Former ROH Television Champion Rhett Titus is thankfully unscathed following a scary car crash over the weekend.
After working an indie show in Morristown, New Jersey on Saturday night, Titus was driving home on a one-way highway when a vehicle drove head-on into his car. Though Titus’ car was likely totaled, he wasn’t injured in the collision.
I AM OK AND NOT INJURED 🙏🏻
Driving home from the @ispwwrestling show last night a car drove head on into mine on the Garden State Parkway (which is a one way highway)
— The Professional đź’€ (@RhettTitusANX) May 9, 2022
Titus tweeted on Sunday night:
I AM OK AND NOT INJURED
Driving home from the @ispwwrestling show last night a car drove head on into mine on the Garden State Parkway (which is a one way highway)
I am extremely lucky to have been able to walk away from it unscathed.
it really further puts things into perspective as to how quick it all can be over.
I am also thankful for great friends like [Gabby Ortiz] & [Leon St. Giovanni] who dropped what they were doing and picked my stranded ass up and drove me all the way home after 2 ubers canceled on me.
Thankful I am alive and well to spend #MothersDay with my wife and son.
My car is most likely totaled, but I am thankful that I’m still standing.
Much love
Titus is a one-time ROH TV Champion and two-time ROH Tag Team Champion. He lost the ROH TV title to Minoru Suzuki at Supercard of Honor last month, with Suzuki then going on to drop the title to Samoa Joe.
Titus made his AEW debut on the episode of Dark: Elevation that aired last week, losing to Konosuke Takeshita.
The AEW debuts of Rhett Titus and Cheeseburger are set for Dark: Elevation.
The promotion announced eight matches scheduled to air tonight at 7 p.m Eastern on YouTube. The show was filmed Wednesday, April 27 from the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Titus will face DDT’s Konosuke Takeshita while Cheeseburger will take on Tony Nese. Other matches booked for the show include Julia Hart vs. Abby Jane and Willow Nightingale vs. Gia Scott.
The full lineup for Monday’s edition of AEW Dark: Elevation is as follows:
The Dark Orders’ Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, John Silver, Alex Reynolds, Alan “5” Angels, & 10 vs. Anthony Bennett, Kori Meshaw, Mike Law, Jaden Valo, Eli Isom, & Brett Waters
Julia Hart vs. Abby Jane
Konosuke Takeshita vs. Rhett Titus
Willow Nightingale vs. Gia Scott
Anthony Ogogo vs. Goldy
Kris Statlander & Anna Jay vs. Emi Sakura & Nyla Rose w/ Vickie Guerrero
Max Caster vs. Zack Clayton
Tony Nese w/ “Smart” Mark Sterling vs. Cheeseburger
Joe Galli opened the show to a loud crowd with Jax Dane in the ring. Galli asked what was next for him and he promised violence. Dane promised to kill the heroes of the NWA like he killed Crimson and promised more of the same tonight.
Jax Dane defeated Eric Jackson
I love squash matches like this with a big dude killing a jobber. It was delightful.
Dane lived up to his promise of violence by attacking right away. Jackson got a few elbows in the corner, but that just made Dane mad. Dane threw him across the ring before taking Jackson’s head off with a lariat for the pinfall.
– Kyle Davis talked about Dane’s one mile restraining order on Anthony Mayweather/Crimson, saying that Mayweather was in the building. Dane denied that and told Davis to keep a close eye on what he does at the Crockett Cup.
Chelsea Green defeated Kenzie Paige
This was an excellent match with both women working hard.
Green and Paige exchanged several pinfall attempts at the start of the match, keeping up a very fast pace. Green slapped Paige, but Paige slapped her back a bit later and hit an exploder suplex and a shotgun dropkick that sent Green across the ring. Green baited Paige and sent her to the floor, followed by a stun gun and a pump kick for a two count.
Green hit two short arm clotheslines for a two and then got in a shouting match with a fan as he taunted her while she had a chinlock on. Green hit a German suplex of sorts, but Paige came back a European uppercut. Both women hit forearms and headbutts at the same time before collapsing.
Paige hit some hard chops and forearms before hitting a superkick for a near fall. Paige went for a package piledriver, but Green fought out and hit a flatliner into the middle turnbuckle before curb stomping Paige into the bottom turnbuckle for a near fall. Paige hit a cutter, but Green got her foot on the ropes. Green asked for a timeout and Paige turned around to talk to someone in the crowd, giving Green the opening to stand up and hit the Unprettier for the pin.
Paige looked bad in that finish. She looked dumb for just walking away from Green and turning around, only to get hit with the Unprettier, but nonetheless, this was a very good match.
