The finals of the ROH TV Title Eliminator Tournament are set for the August 10 episode of Ring of Honor TV.
Shane Taylor defeated Christopher Daniels in one semifinal bout on this week’s episode to advance to the finals, while Gravity defeated Tony Nese in the other semifinal match to set up next week’s finals.
Taylor punched his ticket to the finals by hitting Daniels with the Marcus Garvey Driver to pick up the victory on Thursday’s Ring of Honor TV show, while pinned Nese with a splash off the top rope to advance to the finals.
The winner of Taylor vs. Gravity will face ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe for the title at a yet unspecified date.
Gravity defeated Anthony Henry in the quarterfinals last week, while Taylor scored a win over Serpentico to set up this week’s bouts.
It was also announced during this week’s show that Samoa Joe will be in tag team action on the August 17 Ring of Honor TV show, teaming with Stokely Hathaway against The Boys.
With Death Before Dishonor just 24 hours away, Ring of Honor will present their weekly HonorClub TV show in the final stop before the pay-per-view.
In the finals of the four-man TV title eliminator tournament, Dalton Castle will take on Shane Taylor. The winner will move on to challenge ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe tomorrow.
Former Stardom titleholder Utami Hayashishita will make her promotional debut as she takes on Trish Adora.
Ahead of his challenge of ROH Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata tomorrow, former champion Daniel Garcia will face Jason Geiger in a Pure rules match.
ROH Women’s Champion Athena will face Nikita in a non-title Proving Ground match. Athena will defend against Willow Nightingale tomorrow.
The Kingdom face The Bollywood Boyz, The WorkHorsemen, and Action Andretti & Darius Martin in a four-way ahead of their inclusion in a four-way tomorrow for the ROH Tag Team titles.
The Righteous (Vincent & Dutch) face The Boys (Brandon & Brent Tate).
**********
This week’s ROH emanated from Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the Saddledome as part of last Saturday’s AEW Collision tapings. Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman were on commentary.
We start with a video package hyping the Pure Title match between Daniel Garcia and Katsuyori Shibata at Death Before Dishonor. Since last week, we’ve had five title matches set for the PPV, including an ROH World Title match against Claudio Castagnoli and PAC.
Pure Rules Match – Daniel Garcia defeated Jason Geiger
This was a good opener, although I do wonder why Garcia gave so much offense to a local yokel before a PPV Title match.
The judges for this match were Matt Taven, Christopher Daniels, and Jerry Lynn.
The announcers hyped Geiger’s jiu-jitsu prowess, noting his high ranks in both Canada and the US. Garcia knocked down Geiger with a shoulder block but waved off his dance to boos. He changed his mind after escaping a headscissors, dancing in Geiger’s face. Geiger got some shots in on Garcia and mocked his dance before catching Garcia in an armbar. That forced Garcia to use his first rope break.
Garcia dropped Geiger over the ropes with a hotshot to regain control. Garcia locked on a front facelock, spun Geiger around, then dropped into a guillotine submission. Geiger got back to his feet and pulled Garcia over into a suplex.
A strike exchange ended with Geiger getting the upper hand, hitting a suplex for a nearfall. Geiger went for a submission, but Garcia peppered him with strikes before laying him out with a lariat. Garcia locked Geiger into a Boston Crab, but Geiger reversed it into a triangle choke. Garcia escaped and locked on the Dragon Tamer sharpshooter – to massive boos in Calgary – to get the win.
After the match, Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata came to the ring to face off with his challenger for tomorrow night.
Utami Hayashishita defeated Trish Adora
This started slowly, but it built up well and the crowd got behind it. Hayashishita looked good, and Adora hung in there with her acclaimed opponent.
No entrance for Hayashishita, as the former World of Stardom Champion makes her ROH debut here. Adora held onto Hayashishita’s arm early on, sneaking in a La Magistral cradle for a nearfall. Adora twisted Hayashishita in a submission hold, but she escaped and hit a sliding lariat for a nearfall. Hayashishita struggled with a bodyslam attempt due to the arm work but got it for a nearfall.
Adora landed body shots, but Hayashishita scored with forearms to the face that knocked Adora down. They traded waist locks until Adora snatched the arm and hit an overhead kick to it. Adora went for the Lariat Tubman, but Hayashishita ducked and hit a set of German Suplexes for a nearfall. Hayashishita went for an Air Raid Crash, but Adora locked on a wrist lock that forced Hayashishita to the ropes.
Adora fired up, landing a pump kick and a senton for a nearfall. Adora hit the kneeling German suplex for a nearfall. Hayashishita followed Adora off the ropes and hit a lariat. Hayashishita hit a twisting Torture Rack bomb for a nearfall, then hit a spinning Razor’s Edge to score the win.
ROH World Television Title Eliminator Tournament Final Match – Shane Taylor defeated Dalton Castle
Castle’s feats of strength energized the crowd, peaking with the impressive Bangarang on Taylor. To his credit, Taylor worked very well here too. Hopefully, he can play a more meaningful role on ROH television moving forward.
Castle tried to get Taylor with a single-leg takedown, but Taylor kept warding him off. Castle caught Taylor with a flurry that ended with a DDT that sent Taylor to the floor. Taylor caught Castle by the feet and dropped him to the floor with the Tower of London. Castle got back in the ring but quickly got taken down with a sidewalk slam for a nearfall.
Taylor worked on Castle’s back before dropping him with a headbutt. Taylor followed up with a pull-up uranage and a big splash for a nearfall. Taylor locked in a sleeper hold, but Castle escaped it with a roll-up attempt before low-bridging Taylor to the floor. Castle caught Taylor with a hurricanrana on the floor. Castle avoided a corner charge and fought back with strikes, but Taylor caught Castle with a body shot that took him down.
