AEW star Hangman Page has responded to the backlash he’s received from fans after recently appearing in a photo with Marty Scurll.
When Dynamite took place in Orlando, Florida on January 21, Scurll posted a photo to Instagram showing him meeting up with Page at a Cracker Barrel restaurant. The post led to Page receiving immediate criticism for still having an association with Scurll, especially given the reputation that Page has built for speaking up about what he feels is right. In 2020, Scurll was accused of taking advantage of an inebriated 16 year old girl in an incident that happened in 2015. The allegation led to Scurll departing ROH and mostly being removed from mainstream wrestling in the years since. Scurll admitted that a sexual encounter between him and his accuser took place but called it “legal” and claimed he thought it was consensual.
Page told The Takedown on SI that he thought about writing a post addressing the photo controversy, but he thought it would be better to do so in a format where he could look fans in the eye and explain himself. Page noted that, though he’s kept in contact with Scurll over the past six years, he feels the behavior Scurll is accused of is “abhorrent” and “disgraceful.” He believes the repercussions Scurll has had to face are justified.
“I don’t want that photo to seem like some kind of endorsement, or, I have any interest whatsoever in whitewashing what he did, or any interest or intention of rehabilitating his public image,” Page said. “None of that is something that I’ve ever been interested in doing. Not now, not ever.
“And I think that the consequences of his actions that he’s had mostly from the public, aside from, like, harassment, I think they’ve been warranted. So I kind of want to make that clear.”
Page and Scurll previously worked together in NJPW and ROH and were stablemates in The Elite. Page said he did not expect their recent photo to be posted publicly, and he understands if fans have lost some respect for him or feel uncomfortable supporting him still. This situation has caused Page to revisit the allegations that were made against Scurll and what a continued relationship with Scurll would mean.
“I guess who I am is, when people treat me with kindness, I try to return it,” Page responded when asked why he kept in contact with Scurll. “I have never really wanted to get into that. And that’s more or less why I have a private relationship with him. Not out of a sense of self-preservation or shame, or something like that. But more or less, I just would never want that to be misconstrued as like an endorsement or an effort to rehabilitate someone’s public image, something like that.
“But I guess I’ve just always thought that he’s still a human being, and that relationships are complicated, but they’re still relationships, and he’s still a human being.”
The Takedown on SI asked Page about building back trust with fans who are disappointed with him for associating with Scurll.
“I guess the best that I can do is, you know, when asked about it like this to try to be as open and transparent as I can,” he said. “And I can just tell you the truth of who I am and the decisions I’ve made. And truthfully say that even if you’ve lost the tiniest amount of respect for me because of my choices, I can accept that. Like, I completely accept that. I understand it. I get it.”
It’s been announced that Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto in an interim AEW World Championship eliminator match has been added to Dominion. The winner of that match will advance to compete for the interim AEW World Championship at Forbidden Door.
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NJPW has released the full card for Dominion that will take place later this month.
The card will take place June 12 at Osaka-Jo Hall. New championship matches have been added in addition to the IWGP World Heavyweight title match between champion Kazuchika Okada and challenger Jay White.
Juice Robinson will be defending the United States title against Will Ospreay, who issued a challenge, and SANADA, who returned at the Best of the Super Junior finals after recovering from injury. Tama Tonga will defend the NEVER Championship against Karl Anderson, Shingo Takagi will face Taichi for the KOPW 2022 provisional trophy, and Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale will defend the IWGP Tag Team titles against the United Empire’s Jeff Cobb and The Great-O-Khan.
Hiromu Takahashi, who won the Best of the Super Juniors, will not get his championship match against Taiji Ishimori at Dominion. That will instead take place June 21 at Korakuen Hall.
The full card is as follows:
Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
Interim AEW World Championship eliminator match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto
Juice Robinson vs. SANADA vs. Will Ospreay for the IWGP United States Championship
Tama Tonga vs. Karl Anderson for the NEVER Openweight title
Shingo Takagi vs. Taichi for the provisional KOPW 2022 trophy
Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale vs. Jeff Cobb & The Great-O-Khan for the IWGP Tag Team titles
EVIL, SHO, and Yujiro Takahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Yoshinobu Kanemaru, and El Desperado for the NEVER Openweight Six-Man titles
Toru Yano vs. Doc Gallows
Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI, and Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Phantasmo, Ace Austin, and Taiji Ishimori
TJP, Francesco Akira, and Aaron Henare vs. Ryusuke Taguchi, Master Wato, and Hiroyoshi Tenzan
After being booked against two wrestlers who were accused during the #SpeakingOut movement, Lince Dorado has asked The Crash Lucha Libre to remove him from their May show or change his match.
The Crash announced on Wednesday that Dorado & Destiny would be facing Marty Scurll & Travis Banks at their show in Tijuana, Mexico on Friday, May 13. But Dorado tweeted on Thursday that he’s asked The Crash to remove him from the event or change his match. Dorado noted that The Crash is working on it.
“I have asked @TheCrashLuchas to remove me from the show or change my match for their May event,” Dorado wrote. “Nothing else needs to be said. It’s my decision as I’m not influenced by anybody! They are working on it.”
I have asked @TheCrashLuchas to remove me from the show or change my match for their May event. Nothing else needs to be said. It’s my decision as I’m not influenced by anybody! They are working on it.
Banks (real name Travis Bligh) was released by WWE in June 2020 after Millie McKenzie accused him of being in a mentally and emotionally abusive relationship with her when she was a 17-year-old trainee. Banks is 13 years older than McKenzie.
ROH announced in January 2021 that they and Scurll had “mutually decided to part ways.” In June 2020, a woman accused Scurll of sexually assaulting her when she was 16 years old in 2015. Scurll claimed that the encounter was consensual and that he wasn’t aware of her age at the time. Following the start of the #SpeakingOut movement, ROH announced that it had opened an investigation into its wrestlers who were accused.
