Tag: roh tv results

ROH TV results: Bandido & Rey Horus vs. The OGK

Posted on by Skylar Russell

Location: Philadelphia, PA

The Soldiers of Savagery (Moses & Kaun) defeated Dalton Castle & Dak Draper (9:10)

The Briscoes joined commentary for this match.

Dalton Castle and Kaun started off the bout. They exchanged a few moves on the mat as Castle tried to toy with Kaun’s focus. Castle was able to get the upper hand and tag out to Dak Draper. Draper was met by a furious Kaun, who took control of the match back and tagged out to Moses. As the match went into a commercial break, S.O.S had full control of Draper.

The tides turned as the match returned from the break. Castle and Draper hit a few double-team moves as Moses got fired up on the apron for the hot tag.

Once Moses came in, he bulldozed everybody in sight and even scared Castle’s chickens off. Eventually, Moses and Kaun worked together and hit a double-team DDT for the win.

Following the match, Dragon Lee & Kenny King jumped S.O.S. After Lee & King left the ring, S.O.S challenged them to an ROH Tag Team title match. That title match is set for the next episode of ROH TV.

Willow defeated Angelina Love and Miranda Alize in a Women’s Championship Contender’s match (8:32)

Chelsea Green was on commentary here.

Willow was targeted by both Miranda Alize and Angelina Love right off the bat. She tried to fight it off but was met with strong resistance as the match went to commercial.

Willow finally found a way to defend herself against the two other opponents as we returned from the break. Both Alize and Love were hit with a combination of kicks and punches before Willow did a very impressive second rope dropkick on Alize.

Alize and Love stopped teaming together and went to blows with each other. Willow still was firing on all cylinders and kept hitting big move after big move on both women.

Near the end of the match, Love punted Alize off the apron with the Botox Injection kick. Willow capitalized on that by rolling Love up for the three count.

Willow will move on to face the winner of another triple threat match between Trish Adora, Mandy Leon, and Allysin Kay. The winner of that singles encounter will challenge Rok-C for the ROH Women’s World Championship at Final Battle.

The OGK (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) defeated ROH World Champion Bandido & Rey Horus (12:07) 

Mike Bennett and Rey Horus started off the match. They exchanged a few maneuvers but came to a stalemate as a commercial break ensued. 

Matt Taven and Bandido squared off but also came to a stalemate, which prompted Bennett to come in and hit some double-team moves with Taven. Taven & Bennett practically played the role of the heels as Horus eventually made a hot tag and cleared the ring.

Taven was overwhelmed by the double team from Bandido and Horus, prompting him to tag out to Bennett. The match broke down here and saw everybody hit big moves. All four wrestlers were eventually down and out at one point.

While Bennett had Horus on his back and in position for a stunner, The OGK hit a double-team move where Taven connected with a kick on Horus and Bennett planted Horus to get the win.

The OGK and Bandido & Horus showed respect to each other and exchanged words after the match.

**********

Final Thoughts —

Despite all three of these matches being good/great, this episode of ROH TV felt uninspired and lacked a feel of importance.

Also, Bandido has lost four matches since winning the ROH World Championship. Even though they were all tag matches in some way or form, any champion just doesn’t need to lose that much.

Rey Horus loses…way too much. He’s 4-11 this year in the company. Horus is a phenom of a talent so I hope this is leading to something down the line.

I’m very happy with Willow picking up the victory, and I’m rooting for her to get the Women’s title match at Final Battle.

I’ve introduced a scale in order to let you know if the current week of ROH TV is worth your while. The scale is as follows:

  • 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: Watch Youtube Clips

ROH TV results: Violence Unlimited vs. LFI Tag Team title match

Posted on by Skylar Russell

Quinn McKay joined us from the ROH studio and revealed that this week’s episode of TV is themed as a bonus prior to the Death Before Dishonor show, as the main event features a World Tag Team Championship match with the current champions Chris Dickinson and Homicide defending against Kenny King and Dragon Lee.

McKay revealed that The Briscoes vs. ROH World Champion Bandido & Rey Horus and Josh Woods vs. Will Fererra are also scheduled for the show.

**********

The Briscoes defeated ROH World Champion Bandido & Rey Horus (12:10)

Bandido and Jay started off the match. Jay tried to wrestle Bandido to the mat, but the “Most Wanted” would respond with a handspring arm drag. They would trade some more moves but eventually came to a stalemate that led into a commercial break. 

When the broadcast returned from the break, Jay and Mark were isolating Rey Horus in their corner. The match would spill to the outside where both luchadors were thrown into the barricade. Mark would toss Bandido back in the ring and began draining the stamina of the world champion. 

The match broke down eventually and everybody got to hit their big move, but it left all four men on their backs in the middle of the ring. Bandido was the first man up and he immediately caught fire, hitting a fosbury flop on Jay Briscoe on the outside. Bandido was down on the outside which allowed Mark to scoop up Horus and give time for Jay to climb to the top rope and hit a doomsday device for the win. 

**********

Josh Woods defeated Will Ferrara (w/ Eric Martin) in a Pure Rules match (6:18)

Jonathan Gresham joined commentary for this bout. 

Woods virtually had control of Ferrara for the entire duration of this match. Ferrara had a couple spots here and there, but it never amounted to anything tide-shifting. 

This was a showcase for Woods headed into his Pure Title match at tomorrow’s Death Before Dishonor. He played all of his “greatest hits” and made Ferrara exhaust all of his rope breaks within the first five minutes of the match. 

There was a cool spot in the match where Woods had Ferrara in a waist lock, hoisting him in the air while staring dead into Jonathan Gresham’s eyes. Woods would eventually win with a bridging German suplex. 

**********

La Faccion Ingobernable (Dragon Lee & Kenny King) defeated Violence Unlimited (Chris Dickinson & Homicide) to win the ROH Tag Team titles (14:08)

King and Homicide started off the bout. King had Homicide in an arm lock headed into a commercial break. 

When the show returned, Lee and Dickinson tagged themselves in. They had a great, counter-based exchange that led to Dickinson getting the upper hand. The match broke down shortly after. Lee and Homicide would be the legal men after the smoke cleared. 

King and Lee hit a few double team maneuvers after they took Dickinson off the apron. LFI had a stranglehold on Homicide and it seemed like the match would cease, but Dickinson would come in with freight train-like speed and clear the ring. 

Dickinson would have another great exchange with Lee, but Lee would win the battle again. Lee tagged out to King, who hit a Royal Flush on Dickinson for a very close near fall. 

The final stages of the match saw Lee and Dickinson yet again facing off. Lee would pull his knee pad down and attempt an Incinerator strike, but Dickinson blocked it and twisted his knee into a heap. Lee would recover quickly and deliver not one, but two Incinerator knee strikes, which allowed him to pin Dickinson for the win. 

**********

Final Thoughts —

This was a fantastic go-home episode of Ring Of Honor television that reminded me of one thing: One hour wrestling shows are the best.

All three matches felt very different from one another, and all three matches did exactly what they were supposed to do.

I didn’t expect King and Lee to win the Tag Team titles, but the element of surprise was really nice to see. The few exchanges that Dickinson and Lee had were fantastic and I hope they face off in a singles match sooner rather than later.

