The following are spoilers for this Friday’s AEW Rampage, taped following Dynamite Wednesday in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Rampage spoilers courtesy of ITN WWE.
The pre-show featured a dark match between hometown favorite Ethan Page who picked up a win over Preston Vance.
AEW Rampage:
QT Marshall and Johnny TV defeated Matt Hardy and Brother Zay. The QTV crew continued to attack Hardy and Zay after the match, but Billy Gunn and Anthony Bowens made the save.
Shawn Spears defeated The Blade
Hikaru Shida defeated Taya Valkyrie
Claudio Castagnoli defeated Komander to retain the ROH World Championship.
Notes:
This was Komander’s first opportunity at a Ring of Honor title and the eighth successful title defense for Castagnoli.
This was Spears’ first AEW match since an early-June house show and first appearance on Rampage since April. He was part of the company’s Toronto debut last October.
This was the first-ever meeting between Valkyrie and Shida.
This was the first AEW in-ring action for Johnny TV (John Morrison/Hennigan) since a June 2022 episode of Dynamite against Miro.
A Ring of Honor Six-Man Tag Team title match is part of Thursday’s NJPW-tinged ROH on HonorClub lineup.
The Embassy’s Brian Cage, Toa Liona & Bishop Kaun will defend against LIJ’s BUSHI, Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi in search of their fourth title defense since winning the gold last December.
After being part of the Forbidden Door pre-show, El Desperado will make his ROH debut against Willie Mack while Sho & Yujiro Takahashi will face Roppongi Vice (Rocky Romero & Trent Beretta).
In eight-man action, ROH Tag Team Champions The Lucha Brothers will once again team with El Hijo del Vikingo & Komander to take on The WorkHorsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry), Shane Taylor & Gringo Loco.
In one of two non-title Proving Ground matches, ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli will take on Chuck Taylor while ROH Women’s Champion Athena goes one-on-one with KC Spinelli.
Here’s the full 11-match card, taped last Saturday in Chicago:
El Desperado vs. Willie Mack
Lucha Brothers, El Hijo del Vikingo & Komander vs. The WorkHorsemen (JD Drake and Anthony Henry), Shane Taylor & Gringo Loco
ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions The Embassy (Brian Cage, Toa Liona and Bishop Kaun) defend against LIJ (BUSHI, Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi)
ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chuck Taylor in a Proving Ground match
ROH Women’s Champion Athena vs. KC Spinelli in a Proving Ground match
Diamante vs. Leila Gray
Dark Order (Alex Reynolds & John Silver) vs. The Righteous (Vincent & Dutch)
United Empire (Kyle Fletcher, TJP & Jeff Cobb) vs. Christopher Daniels, Action Andretti & Darius Martin
Dralistico & Preston Vance vs. Mark Wheeler & Vikram Prashar
At Dominion this past weekend, Claudio Castagnoli got to compete for NJPW for the first time ever.
Castagnoli made his NJPW debut by teaming with Jon Moxley & Shota Umino against Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomohiro Ishii. Though his team didn’t win the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team titles, the match was still a highlight for Castagnoli.
“I was very focused, and because of that, I was very much in the moment,” Castagnoli told Sports Illustrated. “I always want to be in the moment from the second I step out into the arena in order to be the best I can be. Standing in the ring with Tanahashi to start my first match in NJPW is definitely a moment to remember for me.”
Castagnoli experienced a flight delay while traveling to Dominion, but he was still able to make the show. The NEVER Six-Man title match was changed from the seventh match on the card to the eighth due to Castagnoli’s travel issues.
Also in his interview with Sports Illustrated, Castagnoli reflected on performing his giant swing on Okada at Dominion. Castagnoli called it one of his top swings.
“Swinging Okada, somebody I’ve known for a long time, in Japan, in my first match in NJPW, that is definitely a top swing,” Castagnoli said. “Mox said it yesterday — we have our visas and we’ll be back.”
Castagnoli and Moxley are part of the Blackpool Combat Club in AEW. At Dominion, a video played where their stablemate Bryan Danielson issued a challenge to Okada.
“I can’t wait for that match,” Castagnoli said about Danielson vs. Okada. “I’m totally up for a match, too.”
Castagnoli told Sports Illustrated that being in AEW and being part of the Blackpool Combat Club is something that just feels right.
“Joining AEW just felt right, and being in the BCC just feels right,” Castagnoli said. “Yesterday, when I stepped in a NJPW ring, it just felt right. We in the BCC are having fun and that authenticity translates. You can’t fake passion, and I feel it’s the thing that the BCC is built on.”
Castagnoli is the current ROH World Champion. He’s held the title since December 2022.
Though Dominion was his official NJPW debut, Castagnoli did wrestle at AEW & NJPW’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view last year. The two companies are again joining forces for a Forbidden Door PPV later this month (Sunday, June 25). This year’s Forbidden Door is being held in Toronto.
The Blackpool Combat Club’s Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta, and Claudio Castagnoli will face Bandido & The Lucha Bros on the show. The match comes after The Lucha Bros successfully retained their ROH tag titles against Castagnoli & Yuta in the main event of Dynamite last week.
“BCC have revenge in mind as they fight the Lucha Bros + their amigo Bandido on Dynamite, TONIGHT!,” Tony Khan wrote on Twitter.
Tonight’s edition of AEW Dynamite will take place from the Viejas Arena on the campus of San Diego State University. Adam Cole & Britt Baker vs. Chris Jericho & Saraya is the only other match announced thus far.
AEW Dynamite 5/31 lineup:
Adam Cole & Britt Baker vs. Chris Jericho & Saraya
Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta) vs. Bandido & The Lucha Bros (Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix)
An AEW star is heading to Japan to make his long-awaited NJPW debut.
At NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors finals, it was revealed that Claudio Castagnoli will be in action at Dominion on Sunday, June 4. Castagnoli, Jon Moxley & Shota Umino are set to challenge Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomohiro Ishii for the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team titles.
The announcement was made by Umino after an eight-man tag match at the BOSJ finals. Umino, Ren Narita, El Desperado & Mike Bailey defeated Okada, Tanahashi, Ishii & Ryusuke Taguchi when Narita submitted Taguchi.
Umino got on the microphone following the match and issued a challenge for the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team titles at Dominion. Umino declared that his partners would be Moxley & Castagnoli.
In AEW, Castagnoli and Moxley are stablemates in the Blackpool Combat Club.
Moxley teamed with Umino and Blackpool Combat Club’s Wheeler Yuta at NJPW Resurgence in California last week, defeating Okada, Ishii & Rocky Romero.
While this will be his NJPW debut, Castagnoli did wrestle at AEW & NJPW’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view in 2022. In what was Castagnoli’s first match for AEW, he defeated Zack Sabre Jr.
Castagnoli is the current ROH World Champion.
Dominion will be the first time Moxley has wrestled in Japan since 2020. The event is being held at Osaka-jo Hall and will stream live on NJPW World.
The respective TV Champions from Ring of Honor and NJPW will team up on this week’s ROH on HonorClub TV.
ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe and NJPW TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. will face Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal where if Daniels and Sydal win, they earn TV title shots of their own.