Castle caught Taylor with an overhead suplex that surprised the crowd. Castle hit a bulldog for a nearfall. Taylor used a rope break to land a cheap shot punch, but Taylor came back with a stalling German suplex. Castle then got Taylor up for a massive Bangarang to score the win and the TV Title shot against Samoa Joe.
Pure Rules Match –Josh Woods (w/The Varsity Athletes) defeated James Stone
The judges for this match were a fresh Dalton Castle, Christopher Daniels, and Jerry Lynn.
Woods controlled the early portion of this match, forcing Stone to use his first rope break early on. Woods locked on the Gorilla Lock to force Stone to use his second rope break within the first two minutes. Woods hit a knee then landed an ugly Anarchist Suplex for the win. Hopefully Stone is okay, he landed high on his neck.
In a video from last week, Tony Khan announced the Women’s Title match for Death Before Dishonor. It will be Athena defending the title against Owen Hart Foundation Tournament winner Willow Nightingale, who beat her on last week’s Rampage. Nightingale noted that she’s got experience with big title matches at this point and that she’s going to win this title as well.
In a video from earlier today, Athena complained to the Board of Directors, but Tony Khan made it clear that the title match was on.
ROH Women’s World Title Proving Ground Match – Athena defeated Nikita
Athena came out in her street clothes, with Coleman noting that she was wearing the same clothes at the airport. Athena was upset in the corner and sat in the corner as the bell rang. Nikita piefaced her to get the match started. The match then ended with Athena hitting a knockout forearm for the win.
Athena then beat down Nikita after the match, booting her across the ring and sending her into the barricades. Willow Nightingale came out to face off with her.
The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent) (w/Stu Grayson) defeated The Boys (Brandon & Brent)
Dutch blindsided the Boys to start the match. Vincent and Dutch double-teamed Brandon until slipping out to make a tag to Brent. Brent tried to knock down Dutch, but Dutch hit a body block to cut him off. Vincent tagged in, hitting the Autumn Sunshine for the win. Vincent talked to the camera to send a message to the Dark Order, but Evil Uno came out with a chair. Grayson was fired up, hitting a backbreaker on Brent as Uno watched on.
Leyla Hirsch defeated Nicole Matthews
Hirsch and Matthews worked on each other on the mat. Matthews got the upper hand, with Hirsch quickly forcing her into the corner to cut her off. Hirsch took Matthews down before hitting elbows to the back of the neck. Matthews hit a neckbreaker and fired up with forearms, but Hirsch brought Matthews down and hit a knee strike for the win.
We got a rundown of the Death Before Dishonor card. Matches announced for the Zero Hour include:
· Action Andretti & Darius Martin vs. The WorkHorsemen
· Josh Woods vs. Tracy Williams
· Leyla Hirsch vs. Trish Adora
· AR Fox vs. Shane Taylor
Matches added to the main card include:
· The Dark Order vs. The Righteous and Stu Grayson in a Fight Without Honor
· Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Leon Ruffin vs. The Mogul Embassy for the ROH Six-Man Tag Team Titles
· Komander vs. Gravity in a lucha showcase
We then got video packages for the four-way ROH Tag Team Title match and the ROH World Title match between Claudio Castagnoli and PAC.
The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) (w/Maria Kanellis-Bennett) defeated The Bollywood Boyz (Gurv Sihra & Harv Sihra), The WorkHorsemen (Anthony Henry & JD Drake), & Action Andretti & Darius Martin
Drake and Bennett started with a chop exchange. Bennett went low with a dropkick, leading to a tag exchange that ended with Andretti and Martin running wild on the Workhorsemen. Drake and Henry hit an assisted powerbomb on Martin for a nearfall before isolating Martin. Bennett tagged in, leading to a tag team flurry from the Kingdom on Martin. Taven hit Just The Tip on Martin for a nearfall that Drake broke up.
Martin hit a tornado DDT/death drop combo to escape the Kingdom, but Henry hit a high kick on Martin to cut him off. Henry locked Martin in the corner, hitting a combo that scored a nearfall that Taven broke up. The Kingdom and the Workhorsemen fought each other, with Andretti hitting a dive on both teams.
Martin tagged in Gurv Sihra, who ran wild on Bennett. The Bollywood Boys ran wild, landing superkicks on everyone. They hit the Demolition Decapitation on Bennett for a nearfall that Andretti broke up with a Shooting Star Press. The match devolved into a Pier Eight Brawl, ending with the Kingdom hitting the Proton Pack to score the win.
Former Stardom titleholder Utami Hayashishita will make her Ring of Honor debut on Thursday’s ROH on HonorClub.
The 24-year-old will take on Trish Adora. Hayashishita has held the World of Stardom title, the Goddesses of Stardom title, Artist of Stardom title and the Future of Stardom title in her five years there.
Thursday’s show will be the go-home before Friday’s Death Before Dishonor — a card that has been in flux due to unforeseen injuries, according to Tony Khan.
The Friday opponent for ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe will be determined as former ROH World Champion Dalton Castle will take on former ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champion Shane Taylor in the finals of a four-man tournament.
Ahead of his shot at Pure Champion Katsuyori Shibata on Friday, Daniel Garcia will take on Jason Geiger.
ROH Women’s Champion Athena will face Nikita in a Proving Ground match ahead of her title defense against Willow Nightingale on Friday.
Here’s the full six-match lineup:
The Righteous (Vincent & Dutch vs. The Boys (Brandon & Brent Tate)
The Kingdom (Mike Bennett & Matt Taven) vs. The Bollywood Boyz (Gurv & Harv) vs. The WorkHorsemen (Anthony Henry & JD Drake) vs. Action Andretti & Darius Martin
Daniel Garcia vs. Jason Geiger
ROH Women’s Champion Athena vs. Nikita in a non-title Proving Ground match
TV title eliminator tournament final: Dalton Castle vs. Shane Taylor
ROH is holding a tournament to determine the next challenger for Samoa Joe’s TV title.