Colby Corino defeated Rhett Titus in a two-of-three falls match
This was an excellent TV match, going around 18 minutes. This was a pay-per-view quality performance from both men. If there is a match to watch on this show, it’s this one.
Titus offered a handshake, keeping the Code of Honor outside of ROH, but Corino refused. The opening portion featured some nice technical wrestling with Titus outwrestling Corino. Corino was able to neck Titus on the ropes before flying over the top with a forearm to his back, followed by a tope and finally a senton that crushed Titus.
Titus pulled Corino over the top rope into a Northern Lights suplex for a two count. Titus hit a backbreaker and a gutwrench suplex, followed by a dropkick that got Corino for the first fall. Titus hit a series of boots in the corner, but Corino swept his legs out as he went to the top rope and hit a package backbreaker after pulling him off. Corino locked on the sharpshooter and then let go for some reason to hit an elbow on the back. Tim Storm said that his back went out, but it didn’t seem like that.
Corino hit a back suplex into a backbreaker on Titus for two. Corino, doing his best Roderick Strong impression, hit yet another backbreaker for two. Corino went for a dive, but ate a dropkick from Titus for another two count.
Corino tried to get Titus with an O’Connor roll, but Titus countered and a series of pinfall attempts was initiated. Corino rolled Titus up and grabbed the ropes to make it 1-1. Both men started exchanging hard chops. Corino countered a suplex into a cutter, but Titus responded with a slash and then a belly-to-belly suplex for a near fall.
Corino countered a submission attempt and hit a big double stomp to Titus’ back before hitting a Strong esque vertical suplex into a backbreaker for another two count. Corino locked on an inverted deathlock, but Titus refused to submit and started throwing strikes before countering with a half crab but Corino got to the ropes.
Both men had their backs punished in this match. Titus threw Corino into the turnbuckle three times before hitting a spinning back suplex for a two count. Corino hit a low blow as the ref was in the corner and then hit a rolling elbow to the back of Titus’ head for the pinfall to finish an excellent match.
– Taryn Terrell was with Kyle Davis backstage and claimed she was going to with the NWA Women’s Championship. After she won it, they wouldn’t call it “The Burke” anymore, but “The Terrell.” She was great here.
NWA Women’s Champion Kamille defeated Taryn Terrell to retain the title
This was a very fun match. It wasn’t the best technically, but both women worked hard and Terrell bumped like crazy. Her antics were very amusing, so this was an easy thumbs up from me.
Terrell did her own introduction and then pulled out a photo, saying that they could put it in the belt when she won, Kamille grabbed it and tore it up. Terrell’s over the top character makes me laugh every time. Kamille was not impressed when Terrell grabbed the belt and put it around her waist. She called for a test of strength, but Kamille nearly ripped her arm off, so she went to the ropes.
Terrell paused for a water break and Kamille crushed her in the corner and hit a suplex when Terrell tried to do a monkey flip. Terrell yelled for help as Kamille Irish whipped her into the corner, which had me laughing again. Kamille hit a backbreaker and Terrell was left half dead in the ring.
Terrell managed to hit a jawbreaker, but Kamille caught her and hit a fallaway slam. Terrell screamed “Ow!” very loudly and went for another drink of water. Kamille stomped on her and hit a European uppercut that sent Terrell crashing to the mat again. Terrell spit water into Kamille’s face and rolled her up for a one count. Terrell yanked the hair and stomped on Kamille for another one count.
Terrell went for a kick, but Kamille caught it and threw her to the mat. Terrell caught her with a knee and hit a flipping neckbreaker for a two count. Terrell screamed it was a three and then locked on a camel clutch, but Kamille powered out and snapmared Terrell before hitting the spear for the pin and win.
Final Thoughts:
These “on the road” NWA shows are always really good, and I wish they did them more. A hot audience can elevate an average show to being good and this was a good show even without the fans. Everything was good and even the opening squash was great. This was an excellent NWA Power Trip.
The Big Takeaway: Coming off the heels of a great Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view, ROH hosts a special “Pure” episode of ROH TV.
Quinn McKay welcomed us to the broadcast from the ROH studio. McKay revealed that this week’s episode of ROH TV would be themed after pure wrestling in celebration of the one year anniversary of the division returning. McKay announced the return of the Pure Rules gauntlet match for tonight’s episode, as well as a main event clash between Mike Bennett and Rhett Titus.