Thursday will feature two Proving Ground matches as ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli will face Serpentico while ROH Women’s Champion Athena takes on Promise Braxton. If either challenger wins or survives the time limit, they will earn a future title shot.
Ahead of his special referee gig at Sunday’s Double or Nothing, Mark Briscoe will face JD Drake while new NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Willow Nightingale will take on Hyan.
The 19-match lineup will also feature former ROH Women’s Champion Mercedes Martinez against Dream Girl Ellie, and ROH Tag Team Champion Penta El Zero Miedo going one-on-one with Slim J.
**********
Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, and Nigel McGuinness are on the call for this supersized edition of ROH on Honor Club, coming from the set at Universal Studios.
Mark Briscoe defeated JD Drake (w/Anthony Henry)
The WorkHorsemen continue to impress in singles matches. They have made themselves highlights of these Honor Club shows. This was a great singles match to start off this week’s show.
Briscoe started the match by opening himself up for a chop, which started a chop battle that Briscoe won before booting Drake into the corner. The announcers talk about Briscoe’s role as guest referee for the AEW Tag Team Title match at Double or Nothing as Drake threw Briscoe across the ring. Briscoe came back and sent Drake to the floor. Briscoe booted Drake off the apron before hitting a corkscrew senton to both Workhorsemen on the floor to a big reaction.
Back in the ring, both men traded slaps. A technical error shortly killed my feed here, but it came back quickly to Drake clubbering on Briscoe in the corner while talking trash to the crowd. Drake hit a Bossman Slam for a nearfall, following it with a bottom rope Vader Bomb for another nearfall. Drake brought Briscoe to the top rope, but Briscoe fought him down with chops before hitting a missile dropkick.
Briscoe chopped Drake into the corner before bringing him to the top rope. Drake blocked the Iconoclasm but ran into the Uranage from Briscoe for a nearfall. Briscoe called for the Jay Driller, but Henry interrupted him from the apron. Briscoe took Henry down with a baseball slide, but Drake took Briscoe down with a rebound forearm. Drake hit a moonsault in the ring, but Briscoe kicked out at two.
Drake went for the Jay Driller, but Briscoe fought out and hit a rolling DVD. Briscoe followed it with the Froggy Bow for the win. After shaking hands with Drake, Briscoe made sure to call out Samoa Joe to the camera.
– Backstage, Dasha was with Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal. Daniels says that while Samoa Joe and Zack Sabre Jr. think they’ve thrown a curveball, they’ve put themselves on the back foot against former World Tag Team Champions. Sydal said that he felt the titles pulling him closer, and he would get to one of them before long.
ROH World Title Proving Ground Match: Claudio Castagnoli defeated Serpentico
Castagnoli toyed with Serpentico in a test of strength, but Serpentico scored with a pair of headscissors. Castagnoli rolled to the floor, where Serpentico followed him with a dive. Serpentico hit a high crossbody in the ring for a nearfall. Castagnoli dumped Serpentico to the floor, where he sent Serpentico hard into the steps.
After gutwrenching Serpentico back into the ring, Castagnoli hammered Serpentico with short-arm clotheslines. Serpentico gave him the middle finger, so Castagnoli continued with the clotheslines before hitting a measured final clothesline for the win.
Kiera Hogan defeated Vertvixen
Vertvixen looked solid here. She’s got a good look, good offense, and the crowd took to her. Hope to see more of her. Hogan as Athena’s next victim is fine enough.
ROH Women’s Champion Athena made her way to the stage to watch this one. Vertvixen took Hogan down with a dropkick, but Hogan dropped her into the ropes and hit a hip attack. Hogan hit a step-up legdrop for a nearfall before noticing Athena on the ramp. Vertvixen hit a flatliner and transitioned into a Koji Clutch, with Hogan quickly reaching the ropes.
Vertvixen hit a springboard kick for a nearfall. Hogan came back with a running forearm and a sliding kick in the corner for a nearfall. Vertvixen sent Hogan into the corner and hit a Yakuza kick before hitting the Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Hogan fought out of a hold and hit a Saito suplex for the win. She made sure to stare down Athena during the cover.
Athena and Hogan shared words before Athena piefaced Hogan over the fallen Vertvixen and exited stage left.
Kyle Fletcher (w/ Mark Davis) defeated AR Fox
Kyle Fletcher is going to be a big deal, and after the news of Aussie Open signing with AEW, his time may be imminent. This was a great match.
Fletcher and Davis came out with the IWGP Tag Team Titles that they had vacated this past Sunday. Ian Riccaboni explained that New Japan officials allowed Aussie Open to come out with the titles one last time before the new champions are crowned at Dominion.
Fox got the upper hand with an offensive flurry, ending with a clothesline in the corner and a skin-the-cat dropkick. Fletcher booted Fox from the apron before pulling him to the apron as well. Fletcher hit a side suplex on the apron, then followed it up with a bodyslam on the floor. Fletcher continued with the bodyslams in the ring, but Fox caught him with a spinning suplex.
Fox fired up, hitting the rolling cutter for a nearfall. Fox went to the top rope, but Fletcher moved out of the way and countered another cutter with a half-and-half suplex. Fletcher hit a Mafia Kick and a brainbuster for a nearfall. As the crowd chanted This Is Awesome, Fox caught Fletcher with an enzuigiri before booting him to the floor. Fox went to the top rope and hit a senton to Fletcher on the floor.
Back in the ring, Fox went to the top rope and hit the 450 for a nearfall. Fox brought Fletcher to the top rope, but Fletcher brought Fox down with a top rope bodyslam for a nearfall. Fletcher hit a running kick in the ropes before hitting a spinning Tombstone for the win.
Willow Nightingale defeated Hyan
The announcers put over Nightingale’s NJPW Strong Women’s Title win, noting that she beat Mercedes Mone to do it. Ian Riccaboni noted that Nightingale didn’t have the title with her as New Japan was getting the nameplate set on the title. I appreciate Riccaboni’s attempts to cover these continuity errors.
Nightingale was in firm control early on. Hyan ducked a body block in the corner before hitting elbows in the corner. Nightingale fought back, hitting an enzuigiri and the body block she intended earlier. Nightingale followed with a shotgun dropkick and a cannonball. Nightingale dropped the straps and hit the Babe With The Powerbomb for the win.
The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) (w/Maria Kanellis-Bennett) defeated Mack Attack (Ninja Mack & Willie Mack)
Mack Attack is the kind of experimental team I want to see on ROH. Two guys not doing much on their own coming together to make a fun little team. They made a good pair here against the veterans in the Kingdom.
Willie started out with Taven, hitting several armdrags to start. Bennett and Taven took control with quick tags and fast offense. Willie fought out of a double team and powered his way to a tag. Ninja ran wild with offense on both Kingdom members. Ninja went for a Sasuke Special, but Bennett caught him and hit a German suplex.
The Kingdom blitzed Ninja with tandem offense, but Willie made sure to break up the pin after a Taven frog splash. Ninja fought his way free and made a tag to Willie, who took both Kingdom members down with a double clothesline. Willie hit corner clotheslines and a cannonball to Bennett before dropping Taven with a Samoan Drop and standing moonsault. Ninja tagged in and hit a double handspring moonsault over the ropes to both Bennett and Taven.