The four-person tournament began on Thursday’s episode of ROH television. Dalton Castle and Shane Taylor booked their spots in the finals with respective wins over Tony Nese and Shawn Dean. Castle vs. Taylor in the tournament finals will take place on ROH TV next week.
The winner of Castle vs. Taylor advances to challenge Joe for the ROH TV title at Death Before Dishonor.
Death Before Dishonor is being held at CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, New Jersey on Friday, July 21. It’s ROH’s first pay-per-view since March’s Supercard of Honor.
Joe has held the ROH TV Championship since April 2022. His most recent defense of the title was against Matt Sydal on ROH TV last month.
On the most recent episode of AEW Collision, Joe lost to CM Punk in the semifinals of the men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.
Castle and Taylor are both former TV champions in ROH. Their reigns happened while ROH was owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group.
Next Thursday’s ROH TV is airing the night before Death Before Dishonor. Also on the episode, ROH will address who is going to be Claudio Castagnoli’s Death Before Dishonor challenger. Castagnoli was supposed to face Mark Briscoe at the PPV, but Briscoe had to be pulled from the match due to injury.
The card for next Saturday’s ROH Final Battle continued to take shape during Friday’s AEW Rampage with an ROH TV title match and a former ROH TV Champion returning to issue a tag team challenge.
ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe will defend his title against the newly-signed Juice Robinson. Robinson appeared via a taped promo and issued the challenge, saying he wants to be the new king of TV. It will be Joe’s second title match of the week and he will defend the TNT title against Darby Allin on Wednesday’s AEW Rampage.
The other addition will see the returning Shane Taylor & debuting JD Griffey against Swerve in our Glory.
During a backstage promo with Keith Lee, Taylor walked in and questioned Lee for leaving him six years ago and also leaving Swerve Strickland two years ago.
Taylor than challenged Lee and a partner of his choice to take on himself and Griffey at Final Battle. Strickland then walked in behind Lee and smiled, non-verbally offering his services. Lee moaned, “Oh my god. Can I even trust you?” and walked away.
Taylor is a former ROH TV Champion and ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champion while this will be Griffey’s ROH debut. He has appeared three times on AEW Dark: Elevation, AEW Dark, and AEW Dynamite as one of the security guards Wardlow defeated in his 20-on-1 challenge.
This will be Lee & Strickland’s first match since Lee walked out on Strickland in their challenge of AEW Tag Team Champions The Acclaimed at Full Gear.
Here’s the current lineup for next Saturday’s pay-per-view from Dallas, Texas:
ROH World Champion Chris Jericho defends against Claudio Castagnoli
ROH Women’s Champion Mercedes Martinez defends against Athena
ROH Pure Champion Daniel Garcia defends against Wheeler Yuta
ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe defends against Juice Robinson
The first match is official for this December’s Final Battle pay-per-view, the final ROH show before the promotion goes on hiatus.
Shane Taylor vs. Kenny King will take place at Final Battle on Saturday, December 11. The PPV is being held at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.
Taylor vs. King is a grudge match between former friends. Taylor lost an ROH World Championship match against then-champion Rush this February after King hit him with a steel chair. King acted like he was going to stop Rush from hitting Taylor with a chair, but King then hit Taylor with the chair himself.
Shane Taylor Promotions (Taylor, Moses & Kaun) are the current ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions, while La Faccion Ingobernable’s King & Dragon Lee are the ROH Tag Team Champions.
ROH Women’s World Champion Rok-C is set to defend her title at Final Battle. Leading into the PPV, a number one contender’s match to decide her challenger will take place on ROH TV. Willow Nightingale has already advanced to the number one contender’s match. A triple threat match between Trish Adora, Allysin Kay, and Mandy Leon will determine Willow’s opponent.
ROH announced last month that it is going on hiatus after Final Battle. They’ll be taking the first quarter of 2022 to “work internally to reimagine ROH.” ROH talent won’t have their contracts renewed and are able to work wherever they want immediately.
Quinn McKay welcomed us to the show and ran down the card for tonight’s show. McKay promoted a “protege vs. mentor” match between Brian Johnson and PJ Black, as well as a four corners survival match between Brody King, Jay Lethal, Kenny King and Shane Taylor.
Brian Johnson defeated PJ Black in a Pure Rules match (10:58)
Black and Johnson exchanged some mat wrestling in the early stages of the bout, but Black was able to come out on top and take control in the match.
Johnson would eventually escape from the clutches of Black by using his first rope break. Johnson rolled to the outside and looked to catch a breather, but was met with a dive from Black.
After a short commercial break, the broadcast returned as Johnson was in a cradle submission. Johnson immediately used his second rope break as Black taunted.
In the final stages of the match, Johnson and Black traded multiple chops and strikes. Black grabbed Johnson by the beard and suplexed him before following it up with a springboard splash. Once Black went to attempt the pin, Johnson used his third and final rope break. Black tried to capitalize on a weary Johnson, but was met with an eye poke and Johnson’s signature “The Process” neckbreaker which resulted in a pin.
Brody King defeated Jay Lethal, Kenny King, and Shane Taylor (9:21)
Lethal and Brody started the match. Brody attempted to use the same strategy that he beat Lethal with previously, but was met with a fire of rapid defense from the former ROH World Champion.
Taylor tagged himself in and had a short exchange with Lethal, which resulted in him hurting his leg. Kenny tagged himself in and squared off with Lethal. Kenny replicated a few of Lethal’s signature maneuvers, including his signature cartwheel dropkick.