Brian Johnson won a Pure Rules gauntlet match
World Famous CB defeated Eric Martin (3:13)
CB and Martin started with a standard lockup that saw CB get the advantage. CB tripped Martin into the ropes and hold him there, costing Martin one of his rope breaks. After CB repeated the trick two more times and cost him all of his rope breaks, Martin found some momentum and hit a few clotheslines.
CB ran circles around Martin after recovering and eventually locked in a backbreaker-like submission, which Martin would submit to quickly.
Delirious defeated World Famous CB (5:32)
Delirious immediately targeted the lower half of CB, but was met with great resistance. CB responded to Delirious with a scissors takedown, followed by a scissor headlock on the mat.
CB ran the ropes and hit a German suplex on Delirious, who recovered rather quickly and nailed CB with a lariat. Delirious capitalized on the lariat with a triangle choke/armbar combination that made CB submit quickly.
LSG defeated Delirious (5:20)
Delirious was in control of LSG for the first portion of their encounter, but LSG fought back valiantly. As the match progressed, the two traded big moves back and forth but eventually LSG applied a Muta Lock to Delirious and made him submit.
LSG defeated Joe Keys (4:37)
After exchanging a few headlocks and takedowns, the two men came to a stalemate. Keys locked in an abdominal stretch and beat on the chest of LSG before tossing him over his head.
Keys showed a glimmer of hope when he hit a fantastic backbreaker and followed it up with a Boston crab submission. Keys stayed in full control as he perched LSG on the top rope and seemed to be looking for a brainbuster, but LSG reversed it into a crossbody pinning combination which warranted the three count.
Brian Johnson defeated LSG (1:04)
Johnson took advantage of a weary LSG and tried to go right after him, but LSG still had a bit of a fight in him and hit a Rocket-Baby slam for a near fall that was broken up by a Johnson rope break.
Johnson struck LSG with a closed fist and while the referee was distracted. Johnson pinned LSG with his feet on the ropes for a three count.
Mike Bennett defeated Rhett Titus via judge’s decision (15:00)
Bennett tried to out-power Rhett Titus to the mat with a knuckle lock, but was met with resistance from “The Professional”. Titus continued to attack Bennett into the commercial break.
When the break returned, Titus had a leg-lock applied which caused Bennett to use his first rope break. As the match progressed, Titus had control of Bennett as he transitioned between different submissions into the middle portion of the match.
Bennett eventually found a second wind and overwhelmed Titus with a series of strikes. Bennett applied his own leg-lock in the corner, which caused Titus to use his first rope break.
As we returned from another commercial break, Titus nailed Bennett with a running boot in the corner. Titus applied his foot to the neck of Bennett, which caused him to use his final rope break.
As Titus was catching his breath in the corner, Bennett slipped out from underneath him and applied an ankle lock. Bennett seemed like he had Titus trapped in the hold, but Titus was able to use his second rope break.
Once Titus and Bennett rose to their feet, Titus attempted his signature running German suplex but ultimately failed due to his knee giving out. Bennett capitalized on the hurt knee and heavily targeted it in the final stages of the match.
In the final minute, Titus and Bennett exchanged multiple strikes but neither could capitalize as the time limit in the match expired.
Per the Judge’s decision, Bennett was crowned the winner due to landing more submissions and strikes, as well as reversing more moves.
Final Thoughts: ROH TV this week was a mixed bag. While I thought the Pure Rules gauntlet match was a bit dull at times, Rhett Titus and Mike Bennett had a fantastic main event match that further submitted Bennett’s status in the Pure division.
In recent months, I’ve introduced a scale in order to let you know if the current week of TV is worth your while. The scale is as followed:
Must Watch TV
Go Out Of Your Way
Recommended Viewing
Watch YouTube Clips
Avoid At All Costs
This week’s episode of ROH TV is: Recommended Viewing
Two stablemates will face off for the ROH Pure Championship at Glory By Honor night one.
ROH has announced that Jonathan Gresham will defend his Pure title against Rhett Titus at Glory By Honor night one. The show is taking place at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Friday, August 20.
Gresham and Titus are part of The Foundation with Jay Lethal and Tracy Williams.
Titus & Williams formerly held the ROH Tag Team titles together. With Williams injured, Gresham filled in for him at ROH’s Best in the World pay-per-view earlier this month. Titus & Gresham lost the titles to Violence Unlimited’s Homicide & Chris Dickinson in a Fight Without Honor.
The Tag Team title match was Gresham’s second match of the night at Best in the World. He also retained his Pure Championship against Mike Bennett at the PPV.
Gresham became Pure Champion by winning a tournament for the title when it was reintroduced last year.
