After the show open, we run down the card, before we get a look at The Righteous attacking the ROH Tag Team Champions Sammy Guevara and Dustin Rhodes, as they have their sights set on the titles. We run down the card, with Sammy expected to be in action later tonight. We’ll see if anything happens, but for now it’s off to the ring!
MATCH 1 – The Infantry vs. Tom Mitchell & Trace Parker
Last week, The Infantry officially threw in with Shane Taylor Promotions (which honestly I probably would have done months ago, but that’s neither here nor there). Apparently on the eastern independents, Mitchell and Parker go by “Nice and Smooth.” Which is nice and which is smooth, I wonder? In a lovely bit of (apparently?) corporate synergy, they promote Jack and Michael Whitehall, appearing at Carnegie Hall, and I have to look who either of those people are. While I’m doing that, The Infantry just continues to lay a beating on Parker. After Bravo drops Parker with a DDT variant, Mitchell runs in and eats Boot Camp. The Infantry finishes with a double running curbstomp called Two to the Head. Post-match, Shawn Dean says everyone is on notice.
The Infantry def. Tom Mitchell & Trace Parker (Carlie Bravo pins Trace Parker) with Two to the Head in 2:18.
MATCH 2 – Spanish Announce Project vs. LSG & Shawn Donavan
Ian gives a brief rundown of LSG’s history in ROH, as he was a roster member during the Sinclair era. He now works predominantly on the East Coast independents as well as several tours in Europe with WXW, among others. Angelico and Donavan start, after some SAP double teams, LSG tags in and takes control over Serpentico. Serpentico is able to dodge both men and hit a double up-kick and tag in Angelico who runs WILD, baby. Angelico hooks a submission that I literally cannot name for the win. He had an overhand wristlock and a hammerlock on LSG at the same time, and then picked him up almost inverted crucifix style, eventually kneeling down for the submission. Fun stuff as Angelico continues to be criminally underrated.
Spanish Announce Project def. LSG & Shawn Donavan by submission (Angelico taps LSG) in 5:16.
Backstage we Lee Moriarty reminds us that he was going to make things interesting in the Pure Division, and now Matt Taven has emerged to challenge him. “There are levels to Pure wrestling, and you are not on mine.” –Moriarty. He pledges to show Taven why he is one of the best pure wrestlers in the world. Because this is Taiga Style.
MATCH 3 – Preston Vance vs. Sammy Guevara
Vance tries to attack off the bell, and uses his power to keep Guevara at bay for a bit, but a dropkick sends Vance to the outside. But as it goes to outside, Vance slowly takes control, as Ian points out that Vance hung out with Rush for a long time, who is no stranger to brawls. Sammy gets a nearfall off a nice inside out rolling cutter. Vance responds by absolutely dusting Sammy with a rolling elbow and a rolling lariat. But Sammy is able to roll to the apron to recover, and back in is able to hit GTH for the win.
Sammy Guevara pins Preston Vance with GTH in 6:06.
Post match, the lights change and we hear snapping fingers. Dustin (armed with a chair) and Sammy looking around, and we hear Vincent ask “Dig what I’m sayin?” but no one appears. The lights go back to normal, Sammy’s music hits again, and he follows the Code of Honor.
MATCH 4 – Lee Johnson & EJ Nduka vs. The Philly Marino Experience (Marino Tenaglia & Philly Collins)
Apparently, per Bobby Cruise, LeeJ is sticking. Sure, why not. Despite Ian and Caprice trying to talk up the Philly Marino Experience, this doesn’t feel like it’ll last long. Johnson and Tenaglia start. Apparently PME are the Glory Pro United Glory Tag Team Champions. In the last year, they’ve defended against Lykos Gym, The Outrunners, Violence is Forever, and they’ve beaten MxM to boot. That said, you wouldn’t really know it. Johnson does well for himself, but every time Nduka comes in the ring, it’s just devastation. After Nduka destroys Collins, Johnson finishes it with a frog splash.
Lee Johnson & EJ Nduka def. Marino Tenaglia & Philly Collins (Lee Johnson pins Philly Collins) with a frog splash in 4:38.
We take a look at last week’s title defense for Athena in an absolutely brutal Ring of Horror match with Abadon, featuring chairs, skewers, thumbtacks, and more. Absolutely amazing stuff and well worth your time to check out. After that, we’re backstage with Athena and Lexy Nair (cradling the actual ROH Women’s World Title like a baby, as Athena has taken to keeping the spinner variant with her picture on her shoulder. It’s EMERGENCY MEM TIME. Athena suggests we expand our horizons. She’s already won in Canada, and now let’s add the UK, Mexico, India, China, Japan…and they’re interrupted by Billie Starkz. Athena tells Lexy to deal with this and leaves. Lexy tells Billie she needs to think about her decision in Minion Time Out. Billie is again left frustrated.