Ninja and Willie hit a 3D but had some miscommunication on the legal man. The Kingdom was able to take advantage, as Bennett hit a rebound forearm to Willie on the floor. The Kingdom hit the Proton Pack to Ninja to score the win.
Mercedes Martinez defeated Dream Girl Ellie
Martinez took down Ellie with a boot after some trash talk. She stomped on Ellie before hitting a side suplex. Martinez hit Ellie with short-range knees before putting her away with the Brass City Stretch.
– Dasha was backstage with Mack Attack. They hyped themselves up, saying that despite the loss, they were here to stay.
Ashley D’Amboise defeated Danielle Kamela
Kamela took control, dumping D’Amboise into the corner and hitting boots to the gut. She hit a squisher before tying D’Amboise in the ropes and kicking her repeatedly. D’Amboise traded forearms with Kamela before hitting a neckbreaker. D’Amboise hit a powerslam for a nearfall.
Kamela slipped out of D’Amboise’s grasp and hit a facebuster for a nearfall. Kamela hit another neckbreaker for a nearfall. D’Amboise fought off Kamela and hit a Burning Hammer for a nearfall. Not exactly as effective as Kenta Kobashi. D’Amboise followed up with a Uranage for the win.
Rocky Romero defeated Titus Alexander
Titus Alexander has gotten a lot of buzz on the west coast independent scene, so I made sure to watch him closely. His offense was impressive, and his selling was very good as well. He’s one to keep an eye on.
Alexander mocked Romero after a basement dropkick, then cut off the Forever clotheslines with a standing dropkick. Romero got the upper hand with a tornado DDT off the ropes. Romero landed kicks to the arm, then baited Alexander to the floor before hitting a dive. Romero hit the running Sliced Bread for a nearfall.
Alexander avoided a corner charge and hit a set of evasive kicks before landing a brainbuster for a nearfall. Alexander avoided another corner charge, but Romero caught Alexander with an enzuigiri. Romero pulled Alexander off the top rope and locked on the Diablo Armbar for the win.
Stu Grayson & The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent) defeated LSG, Marcus Kross & Vary Morales
A bit of a surprising turn here as Grayson worked well with the Righteous. This is a neat little undercard feud here with the Dark Order.
Grayson started quickly with Morales, hitting an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Morales made a quick tag to Kross, but Grayson got control of him. Dutch and Grayson hit a successful tag team combination to Grayson’s surprise. Vincent and Grayson hit another combo to Vincent’s delight.
LSG tagged in and got some offense in, but Grayson took down both LSG and Kross. Dark Order made their way to the stage as Dutch hit a Bossman Slam on Morales. Dutch and Vincent hit Autumn Sunshine on Kross before Vincent tagged in Grayson to finish the job. Grayson hit Nightfall for the win.
– Dasha was backstage with Zack Sabre Jr. & Samoa Joe. They were tense toward each other, with Sabre noting that he came to ROH to make his NJPW World TV Title the premier TV Title in wrestling. Samoa Joe said that like all of his other partners, he would have Sabre’s back tonight. I think that was sarcasm.
Shane Taylor (w/Anthony Henry & JD Drake) defeated Tracy Williams (w/Rhett Titus)
Williams and Taylor traded blows, with Taylor winning the exchange. Williams caught Taylor in an armbar over the ropes, but Taylor responded with a barge attack in the ring before dropping him with a forearm. Williams tried to catch Taylor with an armbar in the ring, but Taylor hit a side suplex out of it. Williams hit a set of strikes before dropping Taylor with a jumping DDT off the ropes for a nearfall.
Williams went to the top rope, and after fighting off an intervening Taylor, hit a frog splash for a nearfall. Williams almost had Taylor up for a piledriver, but Taylor hit a back body drop. Taylor hit a headbutt and a uranage before hitting a standing splash for a nearfall. Taylor dropped Williams with a heavy forearm before hitting the Package Piledriver for the win.
ROH Women’s World Title Proving Ground Match: Athena defeated Promise Braxton
Braxton kept up with Athena early on, but after a stalemate, Athena caught Braxton with a high kick. Athena hit a big forearm. Braxton caught Athena in an octopus hold, but Athena got out. Athena hit a gourdbuster and a superkick for a nearfall that came after some bragging.
Braxton ducked a corner charge and fired up, hitting double knees to the back of Athena for a nearfall. Athena caught Braxton with a rana into the turnbuckles, then hit a corkscrew splash over the ropes for a nearfall. Braxton hit a pair of forearms, but Athena caught her with a big shot that knocked Braxton silly. Athena locked on a Cobra Clutch for the submission win.
After the match, Athena went to do more damage to Braxton before Kiera Hogan made the save. She dropped Athena face-first on the title as was Athena’s trademark before standing tall with the title.
Dralistico (w/Jose The Assistant) defeated Tony Deppen
I’ve been hard on Dralistico ever since he came into the AEW system, but this was his best performance to date.
Deppen literally kick-started this match, booting Dralistico to the floor and hitting a dive. Dralistico sent Deppen into the post before taking Deppen around ringside and doing damage with the barricade and the steps. Dralistico hit a springboard senton but pulled Deppen up on the cover. Dralistico booted Deppen in the corner before hitting a running superkick.
Dralistico went for a powerbomb, but Deppen slid out and hit a pump kick. Deppen avoided Dralistico on a charge and hit a twisting springboard gainer to the floor. Deppen hit a double stomp back in the ring for a nearfall. They traded chops before transitioning to palm strikes and forearms. Dralistico caught Deppen with a hurricane kick, but Deppen came back with a pair of German suplexes. Dralistico hit a German of his own before hitting a superkick and a poisonrana.
Deppen got some offense in, but Dralistico tied him up on the ropes and hit a hurricanrana. Dralistico hit La Mistica and got the submission win.
– Dasha was backstage with Nick Comoroto. He didn’t understand the hype around Blake Christian, calling him All Generic. He said that no one looked like him, and that would be the difference tonight in their match. He told ROH fans not to “simp for these wimps.”
Skye Blue defeated Miranda Alize
After a ringside chase, Alize cut off Blue with a low dropkick and a DDT for a nearfall. Alize hit a facewash and a corner dropkick before hitting a butterfly suplex for a nearfall. Blue cut off Alize with an elbow before scoring a nearfall with a kick to the head. Alize hit a throwing suplex for a nearfall. Alize locked on the Miranda Rights crossface, but Blue turned it into a pinfall to get out of it. Blue avoided a corner charge and rolled Alize up for the win.
– Lexy Nair was backstage with Athena, asking her how it felt to get a taste of her own medicine. Athena said that Kiera Hogan would get her title match next week before freaking out on some nearby barricades.
Darius Martin & Action Andretti defeated Cole Karter & Zack Clayton
Clayton and Andretti started off, with Andretti using his speed to take Clayton down. He hit a corkscrew splash for a nearfall before tagging Martin. Clayton cut off Martin with a clothesline before tagging in Karter. Martin got back in control with a dropkick. Martin and Andretti pinballed Karter before Andretti hit a tornado splash for a nearfall.