An eight-man tag match with Violence Unlimited (Brody King, Tony Deppen, Homicide & Dickinson) facing La Faccion Ingobernable (Rush, ROH Television Champion Dragon Lee, Kenny King & Bestia del Ring) has also been added to Glory By Honor night one.
Glory By Honor nights one and two are both being held at the 2300 Arena and will air live on HonorClub. Here are the updated lineups for both shows:
Glory By Honor night one (Friday, August 20) —
ROH World Champion Bandido defends against Flip Gordon
ROH Pure Champion Jonathan Gresham (w/ Jay Lethal) defends against Rhett Titus (w/ Tracy Williams)
Violence Unlimited (Brody King, Tony Deppen, Homicide & Chris Dickinson) vs. La Faccion Ingobernable (Rush, Dragon Lee, Kenny King & Bestia del Ring)
Glory By Honor night two (Saturday, August 21) —
Steel cage match: Matt Taven vs. Vincent Marseglia (Taven’s future ROH World title shot is on the line)
Chris Dickinson and Homicide captured the ROH World Tag Team titles on tonight’s Best in the World pay-per-view event.
Dickinson and Homicide defeated Jonathan Gresham and Rhett Titus in a Fight Without Honor match, with many weapons being used throughout the match. Homicide picked up the win for his team after pinning Gresham, who had already wrestled once on the show, following the cop killer vertebreaker.
The match was originally supposed to be Tracy Williams and Titus defending the titles. However, the storyline was that Williams was unable to be cleared by the Maryland State Athletic Commission. Jay Lethal was named as Williams’ replacement, but was taken out of the match by the state athletic commission after taking two Ganso bombs from Brody King earlier in the night.
The ROH TV title also changed hands on tonight’s show, with Dragon Lee defeating Tony Deppen to regain the title. Jonathan Gresham successfully defended the Pure title earlier in the show against Mike Bennett.
The ROH Tag Team titles will be on the line in a “Fight Without Honor” at Best in the World.
ROH Tag Team Champions The Foundation (Tracy Williams & Rhett Titus) will defend their titles against Violence Unlimited (Homicide & Chris Dickinson) at Best in the World. The pay-per-view is taking place at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena in Baltimore, Maryland this Sunday.
The announcement of the Tag Team title match was made on Tuesday’s edition of ROH Week By Week. A Fight Without Honor is an anything goes match that must have a winner.
The Foundation’s Jay Lethal is also facing Violence Unlimited’s Brody King in a singles match at Best in the World.
ROH has also announced that The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe) will be in action against PJ Black & Brian Johnson at Best in the World. Plus, there will be a new edition of Matt Taven’s “Trending With Taven” interview show on the PPV. Taven is feuding with Vincent Marseglia and Vincent’s The Righteous stable.
Best in the World will be the first ROH event with fans in attendance since February 2020. Here’s the updated card for the show:
ROH World Champion Rush defends against Bandido
ROH Television Champion Tony Deppen defends against Dragon Lee
ROH Pure Champion Jonathan Gresham defends against Mike Bennett
Fight Without Honor: ROH Tag Team Champions The Foundation (Tracy Williams & Rhett Titus) defend against Violence Unlimited (Homicide & Chris Dickinson)
Brody King vs. Jay Lethal
EC3 vs. Flip Gordon
Last Man Standing match: Josh Woods vs. Silas Young
ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor, Moses & Kaun) defend against Dalton Castle, Eli Isom & Dak Draper
The Briscoes (Jay & Mark Briscoe) vs. PJ Black & Brian Johnson
Demonic Flamita vs. Rey Horus (Best in the World Hour One)
PCO & Danhausen vs. The Bouncers (Beer City Bruiser & Brawler Milonas) (Best in the World Hour One)
Best in the World Hour One will air for free starting at 7 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday. It will be available on platforms including HonorClub, YouTube, and PPV channels carrying Best in the World. The Best in the World main card will then begin on HonorClub and PPV starting at 8 p.m. Eastern.
Two great matches carried us closer and closer to the highly anticipated Best in the World PPV on July 11.
**********
Host Quinn McKay welcomed viewers to the broadcast. She discussed the Survival of the Fittest bracket and the upcoming qualifying match on today’s edition of ROH TV: Eli Isom vs. Dak Draper.
This is a rematch of Isom and Draper’s first encounter that took place a few weeks ago that went to a time limit draw.
McKay also revealed that Tracy Williams & Rhett Titus will defend their ROH Tag Team titles against Kenny King and the returning Dragon Lee.
**********
Survival of the Fittest first round match: Eli Isom defeated Dak Draper (11:17)
Draper’s pre-match promo was simple but great. He’s very well-spoken and has grown on me a lot.
