Last week: Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham overcame an imploding MexiSquad as Flamita turned on Bandido after a miscommunication.
ROH TV Episode 500
April 15, 2021
Baltimore, MD
After a wonderful opening package celebrating the 499 episodes up to this point, Quinn McKay welcomed everyone to the show while running down the card for tonight’s episode.
Jay Lethal spoke on not only the significance of tonight’s episode, but also how great it is stepping into the ring with someone as good as his tag team partner Jonathan Gresham. Though he respects Gresham, it would be disrespectful for him to not push “The Octopus” to the limit and win the ROH Pure Championship.
Jonathan Gresham was very excited about defending his title against both his tag team partner and the man many consider the best ROH has ever had to offer. Tonight is Gresham’s chance to establish himself alongside Lethal and others like him in the annals of ROH’s history.
Pure Championship: Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Jay Lethal w/ The Foundation
The opening three minutes saw nothing but impressive grappling with the champion trying to actually muscle his larger challenger around the ring while Jay Lethal avoided using the ropes to stop submission attempts. Jonathan Gresham had a deathlock with the side headlock. Lethal eventually freed himself and was looking for that hip toss-dropkick combo, but Gresham countered by hooking the wrist of his challenger. Lethal stopped a deep arm drag to enter a commercial break with both at a stalemate.
Jay Lethal had taken control as the match approached the ten minute mark. Working his way off the mat to stop a hammerlock, the champ was looking to kick Letha’s left shoulder out of place. Lethal blocked the intended attack, only to be slipped into the shoulder popper kick. With ten minutes down, Gresham contorted his challenger’s left arm & shoulder. Lethal countered by shoving Gresham into the ropes instead of sacrificing a rope break, only for both thinking shoulder blocks for a short double down.
When Lethal approached Gresham, “The Octopus” cinched in a kimura. Lethal stopped the submission, but found himself in a pinning predicament as Gresham tried to twist the arm & pin it against the mat. Gresham made a crucial mistake of letting Lethal get up and was swept into the setup for the Lethal Combination. Gresham countered, only to feel an ace crusher. Gresham was close enough to the ropes to save himself from a pin fall prior to the commercial break.
Tracy Williams was trying to fan Gresham as Lethal prepared the baseball slide. Lethal missed when Gresham slipped back into the ring. Lethal blocked a hurricarana attempt, putting in the Boston crab conveniently close to the ropes. The champ had no choice but to grab the bottom rope to lose another rope break. Lethal took a retaliatory shot to the shoulder, only for him to arm wrench Gresham left shoulder-first into the mat. The challenger had the Lethal Injection in mind, but his arm wasn’t having it. Gresham tried to pounce on Lethal when his challenger dropped when attempting the handstand portion of the Lethal Injection, only to get swept into a crossface. “The Octopus” was stuck now in the rings of Saturn, but he refused to stop his movement toward the ropes; lunging to freedom while losing his final rope break.
Lethal immediately went after Gresham’s shoulder when the champ reversed an arm wringer attempt off the wrist lock to head scissor Lethal for a takedown. When Lethal attempted to nip out of the head scissor takedown Gresham hooked his elevated legs with his own legs to pin his fellow Foundation member for the pin out of nowhere.
Footage from ROH TV episode 1 was shown including the main event’s ending where Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team defeated The Kings of Wrestling to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship.
Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Briscoe
The feeling out process early on saw Jay pushing his brother around in the collar & elbow, but Mark being the one ready to turn this into a brawl. The pace quickened with Mark taking a hurricarana leading to a stalemate. Double leg takedown didn’t help Mark much as he was yanked into a head scissors immediately after. Backing Jay into the nearby corner, Mark went for a knife-edge chop. Mark missed the chop, taking a big boot that put him on the floor in position for a flying double ace handle from his big brother prior to the commercial break.
Mark caught his big brother with a flying dropkick through the ropes after knocking Jay out of the ring to set up his flying elbow drop a la Cactus Jack. Suplex on the floor by Mark only paused Jay as he retaliated with another big boot that sent his brother over the barricade. Jay was looking to do something off the top rope when he threw Mark back in, only for Mark to catch him with the iconoclasm for a two count. Mark wanted to uranage Jay, but the eldest Briscoe brother had some chops in mind.
Blocking the Timebomb neck breaker, Mark pulled off his uranage to force Jay near the ropes. They were on the apron with Mark slapping the taste out of Jay’s mouth. Jay responded in kind, leading to a slug-fest that resulted in Mark having to stop a Death Valley driver on the apron. Mark came off the apron to pull off that blockbuster to drill Jay into the thinly padded floor. Grabbing a chair, Mark placed it in the ring with the intent of using it as a springboard. Jay slipped into the ring as Mark was running with a chair-assisted plancha attempt in mind, pulling off a DVD on the chair! Timebomb neck breaker immediately followed … for a near fall in Jay’s favor prior to the commercial break!
Dey was a clubberin’ in da middle, Tony! Jay swung himself into that rolling DVD. Mark came off the top with the Froggy Bow … to gain a near fall!
Mark had the Cutthroat Driver in mind, but Jay was able to stop from getting dropped on his head. Mark opted to go for the Jay Driller instead. Jay blocked his finisher from being used on himself, only to execute the Jay Driller immediately after … to earn another near fall!
Mark was too out of it to take advantage of kicking out, leaving him wide open for another Jay Driller. Thankfully for Mark he fell near enough to the ring’s edge after landing that he could roll out of the ring. Jay followed, cleaning off the timekeeper’s table. After breaking the count, Jay walked into a hotshot on the barricade before Mark set the table up by the ring. Placing Jay on the table, Mark climbed to the top rope. Mark pulled off the Froggy Bow to drive Jay through the table!
Mark made it into the ring before the twenty count. Jay was on his heels, only for his body to give out right as the referee counted him out to give Mark the victory. Dem Boys followed the Code of Honor to close this historic show.
Overall: ROH’s big 500th episode delivered in spades with two fantastic matches totally different from one another. The Pure title bout was catch-as-catch wrestling at its best with Gresham being somewhat overwhelmed by his opponent again, only to discover a way to snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat. This has become something of the norm with Gresham’s Pure title defenses, but endings are done so well & so uniquely it’s unlike anything else in wrestling right now. The battle of The Briscoes had a wonderful build from grappling to brawling to crazy highspots capped off by Mark putting Jay through a table and, believably, Jay being unable to beat the count. Kudos to everyone involved in not only this show, but also the 499 before to set up the perfect cap-off moment like this must-see episode.
