Last week: VLNCE UNLTD showed their path to honor is viable by overcoming The Foundation in a wild sight-man tag.
ROH TV Episode 506
June 4, 2021
Baltimore, MD
At ROH’s “19th Anniversary”, Silas Young turned on his protege Josh Woods. A few weeks later, Young stole a victory over the “Technical Beast” by using the ropes for leverage during a pinning counter of Woods’ submission. Quinn McKay caught up with Young to question how he could be proud of the win. Woods confronted Young, only for Silas to throw out the challenge, “…Pure Rules match.” Woods had a good laugh about the idea and was happy to accept the challenge.
– Sporting a new black mask, Flamita – going by the name of “Demonic Flamita” – promised Hell has arrived courtesy of himself. Rey Horus was happy to see his old ally’s true colors, promising to bring his dark side out to overcome Flamita before getting his shot at the ROH World Championship by winning the Survival of the Fittest tournament.
Survival of the Fittest Qualifier: Demonic Flamita vs. Rey Horus
Demonic Flamita got a new entrance with a bunch of haunting imagery topped off by his Ministry-style robe. Stern collar & elbow tie up resulted in Rey Horus shoving his former ally against the turnbuckles. Horus broke clean, but when it happened again and Flamita was on the other end he attacked him from behind after feigning a clean break. The pace quickened as Horus came off the ropes, landing a kick after being tripped. DF was able to avoid a follow-up attack in the corner, only to be pulled to the canvas with a corkscrew body scissors takedown. Flamita back dropped the incoming Rey over the top rope, utilizing a spear to send his opponent and himself to ringside. DF broke the referee’s count so he could continue his assault on his former ally by whipping him against the barricades.
Flamita was in complete control, actually bashing Horus in the back with a chair. The referee opted to not disqualify DF as Flamita placed Horus in the open chair for a springboard attack. When Flamita jumped, Horus did the same while tripping DF onto the apron back first. DF ended up in the open chair, prone to a somersault plancha. Rolling into the ring, Horus was fine with getting a count-out victory. When it seemed Flamita was going to be counted out, Horus came after him with the intent of winning this match in the ring. Instead, Horus ran into a Spanish fly on the floor! As if that wasn’t enough, DF executed a frog splash after pitching Rey into the ring … to gain a near fall prior to the commercial break!
DF got his abdomen peppered by hooks before he was slung face first against the middle turnbuckle. Horus almost gained the pin fall with a full body roll up into the sunset flip. Flamita countered an Irish whip with a simple punch topped by the drop toe hold into the turnbuckles. Horus couldn’t stop a slingshot DDT, but did kick out of DF’s subsequent pin. Horus rolled onto the apron, failing to block a suplex back in to the ring. Horus used an Irish whip into the corner against Flamita; putting him on the top for a super arm drag. Deja vu DDT allowed Horus to attain another two count. Stopping Rey’s ascent up the ropes, DF pulled Horus into that muscle buster codebreaker before rolling Rey up for the three count.
– Sledge and Brian Johnson spoke about their upcoming SotF qualifier. Sledge condemned Johnson for not only believing he’s owed a better spot in ROH, he mentioned “The Mecca” also disrespecting his own father. But Sledge lost his father at twelve-years-old and will make Johnson rue the day of degrading someone Sledge would give to have in his life for just one second.
– Johnson commented on Sledge’s overcoming addiction to make it to ROH. Johnson also knows what it means to have an addiction as he’s addicted to pro wrestling. With fury in his voice, Johnson declared his next fix will be satiated courtesy of “The Metalhead Meatball”. That make airs on ROH’s YouTube channel this week.
Pure Rules Match: Silas Young vs. Josh Woods
Silas Young’s pre-match promo saw “The Last Real Man” state Josh Woods is going wrong about things when believing he can out-wrestle Silas. This is a thinking man’s game and Silas knows Woods isn’t on his level. Woods also had a pre-match promo; simply stating he’ll prove his the superior wrestling tonight.
This Pure Rules match will have a thirty-minute time limit instead of the regular fifteen. Josh Woods seemed impressed with himself in the early going as he easily outmaneuvered his opponent any time they tied up. Young eventually found himself in a better position, rolling through a waist lock to cinch in the single-leg Boston crab. Woods was prepared, countering anything “The Last Real Man” tried to execute.