MATCH 5 – Diamante vs. Rachael Ellering
During Diamante’s entrance, we look at her ROH Women’s TV Title match with Red Velvet from four weeks ago, where Diamante got herself disqualified, after attacking Velvet with the TV Title belt. Rachael was last seen in the ring on Honor Club seven weeks ago, in a squash win over Maggie Lee. Early on it’s Ellering’s power against Diamante’s speed. Some nice jockeying for position over a gut wrench–I like seeing that for elementary moves. If everyone uses them, you should be at least sort of prepared to counter them. Anyway, Ellering goes for the squish (running senton) but Diamante gets knees up and takes control. Ellering uses her power to get back in the swing of things, hits the squish, but Diamante goes to the eyes in the corner, and rolls the dice for the win.
Diamante pins Rachael Ellering with a Roll the Dice in 4:26.
Post-match, Diamante celebrates, but Red Velvet slips in the ring behind her for the attack. Diamante slides out, and the two jaw, as we’ve undoubtedly got another title match coming here.
We then go to a video package from Death Before Dishonor, as Leyla Hirsch defeated Diamante in the first women’s Texas Death Match (not technically a Last Woman Standing or Lights Out match as Ian says). At least I don’t believe it was Lights Out. Regardless, Hirsh dislocated her elbow in the process and is making her return NOW.
MATCH 6 – Leyla Hirsch vs. Tina San Antonio
Important: Despite her name, Ms. San Antonio, to my knowledge, has never worked in Texas. Much less San Antonio proper. Now, to the match. Early on, Hirsch uses a mix of strikes and technical prowess to maintain control, as Caprice talks about her wanting to test out the elbow coming back. But it doesn’t matter much as Hirsch caves in San Antonio’s head with a running knee for the quick win.
Leyla Hirsh pins Tina San Antonio with a running knee in 2:31.
Backstage we go to Matt Taven, who is gunning for Lee Moriarty and the Pure Title. Taven isn’t stating his opinion to the camera, like everyone else is. He spits nothing but facts. Taven is one title away from completing the whole set. He has nothing against Moriarty but he’s looking at a puzzle and he’s missing a piece, and Moriarty has it. Also it’s interesting that he calls it the one title that’s “escaped me” as he has never even had a shot at it to date. Though to be fair, it was already gone for three years by the time Taven made his ROH debut. Taven was around when the title was resurrected in August of 2020, but by that point he was finishing up his feud with The Righteous, he and Bennett were tag title contenders, and he was a World Title contender.
After that, we go to a video package of the six-man Fight Without Honor from AEW Dynamite, where Tomohiro Ishii got the pin on Chris Jericho to (presumably) set up an ROH World Title defense soon. I mean, we did this before, it was aggressively fine, and no one really believes Ishii will take the title now either, but sure.
MATCH 7 – Aaron Solo vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Instead of the sarcastic following of the Code of Honor, Solo foregoes it entirely and tries to start throwing forearms against Ishii. It goes about as well as you’d expect, and Ishii drops him with an elbow. Ishii takes the advantage with strikes until Solo cuts him off with a knee to the midsection, but Ishii takes back over with a shoulder tackle and a series of strikes in the corner. Ishii does not care for the official getting in the way of said strikes, and a Saito suplex gets two for Ishii. Ishii charges and Solo counters it into a sort of half nelson overhead throw, and hits a top rope double stomp for two. He tries for a single underhook lifting DDT but when Ishii counters, Solo rolls him up for a nice two. Ishii fires up and hits a lariat for two. Solo counters the brainbuster, and hits a 540 kick. Ishii catches a superkick, hits a jumping enzugiri, and the sliding lariat and brainbuster finish.
Tomohiro Ishii pins Aaron Solo with a brainbuster in 5:30.
We’re about to have The Righteous in action, but before they can get to the ring (or we can know who their opponents were), Dustin and Sammy attack from the aisleway! Sammy hits his diving cutter off the stairs on Vincent, and Dustin is paired off with Dutch, before security arrives to separate everyone. Dustin and Sammy stand tall in the ring, and Vincent and Dutch look happy in the aisleway. Vincent says “That’s exactly what I’ve been waiting for,” with a twinkle in his eye, as Ian points out that The Righteous have the champs on edge.