News broke last week that Scurll was part of the January 22nd taping in California and was rumored to be involved in a post-match angle with Rocky Romero. That led to a backlash on social media due to a 2015 encounter with a then-16-year-old female who said he sexually assaulted her — the story of which came out during last summer’s #SpeakingOut movement.
He admitted to the encounter, but said it was both consensual and legal due to the UK age of consent. He later released another statement, saying that while he didn’t “become aware of her age until after the encounter, the reality of the age disparity is not lost on me.”
At the time of the allegations, he was part of Ring of Honor as a wrestler and member of the booking committee. The company said they were launching an investigation into any such claims against their talent and while never releasing the result of that investigation, the two sides parted ways in January. He had worked extensively for New Japan in the past and last worked for them as part of the 2019 Best of the Super Juniors tournament.
The 32-year-old has been ouf of action since February 2020.
ROH had announced in June 2020 that they were launching an investigation into accusations made against their contracted wrestlers during the #SpeakingOut movement. A woman alleged during the #SpeakingOut movement that while drunk, she was sexually assaulted by Scurll when she was 16 years old in 2015. Scurll responded by releasing a statement saying that a sexual encounter did happen, but it was consensual. Scurll also claimed that the encounter was legal, as the age of consent in the United Kingdom is 16.
In a second statement, Scurll said that “although I did not become aware of her age until after the encounter, the reality of the age disparity is not lost on me.”
Scurll had been with ROH since 2016. In January of 2020, Scurll signed a new contract with ROH that also saw him join the promotion’s booking team.
Scurll was removed from the ROH roster page in October, with Dave Meltzer reporting that Scurll didn’t have a role with ROH at the time. Scurll hadn’t wrestled for ROH following the promotion’s return to television production in August and hadn’t been involved in creative.
Following his removal from the company’s active roster page over the weekend, Dave Meltzer said that Marty Scurll currently doesn’t have a role in Ring of Honor.
Meltzer discussed Scurll’s status on Sunday’s Wrestling Observer Radio and said that he is not involved in creative and has been taken off the active roster with no plans to use him. He said Scurll hasn’t been fired but simply isn’t being used.
During this summer’s #SpeakingOut movement, Scurll was accused of sexually abusing an inebriated 16-year-old girl in 2015. He released two statements in two days, denying any wrongdoing while admitting to a “brief consensual sexual encounter” where he had no reason to question her age.
In late-June, ROH said they were launching an investigation into #SpeakingOut accusations against their talent but four months later, they have yet to announce any findings of that investigation. He hasn’t wrestled since February and wasn’t part of the recent TV tapings.
Scurll re-upped with the company in January in what was believed to be a multi-year deal.
Ring of Honor has launched an investigation into accusations made against its talent during the #SpeakingOut movement.
In ROH’s statement announcing the investigation, it was said that the promotion will provide an update on the investigation once it concludes. ROH’s full statement is available below:
At Ring of Honor, we pride ourselves on the respectful and inclusive environment we have built, one that ensures all employees can work in a place where they feel safe and respected.
We take these matters extremely seriously and have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to this type of behavior.
Ring of Honor has launched an immediate investigation into the claims made against its currently contracted wrestlers. We will update you on our investigation once it concludes.
“In 2015 after a wrestling event in the UK, I had a brief consensual sexual encounter with a woman. In that moment, at a bar, in those circumstances, I had no cause to question her age. I don’t say any of this lightly or to seek absolution for my ignorance. Although I did not become aware of her age until after the encounter, the reality of the age disparity is not lost on me. I understand that although our encounter was technically legal in the UK, my lack of good judgment that evening has disappointed many fans,” Scurll wrote in a portion of his second statement.
It was confirmed this January that Scurll signed a new deal with ROH and is now part of the promotion’s booking team.
This post was updated at 7:30 PM Eastern Wednesday.
A day after being accused of taking advantage of an inebriated 16-year-old girl in 2015, Ring of Honor’s Marty Scurll released a statement showing concern for those who feel unsafe at wrestling events while not admitting to any wrongdoing.
Then on Wednesday, he released yet another statement.
The woman, then 16, said she was drunk after working a 2015 IPW:UK show when Scurll propositioned her to go back to her hotel room. She couldn’t get in her room and gave Scurll oral sex before he took her in a closet with the intent of having sex despite her saying she was a virgin. She said her friend showed up and told him to leave and he did.
She said unflattering rumors about her circulated the day after, but not about Scurll who no-showed the next day. She also said company founder Dan Edler had previously raped her and told her he wouldn’t book Scurll again as he was jealous of what had happened.
The 31-year-old Scurll first released a statement on Twitter Tuesday night where he didn’t deny the encounter happened but believed it was consensual, adding it was also legal, a nod toward the age of consent in England:
“I am aware that a young woman has bravely come forward with her account of sexual abuse by some members of the wrestling community in the UK 5 years ago, a community I was a part of.
Although I truly believe that our encounter that evening was consensual, and the fact that the encounter was legal; is almost not the point. I understand now that she now views our encounter as a part of a bigger problem within the wrestling community.
What concerns me at this moment is that from what I have been reading, she is a fan of wrestling and was made to feel unsafe within that community. That is not acceptable. I also understand that some people have been attacking her on social media, and I implore you to please stop. She has a right to her voice and, and it our responsibility to listen.”
“In 2015 after a wrestling event in the UK, I had a brief consensual sexual encounter with a woman. In that moment, at at bar, in those circumstances, I had no cause to question her age. I don’t say any of this lightly or to seek absolution for my ignorance. Although I did not become aware of her age until after the encounter, the reality of the age disparity is not lost on me. I understand that although our encounter was technically legal in the UK, my lack of good judgment that evening has disappointed many fans.
This week, the woman I’m referencing bravely shared her stories of abuse she experienced while attending wrestling events during that time period. My name has been included in one of the recollections she has shared. I can only speak to what I know to be true and my own actions.
