ Maria Kanellis) in a Fight Without Honor that features a trash can, chairs, ladders and kendo sticks. The crowd gave a “That was awesome chant post-match for both teams.
Thursday’s Ring of Honor on HonorClub will feature several champions in action.
ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli will defend the title against the debuting Robbie Eagles of NJPW while ROH Women’s Champion Athena will take on Angelica Risk in a Proving Ground match.
ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe will defend his championship against former ROH World Champion Christopher Daniels.
Willow Nightingale will look to return to the winner’s circle as she faces Steph De Lander (the former Persia Pirotta in NXT) while Skye Blue battles Robyn Renegade.
Komander will take on Angelico, Rocky Romero returns to challenge Lee Moriarty, Brian Cage takes on Brock Anderson, and Preston Vance goes one-on-one with Rich Adonis.
The show will also feature a ten-man tag with The Kingdom (Mike Bennett & Matt Taven) and Varsity Athletes (Ari Daivari, Josh Woods & Tony Nese) vs. Stu Grayson, Action Andretti, Darius Martin & Best Friends (Trent Beretta & Chuck Taylor).
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This week’s episode of ROH was taped in Sunrise, FL as part of the April 26th AEW Dynamite taping. Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, and Nigel Mcguinness were on the call.
Pure Rules Match: Rocky Romero defeated Lee Moriarty (w/Big Bill)
This is a nice undercard feud. While I can do without the interference in Pure matches, Romero overcoming it and using the rules to win works for me.
Romero immediately caught Moriarty in an armbar, forcing Moriarty to use his first rope break. The announcers remind us of the Pure Rules, including the fact that any interference results in immediate suspension. Romero hit a dive to Moriarty on the floor before hitting a rana in the ring for a nearfall.
Moriarty escaped a hammerlock by using the ropes to reverse the hold, but because he used the ropes, the referee counted that as his second rope break. Moriarty complained, but kept control of Romero. Romero fought out, but Big Bill swiped his foot while the referee was distracted. Romero then punched Moriarty with a closed fist, getting an official warning from the referee.
Moriarty brought Romero to the corner and hit palm strikes, but Romero slipped out and took his legs out from under him. Romero fired up, hitting a tornado DDT for a nearfall. They jockeyed for position before Romero caught Moriarty in the Diablo Armbar, forcing Moriarty to use his final rope break.
Back in the ring, Romero hit a standing Sliced Bread for a nearfall. The men traded palm strikes before Moriarty countered a traditional Sliced Bread into the Tiger Driver ’18 for a nearfall. Romero ducked a side kick and hit a jumping knee. Romero got Moriarty to the top rope and brought him down with the Diablo Armbar. Moriarty got to the ropes, but with no more rope breaks to use, Moriarty had to tap out.
ROH Women’s World Title Proving Ground Match: Athena defeated Angelica Risk
Athena adhered to the Code of Honor before immediately hitting a bicycle kick. Risk got a boot in before Athena swiftly took her down again, countering a 619 before dropping Risk down on her face. Athena superkicked a kneeling Risk. Risk got a roll up, but Athena kicked out and hit a dropkick to Risk.
Athena yelled at referee Mike Posey, but ran into a boot from Risk. Risk brought Athena down by the hair before hitting a 619. Risk went up the ropes for a crossbody, but Athena caught her and hit three consecutive Wasteland slams. She brought Risk down with the Gory Bomb into the knees before tapping Risk out with the crossface.
After the match, Athena called out Skye Blue before hitting Risk with the Skyfall onto the title belt.
ROH World Television Title Match: Samoa Joe defeated Christopher Daniels to retain
Solid, professional work from two professionals. Daniels is past being a serious threat for titles at this point of his career, but he can still put in a shift in the ring.
This is Samoa Joe’s 10th defense of the title.
The announcers note that this is the 92nd time these two men have been in the ring against each other across their careers, including facing each other for the ROH World, Pure, and TV Titles. The first advantage went to Joe, taking Daniels down with a vicious back elbow before driving Daniels into the corner with jabs. Daniels tried to fight out, but Joe brought him back into the corner before hitting the body splash/enzuigiri combo for a nearfall.
Joe slapped on a nerve hold, snapmaring Daniels down when he tried to get up and hitting a series of heavy strikes for a nearfall. Daniels peppered Joe with strikes, but Joe caught Daniels with a powerslam for a nearfall. Joe went for the Coquina Clutch, but Daniels slipped down and hooked Joe in a pin cover for a nearfall. Joe kicked out, but Daniels followed up with an STO. Joe took Daniels down with a Complete Shot off the ropes for another nearfall. Daniels called for the Angel’s Wings, but Joe powered out. Joe sent Daniels up and over with a suplex before landing the Muscle Buster to successfully defend the title for the 10th time.
ROH World Championship: Claudio Castagnoli defeated Robbie Eagles to retain
Robbie Eagles is one of my favorite junior heavyweights in New Japan, and his work here was just as impressive. I’d like to see a longer-form version of this in the future.
This is Castagnoli’s 7th defense of the title.
Eagles used his speed to take down Castagnoli, sending him to the floor with a hurricanrana. Castagnoli wasn’t happy with that, so he slapped Eagles in the face before driving him into the corner with uppercuts. Castagnoli sent Eagles up and over with a Gorilla Press before hitting a leg drop for a nearfall. Somewhere, Hulk Hogan got a shiver at someone kicking out of a leg drop.
Eagles fought out of Castagnoli’s grip before going after Castagnoli’s knee. Eagles hit a big dive to the floor before continuing the offense in the ring, hitting running knees into the corner for a nearfall. Eagles laid in the kicks, but Castagnoli took him down. Castagnoli went for the Giant Swing, but Eagles pulled himself up and over before locking in the Ron Miller Special.
Castagnoli got to the ropes, but Eagles continued the offense, landing a standing Sliced Bread for a nearfall. Eagles went for the 450 to the bad leg, but Castagnoli moved and hit a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall. Eagles avoided a big uppercut before going for a series of flash pins, none of which working. Castagnoli cut him off with a lariat for a nearfall.
Eagles got more kicks in, but as he went for another Sliced Bread, Castagnoli powered him into position for the Ricola Bomb. Castagnoli landed the Ricola Bomb for the win.
– Backstage, Dasha was with Skye Blue. She took issue with Athena sticking her nose in everyone’s business and bullying the locker room and challenged her to an ROH Women’s Title match.
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta), Action Andretti, Darius Martin & Stu Grayson (w/Alex Reynolds, Evil Uno & John Silver) defeated The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) & The Varsity Athletes (Ari Daivari, Josh Woods & Tony Nese) (w/Maria Kanellis-Bennett & Mark Sterling)
While some reviewers would complain about the number of people in and around this match, I will accept the challenge with gusto. After a scramble, Team Best Friends took down Taven with a train of offense, ending with a Grayson moonsault. Nese cut off Beretta from the apron, then tagged in and sent Beretta into the ropes with a hard Irish whip. Nese went for it again, but Taylor hopped into the corner to take the impact, allowing Grayson to tag in and run wild.
