An interim Women’s Television Champion will be crowned at Supercard of Honor.
Tony Khan on Friday afternoon officially announced a Worldwide Wild Card four-way for the interim ROH Women’s Television championship for Friday’s show in Texas. The winner between Persephone, Miyu Yamashita, Yuka Sakazaki, and Mina Shirakawa will face current champion Red Velvet at a later date to unify the titles.
Additionally, it was announced that Hechicero will face Michael Oku. A $50k four-way was also added, with Atlantis Jr., Lee Johnson, Adam Priest, and AR Fox squaring off:
The Alchemist of Pro Wrestling, Hechicero of @TheDonCallis Family takes on a familiar foe, international star Michael Oku at Supercard of Honor, LIVE at 8e/5p, TONIGHT! pic.twitter.com/vyBV9JlHv1
— ROH – Ring of Honor Wrestling (@ringofhonor) July 11, 2025
Earlier in the week, Khan announced that Velvet was injured, and as a result an interim title match would be taking place. The current champion was last seen wrestling CMLL’s Kira on their Fantasticamania event in Arena Mexico on June 20.
Two additional Zero Hour matches were also added to the show late, with Diamante facing Lady Frost, Jay Lethal facing Blake Christian, and The Von Erichs facing Premier Athletes:
Game Changer Wrestling announced on social media that the Missouri Athletic Commission is refusing to license Yamashita due to not having a social security number, taking her off tonight’s GCW Take a Picture event in St. Louis.
“Despite the fact that she has wrestled in Missouri multiple times, has all relevant & required documents and has a valid work visa, the Missouri Athletic Commision will not license Miyu Yamashita to wrestle today because she does not have a social security number,” GCW wrote on social media.
Despite the fact that she has wrestled in Missouri multiple times, has all relevant & required documents and has a valid work visa, the Missouri Athletic Commision will not license Miyu Yamashita to wrestle today because she does not have a social security number.#GCWPicturepic.twitter.com/QwbxymSTQF
— GameChangerWrestling (@GCWrestling_) June 22, 2025
GCW owner Brett Lauderdale posted a message on social media to stress that the situation wasn’t a storyline.
“I wish this was a storyline or some creative excuse to explain that Miya couldn’t be here today but it’s not,” he wrote. “Very frustrating given that there was a set of tv tapings done in Missouri just over a month ago where nearly a dozen folks without SS #’s were allowed to perform.”
I wish this was a storyline or some creative excuse to explain that Miya couldn't be here today but it's not.
Very frustrating given that there was a set of tv tapings done in Missouri just over a month ago where nearly a dozen folks without SS #'s were allowed to perform. https://t.co/egjzYcCrX5
Yamashita was originally set to team with Billie Starkz against GCW Tag Team Champions YDNP. Other matches scheduled include Matt Tremont vs. 2 Tuff Tony for the GCW Ultraviolent title, Effy vs. 2 Cold Scorpio for the GCW Championship, and Masha Slamovich vs. Mickie Knuckles for the JCW Championship.
Tonight’s Ring of Honor on HonorClub will see former ROH Women’s World Champion Deonna Purrazzo in Pure rules action in addition to an eight-man tag team match.
Purrazzo will take on the returning Marti Belle under the unique set of rules as the impending Women’s Pure title tournament awaits.
In the eight-man match, The Infantry will team with the Grizzled Young Veterans against former ROH Tag Team Champions The Kingdom & Top Flight.
Miyu Yamashita will also be in ROH action for the first time since April 2023 when she takes on the Nightmare Factory trained Brooke Havok.
Shane Taylor & Lee Moriarty will team up against Anthony Gangone & Sal Mistretta while Lance Archer goes one-on-one with Aaron Solo to round out the show.
**********
Ring of Honor on Honorclub number 121 is here and as a dear friend of mine used to say “Hey, let’s fight!!”
Shane Taylor Promotions (Lee Moriarty & Shane Taylor) vs Anthony Gangone & Sal Mistretta
Shane Taylor Promotions as a group are pretty much unstoppable at this point. They have the talent, the aggression and the ability to back up any and all smack talk. As for their opponents tonight, Gangone has one other ROH appearance as part of a team that lost to the horribly named LEEJ (EJ Nduka & Lee Johnson) last year. Mistretta has only two years in the business and has been described as “sturdy.”
Right off the bat, Moriarty laid out Gangone with a high knee to the face. From there he tagged in Taylor who gleefully took on Mistretta. Mistretta got a little too excited and managed to punch Taylor in the face. That did not make the much bigger Taylor happy, so he picked up Mistretta and threw him at the ground in an aggressive chokeslam. Then he did it again for good measure.
Gangone tried to help out his partner, but Moriarty intercepted him and locked in a Border City Stretch. Taylor, the legal man, punched Mistretta in the face and pinned him, 1-2-3.
Match Result: Shane Taylor Promotions (Lee Moriarty & Shane Taylor) defeat Anthony Gangone & Sal Mistretta
A fun squash off the top. I love Shane Taylor and STP, but after the match taylor proclaimed “We’re coming for everything!” But, I wish he’d hurry up, because he’s been saying that for the better part of a year.