It is my understand that this woman continuously supported our sport through her attendance at events, seminars, and training sessions and as an industry, we failed her. I cannot begin to understand the difficulties she must be experiencing and in that spirit, I ask that you please continue to respect her privacy.
My immediate priority is to seek forgiveness for unknowingly contributing to a culture that for too long has promulgated ego over humanity and hurt many along the way. For those of us with a voice that can reach beyond our own doorsteps, it is our shared responsibility to be better and do more.
The system must change to protect the most vulnerable and provide an ecosystem where female fans and athletes can engaged and participate safely. The time is now. As a person who has been identified as part of the problem, I am unreservedly committing to be part of the solution. In the very short term, I am looking to work within the industry to create better security protocols at events to provide a safe environment for all fans. Words are no longer enough, action is needed.”
As of this writing, ROH, where Scurll is part of the booking team as well as an in-ring wrestler, has released a statement regarding Scurrl or the #SpeakingOut movement in general.
Matt and Nick Jackson were shown filming promos to hype up their match on next week’s BTE 200. Matt said this was the biggest match of his career. Brandon Cutler reminded him of two AEW ppv matches. Matt ultimately decided this was the ninth biggest match of his career.
Nick said the match will be held in his backyard on the BTE Compound.
Matt refused to discuss any of his brother’s weaknesses.
Nick said that Matt’s weakness is his back and he plans to attack it.
Matt said he loves his brother and doesn’t want to hurt him.
Nick said he’s better than Matt.
Matt said he has an insurance policy under his shoe.
Matt Hardy provided analysis on the upcoming match both in and out of his Broken character.
Scorpio Sky, Brandon Cutler, Cody, Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, Kenny Omega, Joey Ryan, Hangman Page, Marty Scurll, Fat Ass Massa, Colt Cabana and Flip Gordon broke down the match.
Kazarian said that Matt has called Nick a jobber that he’s tired of carrying.
Cody acted out the way he sees the match going with Young Bucks Funko Pops.
Scurll said Matt and Nick are dead to him.
Ryan said that Nick has the best hot tag in the business but this isn’t a tag match.
Cabana taunted Omega.
Gordon said he was going to try to get booked.
Massa said f–k The Young Bucks.
Matt and Nick asked Cutler to make a prediction for the match. he refused.
Two members of Villain Enterprises are getting a Tag Team title shot at ROH’s 18th Anniversary pay-per-view.
It was announced this morning that ROH Tag Team Champions Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham will defend their titles against Marty Scurll & Flip Gordon at the 18th Anniversary PPV. It’s taking place at Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas on Friday, March 13.
Lethal & Gresham have been the ROH Tag Team Champions since defeating The Briscoes for the titles at Final Battle in December.
This is the second match that’s been confirmed for the 18th Anniversary PPV. Dragon Lee will also defend his ROH Television title against Bandido at the show.
The main event of the 18th Anniversary PPV will be decided at Gateway to Honor on February 29. PCO is defending his ROH World Championship against Rush and Mark Haskins in a triple threat match at Gateway to Honor, and the wrestler who doesn’t lose the fall in that match will challenge for the World title at 18th Anniversary.
Lethal & Gresham will defend their titles against Silas Young & Josh Woods at Bound By Honor on February 28. ROH wrote that Scurll & Gordon will be in the title match at 18th Anniversary regardless of which team wins at Bound By Honor.
ROH Past vs. Present is also being held at Sam’s Town Live on March 14.
It doesn’t take NWA Power to get into the action quickly, as Eli Drake joins Galli and Bennett on commentary.
The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser & Brian Milonas) w/ Eddie Kingston defeated The Dawson (Dave & Zane Dawson) w/ The Pope
The crowd immediately started chanting “We want beer!” as Mr. Beer started the match with Zane Dawson. Zane and the Bruiser exchanged hard clothesline attempts, but the Beer City Bruiser was too strong and leveled Zane. Dave Dawson tagged in and exchanged chops with Milonas. Mr. Beer tagged in and did several punches with the crowd chanting “Beer!”
Zane tagged in and used some clubbing forearms on the Bruiser in the corner, likely bruising him, in an ironic cruel twist. Beer hit a double clothesline and managed to tag out to Milonas, who hit a running cross body on Zane Dawson, which was insane. Milonas hit a superplex on Zane soon thereafter, and The Bruiser hit a frog splash off the top rope for the 3.
James Storm and the Beer City Bruiser filled the Crockett Cup with beer and started to drink from it. Milonas, Beer, and Storm tried to get Drake to do it, but Drake faked in and drank his protein shake. That was quite hilarious. I love the Beer City Bruiser.
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Tom Latimer came out with Kamille to be interviewed about his upcoming match with Tim Storm. Galli said that Latimer might be in line for a title match if he beat Storm, and Latimer brushed it off, as Aldis is his boss. Latimer also refused to talk about the tag team title scene, but cut a promo on the Rock n’ Roll Express. Kamille threatened to slap Galli, but she gently patted him on the face.
Tom Latimer defeated Tim Storm
Latimer attacked storm from behind and started working him over, but Storm clotheslined Latimer to the floor. Latimer landed on his feet, but he wasn’t happy. Both men locked up, but neither were able to get the advantage, so they exchanged shoulder blocks. Latimer indicated that he was going to go for another one, but tried a cheap shot, so Storm blocked it and hit a back body drop on Latimer.
Latimer threw an elbow pad to the ref, and as he did, he hit a throat strike on Storm and then a spear for the 2 count. Latimer continued to work over Storm with a few punches before Tim Storm made a brief comeback, but both men went down after a neckbreaker. Latimer went for a piledriver, but Storm hit a back body drop. He ran to the corner, but Latimer dodged, and he crashed into the ring post. Latimer hit an implant DDT for the win.
After the match, the fake Mama Storm from last week came out, and Tim Storm looked disgusted before leaving the area. I wonder if we will see the real Mama Storm at some point to put this fake one in its place? I’m not a fan of Tim Storm losing a relatively clean match here, but that is just my bias kicking in because I love Tim Storm as a babyface. I legitimately don’t want to see him lose.