Nese cut Grayson off with a knee, which began a train of offense that everyone got in on. It ended with Grayson and Woods in the ring, with Woods sending Grayson off the top rope with a suplex. Andretti hit a dive onto everyone on the floor. Taven went to the top, but Beretta cut him off and hit a superplex to the pile of bodies on the floor.
Grayson and Daivari were the first back in the ring. Grayson set up a tag move with Andretti, but The Righteous came out to distract him. Grayson went up the ramp, but Andretti was able to hit his hanging neckbreaker to score the win for his team. Grayson explained himself to the group, and they all shared a big group hug.
– In the back, Dasha was with Athena, who blindly assumed she was the other interviewer Lexy Nair. She shooed her away before accepting Skye Blue’s title challenge.
Preston Vance (w/Jose The Assistant) defeated Rich Adonis
Vance took Adonis down with a clothesline out of the Code of Honor. As the announcers figured out what Perro Peligroso meant – Dangerous Dog – Vance took Adonis on a tour of the barricades on the outside.
Back in the ring, Adonis got a little offense in, staggering Vance with a single-leg dropkick. Vance caught Adonis with a wheelbarrow suplex before hitting a big boot. Vance locked in the Full Nelson before spinning Adonis into the discus lariat for the win.
– In the back, Action Andretti & Darius Martin were talking about their win before getting jumped by The Kingdom. They left them laying before mockingly shaking their hands.
Skye Blue defeated Robyn Renegade
The two quickly got into a pinning predicament before Renegade hit a boot to cut it off. Blue sent Renegade to the floor with an armdrag. Renegade caught Blue’s foot on an apron kick and dragged her to the floor face-first.
Renegade sent Blue into the post before sending her back into the ring. Blue fought her way back up before hitting two hurricanranas. Blue hit a rising knee and a single-leg dropkick for a nearfall. Renegade avoided a kick from Blue before driving her down and scoring a nearfall. Renegade dropped down out of the Skyfall for a flash pin attempt, but Blue kicked out and hit the Skyfall for the win.
Brian Cage (w/Prince Nana) defeated Brock Anderson
Cage took down Anderson with a shoulder block before taking him down with a powerslam. Anderson got out of the way of a splash and hit the DDT. Anderson got some shots in before dropping Cage with a bodyslam. Cage caught Anderson on a boot and locked on a sharpshooter. Anderson got to the ropes, so Cage followed with a spinning lariat and the Drillclaw for the win.
Willow Nightingale defeated Steph De Lander
Nightingale took down De Lander with a shoulder block. She followed with an enzuigiri, but De Lander cut her off as she went to the top rope. De Lander hit a big boot and a suplex for a nearfall. De Lander hit a cannonball into Nightingale for a nearfall. Nightingale avoided a charge and took De Lander down. Nightingale hit a cannonball into the corner. De Lander fought her way up but ran right into a spinebuster for the win.
Angelico (w/Serpentico) defeated Komander
A lot of people have been turning the Code of Honor into offense, and Angelico followed the trend by locking Komander into a submission. Komander escaped and hit an impressive tornado armdrag. Angelico cut off Komander before sending him into the corner with a whip. Komander avoided a running knee that sent Angelico to the floor. Komander followed him to the floor with a corkscrew moonsault.
Angelico rolled to the other side of the ring, but Komander followed him with a double jump springboard crossbody. Back in the ring, Komander hit a big sunset flip for a nearfall. Angelico went for a lucha pin of his own but only got a nearfall. Angelico went for the Razor’s Edge into the corner, but Komander reversed it into a Sunset Bomb for a nearfall.
Komander hit a rise-up rana for a nearfall. Angelico rolled to the floor, but Komander followed him again, this time with the rope-walk plancha. Back in the ring, Komander hit the rope-walk Shooting Star Press for the win.
After the match, Angelico feigned respect for Komander before Serpentico jumped Komander from behind. They laid the boots to him before Orange Cassidy and Bandido ran them off. This post-match felt like a segment for the crowd more than the TV audience.
Ring of Honor World Champion Claudio Castagnoli will be part of this Thursday’s ROH on HonorClub as he faces Robbie Eagles.
It will be a non-title affair in this first time ever matchup. This marks the ROH debut for Eagles who is a regular in NJPW and also a former NJPW Junior Heavyweight Champion.
Samoa Joe will put his ROH TV title on the line against former ROH World Champion Christopher Daniels while ROH Women’s Champion Athena faces Angelica Risk in a non-title Proving Ground match.
The ten-match show also features Komander vs. Angelico, Rocky Romero vs. Lee Moriarty, a ten-man tag team match, and more.
Here’s the full lineup for Thursday:
Komander vs. Angelico
ROH Women’s Champion Athena vs. Angelica Risk in a Proving Ground match
ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli vs. Robbie Eagles in a non-title match
ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe defends against Christopher Daniels
Rocky Romero vs. Lee Moriarty
Skye Blue vs. Robyn Renegade
Willow Nightingale vs. Steph De Lander
The Kingdom (Mike Bennett & Matt Taven) and Varsity Athletes (Ari Daivari, Josh Woods & Tony Nese) vs. Stu Grayson, Action Andretti, Darius Martin & Best Friends (Trent Beretta & Chuck Taylor)
Thursday’s Ring of Honor TV lineup will feature three champions, two of them in non-title matches.
Ahead of his title defense on Friday’s AEW Rampage against Dralistico, AAA Mega Champion El Hijo Del Vikingo will face Gringo Loco in non-title action.
ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe will defend against Colt Cabana while ROH Women’s Champion Athena will face Heather Reckless in a Proving Ground match.
Fresh off his save of The Elite on Wednesday’s Dynamite, Konosuke Takeshita will face Lee Moriarty.
Penta El Zero Miedo, one half of the ROH Tag Team Champions, will be in singles action against Nick Comoroto while Brian Cage, one third of the ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions, will take on Joey Jett.
After an alliance was formed last week, Action Andretti & Darius Martin will face The Kingdom’s Mike Bennett & Matt Taven.
Other action includes Willow Nightingale, Lance Archer, The Iron Savages and Dark Order’s Alex Reynolds & John Silver.
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Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman were on the call for this week’s edition of ROH, taped on April 12th in Milwaukee, WI as part of the live AEW Rampage taping.
The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) (w/Maria Kanellis-Bennett) defeated Action Andretti & Darius Martin
The Kingdom isolated Martin to start, taking him down with a series of strikes in the corner. Martin fought out of the corner and leapt for a tag, but Bennett caught him in a spinebuster. Andretti got a blind tag in, and after a series of dives, Andretti hit a springboard moonsault onto the Kingdom to take control. Andretti hit a springboard clothesline to Taven before following it with a bulldog for a nearfall.
Andretti went for a running attack on Taven, but Bennett cut him off and set up a double team on Andretti. The Kingdom went for the Hail Mary, but Martin tossed Taven off the ropes to cut it off. Andretti hit a corkscrew crossbody on Bennett before following up with the split-legged moonsault for a nearfall. Andretti and Martin hit a double team move before setting up stereo dives, but Maria cut off Andretti. Taven sent Andretti off the buckle to the floor, leading to the Kingdom hitting the Proton Pack on Martin for the win.
– In the back, Athena threatened all the “porcelain hussies” around the world to step up and answer her open challenge.