Kenny was still in full control of the match after a commercial break. Brody came in for Lethal and exchanged frying pan chops with Kenny, before Kenny was able to slip to the outside and hit a blockbuster neckbreaker on Brody.
Kenny went for a running maneuver but Taylor tripped him up, allowing Brody to clothesline him. Taylor tagged himself in and went face to face with Brody. Taylor clocked Brody with a devastating forearm that sent him reeling to the outside, which allowed Kenny to slip in the ring and try to take advantage of a distracted Taylor.
Kenny was able to lift up Taylor for a blue thunder bomb, to which Brody came in and picked the bones. Brody threw out Kenny and hit Taylor with a clothesline on the jaw, which allowed him to pick up the win.
Final Thoughts: Both matches on this week’s ROH TV were good matches that had purpose behind them. Black/Johnson was good and advanced the storyline of Johnson joining the Pure division. The four way match was also good for a few reasons, including Taylor getting his hands on Kenny King (but not too much) and despite losing the match, getting some shine. It seems as if the company is building to a Bandido/Brody King match, which should be really good.
Weekly ROH TV (along with MLW and a few others) proves week in and week out that one hour wrestling shows are the best.
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
Recommend Viewing
Watch YouTube Clips
Avoid At All Costs
This week’s episode of ROH TV is: Recommended Viewing
ROH has added two title matches to the card for its next pay-per-view.
The ROH World Championship will be on the line in a four-way elimination match at Death Before Dishonor on Sunday, September 12. Bandido will defend his title against Brody King, EC3, and Demonic Flamita.
ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor, Moses & Kaun) defending their titles against La Faccion Ingobernable (Rush, Dragon Lee & Kenny King) has also been confirmed for Death Before Dishonor.
Bandido won the ROH World Championship from Rush at ROH’s Best in the World PPV last month. At Glory By Honor night one last Friday, Bandido retained the title against Flip Gordon.
Shane Taylor Promotions defeated Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus this February to win the ROH Six-Man Tag Team titles. Taylor, Moses & Kaun retained the titles against Incoherence (Delirious, Hallowicked & Frightmare) at Glory By Honor night two on Saturday.
Death Before Dishonor is taking place at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Here’s the updated card for the PPV:
ROH World Champion Bandido defends against Brody King, EC3, and Demonic Flamita in a four-way elimination match
The finals of ROH’s Women’s World Championship tournament
ROH Pure Champion Jonathan Gresham defends against Josh Woods
ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champions Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor, Moses & Kaun) defend against La Faccion Ingobernable (Rush, Dragon Lee & Kenny King)
Two “top free agents” who were recently released from another promotion will face off
The Big Takeaway: A 15 man battle royale took place with a spot in the rankings on the line. Also, Shane Taylor Promotions defended their tag team titles against up and coming trio Primal Fear. And in the main event, Josh Woods looked to settle the score with former tag team partner and mentor Silas Young
Ian Riccaboni checked in from ROH Studio again, subbing in for Quinn McKay. Riccaboni ran down the card for the evening, including a “Rankings Battle Royale”. It was noted that any ROH wrestlers who are not currently ranked in any division may participate in this battle royale. The last two men remaining will face off in a future singles match. The winner of that match is guaranteed to be ranked in either the Pure Championship division or the Television Championship division, whichever they may choose.
****
LSG and Joe Keys were the last two men remaining in the Rankings Battle Royale
This seems like a harmless idea to propel someone to a future championship match. I like the idea.
Notable people in this battle royale included Danhausen, Mike Bennett, PCO, Mark Briscoe, LSG, World Famous CB, and O’Shay Edwards.
PCO and Mike Bennett were the only two competitors that got entrances. Bennett was jumped by Bateman while making his entrance. Dutch assisted Bateman shortly after and they dragged Bennett to the back. Ryan Mooney was the first one eliminated, by Mark Briscoe. PCO eliminated Eric Martin. Danhausen tried to double-chokeslam PCO and Briscoe but was thrown out quickly. The camera cut to Danhausen at ringside, who then put on a El Generico mask. Once GenericoHausen got back in the ring, he was immediately dumped out again by Briscoe.
Dante Caballero was eliminated by LSG a few moments later. Briscoe and O’Shay Edwards had a good standoff. While Briscoe was on the ropes, Joe Keys came in and eliminated him. Keys also eliminated World Famous CB prior in the match, a good showing for him. Sledge eliminated O’Shay Edwards, who he’s been feuding with on ROH Week By Week.
The final four competitors in the match were Sledge, Joe Keys, PCO, and Joe Keys. Sledge and PCO traded a few forearms and chops, which led to PCO tossing out Sledge with one hand. LSG and Keys were plotting to toss out PCO immediately after, to which they did. LSG and Joe Keys will compete on a future episode of ROH TV.
*****
Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor, Moses, and Kaun) defeated Primal Fear (Matthew Omen, Adrien Soriano, and Gabriel Hodder) to retain the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team titles
Moses and Omen began the match. Omen was cocky after landing a leg kick but Moses bulldozed him quickly. Omen tagged out to Hodder while Moses tagged out to Kaun. Kaun bulldozed Hodder immediately which caused Hodder to tag out to Soriano. Soriano demanded that he wanted to fight Shane Taylor. Kaun tagged out to allow that.
Taylor and Soriano locked up, but Taylor pushed him to the mat. Soriano popped right back up and slapped Taylor and taunted his catchphrase. Taylor responded by clocking Soriano with a forearm, making him crumble in the corner. This sent us into a commercial break.