In recent weeks 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: Go Out Of Your Way

ROH TV results: Women’s title tournament semifinals

Posted on by Skylar Russell

Location: Baltimore, Maryland 

– Quinn McKay returned to the broadcast center and welcomed us to the show. McKay announced that the two semifinal matchups in the ROH Women’s Championship tournament would take place on tonight’s episode, as well as an eight-man tag match between Shane Taylor Promotions and La Faccion Ingobernable.

ROH Women’s title tournament semifinal match: Miranda Alize defeated Trish Adora (12:16)

Chelsea Green joined commentary for this bout. 

Trish Adora’s overwhelming size advantage had Alize reeling on the outside very early on. Adora attempted a Cattle Mutilation, but Alize locked her fingers, not allowing the submission to be completed. Alize got ahead of herself quickly, which led to a few mistimed moves into a commercial break. 

Alize focused on her striking abilities to try and wear down Adora, but Adora was able to match anything Alize had for her. Both women made their way to ringside and started an intense brawl heading into another commercial break. 

As we returned from break, Adora was nailing Alize with some very stiff strikes. Adora still had a massive size advantage, allowing her to just pull Alize out of thin air into a rear naked choke. Alize was close to submitting, but she eventually escaped the hold. 

Alize gained some momentum with a few strong running kicks. That eventually opened the door for her Drive By knee strike, followed by her Miranda Rights crossface hold. Adora hesitated to tap for about 20 seconds before she eventually submitted. 

Alize is headed to the finals of the ROH Women’s Championship tournament this Sunday, September 12 at Death Before Dishonor.

**********

ROH Women’s title tournament semifinal match: Rok-C defeated Angelina Love (6:44)

Rok-C tried to shake Angelina Love’s hand before the match, but Love refused.

Rok-C didn’t hesitate to go after the injured shoulder of Love, to which Love had a major issue with. Love didn’t taunt much and just focused on multiple body parts of Rok-C heading into a commercial break.

Love attempted her signature pump kick as we returned from the break, but Rok-C ducked. Love would try to follow up with a flurry of moves, but Rok-C had a counter for almost everything.

The final moments of the match saw Love and Rok-C exchange a few pinning combinations before Rok-C locked in an armbar, making Love submit quickly.

Rok-C will face Alize in the tournament finals.

**********

La Faccion Ingobernable (Rush, Dragon Lee, Kenny King & Bestia del Ring) defeated Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor, Moses, Kaun & O’Shay Edwards) (7:28)

STP met LFI at the ramp and began brawling. Commentary called for a quick commercial break as order was restored.

Back from the break, Moses and Kenny King were the legal men. Chaos ensued almost immediately and the match broke down, but Dragon Lee and O’Shay Edwards were legal after order was restored.

Every time that LFI tried to pull one of their underhand tactics, STP had a rebuttal and showed that they weren’t going to fall for the tricks of the villainous stable.

The match was building up to an eventual clash between Shane Taylor and Rush. Taylor clocked Rush with a few strikes, but Rush returned them easily and got the upper hand. These two have great chemistry and should wrestle more matches against each other.

The finish saw Taylor in the ring with former friend Kenny King. When the referees were distracted with Bestia del Ring, King low blowed Taylor and pinned him for a three count.

**********

Final Thoughts —

Headed into this weekend’s Death Before Dishonor PPV, ROH put on an average episode of television. Although I enjoyed Alize vs. Adora, the other two matches were rather short and never really developed a rhythm or a consistent pace.

In recent weeks I’ve introduced a scale in order to let you know if the current week of ROH TV is worth your while. The scale is as follows:

  • 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:  Watch YouTube Clips

ROH TV results: Rey Horus vs. Demonic Flamita no DQ match

Posted on by Skylar Russell

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Ian Riccaboni was our host yet again as usual host Quinn McKay has a match tonight. Riccaboni recapped last week’s episode of TV and ran down the card for tonight’s show. Rok-C vs. McKay and Miranda Alize vs. Nicole Savoy will take place as the ROH Women’s World Championship tournament continues, while the main event will see Rey Horus face Demonic Flamita in a no DQ match.

**********

ROH Women’s title tournament quarterfinal match: Rok-C defeated Quinn McKay (10:14)

McKay wrestled Rok-C to the mat early and focused on her head, transitioning back and forth between a headscissors and a headlock.

As the match went on, McKay started showboating the same way Rok-C does. Rok-C showed signs of struggling with McKay’s constant offense, but the two were still at a stalemate into the commercial break.

As the match returned from the break, McKay hurt her knee on a drop down. Rok-C tried to let McKay get back to her feet, but shortly after that she began targeting the knee.

Later on in the match, Rok-C tried a double knee strike in the corner. McKay moved at the last second, sending Rok-C knee-first into the turnbuckle. This wouldn’t affect Rok-C as much as McKay’s injury would in the closing stages of the match.

McKay tried to lift up Rok-C in a fireman’s carry, but her knee buckled. Rok-C took advantage of the situation and hit her signature move, a Code Red, for the win.

**********

ROH Women’s title tournament quarterfinal match: Miranda Alize defeated Nicole Savoy (13:04)

Savoy and Alize exchanged holds on the mat in the early stages of the bout, but nothing came from it. They followed it up with exchanging a few pinning combinations — but yet again, they came to a stalemate.

After a short commercial break, the two women resorted to a striking exchange. Savoy would strike harder, allowing her to start a chain of suplexes.

After a few near falls, Savoy began showing severe frustration. This allowed Alize to pick her spot and hit a draping DDT, followed by her Drive By knee strike for the win.

**********

Demonic Flamita defeated Rey Horus in a no DQ match (12:08)

Both guys wasted no time in getting straight to the action, nailing each other with chops. Flamita slid to the outside and grabbed a chair, but Horus dropkicked him through the ropes. When Horus went to dive onto Flamita, he was met with a chair straight to the face.

Flamita kept full control of the match after whipping Horus head-first into a chair positioned on the turnbuckle. Flamita rolled Horus to the outside and tried to beat him down more, but Horus was able to spike Flamita with a rotating DDT on the floor. As Flamita recovered, a commercial break ensued.

When the action returned, Horus and Flamita made it back in the ring. Flamita’s trash talk fired up Horus and gave him the motivation to hit another satellite DDT.

Both wrestlers made their way out to the apron. After a small exchange of strikes and counters, Flamita and Horus headed to the top rope. Flamita got the advantage and hit a Spanish Fly through a table on the outside, but Flamita got the worst of it.

Flamita rolled Horus in the ring and tried to pin him, but Horus kicked out. Flamita followed up with a rotating 450 splash for the win.

**********

Final Thoughts —

This great episode of ROH TV capped off a excellent weekend for the company in general. I enjoyed all three matches, and while I expected Savoy to defeat Alize, it’s nice to see a surprise every now and then. 

I’ve recently introduced a scale in order to let you know if the current week of ROH TV is worth your while. The scale is as follows:

  • 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: Must-Watch TV

ROH TV results: Champions vs. All-Stars

Posted on by Skylar Russell

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Ian Riccaboni joined us from the ROH studio and gave a quick rundown on the progress of the ROH Women’s World Championship tournament. Riccaboni also previewed the upcoming matches on tap for tonight, including the final first-round matchup in the tournament that sees Max The Impaler facing Holidead. Also, the big Champions vs. All-Stars 10-man tag is returning on this episode as well.