Andretti lost his footing on a springboard, allowing Karter to shove him to the floor. Clayton brought him back in with an outside-in suplex. Andretti dropped Clayton with a superkick before tagging in Martin who ran wild on both men. Martin hit a facebuster for a nearfall before running into a Clayton powerslam. Karter hit a frog splash for a nearfall that Andretti cut off. Martin helped Andretti hit a tornado DDT on Clayton. Martin and Andretti then hit a pendulum slam on Karter for the win.
Blake Christian defeated Nick Comoroto
While I’m not a huge fan of Comoroto’s new character, he looked good here as the big foil to Christian’s speed offense.
Comoroto flung his sucker at Christian to start, baiting Christian into a charge. Christian avoided a corner charge by backflipping to the floor. Christian led a chase on the floor that led to Comoroto running into the stairs. Christian hit a dive to the floor and followed it with a senton in the ring. Christian went for another dive, but Comoroto caught him and threw him into the post.
Comoroto flung Christian across the ring with a suplex for a nearfall. Comoroto controlled Christian, chopping Christian down as he tried to fight back. Christian hit an enzuigiri before ducking a corner charge to get things level. Christian low-bridged Comoroto to the floor before following him with a dive. Christian hit a double stomp to Comoroto’s back before hitting a frog splash for a nearfall.
Comoroto hit Christian with a spinebuster, but Christian caught Comoroto in an inside cradle for a nearfall. Comoroto hit Christian with a reverse Attitude Adjustment for a nearfall. Christian pulled a steel chair out from under the ring. Comoroto grabbed him, but Christian threw the chair into the ring. Comoroto went for the chair, but Christian caught him with a flash pin for the win.
Diamante defeated Trish Adora
Adora caught Diamante trying to cheap-shot her on a rope break and tied her up in a submission. Diamante fought out and sent her to the apron before hitting a neckbreaker in the ropes. Diamante hit a dropkick to Adora sending her to the floor. The women traded chops before Diamante hit an overhead throw, sending Adora to the corner. She hit a basement dropkick for a nearfall.
More forearm trading before Adora threw Diamante to the mat with an arm wringer. Adora hit a spinning fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall. Adora went for the Lariat Tubman, but Diamante hit a neckbreaker. Diamante locked Adora in a Cobra Clutch style submission for the win.
Penta El Zero Miedo (w/Alex Abrahantes) defeated Slim J (w/Ari Daivari, Jeeves Kay & Sonny Kiss)
These jokers think they’re slick, saving the Trustbusters for the semi-main event of this extra-long show just for me. Jokes aside, Slim J is a quality wrestler, and he had a solid match with Penta here.
Penta cut off Slim J on a transition, booting him while he was upside down. Penta went for a dive, but Slim J cut him off with a forearm. Slim J dumped Penta to the floor, allowing the rest of the Trustbusters to lay the boots in while he took the referee. Slim J hit the springboard reverse DDT for a nearfall.
Penta hit a pair of superkicks and a pair of Slingblades for a nearfall. Slim J fought out of the Fear Factor and hit the running Dudley Dog for a nearfall. Slim J went for punches in the corner, but Penta kicked his leg out and hit a double stomp to the chest for a nearfall. Slim J took advantage of a slight Trustbuster distraction to hit a wheelbarrow flatliner and a leaping reverse DDT for a nearfall. Penta cut off another Slim J springboard and hit the Fear Factor for the win.
Samoa Joe & Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal
This wasn’t much until the hot tag, after which this became a very fun flurry of a main event. It’s a shame that Daniels and Sydal lost because this match made me desperately want to see Sydal vs. Sabre.
Sabre started off with Sydal, who was able to match Sabre’s technical ability and hit a leg lariat. Daniels and Joe tagged in, with Joe’s tagging coming to his partner’s surprise. Daniels caught Joe with a flash pin for a nearfall, leading to Daniels and Sydal hitting a tag team combo. Joe quickly tagged back out to Sabre, but Daniels and Sydal hit him with a combination to keep control.
Sabre caught Daniels with a pair of boots before Joe booted Daniels in the ropes. Joe hammered Daniels with punches before hitting the corner enzuigiri. Sabre tagged in and stretched Daniels for a minute before tagging Joe back in. The two television champs showed off to each other, beating on Daniels in different ways. Daniels dumped Sabre into Joe and got a flash pin, but Sabre kicked out and tagged Joe in calmly. Joe hit a powerslam for a nearfall.
More quick tags, and more beating on Daniels. Daniels finally fought out, hitting an STO on Joe before tagging Sydal. Sydal ran wild with kicks on Joe, hitting a meteora for a nearfall that Sabre broke up with a neck crank. Sabre tagged in and went to work with uppercuts. Sydal turned a running uppercut into a backslide for a nearfall, then got another flash pin for a nearfall. Sydal hit La Mistica on Sabre, with Daniels catching Joe in a Koji Clutch, but Sabre got to the ropes.
Sabre met Sydal on the top rope and put him in a double wristlock. Daniels pulled Sabre out and they hit a Doomsday-style Meteora for a nearfall. Sabre countered a Daniels move and tagged out to Joe, who laid out Daniels with a lariat. Sydal took Joe out with a jumping knee, but Sabre caught Sydal and neck cranked him. Daniels hit Angel’s Wings on Sabre, but Joe hit the uranage in the corner and locked on the Coquina Clutch for the win. After the match, everyone shook hands, including the TV champions.
The respective Ring of Honor and NJPW TV Champions will be in tag team action as part of Thursday’s ROH on HonorClub — a show that started with 12 matches earlier in the week and grew to 19 matches Thursday afternoon.
Following last week’s show, ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe will team with NJPW TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. against former ROH Tag Team Champions Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal.
The match was made after Joe confronted Sabre Jr. after his title defense against AR Fox followed by Daniels and Sydal coming out and issuing a challenge: if they can beat the champs in a tag match, they each earn a TV title shot.
Thursday will also feature two Proving Ground matches which give challengers the opportunity to earn future title matches if they can defeat or last the time limit with the champion. ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli will face Serpentico while ROH Women’s Champion Athena will face Promise Braxton.
Ahead of his special guest referee duties at AEW Double or Nothing Sunday, Mark Briscoe will face JD Drake while Penta El Zero Miedo takes on Titus Alexander. Penta & Rey Fenix will defend the ROH Tag Team titles on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite.
The seven new additions Thursday afternoon included Trish Adora vs. Diamante, Kyle Fletcher vs. AR Fox, and Dr
Here’s the full 19-match lineup:
ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe & NJPW TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal with future TV title shots at stake
The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) vs. Ninja Mack & Willie Mack
ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli vs. Serpentico in a Proving Ground match
ROH Women’s Champion Athena vs. Promise Braxton in a Proving Ground match
Mercedes Martinez vs. Dream Girl Ellie
The Righteous & Stu Grayson vs. Marcus Kross, Vary Morales & LSG
Mark Briscoe vs. JD Drake
Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Slim J
Rocky Romero vs. Titus Alexander
Skye Blue vs. Miranda Alize
VertVixen vs. Kiera Hogan
Willow Nightingale vs. Hyan
Ashley D’Amboise vs. Danielle Kamela
Diamante vs. Trish Adora
Blake Christian vs. Nick Comoroto
Cole Karter & Zack Clayton vs. Darius Martin & Action Andretti
The following are results from Saturday’s AEW House Rules live event in Salem, Virginia, at the Civic Center which featured the return of Hangman Page.