Pure Rules Match: Deonna Purrazzo vs Marti Belle
What a great way to tee-up the tournament to crown the first ever Ring of Honor Women’s Pure Champion! Purazzo feels like the title was made for her and Belle is the current EMERGE Women’s Champion, so she’s no slouch as well. For those not in the know a Pure Rules Match has a 10 minute time limit. Wrestlers are allowed only three rope breaks and one closed fist warning. Outside interference results in an instant DQ.
Purrazzo and Belle locked up off the top and traded wrist and chin locks. Purrazzo powered out of it first with a hard shoulder, knocking Belle down. Purrazzo sent Belle to the corner, where she bailed out of the ring. Purrazo went for a baseball slide, but Belle was waiting and the two exchanged what appeared to be very closed fists, but the Ref let it go.
Purrazzo sent Belle into the steps and rolled back into the ring. Belle staggered up and just beat the count out. Purrazzo worked over the arm of Belle, but left herself open for a quick rollup that got a two count. Purrazzo sent Belle to the match and wrenched her arm again.
Purrazzo, in total control, locked in a disarmer into a venus de milo hold, preventing Belle from reaching the ropes. Belle tapped out to end the match.
Match Result: Deonna Purrazzo defeats Marti Belle
That was…fun? I guess? I can’t remember a Pure Rules Match where no rope breaks were used, but if you’re going to have a Pure Squash, I guess Deonna Purrazzo is a pretty good person to have it with!
-Next, The Frat House cut a “promo” from the back about how they don’t like the Dark Order. Vance hates them all, Jameson mentioned a small package and then yelled Boooooooooze before they all left. It was… underwhelming.
Lance Archer vs Aaron Solo
Usually when Archer comes to ROH these days, it’s to quickly murder an unsuspecting up-and-comer. Tonight though, he faces Solo who’s been on a hot streak, having a string of really great matches in ROH and AEW. So Solo might be a tougher match for the much larger Archer.
Solo tried to get the jump on Archer, kicking his legs before the bell even rang. Archer returned the favor though, sending Solo staggering. Solo tried to power back, but there’s only one winner in a power-match against Archer and Solo was sent flying.
Solo did not give up though, trying again until Archer threw him into the corner and laid him out. Solo tried to escape up the ring post, but that just put him in position for a Blackout and Archer got the quick win.
Match Result: Lance Archer defeats Aaron Solo
Third squash in a row, which I don’t really mind. I like Archer, I like Solo, I’d have liked to see them work a bit longer, but what can you do?
Miyu Yamashita vs Brooke Havok
The last time we saw Yamashita in ROH, it was back in 2023 against ROH Women’s Champion Athena, back when she was only the “maybe forever?” champion. It was a losing effort for Yamashita but she’s been working the indies and AEW ever since. Havok also faced Athena in 2023, but lost in less than 2 minutes. She’s been better since then, but has yet to win a match in Ring of Honor.
The two tied up off the top, with Yamashita getting the upper hand due to her size advantage. She controlled the pace until Havok got a headlock and spun her around for a big dropkick. Havok started giving Billie Starkz a run for her money and bratted around the ring. That infuriated Yamashita, who clocked her from behind.
Havok fought back, returning fire with elbows and forearms, followed by a neckbreaker and a senton bomb. Yamashita was stunned, but managed to dodge Havok and plant a springboard rewind kick. She picked up Havok, but Havok wiggled free and delivered some kicks.
Havok went for a headscissor, but Yamashita caught her and delivered a brutal whipping kick, that knocked Havok down and gave Yamashita the pin.
Match Result: Miyu Yamashita defeats Brooke Havok
Fun match, Havok looked really good. Again, surprised by the quickness but I wouldn’t call this a squash as the back and forth was pretty even handed.
-In the back, Mark Sterling was watching footage of a Premier Athletes match. Due to ringside “assaults on a consultant” (aka him), Sterling has had most of the Athletes matches thrown out. So, by default, they are undefeated in 2025. They then talked about their shirts and declared their intentions to go after the ROH Tag Titles.
Top Flight (Dante Martin & Darius Martin) & The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) vs The Infantry (Carlie Bravo & Shawn Dean) & Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson)
Eight men, from four teams, teaming together on two teams, to beat the heck out of each other. The Grizzled Young Veterans haven’t been around ROH in a spell and The Kingdom have popped in and out over the last few months. The Infantry has been causing trouble with Shane Taylor Promotions and Top Flight have been flying high, so to speak.
The Grizzled Infantry jumped their opponents off the top and all eight men brawled in the ring. When the dust cleared, Top Kingdom had cleared the ring leaving Darius and Drake as the legal men. Things settled down after that, with Taven tagging in to send Drake to the ground with a dropkick.
Gibson grabbed Taven’s ankles and dragged him outside the ring where Drake tossed him into the barricade before choking him on the ring apron (the chokiest part of the ring!). Gibson tried to keep Taven from making a tag, but it took Drake tagging back in to stop it.
Bravo tagged in and he and Dean double teamed Taven, isolating him in the corner. They hung him up in the tree of woe and everyone took turns wailing on him until the Infantry hit a double dropkick. It wasn’t enough though as Taven kicked out at two.
Taven finally made a hot tag to Darious and he and Dean threw hands in the center of the ring. Darius cleaned house, going for a pin until Gibson broke it up. Duante came in with a springboard splash to help his brother then tagged in Bennett who stacked up Bravo, Gibson and Drake in the corner and chopped them all.
