Welcome to another edition of The ROHbot Report – the only article you need for all the Ring of Honor news you have to know. A lot has changed since the last Report where Ring of Honor went on hiatus with fans wondering what would be different about the company when it potentially returns in April of 2022.
One of those major developments happened to be the announcement of Tony Kahn – owner of All Elite Wrestling – purchasing ROH from Sinclair Broadcast Group – ending a decade-plus-long relationship between ROH and SBG. Being a self-professed “ROH mega fan”, Kahn has promised ROH’s return show to be nothing short of monumental and, hopefully, leaves ROH fans wanting more. Lets see what will mark a new era of honor in pro wrestling.
Supercard of Honor Preview; April 1st, 2022; Garland, TX
ROH World Championship Unification Match: ROH World champion Bandido vs. ROH Original/Pure World champion Jonathan Gresham
Jonathan Gresham’s goal since debuting in ROH has been larger than himself. The golden days of ROH, in Gresham’s opinion, were during a time when Pure Rules matches were the norm and a division housing the best grapplers in the world reigned supreme – men like Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuinness, Doug Williams, and John Walters. For Gresham, pure wrestling was ROH; and so it should be again. Campaigning for the restoration of the Pure Championship and thus the Pure division, Gresham fought tooth & nail to become the first ROH Pure champion in nearly fifteen years; doing so for the world to see on ROH TV in 2020.
For the next year, “The Octopus” reigned supreme on the top of the Pure division mountain until he was finally dethroned by Josh Woods. Instead of ranting & raving about the loss, Gresham stepped back and accepted defeat while setting his sights on a new goal: become the most powerful man in ROH by winning the World title. As successful as men like Nigel McGuinness were as Pure champion, the ultimate goal for any ROH competitor is to become synonymous with the ROH World Championship – Bandido knew that feeling all too well.
Ring of Honor’s return to Baltimore on July 11th of 2021 wasn’t just monumental for the fact it was the first ROH event in seventeen months to be attended by fans, it also marked the night Bandido became the best in the world. Against all odds, Bandido capitalized on both his Survival of the Fittest tournament victory to earn the title shot as well as the hateful nature of then-champion RUSH when the latter attempted to unmask his challenger; leaving RUSH open for a roll up that resulted in “The Most Wanted” becoming the second man in ROH history to pin “El Toro Blanco”. Though Bandido’s title celebration was cut short, the reality remained he was now the ROH World champion.
Bandido kept his winning ways when that World title was on the line including a Four Corner Survival Elimination outing featuring Brody King, EC3 and Bandido’s former tag team partner Demonic Flamita. On the pay-per-view prior to “Final Battle”, Gresham overcame perennial title challenger Brody King to earn a shot at Bandido’s title for “Final Battle”. Then the unexpected happened. Literally days before “Final Battle”, Bandido tested positive for Covid-19 and couldn’t compete. In Bandido’s place was Gresham’s rival-turned-ally Jay Lethal to fight for tee original version of the ROH World Championship belt – the same title held by Low Ki, Xavier, Samoa Joe, CM Punk, Austin Aries, James “Jamie Noble” Gibson, Bryan Danielson, Homicide, Takeshi Morishima, Nigel McGuinness, Jerry Lynn, and Tyler Black.
“The Octopus” submitted Lethal in the “Final Battle” main event and began a new journey to establish his title as the only ROH World Championship. Recovered from his sickness, Bandido also defended his version of the ROH World title – the championship he never lost. Both have proven why they are top-level talents in a variety of promotions including GCW, Progress, and Impact. Bandido actually confronted his fellow ROH champion at the inaugural TERMINUS show to set the stage for this match; a match where the titles will be unified with one man standing tall as the undisputed ROH World champion.
This will be a definitive clash of styles with Gresham most likely looking to ground the high-flier, but doing so may put “The Octopus” in the clutches of a man with unbelievable strength and tenacity worthy of a grand champion. The outcome of this encounter will dictate the future of ROH going forward and, hopefully, the beginning of a grand new era of honor unlike anything seen before it in the most positive way.
ROH World Tag Team Championship: The Briscoes defend against FTR
“An End of an Era” was how Ring of Honor promoted “Final Battle 2021”. With so many questions floating around about what ROH would become by April 2022, there were few sureties in the honorable realm. One of those sureties was The Briscoes walking out twelve-time ROH World Tag Team champions as they defeated The OGK of Matt Taven & Mike Bennett. The celebratory moment to follow for The Briscoes in Philadelphia was interrupted by a loss of light.
When the stadium illuminated again, Dax Hardwood & Cash Wheeler – FTR – stood on the ring apron; staring a hole through “Dem Boys”. What came next was also a surety: a fight between two of the best tag teams in the world today. What started off as a social media feud had now spilled into The Briscoes’ home turf without fear of FTR about entering hostile territory.
While FTR has since mocked Jay & Mark for not being up to their standard, The Briscoes have been going to war throughout the country while reaping the rewards. From headlining GCW’s debut in the Hammerstein Ballroom to winning the 2022 NWA Crockett Cup, the ROH World Tag Team champions have been nothing short of busy. FTR are not only entering the opposing team’s home, they do so having struggled to regain the momentum they had after arriving in AEW and winning the promotion’s Tag Team title.
This could be a watershed moment for not only FTR, but also The Briscoes as a loss here for Mark & Jay would result in sheer uncertainty in regards to Jay & Mark’s future in this new era of ROH and whether or not FTR could be the saving grace for a tag division in shambles following ROH’s hiatus after “Final Battle ’21”. No matter the outcome, expect a fantastic, old school tag team affair not seen on pay-per-view in quite some time.