This was Page’s first appearance since being taken out by Bryan Danielson in a screwdriver attack on an early-April Dynamite. Page hasn’t wrestled since a mid-March Dynamite featuring himself and Dark Order against the Blackpool Combat Club.
Two title defenses will be featured on tonight’s Ring of Honor on HonorClub.
In one, ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe will defend against Blake Christian while in the other, ROH Women’s Champion Athena defends against Skye Blue.
Ahead of what could be a future ROH Tag Team title challenge, ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta will face Tracy Williams & Rhett Titus.
ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions The Embassy (Brian Cage, Kaun, Toa Liona) will face Adam Priest, Lucky Ali & Victor Benjamin.
Ahead of his challenge of AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy Wednesday, Kyle Fletcher of Aussie Open will face former ROH TV Champion Tony Deppen.
Mark Briscoe, who was laid out by an accidental Dax Harwood piledriver Wednesday on Dynamite, will take on Shane Taylor.
The show will also feature Ninja Mack vs. Willie Mack, The Righteous in tag team action, Dark Order vs. The Trustbusters, and more.
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Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, & Nigel McGuinness were on the call for this week’s ROH television. This week saw Ring of Honor return to Universal Studios in Orlando, FL.
Mark Briscoe defeated Shane Taylor
Taylor threatened to beat on Briscoe like he used to do to Mark’s brother, which fired Briscoe up. Taylor cut him off before hooking Briscoe on the ropes and hitting a hanging stunner. Briscoe sent Taylor to the floor and hit a running blockbuster. Briscoe went for the chair-assisted dive, but Taylor slid into the ring and cut him off with a comebacker lariat.
Taylor kept control, using his heavy elbows to cut off Briscoe’s comeback attempts. Briscoe finally got a useful offensive combination in, laying Taylor out with a running boot. Briscoe clubbered on Taylor in the corner before hitting a Pele kick that sent Taylor to the floor. Briscoe got the chair-assisted dive the second time around.
Briscoe hit a missile dropkick off the middle rope in the ring. Taylor cut off Briscoe and went to the second rope, but Briscoe picked him up and hit a Spicolli Driver. Briscoe followed it up with a Froggy Bow attempt, but Taylor moved out of the way and hit Welcome To The Land for a close nearfall. Taylor went to the second rope, but Briscoe moved out of the way of a splash. Briscoe came back with big strikes before landing a big uranage for a nearfall.
Taylor answered with a uranage of his own for a nearfall. Briscoe escaped a package piledriver before starting a strike battle, ending with a Briscoe lariat that took Taylor down. Briscoe muscled Taylor up for the Jay Driller to get the win.
Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta defeated Rhett Titus & Tracy Williams
The announcers made it clear that due to winning the Double Jeopardy match against Rey Fenix on Dynamite, Castagnoli could challenge for the titles with any partner of his choosing. The way they talked about it made it seem possible that Castagnoli could choose someone outside of the Blackpool Combat Club.
Williams and Yuta started off, with Williams catching Yuta in a Shoelace Roll submission that Castagnoli broke up. Castagnoli tagged in and took Williams down, but Williams caught Castagnoli in a quick rollup before tagging in Titus. Castagnoli stuffed an armdrag attempt and tagged out to Yuta, but Titus and Williams got a tag team combination in to isolate Yuta. Williams got Yuta in another submission. He cut Castagnoli off when he tried to break up the submission, but Yuta chop blocked his knee to take control.
The BCC worked over Williams, with Castagnoli scoring a nearfall with an uppercut and a leg drop. Williams dodged a charging Castagnoli, but Yuta tagged in and cut off an attempted tag. Yuta brought Williams to the ropes, but Williams hit the DDT onto the top turnbuckle before tagging out to Titus. Titus ran wild on Yuta, hitting the Belly-to-Belly suplex for a nearfall. Castagnoli came in to run interference, but Titus hit the big dropkick to send him out of the ring. Titus and Williams hit a dropkick/lariat combination for a nearfall.
Castagnoli sent Titus to the floor and ran through him with a running Uppercut. Back in the ring, Yuta sent Williams into the referee before poking him in the eyes. Castagnoli dropped Williams with a running European Uppercut before sending Yuta off the top rope with a Rocket Launcher to score the win.
ROH World Television Title Match: Samoa Joe defeated Blake Christian to retain
A competitive, smartly-wrestled squash match. Christian had a plan, Joe fought it off, and at the first sign of real danger, Joe shut Christian down with the Muscle Buster. I enjoyed this for what it was.
Christian evaded Joe early, catching him with a handspring kick. Christian tied up Joe’s leg and hit a 619 to the knee to take Joe down. Christian hit a Knee-DT before locking on a Figure Four that Joe quickly reached the ropes to break. Joe avoided a low dropkick before hitting a senton to cut Christian off. Joe stomped on Christian before hitting a big elbow for a nearfall.
Christian escaped a powerbomb and dropkicked Joe’s knee, but he ran right into the powerslam for a nearfall. Joe tried to lock on the Coquina Clutch, but Christian dropped down into a stunner. Christian rolled through a corner uranage attempt, but Joe cut Christian off on the top rope and hit a Muscle Buster to score the win. This was Joe’s 11th successful defense of the title, and Riccaboni said that this defense would almost assuredly put him over the 400-day mark as ROH TV Champion.
– Dasha was backstage with the Varsity Athletes and the Trustbusters. Yes, those are two different groups, with Ari Daivari as the connective member. Mark Sterling said that the in-fighting of the Dark Order was disruptive to his group, with Ari Daivari adding that the Dark Order could fight them instead of each other.
The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent) defeated The Infantry (Carlie Bravo & Shawn Dean)
Vincent and Dean started off, with the Infantry hitting an offensive combination on Vincent. Stu Grayson came to the stage, presumably to watch the Righteous. Maybe he has issues with Captain Shawn Dean, though.
Dutch cut off Dean with a clothesline from the apron. Dutch & Vincent worked Dean over until Dean avoided the Autumn Sunshine and tagged out to Bravo. Bravo fired up but got shoved into a Bossman Slam from Dutch. Vincent hit the Autumn Sunshine on the legal man Dean for the win. Dutch and Vincent walked up to Grayson on the stage and told him that he was one of them.
– We got a video package for next week’s The Kingdom vs. Action Andretti & Darius Martin match, which will be a Fight Without Honor.
Vertvixen started off quickly, taking Renegade down with a facebuster for a quick nearfall. Charlette Renegade got involved while the referee was distracted, allowing Robyn Renegade to hit a shotgun dropkick. Vertvixen came back, hitting a rolling stunner and a big boot. Vertvixen hit a flatliner for a nearfall. Renegade fought out of a Fireman’s Carry before locking Vertvixen in a Ground Cobra for the submission win.
– Dasha was backstage with Prince Nana and the Gates of Agony, who have a match with The Boys tonight. Dalton Castle entered frame, accusing them of attacking one of the Boys. Prince Nana claimed innocence until Castle left, then pulled out the mask of the fallen Boy.