Bravo tried an underhook facebuster on Duante, but it wasn’t enough and Darius broke it up. Bennett hit a spiccoli driver on dean followed by a knee from Taven. Taven then dove out of the ring, taking out Gibson, Drake and Bravo. The Infantry hit a Boot Camp on Darious, but he was able to kick out at two.
Dean and Darius found themselves the legal men and Darius hit a fisherman suplex. Duante tagged in for a big frog splash and pinned Dean in the middle of the ring.
Match Result: Top Flight (Dante Martin & Darius Martin) & The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) defeat The Infantry (Carlie Bravo & Shawn Dean) & Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson)
Really great main event. I like all these teams and they, along with the Premier Athletes all have legit claims to being #1 Contenders for the ROH Tag Titles currently held by the Sons of Texas. Looking forward to seeing how the division shapes up heading into Supercard of Honor in less than a month!
A new title eliminator match is set for Wednesday.
Tony Khan announced that Toni Storm will face off against Miyu Yamashita this Wednesday in Norfolk, Virginia in a title eliminator match.
“After issuing an Eliminator Challenge at @TCM Fest on Sunday, AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm will fight @miyu_tjp TOMORROW!,” he wrote.
TOMORROW, 4/30 8pm ET/7pm CT on TBS + Max Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite@AEW Women’s World Title Eliminator Toni Storm vs Miyu Yamashita
After issuing an Eliminator Challenge at @TCM Fest on Sunday, AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm will fight @miyu_tjp TOMORROW! pic.twitter.com/HRaEzy3OYu
On Sunday, AEW posted a video of Storm at the TCM Film Festival and issued a challenge for anyone to face her.
"If there's any sloptarts willing to step up to the plate, then tape up your tits up and let's tango!"
From the @TCM Film Festival red carpet, AEW Women's World Champion 'Timeless' Toni Storm has issued a challenge for a Title Eliminator Match THIS WEDNESDAY on #AEWDynamite LIVE… pic.twitter.com/MkfRm57GLz
Khan also noted in this tweet that Yamashita, a regular for Tokyo Joshi Pro, previously won a title eliminator match. She faced off against then-champion Thunder Rosa at Dynamite Fight for the Fallen 2022 in a losing effort.
Here is the updated lineup for Dynamite:
AEW Dynamite, Wednesday, April 30 lineup —
Owen Hart Foundation men’s tournament semifinals: Hangman Adam Page vs. Kyle Fletcher
All-Star 8-man tag: Kenny Omega, Speedball Mike Bailey, Mark Briscoe, and Kevin Knight vs. The Young Bucks, Kazuchika Okada, and Ricochet
AEW Women’s World title eliminator challenge: Toni Storm vs. Miyu Yamashita
A new match with potential title implications has been announced for Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling’s debut show.
Gisele Shaw vs. Miyu Yamashita is scheduled for night one of Forged in Excellence, the promotion revealed on Saturday.
On Saturday, October 19, @GiseleShaw08 faces another tough competitor in Tokyo Joshi Pro star @miyu_tjp. It's a Night One match with huge consequences – if Miyu Yamashita wins, she will make the Night Two match between Gisele Shaw and ROH Women's World Champion Athena a three-way… pic.twitter.com/9ttwhfjUBy
Shaw is also set to challenge Athena for the ROH Women’s World Title on night two. However, if Yamashita beats Shaw on night one, she will be added to the title match on night two, turning it into a three-way.
Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling Forged In Excellence takes place Saturday, October 19, and Sunday, October 20, 2024, at St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Both nights will air live on Triller TV as pay-per-views.
Night one (Saturday, October 19):
Konosuke Takeshita vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey
Rohan Raja vs. Jake Something for the inaugural PWA Champion’s Grail Championship
Bhupinder Gujjar vs. QT Marshall (w/ Harley Cameron)
Tables match: Bully Ray vs. Raj Dhesi (former WWE wrestler Jinder Mahal)
Laynie Luck vs. Taylor Rising vs. Kylie Rae vs. Aurora Teves
Josh Alexander, Stu Grayson & El Phantasmo vs. Trevor Lee (the former Cameron Grimes), Rocky Romero & Alex Zayne
Gisele Shaw vs. Miyu Yamashita (If Yamashita wins, she’ll be added to the ROH title match on night two)
Night two (Sunday, October 20):
Josh Alexander vs. Konosuke Takeshita
ROH Women’s World Champion Athena defends against Gisele Shaw
Shayna Baszler’s opponent for Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XI is now official as she will square off against Miyu Yamashita later this month.
After debuting with a victory over Masha Slamovich at Bloodsport X during WrestleMania weekend in Philadelphia, the WWE star was announced for her second go-round last month.
The 29-year-old Yamashita will be making her Bloodsport debut and will be up against Baszler for the first time ever. She made her GCW debut this past April in a trios bout and then was defeated by Joey Janela in May.
Bloodsport XI will emanate from Brooklyn, New York, on Sunday, July 28th. It will be their third-such event of the year after the aforementioned Philadelphia show and their first-ever event in Tokyo, Japan, last month.
Jordynne Grace will defend her Knockouts title against Miyu Yamashita on the Under Siege go-home edition of tonight’s TNA Impact.