Right before the bell rang, Dalton Castle appeared on the stage. He danced his way to ringside with four “boys” and said he was just here to watch the match.
Draper booted Isom right before the match began, which gave Draper a clear advantage throughout the first portion of the match. Both guys got distracted at different times due to Castle and his Boys’ clapping profusely and walking around the ring. Draper nailed Isom with a big clothesline that led into a commercial break.
Draper is so athletic. Coming back from the break, he casually ran up the turnbuckle and hit a twisting springboard ax handle like it was nothing. Draper then took another risk and hit a crossbody that saw him and Isom tumbling over the top rope and onto the floor.
The story of this match was that Draper is performing a high-risk style in order to beat Isom, something he couldn’t do in their first encounter.
Draper continued with his big move offense throughout. Eventually, Isom sprung back to life with a stunning sidewinder powerbomb.
In the final moments of the match, Draper had a chance to put away Isom with the Magnum but instead perched him on the top turnbuckle. At this point, Castle and his boys walked out on the match, citing that Castle was “late for a meeting\.” Isom took advantage of Draper’s distraction and hit his signature Promise Brainbuster for the win.
**********
ROH Tag Team title match: The Foundation (Rhett Titus & Tracy Williams) defeated La Faccion Ingobernable (Kenny King & Dragon Lee) by disqualification (16:09)
This match was contested under Pure Rules.
Titus and King began the match, but Williams quickly made himself the legal man. Almost immediately after being put in a cloverleaf, King used his team’s first rope break.
Lee and Williams had a chopping exchange later on in the match that was great. Lee went for a top rope suicida but when Williams moved, Lee hand planted on the apron and landed on his feet.
King and Lee exchanged tags over the middle portion of the match, working on the shoulder of Williams. Williams sold the shoulder pain very well. Williams was eventually able to tag Titus in for the hot tag.
Titus came in and went crazy on King, his former tag partner. Titus hit a big powerslam on King and then went for a cover, but King used his team’s second rope break.
Williams eventually got a hot tag and locked King in a crossface, but King used his team’s third and final rope break. King showed visible frustration and looked to tag out to Lee.
All hell broke loose in the final stages of the match. Titus hit King with a hydraulic dropkick that seemed to take him out of the match. Lee was setting up for an incinerator knee strike but Williams caught him. Williams perched Lee on the top rope and was able to hit a super piledriver. Williams seemed to have the match in the bag, but King broke up the pin.
Referee Todd Sinclair rang the bell and called for a DQ. Since pinfall breakups count as rope breaks in Pure Rules tag matches and Lee/King were out of them, Williams and Titus won by DQ.
After the match, Bestia Del Ring rushed the ring and attacked Williams and Titus. Lethal and Gresham came to assist their stablemates while Violence Unlimited stood on the stage and watched.
**********
Final Thoughts —
The reason I enjoy ROH so much is just because it’s simple but sweet. The storytelling both inside and out of the ring is easy to understand. The wrestling is outstanding and they have arguably two of the top 15 wrestlers in the world on their roster in Dragon Lee and Jonathan Gresham. I’m really excited for fans to come back and hopefully, more eyes will be on the product then.
Isom vs. Draper was good, but I’m ready for the payoff with Castle’s new direction. He’s always been one of the better characters in the company.
The Tag Team title match was great as well, and I’m intrigued to see where they go next with the titles. It does seem like King will get booted from the group sooner rather than later, as he has cost LFI a lot of opportunities.
A Tag Team title match will take place on ROH television later this month.
ROH has announced that The OGK (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) will challenge The Foundation’s Tracy Williams & Rhett Titus for the ROH Tag Team titles on the ROH TV episode that premieres the weekend of Saturday, May 22. This will be Williams & Titus’ first title defense since defeating La Faccion Ingobernable’s Kenny King & Bestia del Ring at March’s ROH 19th Anniversary pay-per-view to become Tag Team Champions.
Bestia del Ring was replacing Dragon Lee in the Tag Team title match at ROH’s 19th Anniversary PPV. Dragon Lee suffered a ruptured eardrum and had to be pulled from the PPV.
The OGK are 3-0 in tag team action since Bennett made his return to ROH last November. Their most recent win was against Beer City Bruiser & Ken Dixon.
Taven & Bennett formerly held the ROH Tag Team titles for three months in 2015. They also held the IWGP Tag Team titles together in 2015.
Two championships changed hands during tonight’s ROH 19th Anniversary show.