Willie Mack defeated Ninja Mack
The crowd chanted “Let’s Go Mack,” making fun of the name clash. Willie used his power to take down Ninja before taking Ninja down with an armdrag. Ninja tried using his speed to his advantage, but Willie took down Ninja with a headscissors before hitting a dive to the floor. Ninja threw some strikes before Willie hit a big palm strike to take Ninja down.
Ninja moved out of the way of a Willie moonsault before hitting some heavy kicks. Ninja avoided a corner charge before hitting a twisting uppercut. Ninja hit a twisting tornado splash for a nearfall. Ninja and Willie traded superkicks before Ninja walked into a Samoan Drop from Willie. Willie kipped up and hit a standing moonsault for a nearfall.
Ninja and Willie got into a pinning predicament, trading multiple flash pin attempts before Willie caught Ninja with a powerbomb for the win. This was a lot harder to review than I thought it would be because of the name thing, but I got through it.
The Embassy (Brian Cage, Kaun & Toa Liona) (w/Prince Nana) defeated Adam Priest, Lucky Ali & Victor Benjamin
The Embassy ran through each of these guys. Kaun rocked Priest with a lariat. Cage sent Ali flying with a German suplex. Benjamin got a few impressive strikes in on Liona before getting drilled with a lariat. All three Embassy members came in, laying out all three of their opponents. Kaun and Liona finished this one off by sending Priest into Benjamin with a reverse bodyslam, with Kaun getting the pin.
Kyle Fletcher (w/Mark Davis) defeated Tony Deppen
Fletcher is usually a tag team guy, but he stood out on his own here. He’s got a real physical presence, which was highlighted working against the smaller Deppen. Solid match here.
The announcers talked about Fletcher’s heavy recent schedule and his injured ribs. Fletcher overpowered Deppen to start, dropping him with a shoulder block. Deppen came back, eventually getting Fletcher down to a knee. Deppen called for the best suplex ever seen on TV, but Fletcher reversed it into a suplex of his own.
Fletcher hit a half-and-half suplex and a mafia kick for a nearfall. Deppen caught Fletcher with a stunner over the ropes before following with a dive to the floor. Deppen hit the Bayonet elbow for a nearfall. Deppen laid in the elbows before catching Fletcher in a flash pin for a nearfall. Deppen hit a jumping knee and followed it with running knees into the corner. Deppen hit a double stomp off the top rope for a nearfall.
Deppen caught Fletcher with another knee but ran right into a Michinoku Driver for the three count and the win.
AR Fox defeated Anthony Henry (w/JD Drake)
It was a bit comical the amount of damage Fox fought through to win, but Henry looked impressive and aggressive on offense.
Henry took Fox’s back, but Fox sent him to the floor and hit a pair of no-touch planchas. Henry rolled to the other side of the ring to confer with Drake, but Fox hit a dive onto both of them. Fox evaded a clothesline before hitting an Anarchist suplex for a nearfall. Henry sent Fox into the post and hit a piledriver on the apron that sent Fox to the floor.
Fox barely beat the 20 count into the ring, where Henry immediately cranked his neck. Henry hit another piledriver in the ring for a nearfall. Fox got a few weak strikes in, but Henry kicked Fox in the head and hit a brainbuster. Henry hit another brainbuster, but Fox powered Henry up for a brainbuster of his own. Fox hit a corner boot before hitting a springboard stunner for a nearfall. Fox hit a squisher before following it with a senton for a nearfall.
Henry came back with a neckbreaker and a top rope neckbreaker for another nearfall. Fox vaulted over on a Dragon Sleeper attempt and hit a running boot into the corner. Fox brought Henry up for the Lo Mein Pain, but Henry caught him in a choke. Fox fought out and pulled Henry into a cutter. Drake caught a boot from Fox when he tried to interfere. Fox ducked a Henry charge and dived onto Drake on the floor but ran back into a DDT in the ring for a nearfall. Fox caught Henry with a Lo Mein Pain before hitting the 450 Splash for the win.
After the match, the Workhorsemen jumped Fox. Shane Taylor joined the fray, beating up on Fox before FTR made the save. FTR and Fox fought off the Workhorsemen and set Henry up for a Shatter Machine before he bailed. Eddie Kingston came out and ran him back into the ring, leading to FTR hitting the Shatter Machine anyway.
The Dark Order (Alex Reynolds, Evil Uno, John Silver & Stu Grayson) defeated Josh Woods & The Trustbusters (Jeeves Kay, Slim J & Sonny Kiss) (w/Ari Daivari & Mark Sterling)
Woods started out with Evil Uno, although Uno quickly tagged out to Reynolds and Grayson. Sterling took the referee, allowing Woods to take down Silver and isolate him. Silver hit a suplex on Jeeves Kay and fought to make a tag to Grayson. Grayson ran wild with suplexes before hitting a dive to Kiss and Woods on the floor. Grayson hit a reverse F-5 on Slim J and a springboard moonsault for a nearfall.
Miscommunication between Uno and Grayson led to a Trustbusters run of offense, but the Dark Order got back involved and ran wild on them. Grayson took a kick meant for Reynolds, leading to the Dark Order hitting their big offense. Grayson and Uno hit the Fatality before Reynolds, the legal man, pushed Grayson out of the way to score the pin. Grayson looked annoyed on the outside.
ROH Women’s World Title Match: Athena defeated Skye Blue to retain
This was the most competitive match of Skye Blue’s TV wrestling career, and probably the best match of her career as well. The crowd didn’t really buy Blue as a challenger despite ROH’s best attempts to heat her up over the past few months.
Athena feigned a lockup before drilling Blue with a forearm. Blue came back with strikes before cartwheeling out of a headscissors. Athena drilled Blue with a boot before sending her into the corner. Athena menaced the referee, leading to Blue scoring a rollup for a nearfall. Athena dropkicked Blue into the corner before chucking her to the floor. Athena set the ring steps up on their side, but Blue reversed Athena’s throw and sent her into the stairs.
Athena yanked Blue off of the apron to the floor before drilling her with a forearm. Athena dragged Blue up the ramp, but Blue caught Athena with an armdrag. They fought near the edge of the stage before Athena hit Blue with a superkick that sent her off the stage. Athena dragged Blue back to the ring and tied her up in a bow and arrow hold. Blue fought out before going for flash pins, leading to a pinning predicament that almost scored the win for Blue.
Blue hit a rising knee and an upkick from the apron. She followed with a high crossbody for a nearfall. Athena vaulted back to her feet and hit a heavy forearm for a nearfall. Athena went to the top rope, but Blue cut her off. Blue hit a flurry of forearms before hitting a hurricanrana off the top rope. Blue hit a superkick and a standing sliced bread for a nearfall. Blue locked Athena up for Skyfall, but Athena pushed her off and got Blue up for the Wasteland slam. Athena hit another Wasteland over the knee.
Athena talked trash to Blue, slapping her in the face before Blue slapped her back. They traded forearms before Athena hit Blue with the Skyfall – Blue’s own move – for a nearfall. Blue caught Athena with a boot before hitting the O-Face for a nearfall. Blue hit the Skyfall, but Athena kicked out. They rolled to the apron before Blue dropped Athena face-first onto the apron. Blue laid Athena on the steps and went to the ropes, but Athena caught her and powerbombed her onto the steps.