**********

ROH Women’s title tournament first-round match: Max The Impaler (w/ Amy Rose) defeated Holidead (9:18)

Holidead showed zero fear going into the first few seconds of the match, standing up to everything Max threw at her. Holidead tried to overpower Max with her own strength, but Max brushed off everything thrown at them as well. Commentary played up the fact that the longer the match went, Holidead would have more of an advantage. Max was in full control heading into a commercial break.

Coming back from the break, Holidead was able to plant Max with a swinging DDT, but it only resulted in a one count. Holidead would continue to try to wear down Max, even hitting a great German suplex. Holidead refused to go for a cover and instead went to the top rope, where she missed a leg drop. Max followed up shortly after with the Wasteland backbreaker for the win.

**********

All-Stars (EC3, Flip Gordon, Josh Woods & The Briscoes) defeated Champions (ROH World Champion Bandido, ROH Pure Champion Jonathan Gresham, ROH Television Champion Dragon Lee, and ROH Tag Team Champions Chris Dickinson & Homicide) (13:29)

Woods and Gresham started the match off. Commentary played up the fact that this could be a potential matchup for the Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view. They exchanged a few arm drags before Dickinson tagged himself in. Woods and Dickinson had a short exchange that didn’t amount to much. Dickinson tagged out to Dragon Lee and Woods tagged out to Mark Briscoe.

Mark handled Lee with ease, tossing him around like it was nobody’s business. Mark would eventually tag out to EC3, who got some small offense on Lee before Gordon tagged himself in. Gordon hit a standing moonsault on Lee while making direct eye contact with EC3.

The match broke down at this point with bodies flying everywhere. After the smoke cleared, EC3 and Gresham became the legal men. EC3 had Gresham in a facelock when Gordon tagged himself in again. The two tried to do a tag team maneuver, but it resulted in EC3 spearing Gordon.

Bandido got his first opportunity in the match after the miscommunication, having a small exchange with Gordon that included a great twisting moonsault. The match broke down yet again. And after the chaos ended, Homicide and Gordon were the legal men. Homicide caught a running Gordon with a overhead belly-to-belly suplex that only got a two count.

Gordon hit a Flip-5 shortly after, but he only got a near fall yet again. Gordon got frustrated and looked like he was on the verge of tears, which prompted him to piledrive Homicide. While making the successful pin, Gordon never lost eye contact with EC3.

**********

Final Thoughts —

As we approach Glory By Honor, I thought this was a mediocre go-home episode for the two back-to-back HonorClub specials. While I enjoyed the women’s bout, the 10-man tag seemed to just exist for the purpose of continuing a Flip Gordon-EC3 feud that I’ve not been a fan of thus far.

I appreciate the fact that seeds were planted for other future matches, but other than that, I didn’t really care for the Champions vs. All-Stars match.

In recent weeks I’ve introduced a scale in order to let you know if the current week of ROH TV is worth your while. The scale is as follows:

  • 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: Watch YouTube Clips

ROH TV results: Bandido & Rey Horus vs. Violence Unlimited

Posted on by Skylar Russell

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

**********

Ian Riccaboni welcomed us to the broadcast. Riccaboni is filling in for Quinn McKay, who has a first-round Women’s World Championship tournament match against Mandy Leon scheduled for this episode.

Riccaboni recapped the matches that have taken place in the tournament so far, including a great Allysin Kay vs. Willow bout from the previous installment of Women’s Division Wednesday.

Other matches scheduled for this episode of ROH TV include Trish Adora vs. Marti Belle and ROH World Champion Bandido teaming up with Rey Horus to take on Violence Unlimited’s Brody King & Chris Dickinson.

**********

ROH Women’s title tournament first-round match: Quinn McKay defeated Mandy Leon (7:12)

As Leon was taking off her entrance gear, McKay launched herself and speared Leon with ease. Commentary played up on the fact that Leon did the same thing in their last bout.

Leon and McKay fought on the outside for a short amount of time, which allowed McKay to suplex Leon on the ringside floor.

Both women eventually made their way back into the ring, which allowed the momentum to shift in Leon’s favor. Leon did her combination shtick of beating down McKay and slowly talking trash before capitalizing on her dominance with a running facebuster.

Leon was running at McKay from the corner when McKay caught her with a big powerslam for a near fall. McKay tried to lock in a sleeper hold after, but Leon would eventually lift herself up and plant McKay with a backpack stunner.

Leon looked like she was setting up a pumphandle driver when McKay sprung her way out with Leon’s hand intact. McKay twisted up Leon in a roll-up pin that commentary called a “Bowtie,” which resulted in McKay getting the three count. 

**********

ROH Women’s title tournament first-round match: Trish Adora defeated Marti Belle (7:19)

Chelsea Green joined commentary for this bout.

Adora and Belle started off with a traditional lock-up. Both women took turns trying to outsmart one another, but things got physical and dirty fast.

Belle threw some really good strikes and took control of the match for a short amount of time. Belle’s strike-based offense had Adora reeling from a constant stream of punishment. But the second Belle took her eyes off the prize, she paid the price for it.

Adora was able to regain her composure and begin beating down on Belle. She wasted no time in locking in a Cattle Mutilation submission that made Belle give up almost instantly. 

**********

ROH World Champion Bandido & Rey Horus defeated Violence Unlimited (Brody King & Chris Dickinson) (10:49)

Silas Young joined commentary for this bout. He’ll face Rey Horus at Glory By Honor night one on Friday, August 20.

King and Dickinson double teamed Horus to start off until Dickinson became the legal man. Dickinson kept Horus on the mat and tried to severely limit the lucha libre style of Horus. Dickinson and King worked down Horus into a commercial break and kept him cut off from Bandido.

Coming back from the break, Dickinson and King continued to double team Horus. Horus eventually had an opening and spiked King with a tornado DDT, allowing him to tag out to Bandido.

Bandido had a great exchange with King, including a great tope over the top rope onto both King and Dickinson. But once Horus was taken out of the equation again, Violence Unlimited resorted back to beating down Bandido two-on-one.

Dickinson and Bandido had a fun back and forth which saw Bandido attempt a 23 Plex, only to be denied by Dickinson the first time. Bandido would try it again — this time with a Horus assist — and successfully execute it to pin Dickinson.

Rush, Dragon Lee, Bestia Del Ring, and Kenny King rushed the ring afterwards, beating down both the winning and losing teams. Rush ripped the mask off Bandido while the rest of La Faccion Ingobernable brawled with various members of Violence Unlimited and Horus to end the show. 

**********

Final Thoughts —

I genuinely enjoyed everything that this week’s episode of ROH TV threw at me. Quinn McKay vs. Mandy Leon was a fun way to again showcase the brilliant selling skills of McKay and give her a good mid-way payoff to a story that surely isn’t over yet.

Trish Adora vs. Marti Belle was great. I hope Adora goes far in the tournament. 

The main event tag match between Bandido & Rey Horus and Violence Unlimited was fun as well. Not much in terms of story advancement — just an overall fun match.

In recent weeks I’ve introduced a scale in order to let you know if the current week of ROH TV is worth your while. The scale is as follows:

  • 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

ROH TV results: Women’s title tournament begins

Posted on by Skylar Russell

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

**********

The Big Takeaway —

The ROH Women’s World Championship tournament kicked off with three competitive and diverse matches.