This will be the Japanese star’s first appearance in TNA since a four-way no. 1 contender’s match at March 2023’s Multiverse United show. Grace will be gunning for her seventh title defense in this first-time-ever match.
In a bout to determine who will get a shot at X-Division Champion Mustafa Ali at tomorrow’s streaming special, rivals and former champions Ace Austin and Trey Miguel will do battle.
Ali will be in non-title action on the show as he faces Austin’s partner Chris Bey.
In a preview of Friday’s Knockouts Tag Team title match, Spitfire’s Dani Luna will take on Alisha Edwards. Luna and Jody Threat will defend against Edwards and Masha Slamovich.
After their continued rivalry, Joe Hendry will issue an in-ring apology to AJ Francis and Rich Swann in musical form.
Our coverage will begin at 8:30 PM Eastern when the show goes live on YouTube for Insiders.
**********
We started with a recap of last week, during which Nic Nemeth faced defeat, felt “broken,” and met with a new ally in Matt Hardy. The System is not impressed, with Eddie Edwards comparing Nemeth to Eric Angle. The staredown between Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace and TJPW ace Miyu Yamashita led to our opening video.
X-Division Mustafa Ali defeated Chris Bey in a non-title match
We were greeted by AJ Francis and Rich Swann boasting on the balcony of The Palms. Francis enjoys the view with his entourage, including Houston rapper Bun B. Ali gained early control of the in-ring action, with Bey throwing big shots to sway momentum. His opportunity opened up when he nailed a coast-to-coast elbow for a near fall. Ali switched gears from his methodical pace to a much more physical showing. There were heavy hits from both guys, with Ace Austin doing good work at ringside, even causing a distraction leading to a series of dives to the outside from both competitors. One of Ali’s security guards would wave his flag into the back of Bey, allowing Ali to hit his smooth 450 splash, capping off a good match. Bey’s partner, Ace, would be in action later.
Alisha Edwards defeated Dani Luna
Spitfire makes their entrance to the sound of Rancid’s Lars Frederiksen on commentary, which isn’t bad. Alisha is accompanied by her newest ally, Masha Slamovich. Things started hot, and Luna showed off her power early on. Lish would fire back with flashy maneuvers, which Luna provided an excellent base for. Lish soaked in the heat as Lars reminisced on meeting Jody Threat, finding her mid-sip on a forty-ounce outside after she got kicked out of his concert. Luna started her comeback with a rope-assisted Blue Thunder Bomb. Both partners get involved, causing a distraction, as Masha storms the ring and hits a beautiful spinning backkick and Snow Plow, assisting Lish to a nice victory.
– A vignette aired for DMTV which Sami Callihan explained as “Death Machine TV, “where he spits and does Sami Callihan things.” It looked to be the beginning of a new chapter for Callihan, who likes to keep things fresh.
Hammerstone defeated Cody Deaner
Hammerstone roasts Cody Deaner’s new attitude and challenges him to an arm wrestling match. Deaner finds it amusing but counters with a “Sin City Street Fight,” ultimately leaving it up to the people to decide. We chose the latter, and the bell rang with Deaner jumping Hammerstone at the start. Hammerstone dominated early on until Deaner could create separation with a steel chair. Hammerstone regained momentum, chokeslamming Deaner through a table and tapping him with the torture rack. After the match, he looked to add insult to injury, but Deaner’s former cousin, Jake Something, made a delayed save. Security got between them until they were roared off, leading to a staredown and Hammerstone removing himself from the ring. It was nice to see Jake Something presented as more of a threat than ever, and Hammerstone is a natural fit for TNA.
– Santino Marella met with Jonathan Gresham and welcomed him back. He eventually shook his hand, which resulted in Gresham inking on him. Gresham was then met by his possible alter ego, donning the Octopus mask.
– Broken Matt Hardy and Speedball Mountain had some fighting words for The System. This was an amusing clash of personalities.
Joe Hendry’s apology song
Hendry had a mic, guitar, rug, and spotlight, and boy, did he shine. Enhanced by AJ Francis’s disgusted expression, Hendry played his greatest hits to remind us of what led to this beef. This warmed the crowd up, preparing them for his apology song, which was to the tune of Creed. With a chorus begging for the former Top Dolla’s release, the concert closed with a fuming First Class and a hot crowd. Great segment.
– Gia Miller introduced The System on stage, who delivered some generic words threatening Matt Hardy and Speedball Mountain. Doing this as a live interview was an interesting choice.
Ace Austin defeated Trey Miguel to earn an X-Division title shot at Under Siege
A rivalry was renewed here, although Trey’s mom was nowhere to be found. Up for grabs, however, was a shot at Mustafa Ali and his X-Division Championship tomorrow night at Under Siege. The match was slower-paced, with both men selling their knees. Eventually, this and a temper tantrum led to The Fold from Ace Austin for a 1-2-3. This was pretty good and set up Ace for what should be a great match with Ali.
TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace defeated Miyu Yamashita to retain the title
The balcony stayed warm as Ash, by Elegance, was welcomed by her Personal Concierge. The match was a display of power vs. striking, with things being evenly matched throughout. Grace and Yamashita met in the middle, colliding with a back fist and kick simultaneously. Some solid exchanges led to a Skull Kick countered into a Juggernaut Driver, allowing Grace to retain. After the match, Kon and Steph De Lander jumped the Champion, promising to snap her neck, before the lights went out and PCO made the save. PCO and Grace cleared the ring and gained momentum, heading into Under Siege.