Back from the break and Soriano is back on his feet. Taylor folded him with a forearm again and tried to hit a cannonball in the corner, but Soriano dodged the move at the last second. Soriano made a tag to Hodder, who came in with Omen and double-teamed Taylor in the corner for a minute. Soriano eventually tagged back in and was clotheslined by Taylor.
Both Taylor and Soriano used this opportunity to get the hot tag to each respective partner: Moses and Omen. Moses took down Omen a few times before getting on the apron. Moses attempted to cannonball onto Primal Fear at ringside, but they all moved in separate directions causing Moses to hit the floor.
In the ring meanwhile, Kaun hit a brainbuster on Soriano from the top rope. Moses had recovered at ringside and dumped Omen over the barricade. Moses joined Kaun in the ring and they hit their tag finisher “Victory Lap” for the win.
*****
Silas Young defeated Josh Woods
Young attacked Woods before the bell. Young threw him into the barricade and then grabbed a chair. Woods sprung up quickly and kicked the chair into Young’s face.
After some more outside brawling, the match finally began on the inside. Woods had an early advantage when he rushed Young in the corner, but Young turned the momentum in his favor rather quickly. Young kept Woods grounded for a good portion of the match early, locking in various holds. Young had his foot on Woods’ throat as a commercial break ensued.
Back from the break and Woods powered Young across the ring with a hip toss. Woods wasted no time and followed it up with a beautiful butterfly suplex. Young recovered quickly and hit a final cut that took both men out of it for a good bit.
Later in the match, Woods almost hit an O’Connor roll German suplex, but Young reversed it into a pin for a two count. Young is insanely athletic for being 41 years old. Woods and Young eventually both made their way out on the apron, where they traded strikes. Woods eventually clotheslined Young back in the ring and followed it up with a modified armbar. Young rolled it over into a pinning maneuver with his feet on the ropes and scored the victory.
*****
Next Week:
OGK vs The Foundation (Tracy Williams and Rhett Titus) for the ROH Tag Team Championship
Fred Yehi vs Rocky Romero in a Pure Rules match
Final Thoughts: Another very eventful episode of ROH TV. I always love a good battle royale, and despite not being a giant fan of either LSG or Joe Keys, the match was entertaining enough. The Danhausen/El Generico thing might be my favorite thing in wrestling history, definitely not an overreaction.
Shane Taylor Promotions continue to be my favorite promotion in wrestling, let alone the company. Their presentation is phenomenal and they are all really great wrestlers. Silas Young and Josh Woods put on a match similar to last week’s Quinn McKay vs. Angelina Love, where they didn’t give away too much offense and had the heel win in a heel way to set up an eventual rematch, potentially in front of fans.
ROH has set a date for Rush and Shane Taylor’s ROH World Championship match.
On the latest edition of ROH Week By Week, it was announced that Rush vs. Taylor for the ROH World Championship will air on the ROH television episode that premieres the weekend of Saturday, February 27. Jonathan Gresham & Jay Lethal will also defend their ROH Tag Team titles on that episode. Gresham & Lethal’s challengers haven’t been announced.
Taylor won a fan poll on ROH’s The Experience Facebook group to get the World title shot.
Rush is a two-time ROH World Champion. He regained the title by defeating PCO and Mark Haskins in a three-way match in February 2020. Rush’s most recent title defense was against Brody King in the main event of December’s Final Battle pay-per-view.
Taylor defeated Jay Briscoe at Final Battle. Shane Taylor Promotions (Taylor & The Soldiers of Savagery) were originally supposed to challenge Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus for the ROH Six-Man Tag Team titles at that PPV, but Bandido and Flamita were removed from the show following pre-travel COVID-19 testing. Taylor did an interview at Final Battle where he declined to win the SIx-Man Tag Team titles by forfeit. Taylor said they want to win the titles the right way.
Shane Taylor Promotions defeated The Foundation (Lethal, Gresham & Tracy Williams) in a six-man tag match on an episode of ROH TV last month. Taylor pinned Lethal to win the match.
ROH also announced on Tuesday that Rush and ROH Television Champion Dragon Lee have re-signed with the company. Their father La Bestia del Ring has also signed a contract with ROH. The latest episode of ROH TV was headlined by Rush, Dragon Lee, Bestia del Ring & Flip Gordon going to a no contest with King, PCO & The Briscoes.
After winning a fan vote, Shane Taylor is getting a shot at the ROH World Championship.
ROH has announced that “Taylor was the winner by a wide margin of a poll on the ROH The Experience Facebook group page that asked which top contender should challenge two-time ROH World Champion RUSH.” ROH wrote that they’re going to make the title match, but a date for it has yet to be set.
Rush retained the ROH World Championship against Brody King in the main event of last month’s Final Battle pay-per-view. King was announced as Rush’s challenger for that PPV after defeating Taylor in a matchup of top contenders.
Taylor defeated Jay Briscoe at Final Battle last month. Shane Taylor Promotions (Taylor & The Soldiers of Savagery) were originally supposed to challenge for Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus’ ROH Six-Man Tag Team titles at the PPV, but Bandido and Flamita were removed from the show following pre-travel COVID-19 testing. Shane Taylor Promotions did an interview on the show and refused to be awarded the Six-Man Tag Team titles via forfeit. Taylor said they want to win the titles the right way.
Rush’s second ROH World Championship reign began when he defeated PCO and Mark Haskins in a triple threat match in February 2020. Taylor is a former ROH Television Champion.
The Big Takeaway: Josh Woods defeated Jay Lethal in a Pure Rules contest. Brody King defeated Shane Taylor in a brutal, hard-hitting hoss fight. Matt Taven debuted a new talk show, and Mark Briscoe pondered his tag team future.