**********

Quinn McKay welcomed us to the broadcast and seemed more ecstatic than usual, which was due to the fact that this week’s episode of TV marks the start of the Women’s World Championship tournament. 

McKay then previewed the three first round matches that we’ll see tonight. They are: Miranda Alize vs. Alex Gracia, Mazzerati vs. Nicole Savoy, and Sumie Sakai vs. Rok-C.

**********

Miranda Alize defeated Alex Gracia (8:43)

Chelsea Green joined commentary for this bout.

Alize and Gracia exchanged a few different holds and attempts at moves but eventually came to a stalemate. The lucha-based styles of both women led to a few fun air-based maneuvers, but the two couldn’t seem to connect chemistry wise. 

After a short commercial break, Alize and Gracia exchanged some stiff strikes and even a few headbutts. Gracia laid in a few really good chops in this match. Alize started growing frustrated with Gracia’s constant comebacks and eventually hit her signature Drive By knee strike for the win. 

**********

Nicole Savoy defeated Mazzerati (8:45)

Mazzerati tried to talk big, but Savoy straight up outwrestled her in the first portion of the match. Savoy used her usual wrestling tactics that are submission based, leading to commentary comparing her to Jonathan Gresham.

These two seemed to have much better chemistry than Alize/Gracia. Savoy would attempt her signature half nelson suplex multiple times, but Mazzerati had a counter for it every time.

That didn’t stop the “Queen Of Suplexes” from hitting some, well, suplexes. Savoy hit a beautiful butterfly suplex, which led Mazzerati to counter with a Northern Lights suplex.

Mazzerati got some more great offense in during the home stretch, nailing Savoy with a stiff superkick. Savoy was able to recover and duck a few kicks from Mazzerati before eventually trapping her in a half-nelson suplex for the win.

**********

Rok-C defeated Sumie Sakai (9:36)

Sakai overwhelmed Rok-C with a flurry of offense early on, but Rok-C regained her confidence rather quickly and was able to reverse the momentum back in her favor.

Rok-C’s offense is so smooth and rhythmic that it reminds me of Sasha Banks. Her offensive style is very similar to Banks as well. She continued her momentum and nailed Sakai with a pair of double knees in the corner into a commercial break.

When the broadcast returned, Sakai was in full control. She targeted the lower back of the self proclaimed “Prodigy” and even showboated a little bit. Sakai went to the top rope to try and capitalize on her momentum, but Rok-C nailed her with two kicks to the head. Rok-C would follow it up with a top rope flip into a close near fall on Sakai.

Lots of near falls ensued in the following minutes, including a couple of phenomenal roll-up near falls. Rok-C would eventually get the better of Sakai and successfully complete a roll-up for a three count.

**********

Final Thoughts —

I thought this was a fun and exciting three-match lineup to kick off the ROH Women’s World Championship tournament. Rok-C and Sumie Sakai delivered a home run, while the other two bouts delivered an RBI. I’m very happy that ROH is focusing on younger stars like Rok-C and giving them big and meaningful wins over veterans like Sakai.

In recent weeks I’ve introduced a scale in order to let you know if the current week of ROH TV is worth your while. The scale is as follows:

  • 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: Go Out Of Your Way

ROH TV results: Dalton Castle vs. Eli Isom vs. Dak Draper

Posted on by Skylar Russell

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

**********

Quinn McKay joined us from the ROH studio to start the show. McKay revealed that beginning next week on ROH TV, the Women’s World Championship tournament will officially begin. Miranda Alize vs. Alex Gracia, Nicole Savoy vs. Mazzerati, and Sumie Sakai vs. Rok-C are all scheduled for the episode.

McKay then ran down the card for tonight’s show. After falling in defeat to Shane Taylor Promotions at the Best in the World PPV, Dalton Castle, Eli Isom and Dak Draper will face each other in a triple threat bout. PCO vs. Sledge and Flip Gordon vs. The World Famous CB are our other matches.

**********

Flip Gordon defeated The World Famous CB (8:46)

Gordon and CB started off the bout by exchanging various wristlocks and holds. CB got an early advantage and was able to start working Gordon down into the commercial break.

Coming back from the break, CB had full control of the wrist of Gordon. Gordon eventually got frustrated with the style CB was working, which led to him showing a more aggressive side. Gordon took the match to the outside and hit an impressive axe handle from the top of a barricade before rolling CB back in the ring.

Gordon took a breather for a moment before charging at CB, who dodged out of harm’s way and sent Gordon shoulder-first into the turnbuckle. CB wasted no time and capitalized on Gordon’s arm injury by performing a running bulldog to the arm.

CB’s success wouldn’t last long, though. Gordon popped up rather quickly and caught CB on the top rope with a superkick. Gordon followed it up with his version of the STF for the win.

**********

PCO vs. Sledge ended in a no contest (9:43)

Danhausen joined commentary for this match.

PCO and Sledge wasted no time getting right into the match, with both men exchanging stiff strikes early. Sledge held his own well with the former ROH World Champion, and the two ended up having a very physical bout.

It was pretty even throughout until PCO dove onto Sledge on the outside. PCO followed that up with a brutal-looking senton onto Sledge, who was laying on the apron. PCO looked to be in full control before he “malfunctioned,” to which Sledge took advantage of by kicking him in the head.

Referee Joe Mandak went to check on PCO, but he was greeted with a shove. Sledge also shoved Mandak, therefore prompting him to throw the match out.

**********

Triple threat match: Dak Draper defeated Eli Isom and Dalton Castle (6:21)

This bout got out of hand rather quickly and spilled to the outside within the first few seconds. Most of the action was between Isom and Draper, with Castle attempting to pick the leftovers. Draper got so frustrated with Castle at one point that he just heaved him over the barricade at full speed.

Isom and Draper have fantastic chemistry and they had a great exchange while Castle was recovering at ringside, including an incredible second rope moonsault from Isom to the outside onto Draper.

While Isom was celebrating, Castle re-emerged and launched a chair into Isom’s face. Castle then encouraged Draper to get in the ring and take advantage of Isom, which he did. Draper hit the Magnum KO for the win shortly after.

**********

Final Thoughts —

Eli Isom is quickly becoming one of my favorite wrestlers in the company. Isom’s past ventures in ROH have been very underwhelming, but since making his return this year he’s been great. Dak Draper is quite enjoyable as well. Otherwise, this was a bit of a throwaway show with nothing of great importance happening.

In recent weeks 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 follows:

  • Must-Watch TV
  • Go Out Of Your Way
  • Recommend Viewing
  • Watch YouTube Clips
  • Avoid At All Costs

This week’s episode of ROH TV is: Watch YouTube Clips (specifically of Eli Isom)

ROH TV results: The Foundation vs. Shane Taylor Promotions

Posted on by Skylar Russell

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

**********

The Big Takeaway —

The fallout from Best in the World continued with three eventful and very different bouts.

**********

The show started with The Foundation in the locker room consulting Jonathan Gresham about a knee injury. Gresham revealed that he tweaked his knee while sparring with Joe Keys, to which Tracy Williams took concern with. Williams offered Keys a spot in the eight-man tag main event to allow Gresham some rest.