Athena hit the facebuster on the knees, but Blue kicked out at one. Blue caught Athena with a small package, but Athena kicked out and locked on the crossface. Blue rolled towards the ropes, but Athena rolled her back to the middle and transitioned into the Camel Clutch for the tapout and the win. Athena succeeded in her 9th defense of the title. After the match, Athena adhered to the Code of Honor before clotheslining Blue down and throwing her face-first into the title belt.
ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli defeated Serpentico
Rey Fenix (w/ Alex Abrahantes) defeated Gringo Loco
Kiera Hogan defeated VertVixen. ROH Women’s Champion Athena watched from ringside and shoved Hogan afterward.
Kyle Fletcher (w/ Mark Davis) defeated AR Fox. This was a great match that the crowd was into.
Iron Savages (w/ Jacked Jameson) defeated The Wingmen (Ryan Nemeth & Peter Avalon)
Willow Nightingale defeated Hyan
The Kingdom (Mike Bennett & Matt Taven) (w/ Maria Kanellis) defeated Ninja Mack & Willie Mack
ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions The Embassy (Brian Cage, Kaun & Toa Liona) (w/ Prince Nana) defeated Lucky Ali, Victor Benjamin & Adam Priest
Mercedes Martinez defeated Dream Girl Ellie
ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe & NJPW TV Champion Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Matt Sydal & Christopher Daniels
Penta El Zero Miedo (w/ Alex Abrahantes) defeated Slim J (w/ Sonny Kiss, Ari Daivari & Jeeves Kay)
Skye Blue defeated Miranda Alize
Rocky Romero defeated Titus Alexander
The Righteous (Vincent & Dutch) & Stu Grayson defeated LSG, Marcus Kross & Vary Morales
Shane Taylor (w/ The WorkHorsemen) defeated Tracy Williams (w/ Rhett Titus)
ROH Women’s Champion Athena defeated Promise Braxton. Post-match, Hogan saved Braxton from a beatdown and left Athena laid out.
Dralistico (w/ Jose The Assistant) defeated Tony Deppen
Ashley D’Amboise defeated Danielle Kamela
Darius Martin & Action Andretti defeated Cole Karter & Zack Clayton
Blake Christian defeated Nick Comoroto
Diamante defeated Trish Adora
AR Fox defeated Anthony Henry (w/ JD Drake). Post-match, Drake attacked Fox and Shane Taylor joined in until FTR made the save to clear house. Eddie Kingston also joined them to talk to the crowd and send everyone home happy. He revealed he is having hernia surgery this week and believes he will be back in six weeks.
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)
ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli will look to keep things rolling after Supercard of Honor as he defends against Metalik.
Castagnoli defended his title against Eddie Kingston at the pay-per-view, but things didn’t appear to be resolved between those two in addition to Wheeler Yuta and ROH Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata.
Speaking of Shibata, he and the returning Alex Coughlin will face The WorkHorsemen. Yuta, conversely, will battle ROH veteran Tracy Williams.
ROH Women’s Champion Athena will take on Ashley D’Amboise in a non-title Proving Ground match.
Mark Briscoe will look to rebound from his loss to Samoa Joe when he faces Ari Daivari.
Dark Order’s Stu Grayson will face Tony Nese while The Kingdom’s Mike Bennett takes on Darius Martin who continues to embark on his singles career due to Dante Martin’s injury.
Willow Nightingale vs. Little Mean Kathleen and Skye Blue vs. Kelly Madan rounds out the card.
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This week’s edition of Ring of Honor TV was taped before and after last week’s Rampage taping on Friday in Rhode Island. Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman were on the call.
Mark Briscoe defeated Ari Daivari (w/cJosh Woods, Mark Sterling & Tony Nese)
Briscoe controlled Daivari early on, forcing Daivari to roll to the floor after an offensive flurry. Briscoe went to follow Daivari with a dive before Nese cut him off and sent him into the barricade. Daivari took control, dropping Briscoe with a Hammerlock DDT for a nearfall. Daivari sent Briscoe to the floor, allowing Woods and Nese to lay the shots into Briscoe while the referee was distracted.
Daivari hit a high crossbody for a nearfall. Briscoe avoided another crossbody, allowing Briscoe to fire up with redneck kung fu. Briscoe went on offense, hitting the machine gun neckbreaker for a nearfall. Sterling cut off a Jay Driller attempt, allowing more interference from Woods and Nese. The referee saw that interference and promptly ejected all seconds from ringside. That allowed Briscoe to hit the Jay Driller to score the win.
After the match, everyone laid the boots to Briscoe before FTR made their way to the ring to even the odds and make the save.
– Eddie Kingston spoke for the first time since Supercard of Honor. He revealed that he had been dealing with a hernia injury since September that may require surgery but did not use it as an excuse for losing. He had a strategy and abandoned it, resorting to his fighting the same way Arturo Gatti would in his fights.
Kingston admitted that Castagnoli was the better man, having beat Kingston so badly that he couldn’t sleep that night. Kingston admitted that he wanted to quit, like Castagnoli said he would before Supercard of Honor. However, Kingston said that he had to learn from his loss and move forward.
Skye Blue defeated Kelly Madan
The announcers hyped Madan, noting that her trainer Damian Adams trained former ROH alumni Deonna Purrazzo. This was a quick bout that saw Blue win in a matter of minutes with the Skyfall.
Darius Martin defeated Mike Bennett (w/ Maria Kanellis-Bennett & Matt Taven) by disqualification
During the entrances, Riccaboni noted that Dante Martin’s recovery should be faster than originally expected. Definitely good to hear that news. Martin caught Bennett on an attempt to jumpstart the match and laid in the shots to Bennett. They traded chops in the corner before Martin sent Bennett to the floor with a dropkick. Bennett ducked a baseball slide, but Martin came off of the barricade with a crossbody. Taven distracted Martin as he went to the top rope, allowing Bennett to cut him off.
On the apron, Bennett won a forearm exchange and hit a Death Valley Driver. Martin avoided the rebound lariat and hit a quick tope before sending Bennett back into the ring. A short back-and-forth led to Martin hitting a Spanish Fly for a nearfall. Martin set up another move, but Taven came into the ring and attacked Martin to cause a disqualification. The Kingdom went after Martin’s ankle before Action Andretti ran them both off.
Wheeler Yuta defeated Tracy Williams
The announcers noted that Williams served as a mentor for Yuta as he came up on the independent scene, and that came through in the action as Williams got the better of Yuta early on. Yuta took control by booting Williams in the face to break a submission. Yuta got Williams with a German suplex before hitting the hammer-and-anvil elbows to boos from the Rhode Island crowd.
Yuta caught Williams in a deathlock and taunted him before bridging back on the hold. Williams grabbed the ropes, with the announcers noting that this wasn’t a Pure Rules match. Williams fired up with strikes, hitting a DDT onto the top turnbuckle before following with a lariat. A brainbuster scored a nearfall, which Williams immediately transitioned into a crossface. Yuta escaped and cut off a forearm exchange by biting Williams in the forehead. Yuta hit the Right Angle Slam and the hammer-and-anvil elbows before scoring the win with a seated Dragon Sleeper.