Final Thoughts:
Under Siege gained momentum this week despite being a largely skippable card on paper.
The X-Division matches tonight were solid. Ace Austin was put in a singles position for tomorrow night, which he always excels in.
The Knockouts division is a bit strange right now, albeit fresh. Kon filling in for Cardona makes the story a bit less natural, but SDL is doing good work as a strong heel character, and I’m curious to see where it goes. Yamashita is one of the best, and I’d love to see her become more comfortable working in America.
Also, Joe Hendry’s performance tonight was fantastic, and he continues to be one of the most valuable pro wrestlers in the world. Seeing how TNA handles his recently acquired success on the music charts should be interesting.
Overall, tonight was a good show, with a lot of promise for future shows and stories.
Two title matches make up tonight’s Supercard of Honor fallout edition of Ring of Honor TV on HonorClub.
New Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata will have his first title defense as he faces former ROH World Champion Christopher Daniels.
After defeating Yuka Sakazaki at the pay-per-view, ROH Women’s Champion Athena will look to continue her run as she defends against Miyu Yamashita.
Thursday’s lineup will feature a slew of matches taped Wednesday that includes new ROH Tag Team Champions The Lucha Brothers & Mark Briscoe defending against The WorkHorsemen & Shane Taylor and former Pure Champion Daniel Garcia in action against Tracy Williams.
Regular AEW roster member Ortiz will be in singles action against ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champion Brian Cage while Darius Martin heads to the singles division against Jay Lethal.
After returning last Friday, The Righteous (Vincent & Dutch) will be in action as will former title challenger Willow Nightingale.
**********
This week’s ROH was taped after this past Wednesday’s Dynamite from Long Island, New York. Some people call Long Island the most magical place on Earth, a claim that I cannot personally confirm. Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman, & Nigel McGuinness were on the call.
ROH World Tag Team Champions The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix) & Mark Briscoe (w/Alex Abrahantes) defeated The WorkHorsemen (Anthony Henry & JD Drake) & Shane Taylor
Briscoe and Taylor start in the ring, with Briscoe using redneck kung fu to force Taylor to tag out. The Lucha Brothers ran wild on the rudo team until Penta tried to hit Taylor with a package piledriver. Taylor forced Penta into the corner, allowing Henry and Drake to work him over.
Penta eventually fought to get the tag to Briscoe, who ran wild on everyone. The match broke down into a pier-six brawl, ending with Taylor hitting Welcome To The Land on Briscoe. The Work Horsemen hit a series of strikes for a nearfall that was broken up by both Lucha Brothers. Penta hit a Destroyer on Drake to take him out of proceedings. Briscoe booted Henry out of the air and hit the Jay Driller to score the win. In the crowd, Powerhouse Hobbs and QT Marshall looked on as they challenge the Lucha Brothers for the ROH Titles tomorrow at Battle of the Belts VI.
ROH Pure Title Match: Katsuyori Shibata defeated Christopher Daniels to retain
This was fine. The work was professional and solid, but the crowd was almost silent for it. This is where ROH piggybacking off of AEW tapings hurts the product. It’s a crowd generally unfamiliar with the Ring of Honor acts watching them after seeing all the AEW stars on Dynamite. Whether it’s at Universal Studios or at their own dedicated tapings, Ring Of Honor would be better off with a crowd specifically there to see Ring of Honor.
Jerry Lynn, Dean Malenko, & BJ Whitmer were the judges for this one.
After a feeling-out process, Shibata locked Daniels in a Figure Four. After trying to fight out, Daniels relented and used his first rope break. Shibata lined up a Penalty Kick, but Daniels ducked and landed a forearm to the back of the head. Daniels worked on Shibata’s neck, landing a neckbreaker for a nearfall. Daniels caught a Shibata strike and dropped him with a facebuster before transitioning into a Koji Clutch. Shibata fought toward the ropes, but instead rolled Daniels to his shoulders and forcing Daniels to break.
Shibata laid in the forearms in the corner, but Daniels followed him to the opposite corner and cut him off. Shibata absorbed some chops before dropping Daniels with a forearm. Shibata hit the hesitation dropkick in the corner before locking on a rear-naked choke. Daniels fought to the ropes to use his second rope break.
Daniels caught Shibata with an STO, but Shibata popped back up and hit an STO of his own. Shibata hit a set of forearms before locking on another rear-naked choke. He released it and followed it with a Penalty Kick to win the match and retain the title.
– Backstage, Claudio Castagnoli was interviewed by Dasha Gonzales. He celebrated his win over Eddie Kingston at Supercard of Honor, saying that he did exactly what he said he would do. He said that he would defend the title against anyone who stepped up.
ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champion Brian Cage (w/Prince Nana) defeated Ortiz
Ortiz fought off Cage with speed, as the New York crowd rooted on their hometown guy. Ortiz hit a cannonball off the apron to Cage on the floor and sent him into the steps. Back in the ring, Cage cut Ortiz off and hit the outside-in superplex. Cage caught Ortiz on a charge and sent him up and over with a fallaway slam.