We began this week’s show with The Foundation. Jonathan Gresham introduced his illustrious faction, staking their claim on Ring Of Honor. Jay Lethal claimed that they aren’t the bad guys, and that they’re just trying to restore honor to their great company. Lethal revealed that the man under the red octopus mask is former ROH Tag Team Champion, Rhett Titus. Tracy Williams told Titus to not remove his mask just yet, because it would just lead to more lack of appreciation. Williams said that they’re here to rebuild Ring Of Honor brick by brick.
*****
We transitioned to the lovely Quinn McKay. She ran down the card for tonight’s show. Shane Taylor vs. Brody King and Josh Woods vs. Jay Lethal are on the schedule.
Next, a package for Josh Woods aired. Woods said he demanded perfection from himself in the Pure Tournament, but fell short to Jonathan Gresham. Woods said that his overall background is more impressive than Lethals career, touting his MMA and amateur wrestling experience. Woods said that he needs this victory over Lethal for fans to change how they feel about him.
We get another package, this time for Jay Lethal. Lethal said that it warms his heart to see pure professional wrestling back in ROH. Lethal called Josh Woods the most dangerous man in the company under pure rules.
Josh Woods pinned Jay Lethal in a Pure Rules contest. (14:02)
Code Of Honor was adhered to. Woods gained control early with a high wristlock. Woods attempted an armbar early which forced Lethal to use his first rope break. Each competitor gets 3 rope breaks under Pure rules. Woods began ground and pound on Lethal, holding him down for multiple pinning maneuvers. Lethal got back some control by countering an armbar with a cartwheel dropkick.
Back from commercial, Lethal had Woods in a camel clutch. This caused Woods to use his first rope break. Woods tried to lift Lethal up for a brainbuster, but his back gave out mid-maneuver. Lethal and Woods began trading brutal forearms to the skull when out of nowhere Woods hit a bridging German Suplex for a two count. Woods rolled out of the ring, but was immediately hit with a Lethal suicide dive.
Lethal threw Woods back in the ring, went to the top rope and attempted his Macho Man elbow drop, but Woods caught him in an armbar. Lethal escaped quickly and went for the Lethal Injection, but Woods caught him again with a rear naked choke. Lethal motioned out quickly, but Woods locked in a knee bar as Lethal was crawling away. Lethal again found a way out of the kneebar, but Woods trapped his legs again and rolled him up for the 3 count.
*****
Matt Taven now has a talk show called Trending With Taven. His first guest was the returning Mike Bennett. Bennett said that he has earned his way back to ROH, and that it’s good to be reunited with Taven. Bennett said Taven needed someone to have his back. A message flashed across the screen telling us that the rest of the interview was available on HonorClub.
*****
We got a promo from Mark Briscoe. He said being 12 time ROH Tag Team champions sounds better than being 11 time champions. He also stated his disappointment in Jay Briscoe for being so focused on EC3. Mark said he’s going for the tag titles with or without Jay.
*****
Brody King spoke on his upcoming match with Shane Taylor. King said he has many similarities with Taylor, but also a lot of differences. Brody said what motivates him is championship gold, while Taylor always feels like he’s owed something. He finished the promo saying that both him and Taylor are both rocks, but King is being shot out of a cannon.
Shane Taylor was next. Taylor said he had a weight lifted off his back after the match with Kenny King. The hypocrisy runs wild in Brody King’s fanbase because if he was running around in a ski mask like King is, everyone would judge him. Taylor said he has nothing against Brody King, but he’s going to beat him.
Brody King pinned Shane Taylor (13:03)
King and Taylor both attempted running shoulder tackles early, but neither man moved an inch. They traded forearms to the jawline before Brody took control and gave Taylor multiple chops and forearms to the chest. Both competitors spilled to the outside and King threw Taylor skull first into the ring post.
Back from commercial, Taylor planted King with a draping DDT off the apron to the floor. Taylor took control, hitting King with hard forearms every time he tried to stand up. Taylor backed up and drove his knee into King, which sent both men through the barricade. Taylor rolled back in the ring, starting a count on King. King rolled in at 19, but Taylor went and began stomping on him immediately. King gained control of the contest by draping Taylor on the ropes and hitting a cannonball on Taylor’s back, giving King a two count. King lifted Taylor’s dead weight and hit a Death Valley driver into the turnbuckle.
Both men are exchanging open palm strikes and forearms following a commercial break. King hit a running swing slam, only getting a two count on Taylor. King tried to follow up with a powerbomb, but Taylor hit a package piledriver with King kicking out at 2.9. King sprung up fast and hit a burning lariat on Taylor, who powered out at a 1 count. King followed up with another burning lariat, which resulted in a pinfall.
*****
Final Thoughts:
I have a hot take: Shane Taylor has been the MVP of ROH since its return. He has put on four high quality matches, and he’s such a great talker. He’s being booked very strongly, even being protected in a loss to Brody King, who also looks phenomenal and seems to be on a collision course with Rush heading into Final Battle.
The Foundation has potential to be an all-time great ROH stable, on the levels of The Age Of The Fall or Generation Next. I’m not sure about the addition of Rhett Titus, but i’ll give it a chance. Lethal vs Woods was a fun watch; Woods has that smug star quality about him that a wrestler needs to succeed.
The Big Takeaway: Shane Taylor defeated Kenny King in a hard hitting match, while SOS and The Briscoes had a fun, competitive tag team bout.
The show began with an Amy Rose led video package about La Faccion Ingobernable. She stated that while the world has changed, the faction hasn’t and should not be forgotten about. Rose noted that Rush is the ROH Champion and Dragon Lee is the ROH TV Champion. Rose said that ROH will belong to them when they return.
*******
Quinn Mckay checked in from the ROH Studio and ran down tonight’s show. She also showed highlights from last week’s contest between Dalton Castle and Brody King. Post match comments from King included him stating that he’s a new Brody King, and he lives by two words: Just Violence.