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Trevor Murdoch cut a promo against Aron Stevens about how he wanted a title match again. He also trash talked Question Mark, and Question Mark came out, grabbed the mic, and began to sing the Mongrovian National Anthem to a applause from the crowd. He then said “Me! You! Karate!” to Murdoch, which I loved because it was so wacky.
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Sean Mooney was there with the update from ROH Free Enterprise, as Marty Scurll made a counter offer after being in a match with him and PCO against Nick Aldis & Rush. Marty talked about becoming the NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion. Marty made a counter offer, saying that he would personally write a cheque for $500,000 if Aldis beat him. Aldis accepted the counter offer.
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NWA Television Championship: Ricky Starks went to a time limit draw with Matt Cross
Starks and Cross started the match with some technical wrestling, showing that neither man is limited to high flying wrestling. Starks was able to hit a dropkick to the face of Cross when he tried to do a backflip. Cross and Starks traded a few moves back and forth again, and Cross hit a pump kick and back elbow. Cross went for a suplex, but Starks blocked it.
Both men tried for it more than once, and went back and forth before Starks was able to hit a suplex. Starks hit a tornado DDT and got a 2 count. Cross hit the cross cutter and then went for the shooting star press, but the bell rang as he ran out of time. Starks had successfully defended his title due to time limit draw.
Zicky Dice came out and cut a promo about how Starks couldn’t get the job done, but that he finishes every time. Well then.
Honestly, I am not sure I would have done the draw here. I get that they wanted to establish two things: That Matt Cross is tough to beat, and that a draw still counts as a successful defence of the title. However, I think I would have saved the match with Matt Cross for further down the line, and if Starks gets all of the Lucky 7, Cross can say that he never really beat him, and move forward with that as Starks seeks a shot at the NWA World’s Championship.
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Marti Belle cut a promo against Allysin Kay and how she didn’t care about her or the fans, and talked about how Melina was the only one that showed that she cared about her. Belle talked about how everything that Melina has predicted has come true. Kay came out and said that she absolutely cared about the fans.
Kay said that Melina was Jim Jones, and Marti Belle was drinking the kool-aid. She said that she was always going to be there for Marti Belle, and that she cared about her. Marti Belle left, angry.
Melina defeated Tasha Steelz
Melina immediately attacked Steelz, and Steelz sold so well for Melina’s offence here that even though parts of it looked weak, Melina looked like a monster compared to her. The match was messy in spots, but Steelz did her best to get a decent match before Melina hit a Primal Scream for the pinfall.
Melina cut a promo about being the best, and demanded a title shot next week against Thunder Rosa, her friend.
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Nick Aldis & Royce Isaacs defeated The Rock n’ Roll Express
As the match was beginning, Sal Rinauro and May Valentine made their way down to ringside and sat down in the crowd. Robert Gibson rolled up Isaacs and got a 2 count as he was distracted by May sitting with Sal. Ricky Morton tagged in and they worked over the legs of Royce with a wishbone split. Morton and Gibson continued the work over the leg for a while until Isaacs gouged the eyes and tagged in Aldis.
Ricky Morton was tagged in soon thereafter as he hit a hurricanrana on Aldis. Morton was driven into the ring post on the floor by Isaacs and they got the heat on Morton for the next few minutes. Morton fired up and hit a few great punches before tagging out. Gibson tagged in and hit a suplex on Isaacs before throwing Aldis from the top rope.
Gibson went for a backslide on Isaacs, but Aldis broke it up. Isaacs hit the thumbs to the eyes of Gibson and rolled him up for the pinfall with the feet on the ropes. May Valentine came over and hugged May as Isaacs went on to argue with Sal. The crowd chanted Sal, as the show faded out into a hype video of Aldis and Scurll.
The NWA promised we would know the exact date and venue for the Crockett Cup next week.
This was a very solid episode of NWA Power. It wasn’t super exciting, and it didn’t have the promos of last week, but it was very good. They are slowly building their way to the PPV, and it’s excellent stuff.
Free Enterprise, Ring of Honor’s experimental free show took place this past Sunday afternoon at the UMBC Arena in Baltimore, MD. The lower level of the venue appeared to be more or less full even though there were still pockets of empty seats in the upper bowl of the arena.
Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman were our announcers for this Honor Club show
Mark Haskins submitted Alex Shelley
The two first traded wristlocks and side headlocks with Haskins looking to be in control of the offense early on. A couple ironic fans shouted “WRESTLING!” — the new flavor of the month chant when fans see “serious” pro wrestling. (Imagine if someone went to a play or movie and screamed “ACTING!” during dialogue between characters.)
Shelley used a few llave-style submissions, stretching Haskins into a pretzel. Haskins laid in a number of hard kicks and elbows, which Shelley continued to eat. “Come on Haskins, you stupid son of a b**ch!” he screamed at Haskins midway through. From watching it, the crowd bought into the match as they seemed to realize how hard these two in the ring were working. There were lots of chants for Shelley around this point in the match, too.
The two knocked each other out at one point, the first real peak in the match, but both were up at referee Todd Sinclair’s nine count. Haskins landed the Shoulder Soldier Roll for a close two, leaving Haskins stunned. He then went to the top and missed a diving double foot stomp which allowed Shelley to nail Sliced Bread and then a Blade Runner for another close two.
Haskins countered Shelley’s Sliced Bread #2 attempt and eventually locked him in a sharpshooter and armlock for the win. Shelley immediately rolled to the floor and sold his the submission as he stumbled backstage.
This was a solid match. Haskins needs more guys like Shelley to work with. Riccaboni mentioned afterward that Haskins had a counter for everything Shelley threw at him, the essential takeaway from this match going forward, I’d guess. Haskins called out PCO into the camera as he exited the ring.