Tracy Williams walked out of tonight’s show a double champion. He defeated Kenny King to win the Television championship for the first time. King was defending the title for Dragon Lee, who was unable to compete following minor surgery for a broken eardrum. This ends Lee’s run after over 470 days with the title, winning it at Final Battle 2019.
The ROH World Tag Team titles also changed hands, with Williams and Rhett Titus defeating Bestia del Ring and Kenny King. Bestia replaced Dragon Lee, who was also one half of the Tag Team champions. Titus submitted Bestia with a full nelson to win the match and the titles.
After the match, Bestia and King confronted manager Amy Rose, blaming her for the loss after the referee took away a steel chair she tried to introduce into the match. She gave the middle finger to King and started to leave, but King grabbed her and told her that she was done, allowing Bestia to spear her.
The Big Takeaway: Flip Gordon defeated Rhett Titus in a stiff Pure Rules match and Dragon Lee defended his ROH Television Championship against 1/3rd of the ROH Six-Man tag team champions Rey Horus.
We began the broadcast with Quinn McKay, per usual. She ran down the TV card. McKay also showed a contender ranking system for the Television title similar to AEW’s. In first place was Rey Horus, followed by Tony Deppen, Dak Draper, Kenny King, and LSG. McKay mentioned that this will be a regular thing going forward for all divisions in ROH. I like this a lot and it should work out for ROH a lot better than it does for AEW.
McKay also announced that for the health and safety of the crew, Matt Taven and Vincent are banned from appearing at the same ROH event for now. I don’t think I really care about drawing this feud out more.
*****
Rhett Titus cut a promo package before his match. He shamed Gordon for not shaking Jonathan Gresham’s hand after his loss at Final Battle. Titus also made fun of Gordon for thinking the earth is flat. He said he is going to beat the honor into Gordon.
Flip Gordon was up next and he defended his decision to not adhere to the Code Of Honor at Final Battle. He said there was no honor in the way Gresham won the match. Gordon also bragged about defeating Titus every single time they’ve wrestled each other. This wasn’t Gordon’s best promo work at all. His facial expressions really ruined it for me.
Flip Gordon pinned Rhett Titus in Pure Rules match (14:47)
Gordon again refused to adhere to the Code Of Honor.
Both men twisted up early with the end result being Titus attempting multiple pinning maneuvers with Gordon’s arms pinned to the mat. Titus maintained control afterward, wrenching in multiple armbars. Gordon eventually used his first rope break. Titus still remained in firm control of the match, locking in a Boston crab that caused Gordon to use his second rope break.
Gordon came back firing on all cylinders with a couple of open hand chops, followed by a swinging neck breaker on Titus. Gordon kept the momentum up with a stiff kick to the throat and cinching in a leg lock. Titus eventually made it to the ropes, using his first rope break to stop the hold.
Titus gave Gordon a stiff running boot in the corner that made his eyes turn inside out. Titus tried to cinch in another Boston crab after but Gordon escaped quickly. Titus went to the second turnbuckle but Gordon got up and sprung off the second rope, planting a kick square on Titus’ jaw. Titus fell to the outside and Gordon followed him and dumped him back in the ring. Gordon talked trash for a second before Titus rolled him into another Boston crab, causing Gordon to use his final rope break.
Gordon and Titus made their way back to their feet, with Gordon using a closed fist that sent Titus crashing to the mat. Gordon was only issued a warning and capitalized with a Flip-5 to get the win.
Gordon met with Quinn McKay after the match. McKay informed Gordon that due to his lack of honor and using a closed fist, he’s been suspended from the Pure Division. Gordon said he didn’t care and would join another division.
*****
Rey Horus cut a promo prior to the main event. He revealed he was trained by Rey Mysterio Sr and that he has spent his entire life in the wrestling business. Horus said despite using a lot of Lucha Libre, he’s wrestled all over the world and can adapt to any style.
Dragon Lee appeared on screen with an ROH producer. The producer mic’d him up and asked him to sit, but Lee kicked the chair and shooed away the producer. Lee said that he’s going to destroy Horus and make him feel pain like never before. Lee came across like a superstar and a badass here with a short, effective promo..
Dragon Lee pinned Rey Horus to retain the ROH TV Championship (11:14)
Before Lee could enter the ring, Horus came flying over the top rope. Horus rolled Lee into the ring and planted him with a hurricanrana DDT which only warranted Horus a two count. Horus went to the apron but Lee came flying over the top rope and took Horus out with a hurricanrana to the floor. Lee and Horus stood back on their feet and began exchanging blows to the head until the ref reached a 19 count. Both men rolled back in the ring.