Nightingale was in firm control early on, sending Renegade to the floor. Renegade cut off a Nightingale kick and dropped her on the apron. Renegade laid in the shots to Nightingale in the corner before slapping her in the face. The slap fired Nightingale up as she went on the offensive, laying out Renegade with a spinebuster for a nearfall. Nightingale hit the Pounce, sending Renegade into the ropes.
As Renegade laid in the ropes, her sister Charlette Renegade tried the Killer Bees switch out spot. It only served as a distraction as Robyn Renegade went for a roll-up, but Nightingale reversed the cover to score the win. After the match, Robyn adhered to the Code of Honor, but it was only a trap as Charlette chop blocked Nightingale. The Renegades laid out Nightingale with a Hart Attack and stood tall to end the segment.
– Dasha Fuentes was backstage with Colt Cabana, who will challenge Samoa Joe for the ROH TV Title later tonight. Cabana called this the triad, as he had previously challenged Joe for both the World and Pure Titles in ROH. He didn’t know what the future held for him, but he would capitalize on tonight’s opportunity.
Lance Archer defeated Jah-C
Archer got a jump start, dragging Jah-C out to the ring with him during his entrance. Jah-C got a total of two shots in before Archer crushed him in the corner with running elbows. Archer let Jah-C try to fire up, but Archer dropped him with a reverse DDT. A short-range lariat mercifully ended this one as Archer got the win. Archer dragged Jah-C to the back to continue the beatdown.
Brian Cage (w/Prince Nana) defeated Joey Jett
Jett got some chants as the bell rang, but Cage quickly took control with suplexes. Cage hit a boot in the corner as the crowd chanted for Jett. Jett caught Cage with some strikes on the apron, but Cage cut off an outside-in cutter with a lariat. Jett got more offense in, dropping Cage with a flatliner and a running boot. Cage cut him off and quickly put Jett away with an F-5.
ROH Women’s World Title Proving Ground Match: Athena defeated Heather Reckless
Reckless came out firing with strikes, getting a one count from a standing Sliced Bread. Reckless went for a crossbody off the apron, but Athena caught her and flung her into the barricade. Athena threw Reckless into the barricade twice more before dumping her back in the ring. Reckless caught Athena in a small package for a nearfall, but Athena came back with a series of powerbombs. Athena locked on the Crossface for the quick tapout victory. After the match, Athena drove Reckless’ head into the title belt for good measure.
The Dark Order (Alex Reynolds & John Silver) defeated Cole Karter & Lee Johnson
Silver out-paced Johnson to start, leading to a Dark Order double-team. Karter tagged in but met a similar fate as Reynolds booted him in the corner. Johnson took Reynolds’ attention, which allowed Karter to send Reynolds into the barricade outside. Karter & Johnson worked over Reynolds before Reynolds fought his way to the corner for a tag.
Silver sent Johnson into Karter with a gorilla press slam. Silver powerbombed Johnson into Reynolds’ knees before the Dark Order hit their finishing double-team sequence for the win.
Penta El Zero Miedo (w/Alex Abrahantes) defeated Nick Comoroto
After some shenanigans, Comoroto overpowered Penta to take control. Penta hit a Slingblade for a nearfall before clubbering on Comoroto in the corner. Comoroto burst out of the corner with a spear for a nearfall. Penta slipped out of Comoroto’s grip and hit a backstabber before following with a double stomp for a nearfall.
Penta snapped Comoroto’s arm back with the Sacrifice armbreaker, but Comoroto fought out of the Package Piledriver and hit an ushigoroshi. Comoroto lost Penta on a gorilla press due to the damage to the arm, leading Penta to hit the Sacrifice on the other arm to score the win.
Konosuke Takeshita defeated Lee Moriarty
This was a standout match between these two, as Takeshita sold Moriarty’s arm work well in the body of this match. I always appreciate when limb work pays off in the closing stretch of a match, and Takeshita and Moriarty made sure to link all the arm work together by the end of the match.
Takeshita and Moriarty traded arm drags before Takeshita laid out Moriarty with leg lariats. Moriarty hit some chops before Takeshita dropped him with a forearm. Moriarty fought out of a Blue Thunder Bomb attempt and hit an arm breaker to send Takeshita to the floor. Moriarty sent Takeshita into the barricades with a double knee rush.
Moriarty targeted Takeshita’s arm with strikes and holds. Moriarty sent Takeshita into the turnbuckles shoulder-first, but Takeshita cut off a third attempt and started fighting back. Takeshita hit the big head-of-steam clothesline before following it up with a brainbuster. Takeshita drilled Moriarty with forearms before hitting a second rope senton for a nearfall. Takeshita went to the top rope, but Moriarty cut him off and hit a superplex.
They had a strike exchange, leading to a Takeshita German suplex and Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Moriarty caught Takeshita with a capture suplex before locking on the Border City Stretch. Takeshita rolled Takeshita up to get out of the hold and got a backslide for a nearfall. Moriarty tried to counter another German with a roll-up, but Takeshita dropped him with a Bastard Driver for a nearfall. Takeshita tried the Chaos Theory, but the arm gave out. Moriarty dropped Takeshita with a lariat, but Takeshita caught him with a German. Takeshita hit a ripcord forearm and the running knee to score the win.
El Hijo del Vikingo defeated Gringo Loco
Vikingo is absolutely incredible. I’m awed every time I see him. He brings that megastar energy as well, as the crowd was red hot for this one. Go out of your way to see this one.
These two started off quick, with Vikingo taking Loco down with a Tijeras off of Loco’s shoulders. Loco handsprung out of another Tijeras, but Vikingo sent him to the floor with a hurricane kick. Vikingo went for a dive to the floor but crashed and burned as Loco moved. Loco hit a dive of his own as the crowd chanted This Is Awesome.
Loco sent Vikingo up and over with a facebuster for a nearfall. Loco went to the top rope but missed a spinning splash. Vikingo sent Loco into the corner and went to the top, but Loco cut him off. Loco went to the top rope and brought VIkingo down with a step-over Spanish Fly. Loco followed with another facebuster for a nearfall. Loco slapped Vikingo in the face, but Vikingo answered with a superkick.
Vikingo hit a spinning back kick and another superkick before hitting a handspring to the ropes. Vikingo hit an misdirection into a springboard Tijeras that sent Loco to the floor. Vikingo hit a step-up dragonrana to Loco on the floor, before hitting an outside-in Phoenix Splash for a nearfall. Loco cut off Vikingo, but Vikingo caught him on a crossbody and hit a spinning uranage. Vikingo sent Loco to the floor and hit a ropewalk tornillo splash to the floor.
Loco caught Vikingo and hit an Alley Oop into the turnbuckle. Loco brought Vikingo to the top rope and hit a gorilla press slam all the way down for an eventual nearfall. Vikingo avoided a charge from Loco and hit a springboard tornado poisonrana before following with the double knees into the corner. Vikingo hit the 630 splash to win.
Iron Savages (Boulder & Bronson) (w/ Jameson Ryan) defeated Logan Lynch & Ren Jones
Boulder sent Jones into Lynch with a gorilla press, before Bronson dropped Jones into Lynch with a piledriver. Boulder hit a double bodyslam on both opponents before electric chair dropping his own partner into his opponents for the quick victory.