Righteous (Vincent and Bateman w/ Vida Von Star & Chuckles) defeated Dalton Castle and Joe Hendry
Castle was cheered upon his entrance, so I guess he’s not a heel anymore. He also has a new pair of Boys that accompany him to the ring now. Hendry received the loudest reaction he has had in ROH since signing. I think fans are finally catching on to his theme song. Riccaboni and Coleman said they couldn’t control their hands while it was playing and they had to clap.
We first saw Vincent’s new stable of spooksters last month at Honor Reigns Supreme. Chuckles was a clown last month, but here, he just looked like a shabby older fellow without any facepaint on. Vincent used put on a late-’60s hippie accent and kept asking if Castle could “dig” what he was saying. It’s the Diet Wyatt Family, which was itself a Diet Manson Family.
Vincent and Bateman didn’t shake hands beforehand. Castle and Hendry are kayfabe buddies now whereas a couple months back, their gimmick was just them arguing over egos in the ring. Hendry has gained some noticeable muscle mass recently. Even Ricaboni later described Hendry as being built “as thick as a soda machine.”
Vincent used a cool schoolboy-into-second turnbuckle move at one point. Castle returned offense with a big delay German suplex and the crowd chanted for him after that. Hendry used a double fallaway slam on both Vincent and Bateman followed by a kip-up, all of which elicited the loudest response of the night so far. The finish saw Vincent hit an Acid Drop on Hendry for the pin after Castle was dragged from the ring.
Quinn McKay came out and announced they’ll be back UMBC Arena on June 19 for Best in the World.
Referee Todd Sinclair would not allow Slex to wear his sunglasses in the ring during the match and the crowd sounded bummed out when he took them off
Slex is about the same height as Gordon but is more muscular. His offense isn’t flashy, but his execution of it is. He used a spinning sitout torture rack bomb for a close two. Gordon rallied back and landed a moonsault to the floor and then a springboard spear into the ring for a two count. He picked up the win after a Curb Stomp.
This was really good and after all the hype, I can say with confidence that Slex is the real deal.
Shane Taylor and the Sons of Savagery came out afterward and attacked Slex. Taylor laid him out with a butterfly package piledriver and then got on the mic and said that everybody should be talking about Taylor’s demands and his return to ROH, not all of the recent debuts people have paid attention to instead.
Alex Zayne defeated Andrew Everett
These two are very creative. There were lots of innovative aerial moves in this one — moves that don’t have official names yet. Everett played light heel here, but with he and Zayne going tit-for-tat on each spot, it seemed hard for the crowd to boo him for too long. He planted Zayne face first into the second turnbuckle with a running bulldog and then landed a GIF-worthy springboard tornillo into the ring for two.
As the match slowed, the volume level in the audience softened, often between its big spots. Everett went for a top rope poisonrana, but Zayne landed on his feet. Everrett then spiked him with standing version of the same move, but missed a shooting star press which gave Zayne the opportunity to land a shooting star double knee strike onto a bent over Everett.
He then put Everett away with a sit out pumphandle slam that resembled Shingo Takagi’s Last of the Dragon. This match would be great on the weekly ROH TV show.
The Briscoes Brothers (Jay & Mark Briscoe) defeated Mexablood (Bandido and Flamita)
This was an awesome match.
Jay and Bandido kicked off the match for their teams. Both Bandido and the Briscoes had the crowd hot from the start. Flamita and Jay almost botched a headscissors spot, but recovered within seconds. When action spilled to the floor, Flamita hit a perfect Asai moonsault from the top, followed by Bandido landing a picture-perfect springboard shooting star press from the top rope to the floor. The crowd started chanting “R-O-H!”
Bandido showcased his freaky strength in the ring with with a one-armed delayed suplex. The crowd started heating up for the Briscoes here and they then took Flamita out with a dragon suplex/single-leg dropkick combo. Mark unfolded a chair in the ring and did a triple jump tope con giro to the floor, which the Baltimore crowd loved. They chanted for Mark to do it again, which he then did on both Mexabloods. He then landed the Cactus Jack elbow off the apron onto floor on Flamita.
The crowd chanted “Let’s go Briscoes!” as the bout returned to the ring, but it didn’t stay inside for too long. Bandido launched Flamita over his head with a back body drop which Flamita turned into a tope con giro to the floor.
Flamita kicked out of the Briscoes’ Redneck Boogie finisher only a few minutes after he stuck a 450 splash. He took both Briscoes out with a frog splash dropkick, literally hanging in the air like gravity stopped being a thing in his life for a split second. Mark used a Froggy ‘bow but again, Flamita kicked out, leading to more chants of “this is awesome!”.
Crowd volume began fading after the Mexabloods landed stereo Spanish Flys. Jay finally took Bandido out of the match with a brutal looking suplex on the apron, and the Briscoes scored the victory after decimating Flamita with a Doomsday Device. All four in this looked excellent.
— There was an intermission next. For those watching along at home, production aired an old match between Mark and Jay Briscoe from 8/24/02 when they were 17 and 18 years old. This was introduced as a way of promoting the March 14th Past vs. Present nostalgia show in Las Vegas. I hope they continue airing these matches on Honor Club broadcasts as it’s a great way of making use of the ROH library while giving their live crowds a break.
Flip Gordon won a 20-person battle royal to earn an ROH world title shot
Participants included Delirious, Danhausen, Dak Draper, Cheeseburger, Eli Isom, Tracy Williams, Crowbar, Rhett Titus, The Bouncers, the Blue Meanie, Maria Manic, Gangrel, Kenny King, Dragon Lee, PJ Black, Silas Young, Josh Woods, and Brian Johnson
Gangrel spit something in Kenny King’s eyes before the match started, and King sold it on the outside. He stayed on the floor once the match got started. Dragon Lee came out separately and King acted like he was miffed at him because of that.