MATCH 8 – Nick Wayne vs. Ryan Clancy
This is Clancy’s ROH debut, but was recently seen on Rampage teaming with TJ Crawford in a loss to The Acclaimed. Ian and Caprice talk up Clancy’s ring skills, having been trained at the Lance Storm Academy, but they wonder if in a match with someone like Wayne given his new attitude, if technical prowess will be enough. A European style chain wrestling sequence into a takeover gets the crowd on his side, and the keep popping bigger for everything he does. I love it. Caprice drops a Norman Smiley reference, and not to be outdone, Ian namedrops Johnny Rougeau. Wayne takes control, but Clancy fights back with a couple of quick flash pin attempts, but a double flying headbutt leads to a double down. Clancy gets two off a Thesz Press and a Russian legsweep. The crowd goes into a “Let’s go Clancy” chant, as Caprice says he’d love to see Clancy in the Pure division. As someone who’s tired of the same three guys rotating in and out of the division, that’s a healthy “yes please” from me. Clancy goes up top, but Wayne kicks the official into the ropes, and a Dragon suplex and Wayne’s World finish.
Nick Wayne pins Ryan Clancy with Wayne’s World in 7:28.
Backstage with The Infantry and Shane Taylor Promotions, talking to security. Taylor asks who has seen Dustin Rhodes. No one answers, so Moriarty kicks one in the face. One finally says he saw Dustin in catering, and STP takes out the rest. He says he doesn’t like thieves, and Rhodes is in possession of stolen property. This doesn’t stop until they get it back.
Our historical match this week is from ROH TV Episode 492 (from February 19, 2021), as an earlier version of Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane, and the Sons of Savagery–Moses and Kaun–yes, that Kaun) challenge Mexi-Squad (Rey Horus, Bandido, and Flamita) for the ROH World Six Man Titles. Ian and Caprice are on the call, and are joined by Maria Kanellis-Bennett. Both Moses and former STP member O’Shay Edwards are also still floating around the east coast independents. Just saying. If you do look up this full episode, there’s also a nice match with LFI (Dragon Lee/Kenny King) taking on The Briscoes for the No. 1 contendership to the ROH World Tag Team Titles held at that point by The Foundation tandem of Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham. Anyway, back to this match, Taylor pins Flamita in 9:00 even to win the titles. STP would go on to hold the titles for 295 days before losing them to The Righteous (Vincent, Dutch, and Bateman) at Final Battle 2021.
MATCH 9 – Josh Woods vs. AR Fox
Mark Sterling runs down the virtues of Josh Woods, shills the new shirt, and, naturally the “Athletes Rule” catchphrase gets messed up the by the fans again, who instead say “Suck.” Come on, guys, get with it. So we’ll have Woods’ power and technical acumen against Fox’s experience and agility. Woods quickly tries to smother Fox to keep him from flying around the ring. Woods mostly keeping it grounded in the early going, with some help from Mark Sterling on the outside as well. But Woods makes a mistake playing to the crowd too much letting Fox get back into it with a forearm, and a draping DDT. Fox goes for a Package Piledriver but gets distracted by Sterling. Woods is able to reverse for a vertical suplex, but both tumble out over the top to the floor. Not sure who took the worst of it, but Woods is up first. Doesn’t last long as he walks into a cutter on the outside. Fox springboards but eats a pumping knee from Woods for a long nearfall. Fox counters Chaos Theory with a victory roll for two. Fox looks for a moonsault, but Woods goes to crotch him on the top rope. Fox rolls through it, rolls Woods through, hits a basement cutter, a rolling death valley driver, and a 450 for the win.
AR Fox pins Josh Woods with a 450 splash in 10:55.
Post-match, Nick Wayne appears to attack Fox, as they’re set to go at it on Collision on Saturday.
MATCH 10 – The Butcher vs. Katsuyori Shibata
The Butcher’s last in-ring appearance on ROH TV was way back in Episode 47 (January 18, 2024) as he and The Blade lost to Top Flight. He’s known as such a brawler, Ian and Caprice point out the incongruity as Butcher is choosing to keep it on the mat and wrestle Shibata. Also noting that as Butcher captured Shibata in a half-crab, Shibata went to the ropes whereas in the Pure Division, he almost refuses to do so. The hesitation dropkick and snap suplex get two for Shibata, but the PK is countered with a big clothesline. Shibata is able to capture a sleeper, and connects with the PK this time to finish.
Katsuyori Shibata pins The Butcher with the PK in 4:46.
On the outside, Shibata shakes hands with Butcher and raises his hand, as Ian wishes us HAPPY WRESTLING, EVERYBODY!
THE NUMBERS
Total Show Time: 1:49:03
Total Match Time (counting Historical): 1:04:34 (58.2%)
Average Match Time (w/ Historical): 5:52
Average Match Time (w/o Historical): 5:33
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