Right after the opening sequence, we have Ian and Caprice run down the card! The ROH World TV Title is on the line, and we’ve got a Proving Ground match for the Women’s World Title.
MATCH 1 – Angelico vs. Gabe Kidd
Caprice says this isn’t the first time they’ve met, but I can’t find it. Kidd is the New Japan Strong Openweight Champion, and as Ian points out, that title is not on the line. Instead of the Code of Honor, Kidd decks Angelico with a slap to the face, and tosses him out of the corner with a throw. Angelico tries to use unorthodox striking and pin combinations but it isn’t to much avail, as Kidd catches him and hits a series of piledrivers for the win.
Gabe Kidd pins Angelico with a piledriver in 4:11.
MATCH 2 – JD Drake & BEEF vs. Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor & Lee Moriarty)
Ian points out that Shane Taylor has been calling out champions of all types on social media. Most of us are not forgetting how he was calling out Mark Briscoe, either. BEEF and Taylor start. Taylor lays out BEEF with a short clothesline and continues to talk trash. When it’s Taylor in the match for STP, his power and striking take over, but when it’s Moriarty, the bigger Drake and BEEF are able to take control back. Taylor dims Drake’s lights with a right cross and a big splash finishes.
Shane Taylor Promotions def. JD Drake & BEEF (Taylor pins Drake) with a big splash in 6:39.
Post-match, STP lays the boots to Drake. BEEF jumps on top of him to cover him up, and of all people, The Kingdom intervene with chairs! It doesn’t make much sense at first, but Caprice points out that Taven is chasing the Pure Title. Ian also points out that there’s no love lost between The Kingdom and The Infantry.
Comments from The Righteous. Before they can become ROH World Tag Team Champions, Dutch has a poem for Dustin Rhodes. Dutch calls himself Dustin’s “long lost brother,” and says “now we’ve finally got your attention.” He remembers sitting in a locker room 14 years ago and feeling broken, when Dusty told him he always believed in him, and urged him to take the bullrope and cowbell, saying it would mean more to him than it would to Dustin. And in that moment, he realized he had made Daddy proud.
MATCH 3 – Kevin Knight vs. Serpentico
Knight is one half of the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions with KUSHIDA. Off the bat, Ian points out that a win from Serpentico here could set up SAP for a title shot. This was a great showcase match for Kevin Knight here with Serpentico able to get a chance to show what he can do as well. Knight hits a nice sky high powerbomb and pops up into a standing, rotating frog splash. Knight gets to show off some absolutely jaw dropping athleticism, literally leaping OVER a clothesline. Just wild stuff. Again, fun showcase for Knight, who finishes off Serpentico fairly easily.
Kevin Knight pins Serpentico with a springboard clothesline in 4:49.
MATCH 4 – Mike Bennett vs. Tomohiro Ishii
Given that Ishii has an ROH World Title match coming up in six days on the Thanksgiving Eve Dynamite, I feel like I know how this is going to go. Going to point out ahead of time that Bennett is criminally underrated, so this could be sneaky good. In short order, they get into a chop battle, which Ishii eventually wins. He also uses that shorter fireplug frame to run through Bennett on a shoulder tackle. When Ishii joined the Conglomeration earlier this summer, that was the first time he and Bennett had been across the ring from each other since the 2015 World Tag League. Bennett and Taven were in the same block as the CHAOS tandem of Ishii and Shinsuke Nakamura. Also appreciate Caprice making the point that while Taven is chasing the Pure Title, Bennett needs to be chasing his own goals. Shockingly, Bennett survives the delayed superplex and the sliding lariat. The sheer drop brainbuster finishes Bennett though.
Tomohiro Ishii pins Mike Bennett with the sheer drop brainbuster in 6:52.