– Gringo Loco talked about how he’s zig-zagged across the world trying to get Tony Khan’s attention. Loco said after the match, Khan raised his hand and invited him back to ROH anytime. Loco may not have won the match, but earning his way into ROH was just as big of a victory.
ROH World Television Title Match: Samoa Joe (c) defeated Colt Cabana
This was Samoa Joe’s ninth title defense.
Cabana used his technique to stay out of Joe’s hands, but Joe caught Cabana with a back elbow to cut him off. Joe hit the body splash and enzuigiri combination for a nearfall. Joe worked on Cabana’s neck and shoulders, hitting a big kick and an elbow drop for a nearfall. Joe drove Cabana into the corner with strikes before setting up the Muscle Buster, but Cabana fought him off and caught Joe with a roll up for two.
Cabana dropped Joe with a big elbow before hitting the Flying Apple. A big splash from Cabana got a nearfall. Cabana went for a moonsault, but Joe got the knees up and quickly locked on the Coquina Clutch for the win.
The lineup for ROH TV this week has been announced.
The show will feature Samoa Joe defending his ROH TV Championship against Colt Cabana.
Other matches set to air on Thursday include El Hijo Del Vikingo vs. Gringo Loco in a non-title match, Athena vs. Heather Reckless in a proving ground match, and The Kingdom vs. Darius Martin & Action Andretti.
The show was filmed on April 12, 2023, from the UWM Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
ROH TV lineup for April 20, 2023:
ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe defends against Colt Cabana
AAA Mega Champion El Hijo Del Vikingo vs Gringo Loco in a non-title match
ROH Women’s World Champion Athena vs. Heather Reckless in a Proving Ground match
The Kingdom (Mike Bennett & Matt Taven) w/Maria Kanellis-Bennett vs. Action Andretti & Darius Martin
Robyn Renegade w/ Charlette Renegade vs. Willow Nightingale
The Iron Savages (Boulder & Bronson) vs. Ren Jones & Logan Lynch
Penta El Zero Miedo w/Alex Abrahantes vs. Nick Comoroto
Konosuke Takeshita vs. Lee Moriarty
Alex Reynolds & John Silver vs. Lee Johnson & Cole Karter
An eight-man tag team match has been made official for Raw’s WrestleMania 39 go-home show.
The Street Profits will team up with Ricochet & Braun Strowman as they face Chad Gable, Otis & The Viking Raiders on Raw this Monday night. It’s a preview of the men’s Showcase match that will be taking place at WrestleMania 39.
The men’s WrestleMania Showcase four-way tag match will be The Street Profits vs. Ricochet & Strowman vs. Gable & Otis vs. The Viking Raiders. There will also be a women’s Showcase match at WrestleMania 39 involving Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez, Natalya & Shotzi, Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler, and one more team that has yet to be announced.
Though they’ll be teaming together on Raw, The Street Profits and Ricochet & Strowman got into a backstage confrontation on SmackDown last night.
Monday’s Raw is taking place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The updated card for the episode is listed below:
Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa
WrestleMania weigh-in with Brock Lesnar and Omos
Miz TV with Becky Lynch, Lita, and Trish Stratus
The Street Profits, Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs. Chad Gable, Otis & The Viking Raiders
Ahead of their clash at this month’s Supercard of Honor, TV Champion Samoa Joe and Mark Briscoe will be in separate matches on Ring of Honor’s weekly HonorClub TV show.
Joe will defend the title against Cheeseburger in an open challenge while Briscoe takes on Tony Nese.
Former ROH Tag Team Champions Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal will reunite to take on Aussie Open who is looking to remain undefeated in ROH action.
ROH Six-Man Champion Brian Cage will face former TV Champion Tony Deppen while Matt Taven faces Darius Martin following the events of Dynamite where The Kingdom interfered during Top Flight’s AEW Tag Team title opportunity.
Blake Christian, AR Fox & Metalik will face The Trustbusters’ Ari Daivari, Slim J & Jeeves Kay.
Other matches include Rush & Dralistico vs. Rhett Titus & Tracy Williams, Skye Blue vs. Lady Frost, Billie Starkz vs. Miranda Alize, and Shane Taylor vs. Silas Young.
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– The show starts with Lexy Nair in the back with Samoa Joe issuing an Open Challenge for the ROH TV Title tonight to show Mark Briscoe what’s in store for him at Supercard of Honor. Well, I wonder who will answer that one.
Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman were on the call as always as the Varsity Athletes made their way to the ring.
Mark Briscoe defeated Tony Nese (w/Josh Woods & Smart Mark Sterling)
Nese jump-started the match against Briscoe while Briscoe was praying in the corner, but Briscoe quickly got himself on offense. Briscoe took Nese to the floor and threw him around before landing the Cactus Jack elbow off the apron. Sterling took Briscoe’s attention, which allowed Nese to send Briscoe into the ringpost.
Nese took the referee’s attention as Woods laid out Briscoe on the floor with a suplex. Back in the ring, Nese got Briscoe in the tree of woe before doing crunches and kicking a defenseless Briscoe in the chest. Nese sent Briscoe into the corner, but Briscoe countered with a boot. Briscoe went for the Jay Driller, but Nese got out and hit a spin kick to the head for a nearfall.
Briscoe fought out of a body scissors, but Nese hit a hot shot to Briscoe over the ropes. Nese missed a springboard moonsault, allowing Briscoe to unload with chops in the corner. Iconoclasm out of the corner from Briscoe only got a nearfall. Briscoe hit a capture suplex and the big neckbreaker for a nearfall. Nese slipped out of a Redneck Boogie attempt, but Briscoe hit a brainbuster.
Nese escaped another Jay Driller attempt, but Briscoe caught Nese with the Spicolli Driver. Briscoe hit the Froggy Bow to score the win. We got a Big Murph sighting as Briscoe embraced his family in the crowd.
AR Fox, Blake Christian & Metalik defeated The Trustbusters (Ari Daivari, Jeeves Kay & Slim J) (w/ Smart Mark Sterling)
This match had a pretty hot finish, but I’m very tired of the Trustbusters. That may not bode well for me as the Ring of Honor reviewer.
Fox kicked off the match with Jeeves Kay, who took Fox down with some quick offense before Fox answered with fast offense of his own. Christian and Daivari tagged in, with Christian using his speed to run Daivari down. Christian hit a springboard crossbody for a nearfall. Daivari sent Christian into the corner where Christian got clubbered on by the Trustbusters.
The Trustbusters worked over Christian for a while before Christian got the tag into Metalik. Metalik fired up on Daivari, walking the ropes before hitting a splash for two. Metalik got sent to the floor where Daivari sent him ribs first into the apron. More clubbering on Metalik before Metalik hit a handspring elbow on Kay. Daivari cut off a tag before taking a springboard elbow.
Eventually, Fox got the hot tag in and fired up on all three Trustbusters with cutters. Fox used Kay as a base to hit a dive on Daivari and Slim J on the floor. Christian hit a twisting dive to the floor onto all three men. Kay used a Sterling distraction to hit an underhook suplex for a nearfall. There was a Tower of Doom spot that took Kay and Slim J out, leading to Fox hitting a cutter and a 450 for the win.