Lee connected with a pump knee, but Horus retaliated with a Spanish fly. Lee eventually cornered Horus and began delivering elbows to a grounded Horus. Lee brought Horus back to his feet and attempted to dropkick him, but Horus launched him over his head and into the turnbuckle.
Horus hoisted Lee on the top rope and connected with a Spanish fly. Lee bounced back with a flurry of offense and followed it up with a running powerbomb for a two count. Lee tried another powerbomb, but Horus reversed it into a Mexican destroyer. Horus still couldn’t put him away, however. Lee rose back to his feet and delivered two running knee strikes for the win..
Final Thoughts:
ROH started off 2021 with a strong TV episode, despite a few weak points. Gordon’s promos came off really weak and forced. Dragon Lee was the highlight of this show by far, his promo was phenomenal and he’s an ELITE wrestler.
Not a fan of Gordon winning if he was just going to get removed from the pure division rankings. Speaking of rankings, I’m a big fan of them introducing a ranking system. As i said before, I feel like it will benefit ROH more than it does AEW.
The Big Takeaway: Dalton Castle pinned Brian Johnson in a well-fought contest, and Rhett Titus pinned Delirious in a Pure Rules match.
Quinn McKay joined us in the studio to start the show. She runs down the card for tonight’s episode, including former ROH Tag Team C\champion Rhett Titus taking on Delirious in Pure Rules action and “The Mecca” Brian Johnson taking on Dalton Castle.
A package aired for Dalton Castle prior to his match. Castle states he has an issue with Brian Johnson simply because he’s rude. Castle says he has a lot of rage inside of him, and Johnson is just the right shape to break.
Johnson, in response, said he’s sick of ROH living in the past and focusing on yesteryear. Johnson said he’s gonna send Castle on a losing spree and that’s it’s always going to be Mecca vs Everybody. Johnson is a really good talker.
Dalton Castle pinned Brian Johnson (10:30)
Castle immediately caught a running Johnson in a Bang-A-Rang attempt, but Johnson escaped and rolled out of the ring. Johnson slid back in the ring and Castle regained command, beating down on Johnson’s back. Johnson dumped Castle to the outside and goaded him into running face-first into the turnbuckle post. Johnson tossed Castle back in the ring and carried on with his beatdown with a series of stiff clotheslines.
Back from the break and Johnson is still in control. A few moments later, Johnson was barking at the ref and Castle rolled him up for a two count. Johnson quickly regained command, working on the left arm of Castle. Despite working heavily on the arm, Johnson never attempted to do a big move involving it.
Castle had a moment of hope when he distributed a knee to Johnson’s skull, but Johnson rolled out of the ring. Castle and Johnson found their way to the top rope when Johnson hit the kill shot, but it wasn’t enough to put Castle away. Castle finally found some incentive and delivered a series of knees and suplexes, following them up with the Bang-A-Rang for the win.
Castle joined McKay backstage for post-match comments. Castle said Johnson got what he deserved, and he feels like he’s on the right track again. Castle invited McKay to get a drink with him.
*****
LSG talked about making a name for himself. He says if he has to do it at Kenny King’s expense then that’s okay. LSG called King washed up and said that King doesn’t have the speed and agility he used to.
King said he sees a lot of himself in LSG. King says that LSG hung with Jay Lethal in their match, that doesn’t cut it anymore in wrestling.
*****
Rhett Titus had some pre-match thoughts. Titus said he can’t remember life before ROH. Titus said he was on the brink of giving it all up until The Foundation reached out to him. Titus said that it’s his turn to rewrite his own history, starting with Delirious.
Delirious also had a pre-match promo. Delirious said that Titus is a major part of his career, but he has won all of their singles matches. Delirious called Titus a machine and under-appreciated. Delirious said that he didn’t want anybody to understand him, so he lays low.
Rhett Titus pinned Delirious in a Pure Rules contest (12:24)
Code Of Honor adhered to.
Titus and Delirious wrestled on the mat early, exchanging various leg and headlocks. This turned into both men exchanging various pinning combinations, all resulting in two counts.
Back from the break and Titus had a firm headlock applied to Delirious. It was quickly reversed and turned into a side headlock by Delirious. Titus thought he finally gained sway in the contest after delivering a side slam, but Delirious quickly climbed the ropes and shot off the top with a dropkick to the back of Titus. Delirious tried to apply a cobra clutch after the move, but Titus used his first rope break.