HISTORICAL MATCH – The Briscoes (Jay & Mark) vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Kensuke Sasaki – Final Battle 2008
This is from Final Battle 2008. At this time, Saaki was the GHC Heavyweight Champion for Pro Wrestling NOAH, and Nakajima would capture the first of his three GHC Junior Heavyweight Title roughly two months after this show. For many ROH fans, this show is better known for the Danielson/Morishima Fight Without Honor, but this Briscoes match shouldn’t be slept on, nor should Nigel McGuinness defending the ROH World Title against Naomichi Marufuji, and a damn good Austin Aries/Tyler Black No. 1 contenders match. The team of Dave Prazak and Lenny Leonard are on the call as part of the original DVD release commentary. Nakajima does most of the heavy lifting in this match for his team, but Jay is able to spike Nakajima with the Jay Driller for the win. Absolutely check this out on Honor Club, and honestly, all of Final Battle 2008. Fantastic show top to bottom.
The Briscoes def. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Kensuke Sasaki (Jay pins Nakajima) with the Jay Driller in 16:45.
MATCH 6 – Ariya Daivari vs. Shingo Takagi
Yeah, this isn’t ending well for Daivari. Shingo is the current NEVER Openweight Champion for New Japan Pro Wrestling, and is actually a former ROH World Tag Team Champion, and had a banger of a match with Takeshi Morishima in Chicago Ridge for the ROH World Title too. He’s already also got a match set for Wrestle Kingdom on January 4 with Konsuke Takeshita for the NEVER Openweight Championship. If Takeshita is still the AEW International Champion by then, both belts will be on the line. And the winner will defend however many AEW/IWGP belts they have at that point against Ishii at Wrestle Dynasty the next night. As I write all that, Daivari took advantage of a Mark Sterling distraction to damage Shingo on the outside. Shingo takes back over, but Sterling interrupts Made in Japan allowing Daivari to regain control and go for a nice hammerlock DDT for a two. Daivari continues working on Shingo’s arm to combat the Pumping Bomber, but Shingo fights back with other strikes. Pumping Bomber hits anyway, and Made in Japan finishes.
Shingo Takagi pins Ariya Daivari with Made in Japan in 7:45.
We get the rundown of the Full Gear card.
MATCH 7 – Leila Grey vs. Athena
A Proving Ground match for the ROH Women’s World Title here. You know the drill by now. If Leila lasts 10 minutes or beats Athena, she gets a future title shot. Athena is out alone with the spinner variant of the title belt, not really taking this too seriously it would appear. This is the first match between these two. Athena takes down Grey, musses her hair, and celebrates, until Grey drops her with a clothesline, and tries a series of flash pins. Grey gets a flurry around the four minute mark punctuated with a nice bulldog for a two count. Grey blocks a pull into the corner, but hesitates before attacking again, allowing Athena to counter, and absolutely DRILL Grey with a handspring forearm in the corner and a powerslam. Athena finishes with a gogoplata variant. Ian says she went nearly 8 minutes, but I have the clock a bit less.
Athena def. Leila Grey via submission with a gogoplata in 6:40.
MATCH 8 – Brian Cage(c) vs. AR Fox – ROH World TV Championship Match
Fox has won three in a row in ROH competition coming in–two singles wins over Josh Woods (Ep. 89) and Jack Cartwheel (Ep. 86), and a tag win with Komander on episode 81. Cage immediately sends Fox over the top to the floor. This is the first time these two have met in singles action since a Florida independent in 2022. Lifetime, Cage is 2-1 against Fox in one-on-one matches. Cage goes after Fox on the floor, but Fox is able to take over with high flying offense. It’s only a matter of time though until Cage catches him and takes control with a big Saito suplex. Fox keeps trying to stick and move and drop Cage on his head, but Cage fights back with an impressive pumphandle facebuster for two. The crowd absolutely buys a rolling DVD into a 450 splash for a long two count just before the 8 minute mark. Fox goes for an avalanche Spanish fly, but Cage is able to shrug him off and hit a leaping swinging DDT, and repeating powerbombs for two himself. Fox tries to catch him with a roll up and almost gets him, but Cage escapes, and hits the Drill Claw to finish.
Brian Cage pins AR Fox with Drill Claw in 9:26.
Cage poses and celebrates as Ian wishes us HAPPY WRESTLING, EVERYBODY!
THE NUMBERS
Total Episode Time: 1:32:34
Total Match Time: 1:03:07 (68.1%)
Average Match Time: 7:53
Average Match Time (not inc’l Historical): 6:37
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