Not Quinn McKay, not Ian Riccaboni, but Brian Johnson joined us from the ROH studio. Johnson did his usual insult shtick and ran down the card.

**********

Rey Horus defeated Fred Yehi (7:02)

Yehi’s swagger was unmatched to start off, casually brushing off any offense that Horus had to offer. Yehi would keep Horus grounded to the mat and applied a Koji Clutch about three minutes in, but Horus escaped quickly. A commercial break ensued shortly after.

When the match resumed, Horus cleared the top rope to dive onto a staggering Yehi on the outside. Horus took control for the moment and capitalized with a rotating frog splash for a close near fall.

Yehi took back control after trying to snap Horus’ neck. He locked in the Koji Clutch, but Horus broke the hold with a rope break. Yehi continued to hammer away at Horus with his brutal offensive style, eventually going to the second rope.

Yehi perched and positioned for a move, but Horus ran at him full speed and jumped up to Yehi’s level. Horus then took Yehi back down to the mat with a bodyscissor driver, pinning him to get the win.

**********

Mandy Leon (w/ Angelina Love) defeated Quinn McKay (8:49)

If McKay wins, she gets the final spot in ROH’s Women’s World Championship tournament.

Right as the Code of Honor was adhered to, Leon clocked McKay with a cheap shot forearm. Leon grabbed a microphone and told McKay that she didn’t belong in The Allure’s ring.

McKay would muster up some offense, but Leon shut it down rather quickly. They also had a nice mat wrestling exchange that resulted in Leon on top.

After a short commercial break, Leon remained in full control. McKay was a sitting duck at ringside when Leon did an awesome running dropkick from the apron.

Leon’s trash talk would finally catch up to her when McKay delivered a great float-over neckbreaker. McKay got some more offense in and eventually locked in a sleeper hold.

Once McKay had the hold applied firmly, Angelina Love jumped up on the apron and distracted referee Joe Mandak. Leon tapped multiple times while Mandak was distracted. Once McKay realized what was happening, she screamed at Mandak, which allowed Love to slip brass knuckles to Leon.

McKay showed some more fight and lifted up Leon for a powerbomb, but Leon nailed her in the cranium with the brass knuckles and followed up with a pin for the win.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett, who was on commentary for the match, said Mandak may only be able to call what he sees — but she’s on the ROH Board of Directors and can do what’s necessary.

**********

Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor, Moses, Kaun & O’Shay Edwards) defeated The Foundation (Jay Lethal, Tracy Williams, Rhett Titus) & Joe Keys (16:54)

Edwards and Keys started off the match. Edwards attempted multiple power moves on Keys, but he seemed to reverse them easily — much to the applause of The Foundation. Taylor asked for an opportunity at Keys and took advantage of it by clocking him with a clothesline.

After a short commercial break, Lethal tagged himself in. Lethal and Taylor had a short encounter that saw Lethal tag out once he barely dodged the freight train of a knee strike that Taylor threw.

Moses and Williams got their turn afterwards and had a great striking battle. Williams draped Moses’ arm over the ropes and cinched in an armbar for a moment before referee Todd Sinclair broke it up.

At this stage in the match, frequent tags began. Kaun and Lethal had a small interaction that led to a Taylor and Lethal square-off. It resulted in Lethal being knocked out of the ring by a forearm. 

Titus and Moses got great hot tags, allowing Titus to hit a few of his signature moves, including an inverted Sky-Splitter. Edwards tried to get involved to help out his teammate, but he ate a great belly-to-belly suplex from Titus instead.

Titus’ hot streak would result in another really cool moment that saw him dropkick Moses right into a half-and-half suplex from Keys. This almost resulted in Moses getting pinned, but Edwards broke it up at the last second.

The final minutes of the match saw Keys get a lot of shine. He was able to fend off three members of Shane Taylor Promotions by himself while The Foundation recovered at ringside. Keys did his best but ultimately fell short in the end, succumbing to Taylor’s strikes. 

The final sequence saw the ring get cleared of all members of the match except for Edwards and Keys. Keys hit a few moves before eventually being crumbled by a Edwards’ powerbomb, allowing Edwards to score the win via pinfall.

*********

Final Thoughts —

It’s quite nice to see Shane Taylor Promotions back on my television screen. Considering their last appearance on ROH TV was around two months ago, I genuinely appreciate when they get the screen time they deserve. They had a great bout with The Foundation & Joe Keys that really allowed each individual their own shine.

Rey Horus and Fred Yehi had a good match. Yehi’s swagger really jumps off the screen, and I’m loving his work in multiple companies. Horus seems to be in line for a title match soon.

I liked the story that Quinn McKay vs. Mandy Leon told, but that was the wrong result. ROH really played into the fact of McKay getting one more shot at her dream, but still had her lose this match. Leon didn’t really need this win and I felt like the result takes away a lot of steam from the feud. 

In recent weeks I’ve introduced a scale in order to let you know if the current week of ROH TV is worth your while. The scale is as follows:

  • Must-Watch TV
  • Go Out Of Your Way
  • Recommend Viewing
  • Watch YouTube Clips
  • Avoid At All Costs

This week’s episode of ROH TV is: Go Out Of Your Way

ROH TV results: Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Briscoe Fight on the Farm

Posted on by Skylar Russell

Location: Baltimore, Maryland and Sandy Fork, Delaware

The Big Takeaway —

Jonathan Gresham continued his domination of the Pure division by retaining his title against Fred Yehi. In the main event, the Briscoe brothers fought out their differences on their family farm.

**********

Quinn McKay welcomed us to the broadcast and ran down the card. Tonight’s episode features Jonathan Gresham defending his ROH Pure Championship against Fred Yehi. Also, The Briscoe brothers will face off in the “Fight on the Farm.”

McKay recapped last week’s episode and officially announced that Bandido will challenge for Rush’s ROH World Championship at Sunday’s Best in the World pay-per-view.

McKay also announced that Mike Bennett will challenge for the Pure Championship at the PPV. But Jonathan Gresham and Fred Yehi will first have to battle it out for the title on tonight’s episode. 

**********

ROH Pure Champion Jonathan Gresham defeated Fred Yehi to retain his title (12:16)

Mike Bennett was on commentary for this match.

Yehi seemed to overwhelm Gresham in the beginning with his aggressiveness. Both men had an arm drag contest that spilled to the outside and continued on the arena floor, but it led to a stalemate. This led into a commercial break.

Back from the break and Yehi continued to frustrate Gresham with his aggressiveness. The match got really grimy at this point, with Yehi rubbing his wristband in Gresham’s face. The bout also picked up some speed, with multiple moves being countered and both guys duking it out at high speed. 

Yehi’s frustration began to get the best of him, allowing Gresham to capitalize on his mistakes. Yehi missed a few key stomps, which allowed Gresham to pick his ankle and roll him into a schoolboy pin for a three count.

Gresham held the Pure title in Yehi’s face after the match, teasing a bit of a more heel-like side. 

Gresham’s post-match interview featured him telling Yehi to go back to wrestling school, and telling Mike Bennett that he doesn’t have a lick of respect for him.

**********

Fight on the Farm: Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Briscoe

Both brothers started out in a ring that stands in a warehouse on their farm. Papa Briscoe seemed to be the referee for this fight.