Ortiz caught Cage with a small package on a Drillclaw attempt for a nearfall. He followed with a tornado DDT to take Cage down. Ortiz fired up with chops before herking Cage up with a Dog Valley Driver for a nearfall. Cage hit the GMSI pumphandle slam for a nearfall. Ortiz spun Cage into the corner with a frankensteiner, but Cage cut Ortiz off with a superkick. Cage went up for another superplex, but Ortiz got in the ring and powerbombed him for a nearfall. Cage caught Ortiz and dropped him with the Drillclaw to win.
Jay Lethal (w/Satnam Singh & Sonjay Dutt) defeated Darius Martin
The Kingdom joined the commentary booth, with Maria Kanellis-Bennett donning a headset. Maria wondered where Dante Martin was, noting that the Kingdom were the ones that set up the tables that Dante sort of went through at Supercard of Honor.
Martin opened up with a dive, but Lethal cut him off in the ring and hit a dive of his own. Lethal hit the Fargo strut on the floor, with Singh and Dutt joining him. Back in the ring, Martin fought off a Figure Four attempt before sending Lethal to the floor. Lethal and Martin traded strikes on the apron before Martin clotheslined Lethal into the ring and hit a facebuster for a nearfall.
Lethal won a forearm exchange, but Martin cut off a Lethal Injection attempt. Lethal cut off Martin with a superkick. As both men were down and as Singh took the referee, Matt Taven went down to the ring and superkicked Martin, allowing Lethal to hit the Lethal Injection and win. After the match, Bennett and Taven taunted Martin – while wearing Satnam Singh’s overcoat. They looked like Chris Farley in Tommy Boy.
The Infantry (Carlie Bravo & Shawn Dean) defeated La Faccion Ingobernable (Dralistico & Rush) (w/Jose The Assistant & Preston Vance)
Dean kicked off with Dralistico. You wonder if beating Dralistico here would put Dean in line for a future International Title match, as Dralistico challenges Orange Cassidy tomorrow at Battle of the Belts. After a hurricane kick to Dean, Bravo tagged in. He laid in the shots to Dralistico, but Rush cut him off from outside the ring, allowing Dralistico to hit a knee and take him down. Rush tagged in and set up the Bull’s Horns but chose to taunt Bravo instead. After taking out Dean, Dralistico pinned Bravo with a double underhook codebreaker.
Daniel Garcia defeated Tracy Williams
Williams controlled Garcia on the mat as the crowd chanted Garcia’s job title at him. Garcia hit a throat thrust to try and cut him off, but Williams hit a suplex that sent Garcia into the corner. Williams went to the second rope, but Garcia hit another throat thrust that sent Williams to the floor. The crowd randomly chanted for tables, so Garcia went to the floor and feigned getting one before flipping them off.
Williams fought back and landed a high angle backdrop suplex. He hit a DDT on the top turnbuckle and a lariat before locking on a facelock. Garcia got to the ropes, and after a scramble for position, Garcia hit a lifting Codebreaker-style move to score the win.
Willow Nightingale defeated Notorious Mimi
After some frivolity, Nightingale dropped Mimi with a shoulder block and a senton. Mimi caught a kick and rolled Nightingale into a roll-up but only got a one count. A crossbody got a two count for Mimi, but Nightingale caught her with a Pounce and hit the Babe With The Powerbomb for the quick win.
The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent) defeated Even Stevens (Stephen Azure & Steve Somerset)
McGuinness compares Even Stevens to the Mulkey Brothers, which got a chuckle out of me. Their match went a lot like old Mulkey Brothers matches went, with The Righteous completely trucking them. Dutch hit a Bossman Slam, with Vincent following with a top-rope senton and the Autumn Sunshine for the win.
Konosuke Takeshita defeated Tony Nese (w/Ari Daivari, Josh Woods & Mark Sterling)
Nese got an early advantage on Takeshita with a series of quick kicks that floored Takeshita. Takeshita answered with a running clothesline. Nese sent Takeshita over the ropes, but as Takeshita went to skin the cat, Woods cut him off and allowed Nese to dropkick him to the floor. Nese sent Takeshita into the steps and into the apron before rolling him into the ring for a nearfall.
Takeshita caught Nese with a small package on a suplex attempt, but Nese quickly answered with a spinning back kick. Takeshita cut off a facewash attempt with a lariat, then followed it with a pair of big boots. Second rope senton from Takeshita scored a nearfall. Nese avoided the running knee but ran right into the Blue Thunder Bomb. Takeshita set up a running knee, but Woods and Daivari yanked Nese out of the ring.
Takeshita hit a dive onto all three Varsity Athletes. Takeshita went for an outside-in superplex, but Nese cut him off and hit a triangle moonsault for a nearfall. Nese went for a pumphandle slam, but Takeshita maneuvered himself into a Bastard Driver for a nearfall. Sterling got a distraction, followed by Woods and Daivari holding onto Nese’s arms on a German suplex attempt. Nese hit a pumphandle driver for a nearfall. Nese went for the Running Nese, but Takeshita countered it into the Chaos Theory for the win. Takeshita has now beaten all three Varsity Athletes in Ring of Honor.
