Last week: Flamita gained a big win over Flip Gordon thanks to the help of Mark Briscoe, while Dak Draper established himself as a top contender in the Pure division and Tony Deppen overcame ROH World Tag Team champion Kenny King.
ROH TV Episode 496
March 20, 2021
Baltimore, MD
Eli Isom had the opportunity to be a part of the sit-down interview series ROH TV has become known for lately. Isom talked about his three-sport high school career that turned into a passion for pro wrestling thanks to his mother. Unfortunately, Eli suffered great loss when his mother died in a car accident while he was struggling to make his dream come true of becoming a wrestler. It was during his journey to accomplish a dream that Isom met Cheeseburger before the two formed a trios once known as Shinobi Shadow Squad. But Isom now is on his own and his sights are set for the ROH World Television Championship. Isom sees the TV title as a way to build himself up from the bottom. That new journey starts tonight against Rey Horus – a man he believes he can match in the former Six-Man Tag Team champion hold for hold, move for move.
Rey Horus explained his knowledge of losing when the Television Championship is on the line. For Horus, the loss to Dragon Lee has reset his goal; but not stopped it. Horus sees this match as a chance to stop someone like Isom from overtaking him in the rankings before he can get another title shot. For Horus, his victory tonight will solidify the power of lucha libre.
Rey Horus vs. Eli Isom
Stern collar & elbow tie-up saw Rey Horus using some interesting maneuvering to counter arm locks before exchanging failed pinning combinations. Horus landed the first strike by back kicking Isom in the abdomen. Back dropping the incoming Isom over the top, Horus was able to get a running start to somersault over the turnbuckle for a plancha on Eli heading into the commercial break.
Isom caught Horus running with a northern lights suplex when the show returned. Isom’s dead-lift suplex failed, resulting in him taking a Spanish fly. Rey seemed frustrated enough to start mouthing off at the rising Isom. Eli came up firing off forearms that rocked the former Tag champ. Big enzuguri landed for Isom, only for Horus to stop a follow-up Irish whip to overhead belly-to-belly suplex Isom against the turnbuckles. Isom somehow blocked a tornado DDT to execute a brain buster to pick up a shocking pin fall.
An interesting promo aired showcasing footage from various bloody wars in ROH history while promoting the incoming “violence.”
Matt Taven cut a promo outside of a building while promising to end his feud with Vincent at the “19th Anniversary”.
La Faccion Ingobernable vs. The Foundation
Jonathan Gresham and Dragon Lee clashed yet again with the Pure titleholder forcing the masked man into the ropes. But no clean break from Gresham, resulting in Lee slapping “The Octopus”. Gresham responded in kind before the pair started choking each other. Gresham found himself on the wrong part of town, shoving Kenny King as the referee tried to separate the illegal competitors. Lee spit on Jay Lethal, bringing in the entire Foundation for a face-off between the two factions when the referee got between them. La Bestia del Ring tagged in, as did Tracy Williams. Taking Williams over, Bestia landed a kick that fired up “Hot Sauce”.
Chop after chop from both men led to Williams being downed and Lethal spit on by Bestia. Bestia missed the senton splash on Tracy, taking a missile dropkick for his trouble. Bestia left the ring, urging Williams to follow. Williams opted to tag out with Lethal demanding RUSH come in. RUSH caught Lethal jaw-jacking with a right hand that dropped his future challenger. Lethal fought his way out of the corner, landing chops, blocking an incoming kick, and connecting with an enzuguri to set up his springboard dropkick. RUSH fell to the floor, prone to that tope. Before Lethal could do two more as the norm, Lethal spit at LFI heading into the commercial break.
Kenny King became the legal man, only to be confronted by his old tag team partner Rhett Titus. The intense lock up between the former All Night Express members was a precursor to Titus blocking King’s patented Japanese arm drag when King tried to counter the hammerlock. King sidestepped Titus’ patented dropkick, initiating a strike exchange that ended with King raking Rhett’s face. Titus go enough distance to cross body block an incoming King before tagging out to Williams. “Hot Sauce” was aiming for the left arm of King; setting the stage for Lethal to follow suit.
Gresham entered, turning King into a human pretzel before simply enzuguri kicking the ROH World Tag Team champion. Rhett and Gresham failed to take advantage of a double Irish whip as RUSH ran in and King avoided Titus’ big boot in the corner. LFI immediately took the fight to the floor with Dragon Lee bringing Titus to the announcers’ table near the entrance before whipping Rhett into & over the barricade. Bestia was choking out Williams as King did the same to Gresham. Gresham fought back, elbowing King after Lethal took a back drop on the floor via Bestia. RUSH was using a camera cord to choke Titus prior to the commercial break.
LFI had Lethal isolated in the ring, unleashing a quadruple team dropkick to him. Williams attempted to fight all four opponents, but that didn’t last long. King spine buster on Williams set up a double team dropkick that slammed him to the floor. Titus attempted to attack King when Lee blindsided him. Lee slipped running up the ropes, giving Titus the chance to recover and stop a superplex. Unfortunately for Titus it was RUSH and Bestia yanking him off the top to put him in position for the King frog splash. Gresham was the last man to be picked apart by LFI.
Gresham was kicking & running, using misdirection to survive an impending onslaught. Rolling to Titus, Gresham tagged out to Rhett who was a house of fire. Bestia jumped into Titus’ northern lights suplex for a two count. Titus was beating up anyone in his path until Williams recovered and could drill Bestia with the piledriver. Lee reentered, starting a forearm exchange with Titus. A big maneuver exchange broke out that ended with RUSH feeling the Lethal Injection, only for King to blue thunder bomb Jay. Gresham dove through the ropes, wiping out RUSH and Lee. In the ring, Bestia used a package tombstone piledriver to pin Williams.
Overall: The final episode before ROH’s “19th Anniversary” pay-per-view was rooted in intensity. The main event was absolutely stellar and featured something you rarely see in wrestling today as both teams were just itching for a fight with disrespect and, most importantly, intensity being the main things seen throughout. There was such an uptick in physicality when the main event’s bell sounded that lasted past the final bell and will potentially be just as emphatic come Friday night.
Like several ROH matches over the last few months, Isom was a part of a shocking result as he pinned a former champion clean. The match itself was very good for the time it lasted and probably the best singles match Isom has had in ROH thus far. It’ll be interesting to see how fast Isom’s star rises and if the MexiSquad can get back in order in terms of consistently winning (an issue they’ve had dating back to pre-pandemic). Beyond the promos to build up the PPV, there was an interesting video promoting violence. It may be something to do with Brody King or someone else – guess we’ll have to wait & see. Fantastic PPV go-home episode from ROH and definitely worthy of your time for the main event alone.