We then got a package hyping the upcoming tag team bout between SOS and The Briscoes. SOS told the Briscoes that their lives are in danger when they step into the ring with them.
The Briscoes pinned SOS (Jasper Kaun and Moses Maddox) (9:41)
As SOS were making their entrances, EC3 joined Riccaboni and Coleman on commentary.
Both teams adhered to the Code Of Honor.
Moses and Jay started the match off. Moses sent Jay to the mat with a running shoulder tackle. EC3 questioned whether either team actually had honor, and when Coleman asked him to define his definition of honor, EC3 said it’s undefinable. Jay tagged Mark in, who quickly took down Moses with a Russian Leg sweep. Mark threw Moses towards the ropes. Jay tagged himself in, but ran into a headbutt from Moses. Moses quickly tagged Kaun in, who steamrolled Jay with a clothesline.
Mark came off on the hot tag and back body dropped Kaun for a two count. The Briscoes performed a fluid sequence of double team maneuvers, tagging each other in and out. They positioned Kaun on the top turnbuckle, and hit a thudding double superplex off the top rope. It only warranted Jay a two count. We went to a break.
We return from break and both teams are present in the ring in the middle of a slugfest. Moses and Jay spilled to the outside, while Kaun came off the top rope delivering a frog splash to Mark, but only for a two count. Jay slid a chair to Mark, who set it up for him, which led to Jay using it to hit a diving senton on the outside to Kaun. Mark quickly recovered, went to the top rope and hit the frog splash on Moses for the win.
Both teams adhered to the Code Of Honor after the match. EC3 left the announce desk and stood with a blank face on the stage. Jay questioned why he was standing there, while Mark told him to not worry about it as they headed to the back.
*******
A video package featuring Bateman and Matt Taven aired. Bateman asked Taven what it’s like to live life being a coward. He said Taven went from winning the ROH Title at MSG to living life with a target on his back. Taven made fun of Bateman’s leader Vincent, noting that he says the word “man” obsessively. He said that’s the exact opposite of what Vincent is.
Taven said that vengeance is coming, and revenge is forever. Taven said that if he had to go through “Master Bateman” to get to Vincent then he would. Taven vs. Bateman is on tab for next week.
*******
Quinn McKay caught up with The Briscoes backstage. Mark told Jay to stop worrying about EC3, but Jay couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened. Jay issued a challenge to EC3 for next week’s show.
*******
A promo video aired for Kenny King and Shane Taylor. Taylor said that pro wrestling saved his life, because his childhood was troubled with violence and drugs. He also spoke about how Keith Lee helped him tremendously.
King complained about the way he was eliminated from the ROH Pure Title tournament, stating his lawyers had sent a letter to ROH about the incident. He told Taylor that this match was strictly business, not personal.
Shane Taylor pinned Kenny King (10:14)
King offered the Code Of Honor handshake, but Taylor refused. King took early control with a shifty little kick to the head of Taylor. Taylor retaliated with a booming forearm which dropped King to the mat with ease. King brought himself back up in the corner, but Taylor charged him with a clothesline, followed by another rough shot to the head.
King finally regained some momentum, dropping Taylor in the corner following a series of knees. After both men ran the ropes for a second, Taylor took back control with a clothesline. Taylor followed it up with a leg drop to the larynx of King. Taylor backed King into the corner and began to run at him, but King sprung forward with a spinning heel kick. We went to break.
We came back from a break with King landing a massive German Suplex on Taylor, who popped right back up. He followed it up with a dropkick in the corner, only warranting King a two count. King waited for Taylor to return to his feet to attempt a pump kick, which was caught by Taylor. Taylor rolled King backwards and crushed him with a pump knee strike. Taylor followed it up with a package piledriver, but King surprisingly kicked out. Coleman noted that you can count on one hand how many people have kicked out of that. King began to talk trash to Taylor, but Taylor quickly shut him up, hitting “Welcome To The Land” for the three count.
Taylor looked into the camera and told them to get the ROH World title ready for him as the show closed.
Final Thoughts: ROH is a fantastic promotion right now. Their new format, along with just brightening up the broadcast in general, has benefited them tremendously. Shane Taylor is improving weekly, and I fully expect him to challenge RUSH at Final Battle. His friends “SOS” are a really fun team to watch as well.
I’m still not really liking the direction EC3 is going in, he really bugged down commentary for the tag match. The Taven-Vincent stuff is good as well, and I’m excited for their hopeful payoff at Final Battle.
Looking Ahead: For the first time in 14 years, we will crown a new Ring Of Honor Pure Champion. Also on tab, Shane Taylor Promotions takes on the trio of EC3 & The Briscoes.
Quinn McKay welcomed us to the show. We get a promo package hyping up Tracy Williams vs. Jonathan Gresham. McKay notes that this is Gresham’s match to lose. She also reviewed last week’s encounter between Matt Taven and Vincent. She revealed that ROH will not tolerate another incident like this, and both men would be punished if it happens again.
McKay then replayed last week’s promos from EC3 and Shane Taylor to set up the six-man tag match.
Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor, Moses Maddox, & Jasper Kaun) defeated EC3 and The Briscoes after Taylor pinned Mark Briscoe (9:16)
EC3 started the match with Kaun. After an early lock up, EC3 immediately took Kaun down. Kaun rolled out, but baited EC3 right back in the ring. EC3 continued to dominate Kaun before tagging in Mark Briscoe. After some back and forth, Kaun sent Briscoe into the corner and hit a running splash, followed by Moses tagging himself in. After both men ran the ropes, Jay Briscoe tagged himself in and hit a double team maneuver on Moses.