Delirious let go on the move then immediately clamped it back on, causing Titus to use his second rope break. Delirious was getting way too much control in this match for my liking. Delirious then applied a standing headlock on Titus, but Titus ran toward the ropes, dumping Delirious on the outside. This questionably cost Titus his third and final rope break.
Delirious and Titus made their way back in the ring, but Delirious went back to the standing cobra clutch once again. Titus escaped and hit a beautiful northern lights suplex. Titus got off-track again fast when Delirious hit a cobra clutch overhead suplex. Moments later, Titus hit his standing dropkick for the win.
*****
Final Thoughts:
Coming off a strong Final Battle PPV, this week’s episode of ROH TV was rather uneventful. This is usually expected in some companies, so i expect ROH to be back on track next week. Brian Johnson is really good on the microphone, and not a half-bad wrestler either. Delirious main eventing ROH TV in 2020 is certainly a questionable choice, but his match with Rhett Titus was above-average.
Ring of Honor has made two more announcements for Final Battle 2020.
In the first-ever Pure Rules tag match, The Foundation’s Tracy Williams & Rhett Titus will face Fred Yehi & Wheeler Yuta at Final Battle. The match has the following rules:
The Code of Honor is required.
A legal tag requires the wrestler on the apron to reach over the top rope and tag his partner hand-to-hand while holding the tag rope with his other hand.
Each wrestler has five seconds to exit the ring after a tag is made.
Each team has three rope breaks to stop submission holds and pinfall attempts. After a team exhausts their rope breaks, submission and pin attempts on or under the ropes by the opponent are considered legal.
Each time a team breaks up a pinfall or submission, that team will lose a rope break. Breaking up a pinfall or submission when a team is out of rope breaks will result in a disqualification.
Closed-fist punches to the face are not permitted — only open-handed slaps or chops to the face are allowed. Punches to other parts of the body are permitted excluding low blows. The first use of a closed fist will get a warning. The second will be a disqualification.
Interference from any wrestler will result in automatic termination from the roster for the wrestler that interferes.
Matches that reach the time limit will go to a judges’ decision.
There’s a 20-second count on the floor.
The Foundation’s Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham will be in action as they defend their ROH Tag Team titles against Mark Briscoe & PCO at Final Battle. With every ROH title on the line at the pay-per-view, Gresham is pulling double duty at the show and also defending his Pure Championship against Flip Gordon.
Danhausen also announced that he’ll be facing Brian Johnson at Final Battle. Danhausen is currently involved in a storyline where he’s been offered an ROH contract but has to win a match in 2020 to make the deal official.
Final Battle is airing on PPV and HonorClub on Friday, December 18. Here’s the updated card for the show
ROH World Champion Rush defends his title against Brody King
ROH Pure Champion Jonathan Gresham defends his title against Flip Gordon
ROH Tag Team Champions Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham defend their titles against Mark Briscoe & PCO
Matt Taven & Mike Bennett vs. Vincent Marseglia & Bateman
ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus defend their titles against Shane Taylor & The Soldiers of Savagery (Moses & Kaun)
Tony Deppen vs. Dak Draper vs. LSG vs. Josh Woods (winner will challenge Dragon Lee for the ROH Television Championship later in the night)
Jay Briscoe vs. EC3
Pure Rules tag match: Tracy Williams & Rhett Titus vs. Fred Yehi & Wheeler Yuta
Two more title matches have been added to Ring of Honor’s television tapings in Lakeland, Florida this weekend.
Willie Mack will defend the NWA National Championship against Rhett Titus at the tapings, and Women of Honor World Champion Kelly Klein will defend her title against Stella Grey. The tapings are taking place at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland this Saturday (February 9).
In storyline, Klein has vowed to defend her title in all of her singles matches.
Klein is set to defend the WOH Championship against Stardom’s Mayu Iwatani at ROH’s Bound By Honor event in Miami on Sunday (February 10). Iwatani vs. Holidead has also been added to Saturday’s tapings in Lakeland.
Here’s the updated lineup for the tapings:
ROH Television Champion Jeff Cobb defending against Silas Young
Women of Honor World Champion Kelly Klein defending against Stella Grey
ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions The Kingdom (Matt Taven, Vinny Marseglia & TK O’Ryan) defending against Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll, PCO & Brody King)
ROH World Champion Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham vs. Coast 2 Coast (Shaheem Ali & LSG)
Dalton Castle vs. Kenny King
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Rocky Romero
Rush vs. Tracy Williams
ROH Tag Team Champions The Briscoes & Shane Taylor vs. Cheeseburger, Eli Isom & Ryan Nova
Mayu Iwatani vs. Holidead
NWA National Champion Willie Mack defending against Rhett Titus