Gangrel was first in and hit a double overhook suplex to Danhausen and then an Impaler on Draper. Draper got back up and eliminated Gangrel when he went for another Impaler. Draper then eliminated LSG and then Crowbar/Eli Isom at the same time. (It’s the same Crowbar/Devon Storm from WCW, for the record.) Cheeseburger eliminated Draper when he pulled the top rope down as Draper ran toward him.
When the Blue Meanie got the Bouncers to start dancing with him in the ring, Brian Johnson threw Meanie out. Johnson then eliminated his recent storyline mentor, PJ Black. As Johnson screamed about how he’s “the mecca,” Maria Manic walked over to him and used what I believe would be termed a scrotal claw in wrestling parlance, then press slamming him to the floor which got a nice reaction.
Rhett Titus and Manic then had a short posedown and Manic used a hip toss to eliminate Titus. She then saved Danhausen from the Bouncers and eliminated both at the same time, so she got the full-on Brock Lesnar Royal Rumble treatment here. Danhausen then thanked Manic for the save and hugged her, but then she shoved him to the mat. Maria’s not a hugger. Silas Young then got in Manic’s face and asked if she wanted to be a “real man.” Manic called him a b*tch which riled the crowd up.
They exchanged chops until Young took her out with a backbreaker and short lariat. When Young went to eliminate her, Bully Ray ran down to help eliminate Manic. Ray then hit her with a chair and powerbombed her through a table. The crowd chanted “a**hole” at Ray until he walked to the back.
Delirious and Danhausen did zany comedy together next. Danhausen gave Delirious some loose teeth in a jar (part of his gimmick) and Delirious swallowed them. Danhausen then did a jump kick so the teeth went flying and Delirious was eliminated. Young later eliminated Cheeseburger and the final four were now Young, his tag partner Josh Woods, Tracy Williams, and Dragon Lee. Kenny King still hadn’t entered the match yet exactly like he did last year during the Honor Rumble last year at MSG.
Woods and Young eliminated Williams, who I forgot was even in the match even though I saw him on camera earlier. Dragon Lee took out Young and Woods, so King tried running in and eliminating Lee from behind. King thought he had the match won when Lee skinned the cat, rolling himself over the top rope and back into the ring. Shocked, King ran at Lee, but Lee pulled the top rope down and eliminated King.
Lee then ripped his mask off to reveal it was Flip Gordon the whole time. He even shaved his beard between this and his earlier bout with Slex, so it took a second for everyone to pick up on who it was. It was a nice twist to wrap up a pretty bad battle royal. Gordon will now receive a shot at the ROH World title, held by Villain Enterprises partner, PCO.
Angelina Love and Mandy Leone of the Allure joined Riccaboni and Coleman on commentary for the next match.
Session Moth Martina defeated Sumie Sakai
This was Martina’s ROH debut. Her gimmick is that of a party girl who likes to booze it up and dance during her matches. She danced with referee Steven Dumeng and offered Sakai a beer before the bell. She used a Bronco Buster on Sakai in the corner and even threw in a few extra Bronco thrusts. She ran the ropes like she was going for a dive but got out of breath. Sakai, now on the floor, offered Martina a beer, but it was a ruse. Sakai turned heel recently, for those who aren’t aware.
Sakai worked Martina over in the ring with submissions and stomps, but Martina got her second wind when she took a swig of mystery liquid and put Sakai down with a few short lariats. The crowd was into mildly into Martina but it was around this point that they started losing steam. Martina drank some beer and used an accidental stinkface on Dumeng, taking him out of the match temporarily.
Sakai then tossed a chair in the ring and hit Martina followed by a DDT on it before helping Dumeng back into the match. Martina recovered quickly and headbutted Sakai before pinning her with her finish, the Jaeger Bomb. It sounded like the Allure might have an angle coming up with Martina in the near future.
Jeff Cobb and Dan Maff defeated ROH Tag Team Champions Jonathan Gresham and Jay Lethal for a future ROH tag team title shot
Gresham and Cobb were in together first. Gresham’s new heel nickname is “The Foundation” and both he and Lethal are wearing what look like matching black tights. Maff and Lethal were next and exchanged hard chops. Maff ploughed Lethal with a pounce. Maff was fired up for the whole match, his gravely voice booming across the arena like he was mic’d up throughout most of this.
Things heated up midway through with a lot of double team action. Cobb knelt down at one point and Maff used Cobb as a launchpad, crashing onto Lethal with a senton in the ring. On the floor, Lethal and Gresham tried taking Maff out with tope suicidas but he wouldn’t go down. Later, when they went for the Cornette Cutter, Cobb caught Gresham in mid-air and planted him with an Oklahoma Stampede.
The last couple minutes of this were good as the finish saw Maff putting Lethal away clean with a Burning Hammer. Maff and Cobb have now earned a title shot at the ROH tag champions, Gresham and Lethal.
Brody King defeated Rey Horus
This was good for a squash match. King, who re-signed with ROH last week, worked Horus over early on. It was deliberately paced as he used a few throws, chops, slams, and splashes. Horus countered with a big dive over the corner ringpost to the floor, but King returned the attacks and slowed the pace. Horus landed a wild looking tornado DDT out of the corner, but not long after that, King spiked Horus with the Gonzo Bomb in this souped-up squash.
Villain Enterprises (ROH World Champion PCO and Marty Scurll) defeated NWA World Champion Nick Aldis and Rush
This was good.
Aldis and the new NWA are doing another crossover angle with Scurll and this played more into their NWA storyline. Rush and PCO are still feuding over the ROH World title even though, at this time last year, they weren’t with the company.
Aldis and Scurll looked great together. They had an unsung singles match last year at the ROH/NWA Crockett Cup special and looked equally impressive together in this tonight.
PCO missed a somersault onto the apron early and it looked nuts like it always does. There were scattered “holy sh*t” chants for that, and later a louder chorus of “P-C-O” chants. Rush basically stayed on PCO while Aldis stayed with Scurll throughout which made the story psychology easy to interpret in the ring. The “heels” double teamed PCO in the corner for a few minutes until he burst through their attacks with a double lariat to tag out to Scurll, who cleaned house.