Mark went for a dive onto Jay on the outside but was clocked with a frying pan instead. Jay then swung a shovel at Mark, but Mark moved out of the way. Papa informed them to get back in the ring, to which they did.

Mark went to the top rope and was looking for a frog splash, but Jay shoved him off the top and he went crashing into a table. 

The fight took itself out of the warehouse at this point, with both guys kicking and punching each other while walking. Jay smacked Mark with a giant metal water bowl and then set up a plank of wood on the bed of his truck. Jay was looking to put Mark through this, but Mark low blowed Jay and put him through it instead. 

The brothers then climbed to the top of a RV. They traded a few forearms before Jay threw Mark off the RV onto a tarped structure. Jay climbed down and tossed Mark in the bed of his truck and commanded that the cameraman ride with him.

Jay had some pop music playing in the truck, which only added to the humor. Jay drove to the other side of the farm where he said he was going to compost his brother.

Mark attacked Jay the second he got out of the truck, then clocked him with a real estate sign. Mark then set Jay on a table beneath a roofed structure before climbing the structure and hitting a splash onto his brother through the table.

Papa Briscoe helped both brothers up and walked them back to the ring. Both Briscoes eventually made it back to their feet and started slugging it out, all while Papa repeatedly screamed “You good yet?” multiple times. This was really stiff and hard hitting.

Eventually, Mark clotheslined Jay and it sent both brothers crashing to the mat. Papa Briscoe asked them one more time if they were “good yet,” to which both brothers replied yes. 

***********

Final Thoughts —

This was a very fun episode of ROH TV leading into the Best in the World PPV, which is taking place this Sunday.

Jonathan Gresham and Fred Yehi had a fun match that I think the company will revisit in the future. While being a good match, I think they definitely left some stuff out for a potential bigger rematch down the line. I hope Yehi is a mainstay in the Pure division — he’s really entertaining.

The Fight on the Farm was just a load of fun. I know that cinematic matches are quite controversial in the wrestling world, but I personally enjoy the hell out of them. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Matt Taven/Vincent cinematic match back at the 19th Anniversary PPV, this was really fun and had some great spots involved. Adding Papa Briscoe to the equation only made for a more enjoyable time. 

In recent weeks 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 follows:

  • 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: Go Out Of Your Way

ROH TV results: Deppen vs. Williams vs. Lee TV title match

Posted on by Skylar Russell

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

The Big Takeaway —

The Survival of the Fittest tournament continued with Bandido advancing to the six-way elimination match finals, while Tony Deppen made his first defense of the Television title.

**********

Quinn McKay joined us in the studio. McKay recapped the Survival of the Fittest tournament to date and promoted the Bandido vs. Bateman match that’s taking place on this episode.

McKay also announced that Tony Deppen will defend his ROH Television Championship against Dragon Lee and Tracy Williams in a triple threat match in this week’s main event. McKay made sure it was recognized that Lee never lost the TV title, but rather that his fellow La Faccion Ingobernable stablemate Kenny King lost it for him at the 19th Anniversary PPV.

**********

Survival of the Fittest first-round match: Bandido defeated Bateman (13:23)

Bateman had a really good promo beforehand about the sacrifices he’s made to get to where he’s at today.

Bateman is a really smart wrestler, and this match proved that. Bandido tried to accelerate the match to his pace in the early stages, but Bateman always seemed to have him scouted.

At around the three-minute mark, Bateman cleaned Bandido’s clock with a forearm that genuinely seemed to catch him off guard. Bateman hits so hard and so stiff and is a top tier striker in North America in my opinion.

The story here was that Bandido kept trying to turn the jets on, but Bateman would stop him almost every time. But Bandido eventually found a way to start his own engine and get the big moves in — including a phenomenal top rope twisting dive. Bandido even picked up Bateman and hit a great Michinoku Driver at one point.

The finish saw Bateman leaning over the middle rope and trying to catch his breath when Bandido sprung off his back and hit a catapult German suplex for the win.

After the match, Vincent appeared at ringside with Dutch and Vita VonStarr. Vincent said that his journey of self-clarity made him realize his one goal is the ROH World Championship. Vincent shamed Bateman for failing him, and then Bateman offered himself for sacrifice. VonStarr and Dutch attacked Bateman, who was willing to take the beatdown.

**********

Triple threat match: Tony Deppen defeated Tracy Williams and Dragon Lee to retain the ROH Television Championship (11:27)

This was a really, really fun match. Dragon Lee tried to stay out of the action early and let Williams and Deppen wear themselves down, but both guys recognized Lee’s gameplan.

All three guys have different styles, but they all have one thing in common: they all hit really hard. Williams and Lee had a great 20-second exchange of straight forearms in the middle portion of the match.

Deppen has really good intensity attached to his style of wrestling and it makes it to where his matches don’t have a dull moment. There was a really good spot in the latter half of the match where Lee started a German suplex chain that saw all three men hit a few suplexes.

The final sequence saw Lee hit a low blow on Williams, but Deppen stole the pinfall to retain the TV title. Lee had a chance to break it up but chose not to.

After the match, The Foundation, Violence Unlimited, and La Faccion Ingobernable all made their way out. Kenny King claimed that the strategy for Dragon Lee was simply to not be pinned, allowing him to slide into the number one contenders spot. King challenged Deppen to defend the TV title against Lee at next month’s Best in the World pay-per-view.

**********

Final Thoughts —

Two great matches made for a very easy to digest episode of ROH TV. Bateman is extremely underrated in the ring in my opinion. He had a great showing here. Bandido was the right man to win. I’m iffy about the post-match antics, but I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt for now.

Deppen vs. Williams vs. Lee was really fun. I can’t put into words just how great Dragon Lee is, and the fact that he’s only 26 years old makes it almost unbelievable. I really didn’t like the finish of this match at first, but after letting it simmer for a minute I can understand the want of having Deppen vs. Lee in front of a crowd at Best in the World.

In closing, this week’s episode of ROH TV is: Recommended Viewing.

ROH TV results: The Foundation vs. LFI Tag Team title match

Posted on by Skylar Russell

The Big Takeaway —

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.

ROH TV results: Flamita vs. Rey Horus, Josh Woods vs. Silas Young

Posted on by Skylar Russell

Location: Baltimore, Maryland 

Quick note: Best wishes go out to Tracy Williams after his accident last week. Here’s to a speedy recovery for Hot Sauce.

The Big Takeaway —

As the build toward the return of fans at the Best in the World PPV continued, ROH delivered two fantastic matches that furthered two heated rivalries.

**********

The episode opened with a video package recapping some of the best moments in Survival of the Fittest history. Quinn McKay then welcomed us to the show and ran down the tournament as a whole. Survival of the Fittest features 12 wrestlers competing in a round of singles matches. The six winners to emerge from these matches will go on to a six-man elimination bout with a future shot at the ROH World Championship on the line. 

ROH is really making this tournament feel like a big deal. Although some of the competitors are questionable choices, I’m extremely excited. 

**********

Survival of the Fittest first round match: Demonic Flamita defeated Rey Horus (11:02)

With the name change, Flamita also had a new titantron and new gear. He also had dark eyeliner on.