We came back from break and all hell had broken loose. Kaun ran and ate a clothesline from EC3. Moses took advantage and smushed EC3 in the corner. Moses then ate a springboard dropkick from Mark Briscoe. Taylor and Jay made their way back in the ring, to which Taylor hit a V-Trigger type knee strike which only got a two count.
Taylor tagged out to Moses, who repeatedly stomped Briscoe in the corner, causing EC3 to enter the ring. The referee backed EC3 out of the ring while Moses tagged back in Taylor. Taylor knocked EC3 off the apron. Jay made the hot tag to Mark Briscoe, to which Briscoe double drop kicked Moses and Kaun off the apron. Briscoe went to the top and attempted a frog splash, but nobody was home. Taylor followed up the missed maneuver with his piledriver finisher for the win.
******
We shift our focus to the main event. We first heard from Tracy Williams, who admitted his time in ROH so far has been flawed by failures. He also admitted he has failed to restore honor. Williams said he called Gresham before the tournament began and told him he’d meet him in the finals. Williams called his shot and says he’d be the one holding the Pure Championship over his head by the end of the night.
Gresham talked about this phone call as well. He says this tournament is more than just the championship, but it’s based on the principle of The Foundation. Gresham said it’s his job to bring attention to the men and women who view the sport the way he does. Gresham also said that ROH had lost honor and identity. Gresham said that no matter who wins, The Foundation has achieved their goal in restoring Honor.
Jonathan Gresham submitted Tracy Williams to win the Ring Of Honor Pure Championship (14:36)
Williams wore a cast on his left shoulder, selling the injuries from last week’s match with Jay Lethal. Both men adhered to the Code Of Honor. Gresham and Williams exchanged holds and twists early, which resulted in both men rolling out of the ring. Gresham hit an arm drag on Williams on the hard ringside floor. Williams recovered rather quickly and gawked down Gresham. Gresham and Williams mutually agreed to get back in the ring. As Gresham worked on Williams’ ankle, we went to break.
Back from break. Gresham sprung off the rope and kicked Williams bare arm. Gresham got Williams on the ropes, which cost Williams his first rope break. Williams takes advantage and begins to work on the neck of Gresham. Williams worked Gresham down to the mat for a series of near falls. Gresham used his first rope break. Gresham and Williams made their way back to their feet, where Williams began to work on the neck of Gresham again. Williams applied a front face lock to Gresham, but Gresham countered with a brainbuster.
Williams popped back up very fast and chopped Gresham in the chest, which dropped him to the mat. Gresham made his way back to his feet quickly, and pounced on Williams, nailing his shoulder with an Engurazi. He followed it up with a bridging German suplex, which warranted him a two count. Both men got up fast, to which Williams stiffly clotheslined Gresham for a two count.
Back from break and Williams and Gresham are laying on the ringside floor from a body scissors maneuver that took both men out of the ring. Williams was the first one back in. Gresham tried to spring through the middle rope, but Williams caught him and planted him with a brainbuster. Williams immediately followed it up with a crossface. After being in the submission for 25 seconds, Gresham used his second rope break.
Gresham sprung up as quickly as possible and hit a series of running forearms onto a grounded Williams. Williams fought through the pain and spiked Gresham with his signature piledriver, which got him a two count after Gresham used his third and final rope break. Williams, clearly frustrated, brought Gresham to his feet. Gresham blocked a chop from Williams, spun him around, and locked in The Octopus for the win.
Jonathan Gresham is the new ROH Pure Champion!
Jay Lethal makes his way to the ring to celebrate with Gresham after the match. Williams shook hands with Gresham and exited the ring. Lethal straps the title on Gresham and exits the ring as well.
Final Thoughts:
ROH rolls on with another great show. The six-man tag match was excellent. Shane Taylor has improved SO much over his tenure in Ring Of Honor, He’s quickly becoming one of my favorites. It was refreshing to see The Briscoes back in action as well. Also impressed by Kaun and Moses, they have the potential to be a great tag team.
I honestly expected the finals of the Pure Championship tournament to be a longer match, considering the time limit being 60 minutes. The story was excellent though, and the odds on favorite of the whole tournament, Jonathan Gresham, won. He deserves it, he’s worked his ass off to become one of the best in the world.
A future title shot will be on the line in a four-way match at ROH’s 18th Anniversary pay-per-view.
It was announced today that Dan Maff, Kenny King, Shane Taylor, and Tyler Bateman will face off in a Dealer’s Choice match at 18th Anniversary. The stipulation is that the winner will get a title shot of his choice.
Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas, Nevada is hosting the 18th Anniversary PPV on Friday, March 13.
ROH’s Past vs. Present show is also taking place at Sam’s Town Live the day after the Anniversary PPV. Former ROH Pure Champion John Walters vs. Mark Haskins has been added to that event.
Here are the updated cards for both shows:
18th Anniversary PPV —
ROH Television Champion Dragon Lee defending against Bandido
ROH Tag Team Champions Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham defending against Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll & Flip Gordon)
The Briscoes vs. Dalton Castle & Joe Hendry
Adam Brooks vs. Slex
Dealer’s Choice match: Dan Maff vs. Kenny King vs. Shane Taylor vs. Bateman
Past vs. Present —
Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Briscoe
Xavier vs. Jay Lethal
Generation Next (Alex Shelley & Matt Sydal) vs. Villain Enterprises (Marty Scurll & Flip Gordon)
Homicide vs. Brody King
The Havana Pitbulls (Rocky Romero & Ricky Reyes) vs. Bandido & Flamita
Doug Williams vs. Jonathan Gresham
John Walters vs. Mark Haskins
Delirious & Grizzly Redwood vs. Dalton Castle & Joe Hendry