– Darius Martin and Action Andretti were in the back. Martin noted that he wasn’t going to let the Kingdom keep outnumbering him, so he recruited Andretti to help him out. They challenged the Kingdom to a future tag team match.
ROH Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata & Alex Coughlin defeated The WorkHorsemen
It’s still surreal to see Shibata as a regular member of a pro wrestling roster after such a long injury layoff. Shibata and Anthony Henry started off grappling to a stalemate. Shibata and Henry traded unsuccessful Penalty Kick attempts, leading to Shibata locking on a figure four. JD Drake dropped a headbutt on Shibata to break the hold, leading to tags on both sides. Coughlin and Drake engaged in a chop battle, ending with the WorkHorsemen hitting a double team Russian Leg Sweep for a nearfall.
The WorkHorsemen isolated Coughlin, finding time to hit Shibata’s cross-legged pose out of mockery. Drake laid in heavy kicks to Coughlin, as Shane Taylor watched on from the back. Drake drilled Coughlin with a rebound forearm, leading to a Henry double stomp for a nearfall. Drake locked Coughlin in a deathlock, but Shibata stomped Henry to break it up. Shibata then stomped on Coughlin to fire him up. Henry went for another seated submission, but Coughlin lifted Henry from that seated position into an impressive vertical suplex.
Shibata got the tag and ran wild, hitting the hesitation dropkick to Henry for a nearfall. Drake cut off a sleeper hold on Henry with a chop, but a Shibata forearm knocked him down. The WorkHorsemen hit a tandem facebuster for a nearfall on Shibata. Coughlin took out Drake with a deadlift gutwrench suplex on the floor, and Shibata took Henry down with the Sleeper Hold and a Penalty Kick for the win. After the match, Coughlin made a challenge to Shibata for his Pure Championship.
Willow Nightingale defeated Little Mean Kathleen
Kathleen bit Nightingale on the hand, forcing Nightingale to hit a bodyslam. Kathleen fought out of a powerslam position and hit bicycle kicks, but Nightingale got her knees up on a splash. Nightingale hit a running splash in the corner before following with the Oklahoma Stampede for the quick victory.
Stu Grayson (w/ Evil Uno) defeated Tony Nese (w/Mark Sterling)
Grayson was in control early on, finishing an opening flurry with an over-the-ropes senton to Nese on the apron. Grayson hit a tope over the top rope to Nese on the floor. Grayson went for a springboard to Nese, but Nese shoved him off the top rope into the barricades on the floor.
Nese took control in the ring, but Grayson pushed him to the mat on a superplex attempt. Grayson went for a sunset flip, but Nese rolled through and hit a spinning heel kick for a nearfall. Nese hit a spin kick to the breadbasket, but Grayson fired up and dropped Nese with a uranage. Grayson hit a corkscrew senton to Nese for a nearfall. Nese used the ropes to escape a Grayson fireman’s carry, but Grayson hit an F-5 style move for another nearfall.
Grayson pulled Nese over the ropes with a suplex, but Nese escaped and hung Grayson’s neck on the ropes. Grayson avoided the Running Nese, but Nese got a roll-up with the tights for a nearfall. Grayson hit a pele kick and followed it with a running knee. Grayson dropped Nese from a fireman’s carry to a backbreaker to score the win.
After the match, The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent) came to the stage and stared down the Dark Order, although the announcers made it clear that their focus was solely on Grayson.
– The Righteous were backstage. They insinuate that the Dark Order left Stu Grayson behind during his hiatus from AEW, and that they want to help him out.
ROH Women’s Champion Athena defeated Ashley D’Amboise in a Proving Ground match
If D’Amboise wins or survives the time limit, she will earn a future title match.
D’Amboise got the better of Athena on an early exchange, but Athena immediately cut her off with a high kick and a flurry of strikes. Athena dropped D’Amboise with a superkick for a nearfall. Athena fish hooked D’Amboise on a submission, but D’Amboise rolled her up for a quick one count. D’Amboise avoided a corner charge and took Athena down with a leg lariat. D’Amboise fired up and hit a Samoan Drop for a nearfall.
D’Amboise went for something off the top rope, but Athena threw her from the top to the apron before dropkicking her to the floor. Athena threw D’Amboise around the ring before hitting the running knees against the steps. Athena went to the top rope and hit the O-Face for the win.
– Lexy Nair was backstage with D’Amboise who was hoping for more honor in ROH before getting attacked by Athena. She welcomed D’Amboise to ROH by throwing her headfirst into the title belt.
ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli defeated Metalik to retain
This was a fine main event, but it’s far from a must-see affair. This is Castagnoli’s sixth defense of the title.
Metalik played a lot of defense early on, using his lucha proficiency to escape Castagnoli’s attempts at offense. Metalik was able to send Castagnoli to the floor, but Castagnoli caught Metalik on a cannonball attempt and hit an Alley-Oop onto the apron. Back in the ring, Castagnoli dropped an elbow for a nearfall. Castagnoli hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for another nearfall. A running European uppercut scored Castagnoli another nearfall.
Metalik fought out of a top wristlock and caught Castagnoli with a small package for a nearfall, but Castagnoli cut him off with a big boot. Metalik cut off a corner charge before landing an enzuigiri and a springboard hurricanrana. Castagnoli got hold of Metalik’s hands, but Metalik popped up with a sling blade for a nearfall. Castagnoli rolled to the floor, but Metalik followed him outside with a step-up dive to the floor. Metalik hit a springboard splash back inside the ring for a nearfall.
Castagnoli hit a headbutt but missed another corner charge. Metalik went for a ropewalk rana, but Castagnoli caught him. Metalik rolled up and over with a sunset flip for a nearfall. Metalik went for a moonsault, but Castagnoli kicked him in the face and hit a big lariat for a nearfall. Castagnoli put Metalik on the top rope and went for a superplex, but Metalik fought out. Castagnoli was stood on the ropes, and Metalik hit the old Elix Skipper ropewalk rana for a nearfall.
Metalik went for a ropewalk elbow drop, but Castagnoli got his knees up and transitioned into a crossface. Metalik rolled it into a crucifix pin, but Castagnoli kicked out and hit a big European Uppercut for a nearfall. Castagnoli followed it with the hammer-and-anvil elbows and the Neutralizer to win and retain the World title.
A World Championship match is set to air on this week’s episode of Ring of Honor television.
On ROH TV this Thursday night, Claudio Castagnoli will put his ROH World Championship on the line against Metalik (Mascara Dorada). The episode airs on HonorClub starting at 7 p.m. Eastern time.
Castagnoli is coming off a successful title defense against Eddie Kingston at Supercard of Honor. He’s held the ROH World title since defeating Chris Jericho at Final Battle last December.
Metalik was part of an ROH Six-Man Tag Team title match at Supercard of Honor. The Embassy (Brian Cage, Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona) defeated Metalik, AR Fox & Blake Christian to retain the titles.
The matches airing on this Thursday’s ROH TV were taped in Rhode Island at AEW Rampage/Battle of the Belts VI last week.
The full lineup for the episode can be seen below:
ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli defends against Metalik
Mark Briscoe vs. Ari Daivari
Proving Ground match: ROH Women’s World Champion Athena vs. Ashley D’Amboise
Katsuyori Shibata & Alex Coughlin vs. The WorkHorsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry)