Flamita seemed to be cordial with Horus early on despite their recent tension, but that ended quickly. Horus matched Flamita’s intensity early on, and he hit a beautiful tornado bodyscissors. Flamita responded with a spear to the arena floor. 

Flamita kept Horus grounded on the outside for as long as possible until Horus was able to slide back in the ring and hit a wonderful looking dive over the ropes. Flamita stayed outside the ring until a 15 count where he stuck half of his body in the ring to break the count. Horus followed Flamita to the outside and hit a brutal looking Spanish fly on the floor. This led into a commercial break.

Returning from the break, Horus tried to hit a Canadian Destroyer, but it rolled through into a pin attempt. Flamita was able to remain in control after this, hitting a stunning slingshot DDT. Flamita kept in control until Horus made an attempt to get back in a groove, but it didn’t pan out. Flamita ended up hitting a great musclebuster/gutbuster combo for the win.

**********

A video package promoting Sledge vs. Brian Johnson for the Survival of the Fittest tournament aired. It was also announced that some SOTF matches will take place on ROH’s YouTube show Week By Week. Personally, I’m not a fan of some of these matches airing on YouTube instead of TV.

**********

Pure Rules match: Josh Woods defeated Silas Young (21:29)

They began trading various submissions and holds back and forth to start off, but neither man really gained any advantage. Around six minutes in, Young struck Woods with a closed fist. Referee Joe Mandak didn’t see it, therefore Young wasn’t caught. 

A few moments later, Young used another closed fist while the referee was bending down. Out of anger, Woods struck Young with a closed fist that sent Young tumbling outside the ring. Woods was issued a warning. Woods then took the fight back to the mat, cinching in multiple holds targeting the feet and arms. This led into a commercial break.

Returning from the break, Young had Woods backed into the corner, delivering constant chops and forearms. Young positioned Woods on the top rope for a superplex, but Woods was able to turn it into a swinging neckbreaker. Woods tried to capitalize quickly by applying a rear naked choke, but Young turned it into a pin for a two count. 

In the final sequences of the match, Young used both of his remaining rope breaks. Woods would eventually hit a running swinging neckbreaker into the turnbuckle, but Young responded by attempting his Plunge. Nobody was home, allowing Woods to lock in his signature Beast Lock. After some hesitation, Young tapped. 

Next Week —

  • ROH Tag Team Champions Tracy Williams & Rhett Titus defend against Dragon Lee & Kenny King
  • Survival of the Fittest first round match: Eli Isom vs. Dak Draper

**********

Final Thoughts —

We were treated with another great episode of ROH TV this week. Flamita vs. Rey Horus was great. I preferred Flamita’s match against Bandido personally, but this match was still good. Flamita’s new presentation is quite demonic, no pun intended. I like it so far — we’ll see where it goes. Horus also had really cool angel-themed gear. I would have been fine with either guy winning, but it does seem like the company is bigger on Flamita right now.

Josh Woods vs. Silas Young was a fantastic Pure Rules match. It was the longest match on ROH TV since the Pure Rules gauntlet match back in March. It’s also the longest singles match on ROH TV since November 2018. Woods going over was the right decision, and I’m hoping they’re building toward Woods facing ROH Pure Champion Jonathan Gresham at next month’s Best in the World PPV.

I’m gonna try out a ranking system for these shows,. It will consist of five options:

  • Must-Watch Television 
  • Go Out Of Your Way
  • Recommended Viewing
  • Watch YouTube Clips
  • Avoid At All Costs

This week’s episode is: Recommended Viewing.

ROH TV results: The Foundation vs. OGK Tag Team title match

Posted on by Skylar Russell

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

The Big Takeaway —

Fred Yehi defeated Rocky Romero in a great match, while The Foundation made their first ROH Tag Team title defense against The OGK.

**********

Quinn McKay made her return as host and checked in from the ROH studio. McKay gave thanks to all the fans who guided her to her first ROH match. McKay said while it was her first, it certainly won’t be her last. 

McKay previewed the main event of tonight’s episode, pitting The Foundation’s Tracy Williams & Rhett Titus against The OGK in an ROH World Tag Team Championship match. McKay revealed that Vincent is still on voluntary hiatus, so Matt Taven & Mike Bennett should have a clear path to regain the gold they once held.

McKay also previewed the opening contest, where we will see the “Savageweight” Fred Yehi take on Rocky Romero in a Pure Rules match.

**********.

Right before the opening match started, the camera cut backstage and showed Matt Taven laying on the ground in pain. Mike Bennett came to Taven’s aid and helped him to the trainer’s room.

***********

Fred Yehi submitted Rocky Romero in a Pure Rules match (14:44)

The Code of Honor was adhered to.

Yehi and Romero went to the mat quickly, which resulted in Yehi applying a deathlock. Romero swept the leg and got out of the hold rather easily. Both guys attempted to apply a couple of different holds, but they all resulted in a stalemate. 

Romero had a great headlock applied through a commercial break until Yehi used a rope break to escape the hold. Yehi took advantage of the opening he was afforded and powerslammed Romero. 

Romero kept trying to hit big moves, but Yehi had him scouted very well. Yehi applied a wristlock at one point and hit a chokeslam with the wristlock still applied. Romero eventually was able to recover and attempted his Forever Clothesline, but Yehi again had it scouted. This took us into a commercial break.

Back from the break, Romero was able to lock in his signature armbar, but Yehi used his second rope break to escape. Romero went to the top turnbuckle and was positioned, but Yehi yanked him off. Yehi followed it up with a brutal looking T-Bone suplex. Yehi applied the Koji Clutch, but Romero used his first rope break.

As we approached the 15-minute time limit, Romero and Yehi made it back to their feet. Romero tried to deliver a knee to the face, but it was blocked swiftly. Yehi clocked Romero with a forearm that sent him crumbling to the canvas, then applied the Koji Clutch again. Romero hesitated but then eventually submitted. 

**********

Flip Gordon speaks

Flip Gordon came to the ring. Gordon said he was sick of waiting around for ROH World Champion Rush and seeing everybody else fail to beat him. Gordon demanded that Rush come to the ring and give him his World title match right now (despite Rush being suspended from ROH last week).

EC3 came out instead. EC3 said “You’ve been warned” to Gordon and walked off. 

**********

ROH Tag Team Champions The Foundation (Tracy Williams & Rhett Titus) defeated The OGK (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) to retain their titles (16:01)

Williams and Bennett began the match. Both men exchanged wristlocks, followed by a few headlocks. Williams was able to take Bennett to the mat first though, giving The Foundation an edge. Bennett was able to get back to his feet fast, tagging in Taven.

Taven traded strikes with Williams before being Irish whipped into the corner, where he avoided a running Williams by using the ropes to lift himself into the air. Taven was sent back to the canvas ankle-first, and he immediately limped to tag out.

Bennett worked on Titus throughout a commercial break, but Taven eventually tagged back in. Titus and Williams were able to perform a few double team maneuvers on Taven before Williams cinched in a beautiful cloverleaf submission. 

Taven tried to muster up some momentum after clocking Titus with an enzuigiri, but it was stopped after Williams tagged back in and continued to cut the ring in half. Taven was able to deliver his Just The Tip knee strike to Williams eventually, allowing for Bennett to come in for the hot tag.