Scurll then chopped his partner, a spot that “wakes him up” which allowed PCO to power up so Scurll could back body drop him onto Rush and Aldis who stood prone on the floor. Scurll flexed on the top rope and then hit a superplex on Aldis. He did his best Jacques Rougeau impression and assisted PCO doing the old Quebecers somersault senton off the top.
Later, when Aldis landed a diving elbow drop on PCO, he accidentally hit Rush as well who then yelled at Aldis. Rush and Aldis got into an argument which led to Rush walking up the entrance and watching the rest of the match from there. Aldis grabbed his NWA title and went for a belt shot, but Scurll spun him around and snapped his fingers, causing him to drop the belt. PCO then chokeslammed Aldis to put him away clean with the PCOsault for the win. Rush then walked to the back.
Scurll got on the mic and expanded on their upcoming NWA title match. Scurll said he would put his money where his mouth is as long as that if he beats Aldis, he wins the NWA World title and offered to write a check for $500,000 if he were to beat him in that match. Scurll announced that Aldis’ opponent for ROH Supercard of Honor would be PCO.
Riccaboni insinuated this could possibly turn into a champion vs. champion match.
Final thoughts
This was a good but very long show that lost steam after the intermission. The crowd in Baltimore was enthusiastic, but it’s hard for fans to keep their energy up on a four-hour matinee show with ten matches.
The Briscoes vs. Mexabloods was the show stealer. The battle royal was not good but was meant to do a lot of storyline work without having to book more matches, so I get it. Slex looked very good in his debut, and Session Moth Martina’s character got over during hers.
The rest of the show was just there. It wasn’t bad, often good actually, but with such a glut of top-tier wrestling available now, this can’t be considered a must-watch show. If anything, ROH here did more of a service for NWA’s upcoming PPV than for their own with no significant angles introduced for Bound by Honor at the end of this month (PCO vs. Dragon Lee is the main event), nor for their Past vs. Present show in March.
NWA Power opened with a brand new theme, though I don’t think it is nearly as good as the old one. This episode featured a rematch between Thunder Rosa and Allysin Kay.
Before we got back into the action, Tim Storm came out. A person in the crowd came out and yelled “I love you Tim!” and he responded with “I love you too!” and he called all the fans his family. Absolutely fantastic. Storm asked the NWA management to be involved in the Heavyweight title picture, and he wanted to prove himself against the best, which meant that he was going to get a match with Thom Latimer to try and move up the card.
Joe Galli asked Storm if he was considering retirement, and asked Storm to set the record straight. Tim Storm told Galli to forget about the rumours, and that he values every single minute he gets to be in front of the fans, and in the ring, and that he isn’t retiring. He needs to get by Thom Latimer to move onto the rest of Strictly Business.
Latimer came out and said that Storm already lost, and he wouldn’t be getting a shot at the title soon. As they were talking, Galli said he was hearing from the back that Momma Storm was there. A man came out dressed as an old woman, and mocked Storm, calling him old and saying that she wanted her son to take a nap. “Momma Storm” said that Tim should go back to teaching so he could learn how to win a match. Storm left in disgust.
Great segment from everyone involved here. Tim Storm remains a very compelling babyface.
*********
Matt Cross defeated Caleb Konley
Cross and Konley started fast, with Cross hitting a forearm in the corner and a snapmare for a two count. Cross swept the legs and hit an elbow drop for a two count. Konley turned it around when he pulled Cross from the middle rope, sending him crashing back first into the top turnbuckle.
Konley swept the legs and hit a senton for two count. Cross hit a handspring elbow for a two count. Konely dodged a corner charge and hit a superkick and a tornado DDT for a two count. Cross hit elbows to counter a suplex, but Konley rolled through and hit a forearm and sent Cross to the opposite ropes. Cross used the ropes to slingshot him backwards into a cutter and then hit a shooting star press for the victory!
Excellent match from Cross and Konley here, setting up Cross a challenger to Starks, and further establishing Konley as someone to watch as well. Both men shook hands after the match, to the delight of the crowd, indicating that they want to do this again down the road.
*********
A video aired with Nick Aldis and he mentioned how it has been over 400 days since he recaptured the NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship. Aldis said that wasn’t the number he was concerned about though, because he hadn’t heard from Marty Scurll in 7 days.
He wondered openly if Marty was rethinking the challenge, or if he was concerned about the treacherous territory he was entering. Aldis said that Marty could turn it down, but that he expected an answer by this Sunday at ROH Free Enterprise. He said that Marty better be coming up with a big counter offer if he doesn’t accept because they’re both businessmen, and Aldis’ patience was running out.
Another excellent promo from Aldis here, making me want to see ROH Free Enterprise just for Marty’s response to Aldis.
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The Pope was with Dave Marquez and the Dawsons, and he said he didn’t owe them a particular explanation, as they simply saw an opportunity with Pope to up their standing in the NWA. Pope said that Kingston and Homicide failed to take advantage of the chance Pope got him for the tag team titles.
He said that Kingston & Homicide losing didn’t hurt his reputation, but it revealed that Homicide didn’t have star power. Kingston came out and had his hands behind his back, saying he was going to be good. The NWA management saw him getting a screwdriver and wrench from under the ring.
Kingston said he should rip out Pope’s tongue. Kingston put over how great Homicide is, and how many people he trained. He then talked about how Homicide saved his life, and how he is family. However, he was going to be a good boy, and had someone else ready to help him fight Pope’s group – The Bouncers, Brian Milonas & the Beer City Bruiser! Mr. Beer has made his debut in the NWA!
May Valentine had a vlog where she talked about Royce Isaacs’ match last week where he finally got a win, but also in how he got very jealous of her making a new friend in Sal Rinaruo.