ROH Women’s World Title Match: Athena defeated Miyu Yamashita to retain
This was a solid main event. The match got this tepid Long Island crowd interested in the work, as Yamashita brought the fight to the champion with heavy strikes. Another quality title defense from Athena.
Athena avoided a series of kicks, but Yamashita hit a triangle kick out of the corner to get control. Yamashita lived up to her nickname of the Pink Striker by hammering Athena with kicks that drove her into the corner. Athena held onto the apron as Yamashita dragged her out of the ropes, pulling the apron into the ring. Athena then used the apron to pull the floor out from under Yamashita before dragging her to the floor.
Athena hit a Knee-DT on the floor before sending Yamashita back in the ring. Athena worked on Yamashita’s legs, locking on a variant of an Indian Deathlock that forced Yamashita to forearm her way out. Yamashita low-bridged Athena out of the ring – pulling the wrong rope, but regardless – and kicked her on the apron. Yamashita hit a second kick on the apron, but Athena caught her on the third time. Athena pulled her into a fireman’s carry before sending Yamashita head-first into the ring post. Athena tried to follow with a senton, but Yamashita moved and hit another big kick to the chest.
Back in the ring, Yamashita got thrown off the top rope by Athena, but met her back on the top rope. Yamashita hit a top rope Death Valley Driver for a nearfall. Yamashita went to hit a Penalty Kick, but Athena rolled through into a single-leg crab. Athena transitioned into an ankle lock, but Yamashita rolled Athena into the ropes and hit a running kick. Yamashita went for a spinning heel kick, but Athena ducked and walked up the ramp.
Yamashita charged at Athena and caught her near the stage, hitting a big kick. Yamashita hit a Death Valley Driver on the stage. As Yamashita tried dragging Athena back to the ring, Athena threw Yamashita off the stage to the floor. Athena followed her to the floor with a running cannonball. Back in the ring, Yamashita hit a spinning kick for a nearfall. Yamashita went for a head kick, but Athena caught her in a crossface. Yamashita went for the ropes, but Athena dragged her back to the middle of the ring and made Yamashita pass out to win and retain the title.
After defeating Yuka Sakazaki to retain the title on the pay-per-view, ROH Women’s Champion Athena will defend the title against Miyu Yamashita on this Thursday’s ROH on HonorClub in a match that will be taped Wednesday, apparently prior to Dynamite. Yamashita made her debut Thursday with a win over Shazza McKenzie.
On commentary, Ian Riccaboni said that the ROH World Champion coming out of tonight would be at next Friday’s AEW Battle of the Belts event.
Champions retain
While the night saw new ROH Tag Team Champions crowned in a ladder match and a new ROH Pure Champion, all of the other incumbent champions left Los Angeles with their title reigns intact.
ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli successfully defended against Eddie Kingston in a hard-hitting encounter. After the match, Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta were stalking Kingston until new Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata came out to even the odds.
While many expected a title change, ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe fended off the very game challenge of Mark Briscoe to remain the titleholder.
As mentioned earlier, Athena retained her title with a win over Sakazaki in a physical match — her second defense of the week after she defended against Emi Sakura on Thursday’s HonorClub show.
ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions The Embassy (Brian Cage & Gates of Agony) retained their titles with a win over AR Fox, Blake Christian & Metalik.
In a match filled with incredible spots, AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo retained his title with a victory over Komander that opened the PPV.
Naomi, EJ Nduka reportedly backstage
Fightful reported that former WWE wrestler Naomi was backstage watching the Athena vs. Sakazaki match, confirmed by Athena at the post-event press conference. She is in town for a WrestleCon appearance and Thursday’s WaleMania event.
PWInsider reported that former MLW Tag Team Champion EJ Nduka was in attendance at the event. While has not worked in ROH before, he did recently made his AEW debut in a Dark match against Konosuke Takeshita taped in Orlando, Florida.
Neither report indicated they are signed.
Dutch & Vincent return
Following Stu Grayson’s victory over Slim J on the Zero Hour pre-show, Grayson and Evil Uno were in the ring when Dutch & Vincent of The Righteous made their return to the promotion to stare down the Dark Order duo.
The two were rumored to be on WWE’s radar after attending a tryout with some rumors they were tabbed to align with Bray Wyatt.
Vincent was recently part of Impact Wrestling with the Honor No More faction, but hasn’t wrestled since some November dates with CMLL. Dutch has been in a match just once since last August, that being a January battle royal appearance for NEW.
The Impact Knockouts Championship will be on the line at this month’s Impact x NJPW Multiverse United.
Current champion Mickie James is set to defend her gold in a four-way against former champion Deonna Purrazzo, past title challenger Gisele Shaw, and TJPW regular Miyu Yamashita.
However, James will have to first survive her title defense against former champion Jordynne Grace at next Friday’s Sacrifice, an Impact streaming special from Canada.
If she does, she will defend the title the following Thursday (March 30th) at the co-promoted Impact and NJPW pay-per-view.
Another new addition announced over the weekend was an eight-man tag team match as Callihan, PCO, Fred Rosser & Alex Coughlin take on Impact Digital Media Champion Joe Hendry, Eddie Edwards, JR Kratos & “Filthy” Tom Lawlor.