The bell rang and The Embassy immediately jumped Fox, Christian, and Metalik before standing tall.
Skye Blue defeated Lady Frost
Frost is a great athlete with a lot of impressive offense and a good look. I’d be looking at locking her down if I were in the ROH office.
Blue caught Frost with a pair of armdrags, before Frost sent her into the corner and hit a high boot. Frost hit a hurricane kick to Blue in the corner before hitting an acrobatic cannonball for a nearfall. Frost kept control with a kneesault before booting Blue off the apron. Frost hit another cannonball off the apron to Blue on the floor.
Frost and Blue traded kicks before they both went down to the mat. Blue picked up the pace on offense, ending with a spinning ground kick for a nearfall. Frost cartwheeled her way into an Air Raid Crash for a nearfall. Blue cut Frost off on a moonsault attempt, hitting a high crossbody of her own for a nearfall. Blue hit the Skyfall to score the win.
La Faccion Ingobernable (Dralistico & Rush) (w/Jose The Assistant) defeated The Foundation (Rhett Titus & Tracy Williams)
We got a hot start to this one, as LFI shunned the Code of Honor before brawling with Titus and Williams. Rush and Dralistico isolated Williams, as Dralistico hit a hurricane kick to take Williams down. Williams took a lot of punishment, but eventually hit a crotch-lift suplex on Dralistico to get the tag out to Titus.
Titus and Rush got into a mighty forearm battle before Titus caught Rush with a belly-to-belly suplex. Titus hit a pair of yakuza kicks before Williams joined him in tandem offense. Titus pinned Rush before Dralistico fell into the pile. I think he meant to break up the pin. Everybody took each other out, with the exchange ending with Williams spearing Rush out of a Bull’s Horns attempt.
Rush suplexed Titus into the corner as Dralistico dived onto Williams on the outside. Rush set up the Bull’s Horns, with the crowd finishing Rush’s catchphrase – Mess with the bull, you get the horns – as he hit the dropkick in the corner for the win.
– Caprice Coleman had a sit-down interview with Eddie Kingston and ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli. Castagnoli apologized for saying Kingston didn’t have honor, but restated his claim that a person like Kingston couldn’t hold the title. Kingston said that the ROH Title was in his lineage, as his mentors held the same title. He called Castagnoli a coward who didn’t do business – referencing Castagnoli leaving the CHIKARA promotion when he signed with WWE while feuding with Kingston – and said he would force him to do business this time. Castagnoli called Kingston a quitter who always quit when the work got too hard. Castagnoli accepted Kingston’s title challenge for Supercard of Honor, saying that after he loses, Kingston will complain and quit again. Castagnoli called Kingston the biggest waste of potential he’s ever seen, and that he will not be able to handle Castagnoli at his best. I couldn’t do this justice, this was a fantastic interview setting up the World Title match for next weekend.
Matt Taven (w/Maria Kanellis-Bennett & Mike Bennett) defeated Darius Martin
This was good, but it had a few too many shenanigans for my liking. ROH has done well at not utilizing interference too often, so I’m not upset at it. But I prefer the clean wrestling the ROH arm usually employs.
Martin started hot, sending Taven to the floor with a dropkick. Martin worked on Taven’s arm before Bennett and Maria got involved, allowing Taven to hit a springboard kick to Martin on the apron. Maria took the referee while Bennett forearmed Martin on the floor. Taven hit a backbreaker to Martin in the ring for a nearfall.
Taven hit a legsweep but missed a springboard senton. Martin picked up the pace, avoiding Just The Tip for a nearfall. Taven hit a spin kick to take Martin down again, but Martin caught him with a Manhattan Drop as he came off the top rope. Martin hit an outside-in flatliner for a nearfall. Martin countered the Climax and hit a Spanish Fly for a nearfall that Taven immediately turned into a crucifix pin for a nearfall of his own.
Taven caught Martin with Just the Tip before catching knees on a frog splash. Martin went after both Taven and Bennett on the floor but Maria tripped him up on his way back into the ring, allowing Taven to hit the Climax for the win. They went to do more damage before Dante Martin came in to stop the extracurriculars.
Brian Cage (w/Bishop Kaun, Prince Nana & Toa Liona) defeated Tony Deppen
Tony Deppen looked a lot better this week than he did against Samoa Joe. His work was cleaner, and the crowd took to him.
Deppen landed a couple of slaps on Cage as he bounced around him, but Cage caught him with a superkick before hitting the outside-in superplex. Cage kept control of Deppen but took time to toy around with him. Deppen slipped from Cage’s grip and hit a lungblower out of the corner. Deppen followed it up with a cannonball dive to the floor and running knees to the face.
Deppen hit a double stomp off the top rope for a nearfall. Cage avoided a Shining Wizard before hitting a rebound lariat. Deppen caught Cage with a small package and got a jumping knee in before Cage shut him down with a Drillclaw for the win. The Embassy beat down Deppen after the match before Metalik, Blake Christian, & AR Fox came out with weapons to avenge the attack from earlier.
Shane Taylor (w/JD Griffey) defeated Silas Young
This crowd is into Shane Taylor, as am I. Taylor was a highlight of the previous era of ROH, as well as the Final Battle show in December, so I hope he’s got big things in his future.
The crowd was behind Taylor as the men locked up. Taylor took down Young with a shoulder block, but Young hung Taylor up on the ropes. They traded forearms before Taylor sent Young to the floor with a heavy elbow. Taylor missed a legdrop on the apron, with Young hitting a knee that sent Taylor to the floor.
Young worked on Taylor, with Taylor sneaking in a crucifix pin for a nearfall. Young kept Taylor on the mat with elbow drops. Young talked trash, allowing Taylor to catch Young with a lariat. Taylor went on the offensive, catching Young with a knee and a Sky High for a nearfall. Young caught Taylor with knees of his own and a tornado DDT for a two count.
Young tried to pick Taylor up, but Taylor took him down with a headbutt before picking him up into a uranage for a nearfall. Young avoided the package piledriver, hitting Taylor with the spinning knee. Young got Taylor up for the rolling slam but missed the Pee Gee Waja Plunge. Taylor hit a running knee before planting Young with the Package Piledriver for the win.
Billie Starkz defeated Miranda Alize
Alize was called the Lucha Baddie, and after slapping the hand of Starkz, she definitely displayed rudo tendencies. Alize bit the hand of Starkz, but Starkz hit a half-and-half suplex before diving onto Alize on the floor. Starkz missed the double stomp, leading to Alize yanking her down by the hair to the mat. Alize clubbered on Starkz in the corner before catching her with a back elbow.
Alize sent Starkz into the ropes before hitting the La Mistica – which she calls the Miranda Rights – before Starkz escaped and hit a knee that got Alize off of her. Starkz hit a pinpoint back heel kick before hitting a Spicolli Driver for a nearfall. Alize cut her off on the apron before hitting a basement rana for a nearfall. Starkz hit a brainbuster on the knee for a nearfall before missing a senton.
Alize went for the Drive By shining wizard, but Starks avoided it with a rollup for two. Alize went for the Miranda Rights again, but Starkz caught her with a Tombstone Piledriver for the win.
Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) defeated Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal
Aussie Open has been the unquestioned highlight of Ring of Honor television, as they have had several excellent matches on the show. This was no exception, as Daniels and Sydal worked so well with them here in front of a red hot crowd. I can’t recommend this one enough.
Daniels & Sydal must have the advantage here, with all the flying Aussie Open have been doing between the US and Japan. Flatcher and Sydal started, with Sydal catching Fletcher with a rollup for two. Daniels came in, with Fletcher quickly slamming him down and tagging out to Davis. Davis laid in chops to Daniels, but Daniels tripped him into the corner before landing a lariat to the back of the head.
Sydal and Daniels double teamed Davis, with Sydal throwing Daniels up and over onto Davis before landing a standing moonsault. Daniels went for a sunset flip on Davis, but Fletcher got a blind tag. They took out both Daniels and Sydal before crashing them into each other on the outside.
Aussie Open worked on Daniels, with Davis starting a vertical suplex before passing him off to Fletcher. Daniels caught Fletcher in an inside cradle for two. More work on Daniels, but as Aussie Open went for the tandem cutter, Daniels fought his way out with a flatliner to Davis.
Sydal got the tag in and laid in the kicks on both men. Sydal hit an incredible frankensteiner for a nearfall. Sydal hit a jumping frankensteiner to Fletcher out of the corner for another nearfall. Davis cut Sydal off as he went to the top rope, allowing Fletcher to hit a boot in the corner. Daniels low bridged Davis to the floor, and helped Sydal hit a powerbomb/meteora combination for two. A run of big moves left Fletcher and Daniels in the ring as the crowd chanted ROH.
Davis hip tossed Daniels to the floor before going for the Close Your Eyes piledriver on Sydal. Sydal caught Davis with a frankensteiner and fought both men off before getting caught with the Dental Plan and the tandem cutter for a nearfall that Daniels broke up. Daniels dragged Sydal to the corner to tag in. Daniels hit a double noggin knocker before getting a nearfall on a Blue Thunder Bomb.
Angel’s Wings attempt got cut off, but Daniels avoided the Dental Plan. Sydal tried cutting off Aussie Open, but Fletcher cut him off with a spinning Tombstone. Daniels went for the Angel’s Wings on Fletcher, but Davis cut him off with a forearm. Aussie Open hit the double forearms on Daniels before landing the Coreolis for the win.
ROH World Television Title Match: Samoa Joe (c) defeated Cheeseburger
Ah, ok. Joe immediately drilled Cheeseburger with punches in the corner and a lariat. A Muscle Buster ended this one almost immediately. After the match, Joe landed a second Muscle Buster while calling out Mark Briscoe. Joe grabbed a chair and went to do more damage, but Mark Briscoe came out with a chair of his own as the show went off the air.
A Ring of Honor TV title defense has been announced for this Thursday’s ROH TV on HonorClub.
Ahead of his title defense at this month’s Supercard of Honor against Mark Briscoe, Samoa Joe will first defend the title against Cheeseburger who answered Joe’s open challenge.
Briscoe will also be in action in a previously announced match against Tony Nese.
Other new matches include Billie Starkz taking on Miranda Alize, ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champion Brian Cage against Tony Deppen, and Rush & Dralistico against Rhett Titus & Tracy Williams.
Here’s the full lineup airing this Thursday:
Billie Starkz vs. Miranda Alize
Blake Christian, Metalik & AR Fox vs. TrustBusters (Slim J, Ari Daivari & Jeeves Kay)
Brian Cage vs. Tony Deppen
Silas Young vs. Shane Taylor
Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal vs. Aussie Open
Matt Taven vs. Darius Martin
Rush & Draistico vs. Rhett Titus & Tracy Williams
Lady Frost vs. Skye Blue
ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe defends against Cheeseburger
A World Television Championship match is official for ROH Supercard of Honor on March 31.
In a bout made official on this week’s Ring of Honor TV episode, Samoa Joe will defend the ROH TV title against Mark Briscoe at the pay-per-view on Friday, March 31.
Briscoe answered Joe’s call for a challenger on last week’s episode, then the match was officially announced on this week’s show.
Briscoe is currently an ROH Tag Team Champion, holding the titles with his late brother Jay. New Tag champs will be crowned at Supercard of Honor in a Reach for the Sky ladder match, with Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix currently the only team officially announced for that bout.
Briscoe will be in singles action on next week’s ROH TV, facing Tony Nese.
Joe has held the TV title since defeating Minoru Suzuki to win the Championship on an AEW Dynamite episode on April 13, 2022.
The current lineup for Supercard:
ROH Supercard of Honor, Friday, March 31, 7 p.m. Eastern time on pay-per-view —
ROH World Television Championship: Samoa Joe defends against Mark Briscoe
Reach for the Sky ladder match for the ROH Tag Team Championship: Lucha Bros vs. TBA
Mark Briscoe is set to face Samoa Joe for the ROH World Television Championship.
On this week’s Ring of Honor TV, Briscoe issued a future title challenge to ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe, which Joe accepted.
Following a successful defense against Tony Deppen on this week’s show, Joe took the mic and declared an open challenge for his Championship, noting that he runs Ring of Honor. Briscoe then answered the challenge by issuing his own challenge to Joe, which Joe accepted.
No date was announced for the future title match, but the Supercard of Honor pay-per-view on March 31 appears to be a likely destination.
In addition to Joe defeating Deppen, two other title matches took place on this week’s ROH TV.
Wheeler Yuta successfully defended the ROH Pure Championship, defeating Timothy Thatcher. Yuta is also set to defend the Pure title on next week’s episode, taking on Clark Connors.
In Thursday’s main event, Athena retained the ROH Women’s World title, defeating Willow Nightingale in the main event.
Three title matches headline Thursday’s Ring of Honor TV show.
In a match that has been building for the last month on AEW programming, ROH Women’s Champion Athena will defend against Willow Nightingale.
ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta will defend against Timothy Thatcher who made his AEW debut recently against Bryan Danielson.
After losing his TNT title on Sunday, ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe returns to defend against former TV Champion Tony Deppen.
In his pursuit of ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli, Eddie Kingston will face Ben Dejo while former Women’s title challenger Trish Adora faces the debuting Billie Starkz.
Aussie Open will make their ROH debut as they take on Tracy Williams & Rhett Titus as Rush & Dralistico face Angelico & Serpentico of the Spanish Announce Team.
Former ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions Dalton Castle & The Boys will wrestle C4 & Marcus Kross while Ari Daivari & Slim J take on Jake Crist & Man Scout.
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Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman are on the call as we open with our first of three title matches.
ROH World TV Title: Samoa Joe defeated Tony Deppen to retain
A fine opener. Deppen didn’t get much offense in, but he hung with Joe well enough.
Joe took control early on, peppering Deppen with heavy strikes that sent him to the mat. Deppen came back with chops of his own before getting flattened by a Joe back elbow for a nearfall. Joe clubbered on Deppen in the corner before Deppen fought his way out with more strikes. Joe sent Deppen into the corner and dropped him with a body block and enzuigiri.
Joe brought Deppen to the top rope, but Deppen fought him off and hit a missile dropkick. Deppen came over the ropes and hit a stunner for a nearfall. There was a mix-up in the corner that ended with a Deppen nearfall for two. Joe hit the uranage out of the corner, but Deppen reversed the rear naked choke with a roll-up for two. Joe sent Deppen into the corner and took him down with the Muscle Buster for the pin and the win.