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NWA (3rd Degree) National Title Match: Aron Stevens w/ Question Mark drew Trevor Murdoch in a time limit draw
Stevens tried to out wrestle Murdoch, but the veteran was ahead of him at every point with sharp punches and headlock takeovers. Murdoch slammed Stevens twice to a pop from the crowd, and got a big pop for doing so.
As Murdoch made his way around the ring, Question Mark cut him off. The referee sent Question Mark out of the ringside area, but Stevens used this as a chance to hit a baseball slide. Stevens pulled the ropes down and sent Murdoch to the floor, asking for the time. Stevens hit several punches on the mat and choked him with his knee.
Stevens choked Murdoch on the middle rope and hit a knee to the back. Murdoch rolled up Stevens, but Stevens kicked out and hit a lariat for a two count. Stevens threw Murdoch to the floor and asked for the time yet again. The referee counted, but Murdoch got back into the ring and blocked a turnbuckle smash, hitting Stevens with one of his own.
Stevens hit a neckbreaker for a two count. Stevens got the heat for a bit, hitting an eye poke, and then dumping Murdoch back to the floor. Stevens was waiting for him to get back in, and continued to stomp on Murdoch again before hitting a Russian leg sweep. Murdoch kicked out. The announcer said that there were two minutes left in the match.
Stevens threw Murdoch to the floor again, but Murdoch hit a clothesline from the apron, came back in, and hit another. Murdoch hit the 10 corner punches and then hit a full Nelson slam, but Stevens kicked out with just one minute left. Murdoch locked on a sleeper with 30 seconds left, but Stevens hit a jawbreaker, and the time limit expired. Murdoch hit a bulldog off the top rope after the bell, and gained a visual pinfall over Stevens.
*********
Sean Mooney gave his two minute update on the happenings in the NWA. This was very old school, and a smart way to tell and promote stories. He reminded us of the Lucky 7 rule, where if he gets 7 wins in a row, or at least a time limit draw, he would get a title shot at the NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship. I really enjoyed this.
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James Storm & Eli Drake defeated Jocephus & Mims
Storm and Drake showed some good tag team offence early on, cornering Jocephus. Jocephus threw a strike that looked strangely familiar to someone rather Questionable. Storms and Drake hit a back elbow on Mims, and continued their dominance in this match. Storm hit a chop to the back and a senton for a two count.
Drake hit a powerslam on Mims and hit a running elbow drop on Mims before tagging out. Drake picked up Mims into a fireman’s carry and sent him flying into a back cracker by Storm for the pinfall victory.
*********
NWA World Women’s Championship: Thunder Rosa defeated Allysin Kay
Kay and Rosa exchanged grappling attempts until Rosa was able to move into a cross face. Kay countered with a roll up, but only got a two count. Thunder Rosa hit a snapmare and then a kick to the back of Kay, and Kay responded with one of her own. Rosa went for a PK, but Kay laid down to duck it and rolled Rosa up for a two count.
Rosa was able to get back into it attacking the arm of Kay. She kept this up for several minutes. Rosa continued with a brutal submission on Allysin Kay, but she managed to make it to the ropes. Rosa slapped the crap out of her, which led to Kay hitting several strikes to the stomach and then both women exchanged running forearms.
Both women hit double boots and were down. Rosa hit a flying clothesline into the corner and then followed up with double knees to the chest. As Rosa was going for another attack, Marti Belle came out and distracted Rosa and Kay both. They told her to leave, and as they did this, Ashley Vox & Tasha Steelz came out to keep her away.
Rosa rolled up Kay, but Kay kicked out and hit a neckbreaker, a clothesline, and then a big boot before hitting a Jackhammer on Rosa for a two count. Rosa countered a wheelbarrow with a stunner for a two count, and then hit a German suplex for another two count. Thunder Rosa hit a Death Valley Driver, but Kay still managed to kick out.
Rosa hit a flapjack into the top rope and then rolled Kay up and managed to get the pinfall!
Very solid episode of NWA Power this week that build to their next PPV and ROH’s next show too.
ROH has made a pair of match announcements for their Past vs. Present event.
Members of Generation Next and Villain Enterprises are set to face off at Past vs. Present, with Alex Shelley & Matt Sydal teaming against Marty Scurll & Flip Gordon.
Shelley and Sydal weren’t in Generation Next at the same time. Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, and Jack Evans were the other members of the group.
Doug Williams, Allison Danger, Necro Butcher, Delirious, and Grizzly Redwood are other names advertised for Past vs. Present. ROH posted a video on Sunday where Jay Lethal issued a challenge to Xavier for the show. Xavier was the second-ever World Champion in ROH history.
Past vs. Present is taking place at Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, March 14. It’s part of ROH’s 18th Anniversary weekend. Sam’s Town Live is also hosting the promotion’s 18th Anniversary pay-per-view on March 13, and tickets for both shows went on sale to the general public today.
Marty Scurll made a surprise appearance at Monday’s New Beginning USA tour in North Carolina and issued a challenge to NJPW star Jay White.
Scurll appeared at the NJPW New Beginning USA event in Durham, North Carolina and issued a challenge to White for a match at ROH’s Supercard of Honor XIV. White had already been advertised for the show.
Scurll hasn’t been seen in NJPW since his participation in last year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament. He re-signed with Ring of Honor earlier this year and now has more influence in booking decisions alongside longtime booker Hunter Johnson.
A number of NJPW names have been announced for Supercard of Honor XIV including KENTA, El Phantasmo, Rocky Romero, Amazing Red, Will Ospreay and Taiji Ishimori. Nick Aldis and Dan Maff have also been announced.
Jay White, Villain Enterprises (PCO, Scurll, Brody King and Flip Gordon), La Faccion Ingobernable (Rush, Dragon Lee, Kenny King and Amy Rose) Slex, Session Moth Martina, Jeff Cobb, Jay Lethal, Mark Haskins and PJ Black are the ROH talents confirmed for the event.
Supercard of Honor XIV will take place at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, Florida on April 4.
