Last week: Mike Bennett overcame Rhett Titus in a Pure Rules match in the main event after Brian Johnson won the Pure Rules Gauntlet by last eliminating LSG.
ROH TV Episode 523
September 25, 2021
Baltimore, MD
– Host Quinn McKay was here again to introduce tonight’s card including a big Four Corner Survival match that will potentially crown a new top contender to the ROH World champion Bandido.
– Brian Johnson talked about his plans to prove that “The Mecca” is ready to dominate the Pure Division. Johnson’s frequent tag team partner & mentor PJ Black confronted his protege with a challenge: a Pure Rules match against Black tonight. Johnson would have to shake PJ’s hand if he loses, with Brian proudly doing so if the unexpected happens.
Pure Rules: PJ Black vs. Brian Johnson
During his entrance, Brian Johnson cut a promo on the way to the ring; stating that he’ll teach “The Doctor” how to really spell “pure” (“M-E-C-C-A”) prior to giving himself his own in-ring introduction.
The early hold exchange saw PJ Black aiming for his student’s left arm before using his powerful legs to lock on a head scissors. Johnson’s head was turning red as he used his legs to free himself. Johnson got up and began trading arm drags until he landed a big dropkick that put Brian at ringside. Johnson reentered, only to get arm barred and forced to use a rope break. Johnson got up swinging, only to run into a head scissors that pitched him to the floor for a tope from the veteran. Big diving elbow saw Black almost pin his opposition; the same when he landed a cross body off the top rope. Black went for a springboard moonsault at the five minute mark, only to hit nothing but canvas prior to the commercial break.
Irish whips into knees from Johnson gave him the chance to run his mouth and allow Black to recover. When Johnson came after him, PJ pulled him down with a pinning combination that he turned into the pendulum. Smartly, Black walked Johnson to the ropes where “The Mecca” had no choice but to use a rope break. Black’s focus on the neck of Johnson saw him whip him around the ring while twisting his opponent’s head. After executing a belly to back suplex, Black came off the top with something in mind that Johnson avoided. PJ rolled to his feet, throwing a clothesline at the same time as Brian that caused a double down. Dey got up a clubberin’ in da middle, Tony! With five minutes left in the time limit, Black landed a super kick-springboard moonsault combo to gain a two count thanks to Johnson using his final rope break.
Shoving Black into the referee, Johnson illegally punched PJ without the ref seeing. Black didn’t have the chance to figure out what was going on when Brian grabbed him & hit The Process before pinning his mentor.
Black grabbed the microphone to congratulate Johnson for winning even if he had to cheat to do so. Offering the Code of Honor after stating he’ll be there whenever “The Mecca” needs him, Black found Johnson actually shaking his hand.
– Brian Zane was in the back with Brian Johnson with the latter insulting Zane for being just as unqualified to ask him questions as Quinn McKay. PJ Black reentered the scene to congratulate Johnson again with Brian taking this acknowledgment as proof he’s the future of ROH’s Pure Division.
– Eli Isom cut a promo on his old partner Ryan Mooney where he remarked on his former ally thinking of himself as a person living in the shadow of World Famous CB and Isom himself. Though he’s proud Ryan is still fighting strong, Isom promised that Mooney wouldn’t stop him from reaching his goal of becoming ROH World Television champion.
Mooney had an opposing promo where he simply stated that this rivalry isn’t personally, just two brothers who love each other trying to reach the top. On ROH “Week By Week” this week, Ryan gets the chance to prove that you shouldn’t make promises that you can’t keep when taking on Mooney.
– At “Glory By Honor: Night 2” last month, The Foundation overcame VLNCE UNLTD, but it was VU standing tall at the end with a post-match thrashing. There were multiple highlights from the bout including Tony Deppen’s thrashing where The Foundation focused on Tony’s legs, King power bombing Titus atop Gresham in an act that broke Jonathan’s left cheek bone, and the Pure champion being driven through a table by Chris Dickinson. Next week it’ll be all of VU taking on four mystery opponents.
ROH World Tag Team champion Kenny King vs. ROH World Six-Man Tag Team champion Shane Taylor vs. Jay Lethal vs. Brody King
Kenny King reflected on the days of old where warring kingdoms would eventually converse through their issues, but that isn’t the way of La Faccion Ingobernable – something he’ll prove tonight when he puts everyone down.
Shane Taylor saw this match as a chance to silence every critic. Taylor’s focus is strictly on King.
Brody King’s words were simple – he’s beaten Shane Taylor and Jay Lethal in the past, while Kenny King has avoided him. With nowhere to run, Brody plans to run through everyone.
Jay Lethal stated the obvious that this match would put the winner closer to challenging for the World title before reminding everyone he’s the only one to have made it to World champion status and his need to have the title again will carry him to victory.
Code of Honor between everyone but Kenny King. It was Brody King and Jay Lethal. Unlike their previous contest at “Best in the World”, Lethal attempted to wrestle Brody to an advantage. Landing a quick dropkick when Brody rolled through an arm wringer, Lethal found himself confronted by Shane Taylor after the Six-Man Tag Team champion tagged himself in. Taylor muscled Lethal into the corner for a big right hook to Jay’s ribs. Lethal countered with leg kicks, only to feel a sickening clothesline.
Missing the enzuguri when Taylor came after Jay failed, but not the dropkick aimed at his knee that was topped by a dragon screw that rolled Shane to the hands of Kenny King. Deep arm drag from Kenny after Lethal attempted to outclass him. The same thing happened seconds later when King countered the arm drags by simply punching Lethal in the mouth. As if that wasn’t enough, Kenny used the hip toss-dropkick combo on the master that almost ended Jay’s night heading into the commercial break.
Kenny had Lethal posted against the turnbuckles, stomping the life out of him. Brody tagged in, slapping Lethal out of the ring. Kenny didn’t take kindly to Brody’s intervening, chopping him. Brody and Kenny started chopping & forearming until the LFI member lost the battle and was prone to a series of offense including Brody’s senton splash. Kenny rallied back and caught both Brody and Shane with kicks to their heads before diving on Brody following the blockbuster. Lethal ran in, breaking up Kenny’s pin.
Before Kenny could retaliate, Shane grabbed him so Brody could clothesline Kenny. Taylor tagged himself in, starting a slugfest with Brody that ended with VLNCE UNLTD’s leader falling to the floor for a Lethal tope. In the ring, Taylor drilled Kenny, blocked the Lethal Injection to hit his Marcus Garvey Driver on The Foundation representative, and almost pinned Lethal when Kenny interfered. Kenny picked up Taylor to execute a surprising blue thunder driver. Brody ran in, knocking Kenny down before almost decapitating Taylor with the lariat for the pin fall.
Overall: Another post-PPV episode that didn’t have any fallout from the pay-per-view, but definitely set the stage for big things in the future. Of course Brody King picked up another big win over potential top World title contender Shane Taylor that should put him near, if not next in line to face current World champ Bandido. The match itself was really good, but would’ve benefited from the time used to highlight the eight-man tag match to really breathe and be the classic it had the potential of being.
The opening contest really established Johnson as a threat in the Pure Division similar to what Nigel McGuinness was during his historic reign as Pure champion where he used the rules, ring-positioning, and dirty tactics to retain his title for nearly a year. PJ is really an underrated talent and with him & Johnson apparently splitting, this may be the beginning of bigger things for him as well. Good stuff all around and, hopefully next week begins the true fallout from “Death Before Dishonor”.