– After the match, Samoa Joe took the mic and said no matter the era, he runs ROH. He made a challenge for anyone to step up and make a challenge for the TV Title. Mark Briscoe made his way to the stage. He said that the TV Title was his destiny and made the challenge, which Joe quickly accepted.
– Backstage, Dalton Castle lamented the loss of the ROH Six-Man Titles to The Embassy and “that pennyfart” Prince Nana. He says that after moving dense furniture all weekend, him and The Boys are ready to take the titles back.
Dalton Castle & The Boys defeated Marcus Kross, Cody Chhun, & Guillermo Rosas
The women in the crowd shrieked in excitement when Castle’s music hit. I can’t say I blame them. Castle told Kross to fire up before immediately catching him in position for the Bangarang, but Kross hooked the ropes and sent Castle to the floor. After getting the Boys to limber him up, Castle got back in the ring and took Kross down. After a tag to Rosas, The Boys got in and hit stereo offense for a nearfall as Castle worked the crowd into a fever pitch on the floor.
Rosas tagged out to Chhun, and they isolated Boy Brandon. After avoiding a double stomp from Kross, Boy Brandon tagged out to Castle, who flung all three of his opponents around with aplomb. After sending the Boys flying to the outside onto their opponents, Castle dropped Rosas with the Bangarang for the win.
– Maria Kanellis-Bennett introduced Mike Bennett and Matt Taven for a promo. The Kingdom talked themselves up as being champions wherever they’ve gone, with Bennett calling out Top Flight for ruining their ROH return.
La Faccion Ingobernable (Rush & Dralistico) defeated Spanish Announce Project (Angelico & Serpentico) (w/ Dr. Luther)
Angelico, Serpentico, Dralistico. This is gonna be a challenge. Rush and Angelico started off, with Rush hammering Angelico with a chop. Angelico tagged in Serpentico, who tried hitting Rush with chops before getting drilled by a chop of his own. Dralistico came in with a springboard crossbody and a flurry of kicks.
Rush tagged back in, with him and Dralistico sending both of their opponents to the floor with strike combinations. Dralistico hit a dive onto SAP, with Rush following up with a feigned dive before hitting his pose. Rush and Dralistico beat them down on the floor, with Rush hitting Angelico with his trademark cable. Back in the ring, Dralistico hit an assisted springboard legdrop for a nearfall. Serpentico tried firing up, but LFI had none of it and put the boots to him.
Some wires got crossed up before Dralistico got on the apron and hooked Serpentico in the ropes. Serpentico ducked a Rush strike that hit Dralistico. Serpentico dived onto Dralistico on the floor before taking a headbutt from Rush. Angelico cut off the Bull’s Horns, but got taken down with a Meteora from Dralistico. Dralistico hit a destroyer on Serpentico for the win. After the match, they ripped Serpentico’s mask off his head and tore it in half.
Trish Adora defeated Billie Starkz
Adora worked on the arm of Starkz to start. Starkz sent Adora to the floor and tried a dive, but Adora caught her with a forearm in the ropes. Adora dropped Starkz with a bodyslam on the apron before getting a nearfall in the ring. Adora hit a very delayed German Suplex for another nearfall before locking on the Cattle Mutilation, sending Starkz to the ropes to break.
Starkz booted Adora in the corner, but Adora responded with a boot of her own for a nearfall. They traded forearms, with Starkz hitting a spin kick out of it. But Adora immediately followed with the Lariat Tubman for the win.
– Lexy Nair interviewed Christopher Daniels. Daniels talked up wanting the ROH World Tag Team Titles. He wanted to team with Frankie Kazarian again, but he honored his word as SCU lost the right to team up back in 2020. But he’s had several partners in his career, one of them being Matt Sydal. Sydal accepted the offer, and Daniels told the other teams in ROH to say their prayers.
Ari Daivari & Slim J (w/ Smart Mark Sterling) defeated Jake Crist & Jake Manning
I’m going to get very tired of hearing the Trustbusters music on this show.
Slim J gave Daivari a matching t-shirt as they made their way to the ring. We have a lot of bits going on, as Manscout Manning was reading a scout’s guide as the bell rang. Daivari threw the book away and got started with the match. Crist quickly tagged in and ran wild on Daivari before missing a crossbody. Manning tagged in, taking a lariat from Daivari after a knee to the back from Slim J. Slim J tagged in and dropped Manning with a springboard reverse DDT. Slim J locked on an STF on Manning and scored the win.
After the match, Daivari talked trash about Metalik, which brought the luchador out to the ring. The Trustbusters stomped on him before Blake Christian ran them off with a chair.
ROH Pure Championship: Wheeler Yuta defeated Timothy Thatcher to retain
While I’m not usually a fan of Thatcher’s work, this was a quality Pure Title match. The Blackpool Combat Club’s new heel-leaning tendencies were reflected here, with Yuta using an edge and cheating outright at the end of this match.
The judges for this match were BJ Whitmer, Colt Cabana, and Christopher Daniels.
Thatcher immediately locked on a Fujiwara armbar, sending Yuta to the ropes to use his first rope break. Thatcher controlled Yuta’s arms, denying Yuta’s attempts to escape. Thatcher jammed Yuta’s arm into the mat before hitting a body slam and an elbow drop for a one count. He did it again, but Yuta fought out of a third attempt and turned it into an Octopus Hold. Thatcher used his first rope break to get out of it.
Thatcher avoided a bicep stomp and took Yuta down with a single-leg, but Yuta went right back to the arm. Thatcher sat Yuta on the top rope, but Yuta brought Thatcher down by the shoulder. Thatcher started throwing European uppercuts to try and escape, but Yuta kept on the left arm. Thatcher fired up and hit a big belly-to-belly suplex but couldn’t follow up with a cover. Yuta stuffed a double underhook suplex attempt and used a hammerlock variant to force Thatcher to use his second armbar.
They traded uppercuts before Yuta sent Thatcher back to the mat with the same hammerlock variant. Thatcher fought back up and drove Yuta into the corner with uppercuts with the good arm. Yuta fought out of the corner with a closed fist, which earned a warning from the referee. Yuta hit the Right Angle Slam for a nearfall, which used Thatcher’s final rope break.
Thatcher sent Yuta into the ropes, but Yuta rebounded through the ropes and caught Thatcher with a German suplex. Thatcher kicked out and locked on an armbar to force Yuta’s second rope break. Thatcher strung offense together, scoring nearfalls with a back suplex and a butterfly suplex. Thatcher drove his knees into Yuta, who had to slide to the ropes and use his final rope break.
Thatcher dropped Yuta with another uppercut, sending Yuta to the floor. Thatcher shoved the referee out of the way, allowing Yuta to hit an illegal closed fist to Thatcher in the ropes. Yuta tied Thatcher in the ropes with a Cobra Twist to score the tap out.
– After the match, Yuta called out the tracksuit wearing LA Dojo boys for thinking that they’ve accomplished something. Clark Connors made his way to the ring to respond. He says that all three of Yuta’s BCC teammates wish that they trained under Katsuyori Shibata before making a challenge for the Pure Title next week. Yuta blew him off and left, but turned around on the ramp and told him that the match was on.
Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher) defeated Rhett Titus & Tracy Williams
A great introduction for Aussie Open on ROH television. They showed off their impressive offense here and got a great response from the crowd by the end of the match.
After an opening exchange with all four men, Aussie Open took control with a flurry of offense on Titus. Fletcher started a delayed vertical suplex before tagging Davis in so he could take hold and complete it. Titus fought out of the corner and tagged in Williams, who ran wild on Fletcher with a high-angle suplex and a DDT off of the second rope for a nearfall.
Fletcher fought off a piledriver attempt, sending Williams to the apron. Williams sent Fletcher to the floor, but missed a running knee. Davis and Fletcher picked up Titus and Williams and ran them into each other. Back in the ring, Aussie Open hit the Dental Plan and the assisted cutter on Williams for a nearfall. Aussie Open hit dual forearms, but Williams fought off the Dental Plan and hit La Mistica on Davis before locking on an armbar. Titus caught Fletcher in a submission as well, but both men caught the ropes.
Titus and Williams ran wild on Fletcher, scoring a nearfall with a flurry of offense. They isolated Fletcher, hitting a diving knee and top rope splash back-to-back for a nearfall. Fletcher caught Williams with a spinning tombstone before Davis took out Titus with a pull-up piledriver. A pair of lariats set Aussie Open up to hit Coreolis for the win.
Eddie Kingston defeated Ben Dejo
Kingston hit the machine gun chops, a Saito suplex, and a backfist to win in under a minute. He made sure to adhere to the Code of Honor, shaking Dejo’s limp hand after the match.
– Kingston took the mic after the match and called out ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli. Kingston told Castagnoli to give him his shot, but Castagnoli said that a man without honor would never hold the ROH World Title and left. Kingston followed him to the back, but still got no answer.
– We got promos from champion and challenger for the ROH Women’s Title match main event.
ROH Women’s World Championship: Athena defeated Willow Nightingale to retain
A fantastic main event. Athena has earned a spot as one of the best women’s wrestlers in America today with the level of intensity and viciousness she brings to her big matches. Nightingale had this crowd behind her from the jump and hung with Athena every step of the way. This was the best match of ROH’s Honor Club run to date.
Nightingale scored the first pin attempt after a running crossbody, before following it up with suplexes for a nearfall. Nightingale hit a big chop to Athena in the corner, but Athena yanked Nightingale’s arm over the rope to take control. Athena clubbered on Nightingale in the corner before mockingly cheering herself on to boos. Nightingale kicked Athena’s knee out, but Athena kept control with a top wristlock.
Athena missed a senton, allowing Nightingale to attempt several flash pins. Nightingale went for an O’Connor Roll, but Athena ducked and sent Nightingale throat-first into the ropes. Athena sent Nightingale onto the apron, where she hit a big kick and a baseball slide to send Nightingale to the floor. Athena trapped Nightingale’s arm in the stairs, and after ramming her other shoulder into the post, Athena dropkicked the stairs into Nightingale’s trapped arm.
Athena baseball slid into Nightingale as she tried to get into the ring, but Nightingale caught her on a kick and powerbombed Athena into the apron. Nightingale followed with a Spicolli Driver on the floor that left both women laid out. Both women got back in the ring at the count of 19, where Nightingale ran wild with offense. Nightingale hit a main event spinebuster – in the actual main event – before attempting the Babe With The Powerbomb. But Nightingale’s arm couldn’t hold, allowing Athena to catch her in a crossface. Nightingale got to the ropes, but Athena followed with running knees into the corner.
Athena hit a big facebuster, but Nightingale kicked out, earning This Is Awesome chants from the crowd. Athena went to the top rope, but Nightingale caught her with a Pounce to score a nearfall. Athena went for a springboard, but Nightingale caught her in the gutwrench and hit the Babe With The Powerbomb for another nearfall. Athena took a powder, but Nightingale followed her onto the stage. Athena clawed at Nightingale’s eyes and dropped her on the ramp with a forward slam. After running Nightingale into the stairs, Athena rolled her into the ring and hit the O-Face for the win.
– After the match, Athena menaced the referee before hitting Nightingale with the title belt on the outside. Athena hit the running knees to Nightingale into the stairs to boos as the show faded out.
Wardlow is now a two-time TNT Champion after choking out Samoa Joe to reclaim the gold at Sunday’s AEW Revolution.
In a physical bout that had to follow the spectacle that was Jon Moxley and Hangman Page’s Texas Death match, Joe had Wardlow in trouble on several occasions but Wardlow was able to press on.
The end came when Wardlow, not known for submissions, clamped on a rear naked choke that rendered Joe unconscious. The win gives Wardlow a measure of revenge after Joe defeated him on Dynamite last December and cut his hair afterward.
Wardlow will now defend the title against Powerhouse Hobbs on Wednesday’s Dynamite by virtue of Hobbs’ victory in the Face of the Revolution ladder match last Wednesday. This will be their first-ever singles match.
Joe and Wardlow were briefly teammates in 2022 before Joe ultimately turned on him. At November’s Full Gear, Joe defeated Wardlow (then champion) and Hobbs in a three-way to win the title. He would eventually lose it to Darby Allin and regain it nearly a month later.
Joe defeated Darby Allin in the main event of Wednesday’s Dynamite to win the championship for a second time. In a match filled with crazy spots and weapons, Joe won the match after hitting a muscle buster off the top turnbuckle onto the exposed wood panels on the ring. With the win, Joe ends Darby Allin’s streak after more than 29 days.
After the match, Wardlow made his return and immediately went to the ring, brawling with Joe. Wardlow attempted to powerbomb Joe, but he managed to escape before Joe could do so.
Back in December, Samoa Joe had defeated Wardlow in a match. After Joe won via submission, Joe continued to assault Wardlow and obtained a pair of scissors, cutting off Wardlow’s ponytail. Darby Allin eventually came to the ring for the save, setting up a match between Joe and Allin for the January 4 edition of Dynamite. It was there that Allin defeated Joe to win the championship for a second time.
Samoa Joe believes that his releases from WWE were due to what he understands to have been a “war” between upper management in the company that affected himself and others.
Speaking to Renee Paquette on The Sessions, the current AEW roster member was asked about being cut by WWE in April 2021 only to reappear in WWE NXT two months later after being rehired by Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
He said while the information was unconfirmed but came on good authority from those directly involved, “there was issues between the two upper echelons of management and they were playing out their war with the careers and the contracts of the people underneath them.”
The former NXT Champion said after being released for a second time in January 2022, he said, “I just kind of chuckled as I realized it was very much the same situation. At the same time, I wasn’t bitter or mad.”
He admitted he was “expensive” and believes the company saved money by letting him go which he wasn’t bothered by. Rather, it was “more the silliness of the situation, what they were doing, and the reasoning why they were doing it.”
Joe said after the second release, other opportunities came available which included Twisted Metal, a Peacock show based on the video game that is set to be released this year in which he plays Sweet Tooth.
The ROH TV Champion also talked about his injury history and the key to recovering from his concussions, nearly retiring, being the most fined person in TNA history, and more.