Working his way toward the ropes, Young pushed his opponent across the ring. Woods stopped whatever Silas had in mind with a shoulder block topped by the body scissors that went from a pinning combination into a seated reverse bear hug. Young pried Josh’s fingers to free himself, putting the pressure on “The Technical Beast’s” neck via a head scissors. They were trading head scissors on the mat until they ended in a stalemate leading into the commercial break.
Young got up offering the handshake. Young used the honorable act to yank Woods into punch behind the referee’s back. Woods stumbled into the corner, turning the tables while throwing forearms. The referee went to break up the brawl in the corner when Young threw a haymaker over the referee’s shoulder that landed on Woods’ jaw. Josh responded in kind by punching Young. Unfortunately for Woods, the referee saw the illegal strike to issue a warning that would lead to a disqualification for “The Technical Beast” if it happened again.
Woods was furious, going after Young’s left arm. Woods’ attention got the better of him as he walked into a hotshot. Young’s attention went to the torso as he locked in an abdominal stretch followed by the body vice. Woods used his free legs to twist the feet & ankles of his former mentor as they were wrapped around him. Young found himself backing Woods into the corner for some shoulder rams heading into the commercial break.
With twelve minutes down, Woods was whipped into the turnbuckles chest first. “The Technical Beast” took all of Young’s abdomen-aimed attacks, as well as his jaw jacking. Placing Woods on the top rope, Young’s superplex was countered into a super neck breaker. They got up swinging for the fences until Woods rolled Silas into the rear naked choke. Young had no choice but to use the ropes to save himself. With two rope breaks remaining, Young attempted to push himself off the bottom rope to steal a pin again; but the referee saw it. Woods ended up on the apron after he blocked a suplex to the floor.
Unfortunately for Woods on the way over the top he got crotched. Woods shook off the pain before attempting a German suplex attempt to the floor. Young grabbed the ropes to stop the maneuver, only for a confused Woods to be pulled down with an apron-assisted DDT. Young took a long time to follow up with the pin having to push Woods back in, but Woods refused to go down so easily. Young found himself caught in the corner when Woods stopped the Peegee Waja Plunge. Young grabbed the ropes by his hands to unintentionally sacrifice his final rope break as his former protege attempted to drag him to the mat, but also gained some distance to pull off the FIB and the Anarchist Neck Breaker … to gain a near fall thanks to Woods using his first rope break to stop the pin!
Woods countered another suplex to hit the Last Rites in the corner! Twenty minutes had passed when Young caught Woods running with the Finlay Roll portion of the Plunge. Woods avoided the second half of Young’s patented maneuver, sweeping Silas into the Beast Lock. Young clawed his way to the ropes, but had no rope breaks left to save him. “The Last Real Man” realized his situation and tapped out.
Young actually followed the Code of Honor.
Overall: Some interesting pay-offs coming out of this show while also starting the Survival of the Fittest tournament. With Flamita going demonic, the man in black definitely stuck to his more sinister attitude as of late while Horus gave him the fight of his life. Outside of a questionable chair shot that should’ve resulted in a disqualification considering this wasn’t a grudge match like Flamita versus Bandido from a few weeks ago, Flamita-Horus was as good as one would expect it to be with a lucha bout unlike anything else seen on ROH TV in weeks. Just like the opening contest, there was a lot of story & history coming into the main event.
Woods and Young had a technical marvel of a bout with them exchanging so many holds, countering so many reversals, and Young establishing himself as a perfect foil in a match like this where he could cheat in the same way Nigel McGuinness did years ago when he was the Pure champion. But Woods’ proficiency in Pure Rules outings and Young being forced to use his rope breaks during the match’s latter third saw Josh reign supreme. It’ll be interesting if they do a rubber match considering they are 1-1 since Young turned on Woods in March, or if this is the end considering Silas followed the Code of Honor. The show’s only flaw is the fact Sledge versus Johnson won’t happen on ROH TV – it was assumed that all SotF matches would be on ROH TV. Really good episode with two totally different matches making up the hour.