Here’s the current card:
Impact World Champion Josh Alexander defends against KUSHIDA
Knockouts Champion Mickie James defends against Deonna Purrazzo, Gisele Shaw and Miyu Yamashita in a four-way
X-Division Champion Trey Miguel defends against Rich Swann, Kevin Knight, Frankie Kazarian, Clark Connors, and Rocky Romero in a scramble
Impact Tag Team Champions Chris Bey & Ace Austin defend against Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark David) vs. TMDK (Shane Haste & Bad Dude Tito) vs. The Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley)
Minoru Suzuki vs. KENTA
“Speedball” Mike Bailey vs. Will Ospreay
Jeff Cobb vs. Moose
Callihan, PCO, Fred Rosser & Alex Coughlin vs. Joe Hendry, Eddie Edwards, JR Kratos & Tom Lawlor
For fans unable to attend, they can watch the action live on IWTV with a subscription.
Athena defeated Mercedes Martinez for the ROH Women’s title at last Saturday’s ROH Final Battle.
Yamashita should be familiar to AEW fans as she challenged then-AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa for the title this summer at the Fight for the Fallen edition of Dynamite. That followed her non-title win over Rosa when Rose competed in Japan that set up that title match.
Yamashita currently holds the EVE title and is a fixture in Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling. This will be their first-ever match of any kind.
The future of ROH is somewhat on hold as ROH head Tony Khan said the company’s future TV show will be available on HonorClub but no tapings have been announced. He said news on that would be coming after Wrestle Kingdom in early-January and that he would be pulling back on featuring ROH titles on AEW TV.
Thunder Rosa vs. Miyu Yamashita will air on AEW Dark.
The match took place on Saturday, July 9 at TJPW Summer Sun Princess 22. If Yamashita wins she will be awarded with a title match for Rosa’s AEW Women’s World Championship. The match result is available here.
A match between PAC and Shota Umino for the AEW All-Atlantic Championship will also air on Tuesday’s edition of Dark. The match took place on Sunday, July 10 at RevPro Live in Sheffield, England. It was PAC’s first defense of the new title.
Rosa vs. Yamashita and PAC vs. Umino are the only two matches announced for the show thus far.
AEW Dark airs on Tuesday beginning at 7 p.m Eastern time on YouTube. The announced lineup is as follows:
AEW Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa vs. Miyu Yamashita in a title-eliminator match (from Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling’s Summer Sun Princess 22)
AEW All-Atlantic Champion PAC defends against Shota Umino (from RevPro Live in Sheffield)
Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling’s Miyu Yamashita has earned a future shot at the AEW Women’s World Championship.
Yamashita put herself in line for a shot at the championship by defeating Thunder Rosa in a non-title match at TJPW’s Summer Sun Princess 2022 event on Saturday. Rosa said during the lead-up to the match that she would give Yamashita a title shot if Yamashita won.
A date for the title match hasn’t been set. During a post-match press conference, Rosa said Yamashita knows her schedule and knows where AEW goes. Rosa said Yamashita is more than welcome to come to her house whenever she’s in the United States:
Yamashita made her AEW debut on an episode of Dark: Elevation last month, teaming with Skye Blue in a loss to Nyla Rose & Serena Deeb.
Dave Meltzer reported two weeks ago that AEW was interested in doing a Rosa vs. Yamashita match on AEW television:
It is not a lock or anything, but there was definitely talk of Rosa vs. Yamashita on AEW television as well as in Japan. The key people [in AEW] were very impressed with Yamashita on the streaming shows. It is hard to explain why Yamashita with only a couple of matches and never having been on television would be getting a title shot logically, and it’s never a lock here until it’s announced.
Thunder Rosa is set to return to Japan for Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling next month.
It was announced that Thunder Rosa would be making her return Tokyo Joshi Pro next month to face Miyu Yamashita. This will take place at the Summer Sun Princess 2022 event on July 9 at the Ota City Ward Gymnasium in Tokyo.
Rosa hasn’t been in Tokyo Joshi Pro since January 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the pandemic, she had to vacate the International Princess Championship that she held in October of 2020.
Rosa is the current AEW Women’s World Champion, defeating Britt Baker at St. Patrick’s Day Slam back in March. She most recently defended the title at Double or Nothing last month where she defeated Serena Deeb. She will next defend the championship against Toni Storm at Forbidden Door on June 26.
Willow Nightingale has also been announced for Summer Sun Princess 2022. She will take on Miu Watanabe.
DDT has announced that Omega will team with Riho in a tag match against Antonio Honda & Miyu Yamashita at Ultimate Party 2019. The show is taking place at Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday, November 3.
Omega sent out a tweet where he called DDT “my home before most knew or cared about Kenny Omega.” He wrote that Riho was his first partner — even before “him” (Kota Ibushi), Honda is one of his greatest rivals, and he wants to see what Yamashita’s got.
This will be Omega’s first match for DDT since he departed the promotion in 2014.
Omega is facing PAC at AEW All Out next Saturday (August 31). PAC is the replacement for Jon Moxley, with Moxley unable to wrestle at the pay-per-view because a serious case of MRSA has returned in his elbow.
Riho vs. Hikaru Shida is also set for All Out. Dave Meltzer reported that the winner will advance to the match to crown the first AEW Women’s Champion. The inaugural AEW Women’s Champion will be crowned on the promotion’s TNT premiere on October 2.