Titus and Bennett came in and Bennett took control of the match immediately, backing Titus in the corner and delivering about 20 chops. Williams came in to help his partner but was dropped with a hammerlock DDT from Bennett. Bennett kept the heat on and tagged back out to Taven, allowing the duo to hit a great superkick/spear combination. Taven tried to put away Titus with a pin, but it only resulted in a two count. This took us into a commercial break.

Back from the break, Williams tagged in and brutalized Taven with a clothesline. A few moments later, Taven was able to hit a flatliner and turn it into a crossface. Williams lifted himself up and just tossed Taven over his head with ease. A hell of a performance by Tracy Williams here. 

As the match continued, there was a great moment where Bennett had Titus in a vice grip. Williams responded by putting Taven in a Boston crab right in front of Bennett. The two had a slap off before both men spiked their opponents with the same style of piledriver. A little bit of an ego-off. 

Bennett and Williams continued their face-off, trading stiff forearms. Titus eventually was able to tag in and position Taven in the corner for a big boot, which connected swiftly. Titus then dropkicked Taven into Williams’ grasp — and Williams spiked him with a piledriver for the win. 

After the match, Taven and Bennett were discussing his ankle injury when Vincent appeared on the screen. Vincent taunted Taven with Taven’s own catchphrase before vanishing.

**********

Final Thoughts —

What a phenomenal episode of television for ROH. Both matches more than exceeded expectations, especially the Tag Team title match. It’s definitely worth going out of your way to watch. Matt Taven has really improved as an all-around wrestler, especially when it comes to selling. Rhett Titus, who once was an afterthought for ROH, is on the run of his career right now with constant great performances. Tracy Williams might be the best wrestler in the company. Mike Bennett looked great. 

Rocky Romero putting over Fred Yehi was an excellent decision as well. Yehi has true star potential and is a really good wrestler.

I don’t have too much to say about the Gordon/EC3 promo. Gordon is a really awkward promo, and did nobody inform him of Rush’s suspension? EC3 should have just dropped him right then and there.

One complaint I have: I think the Taven/Vincent stuff has gone on too long at this point. The feud should have ended with their match at the 19th Anniversary PPV. I personally want to see Vincent and The Righteous explore new feuds and opponents. Same with Taven.

ROH TV results: Pure rules gauntlet match, Bennett vs. Bruiser

Posted on by Skylar Russell

Quinn McKay kicked things off by revealing this week would feature the first-ever Pure rules gauntlet match, along with Mike Bennett seeking to dish out revenge to the Beer City Bruiser.

Per usual, Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman were on the call. Note this show aired on local Fox affiliates before Friday’s 19th Anniversary pay-per-view.

Beer City Bruiser vs. Mike Bennett ended in a no contest

Bruiser came out to the same music he always does, which they need to change if he’s going to be a heel as it’s a a chantable song. 

Matt Taven joined on commentary. Because this was the go-home for the pay-per-view, his presence made sense.

As Bennett posed on the apron, Bruiser blindsided and sent him to the floor. Bennett recovered quickly and slid back in the ring. The two traded forearms before Bruiser planted Bennett with a DDT that was followed by a commercial break.

Back from the break, Bennett connected with a running forearm to the back of the head. Bruiser practically no-sold it and stood up quickly. He caught an attempted kick and drove his elbow into Bennett’s ankle. I want a Mike Bennett match where someone doesn’t try to lacerate his ankle, please. Bennett tried to stand up, but to no avail. Bruiser contributed to his pain by stomping on his ankle and yanking it backwards.

Bennett fought back valiantly, hitting a side slam before immediately selling the ankle. Bennett started to gain some traction, though, bringing Bruiser down to one knee and following it up with a running knee to the face. 

After some more back and forth, Bruiser planted Bennett with his signature DDT, but Bennett kicked out at two. Bruiser, clearly frustrated, went to the outside and got a beer bottle from under the ring. He shattered it over the ring post and prompted Taven to rush the ring. Referee Todd Sinclair called for the bell, calling the match a no contest. 

Fred Yehi won a Pure rules gauntlet match

The rules: six men were participating with each match having a 15-minute time limit. Also, rope breaks carry over as the gauntlet moves along.

1) Will Ferrara pinned Dante Caballero (5:55)

Ferrara grounded Caballero rather quickly. Ferrara applied a front headlock and floated over a few times before Caballero found a way out. Ferrara planted Caballero with a wristlock driver that sent him into the canvas neck first. 

Ferrara continued to work on Caballero’s arm. Caballero attempted a few big moves, but couldn’t finish them because of the damage. After finally hitting a variation of a GTS, Caballero turned his back for a split second and got rolled up by Ferrara for the pin.

2) World Famous CB pinned Ferrara (4:13)

CB was the next man up. He applied an armbar early that Ferrara shook off immediately. Ferrara applied a wristlock that kept CB at bay for a good amount of time. CB found his way out and applied a back submission that Ferrara eventually countered into a crossface, but CB used his first rope break to escape. CB hit a fakeout power bomb/rollup combination for the three count and the win. 

3) World Famous CB submitted Eric Martin (6:02)

Martin had some early success escaping from CB’s moves, but couldn’t seem to keep his own holds. Martin hit a few big clotheslines that had CB reeling in the corner, but when Martin charged him, CB ducked out of harm’s way.

Martin wasted no time in countering a CB dropkick and turning it into a Boston crab that forced CB to use his second rope break. CB caught a running Martin attack and twisted him up in a Muelo submission, causing Martin to submit. 

4) Wheeler Yuta pinned CB (3:08)

CB attempted a few roll-up pins early, but Yuta had scouted them and escaped. CB threw around Yuta with a few armdrags which didn’t seem to phase him. Yuta and CB then exchanged about 15 different pinning combinations which resulted in a stalemate. 

Yuta was the first man back to his feet and hit CB with an inverted atomic drop, followed by a German suplex. Yuta went to the top and plant CB with a paydirt DDT for the win. 

Fred Yehi submitted Yuta (6:23)

Yehi immediately charged Yuta who caught him in a head scissors lock that Yehi escaped out of easily. Yehi caught a running Yuta with a T-Bone suplex and then applied a wristlock. Yuta tried to jump out of the hold, but fell back to the mat in pain.

Yuta eventually found his way out and connected with a step-up enziguri to Yehi’s skull. Yuta went to the top and faked out Yehi once, but connected with a dive the second time around. Yehi rolled to the outside afterward and when Yuta followed him, Yehi launched him over his head with an exploder suplex. 

Yehi rolled Yuta back in the ring and applied a Koji clutch. Yuta wrenched Yehi’s ankle to remove himself. Yuta applied a heel hook to Yehi, causing him to use his first rope break. Yehi applied another Koji clutch and Yuta tapped pretty fast to give Yehi the win.

Final Thoughts: 

Coming off a wonderful 19th Anniversary PPV (even though it technically aired beforehand), this week’s episode of ROH TV was good. We got a continuation of Beer City Bruiser’s heel turn — one that assume leads to his tag partner (Brawler Milonas) turning as well. ROH is short on tag teams, so it would be smart to keep them together for now.

The Pure Wrestling Gauntlet match was a good showcase of the rest of the Pure division. Fred Yehi and Wheeler Yuta had the longest and best match and I hope they are signed by ROH soon, if they haven’t signed already.