ROH World Television Championship: Rhett Titus defends against Minoru Suzuki
Someone very familiar with being an overachiever is Rhett Titus. Before Titus focused on being a practitioner of pure wrestling, Rhett gladly went to war with the likes of The Briscoes, Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team, SCUM of Kevin Steen, Jimmy Jacobs & Steve Corino, and even his old tag team partner Kenny King. While Titus has done well as a tag team wrestler, singles glory eluded him since his debut in ROH over fifteen years ago. “The Professional” has come close time & time again, but fell short when it mattered most.
Undeniably fueled by the determination that kept him going for so long in a company that helped shape him as a man, Titus had one final opportunity to make his dream a reality at “Final Battle” in a Four Corner Survival Television Championship bout featuring then-champion Dalton Castle, the returning Joe Hendry, and former two-time World Television titleholder Silas Young. Titus’ patented Hydraulic Dropkick allowed him to not only put down Young, but also pin him to become the new TV champion. Titus has been a busy man since ROH’s hiatus; appearing in various promotions including the NWA. But returning to the promotion that made him the wrestler and the man he is today, Rhett may be facing his greatest challenge to date.
In the world of professional wrestling, very few names inspire both awe and fear like Minoru Suzuki. Learning under a plethora of greats such as Karl Gotch and Billy Robinson, Suzuki had the legitimate skills to handle himself in the worlds of pro wrestling and eventually Pancrase. Known as the “King of Pancrase”, Minoru brought his talents to the squared circled and help infuse what would become known as “mixed martial arts” with traditional strong style puroresu that has influenced the wrestling world to this day. Suzuki also knows what it means to win championships in pro wrestling. From Pro Wrestling NOAH, to New Japan Pro, to RevPro, Suzuki’s credentials and accolades are second to none.
But Suzuki’s short stays in the Unities States haven’t afforded him the same championship success including his sole opportunity to become a ROH champion when he battled Cody at “Death Before Dishonor” in 2017. A victory for Suzuki would make this both his first ROH title victory and his first North American-based championship. Like so many times in his career, it’s easy to doubt Titus’ chances of winning; yet he somehow does the seemingly impossible. It’ll be very interesting to not only see if Rhett can push back the challenge of a true legend in wrestling and beyond, but also ROH’s future as a Suzuki victory could mean shearing a lot more of “Kaze ni Nare “.
ROH Pure Championship: Josh Woods defends against Wheeler Yuta
Josh Woods really made a name for himself in 2020 during the Pure Championship tournament where he fought to the semi-finals after defeating Kenny King and PJ Black. In his semi-final bout, Woods faced eventual winner Jonathan Gresham in a match that almost ended in “The Technical Beast’s” favor. Woods didn’t let the loss stop his progress, overcoming Jay Lethal, Dalton Castle, and Silas Young in Pure Rules matches between 2020 and 2021.
It was during his match with Young that Woods’ abilities hit a new level as he dropped his old, somewhat goofy persona to embrace the dangerous submission specialist he truly is; winning a Last Man Standing match against “The Last Real Man” at “Best in the World” ’21. Woods’ eventual date with destiny saw him standing across the ring from the man who dashed his original hope of becoming the Pure champion over a year ago, “The Octopus”.
Woods’ return to Philadelphia for “Death Before Dishonor’ in September was the culmination of all his hard work transitioning from a masterful amateur & MMA fighter to skilled pro wrestler when he did what no other man could by overcoming Gresham in a Pure Rules match to become the new Pure champion – a title no one including Brian Johnson could wrest from him at “Final Battle” 2021.
Gresham also had a hand in temporarily halting the success of a grappling enthusiast, Wheeler Yuta. A former CHIKARA Young Lions Cup trophy holder, Wheeler Yuta spent his fundamental years under the learning tree of current WWE Superstar Drew Gulak and a certain lackadaisical AEW standout who once wrestled as “Fire Ant”. Yuta’s time gaining an exceptional base as a great hold-for-hold wrestler gave him the perfect opportunity to show off his skills in any environment including his future home promotion AEW after his time in ROH was cut short upon losing in the opening round of the Pure Championship tournament to eventual tourney winner “The Octopus”.
While his talents have been noticed by many since joining AEW, Yuta has yet to find consistent success; causing him to make a change as he recently confronted former ROH World champion Bryan Danielson, mega-star Jon Moxley, and one of the best to lace a pair of boots in William Regal. This interaction between Yuta and Regal’s Blackpool Combat Club may have lit a fire underneath him that could help him figure out what no one else has since 2020 in Pure Rules matches involving Woods: how to defeat “The Technical Beast”.
With potential new eyes on the product for ROH’s return, this title encounter will be different from anything else seen on the show while, potentially, giving Yuta his biggest win to date in any promotion. Or this match could reinforce that Woods is the crème de la crème of ROH’s Pure division now and going forward.
Interim ROH Women’s World Championship: Mercedes Martinez vs. Willow
Considered one of the greatest women’s wrestlers of her generation, Mercedes Martinez has done more than anyone could’ve imagined considering the early portion of her career went hand-in-hand during a time when models were being trained to wrestle instead of major promotions hiring actual wrestlers who happened to be women. Martinez’s first brush with national attention came courtesy of her series of matches with Sara Del Rey. Though Martinez found success early in the Chicago-based promotion SHIMMER, it wasn’t until she took a hiatus from wrestling before her inevitable return to the business that she loved that she reached a different level.
With that return came a new attitude – one that Martinez would carry throughout SHIMMER, NXT, and, now, AEW where she entered the promotion as a hired gun for former AEW World Women’s champion Britt Baker. Martinez’s short time in AEW and rather inconsistent tenure in WWE doesn’t properly highlight what she can do and what she can accomplish when the lights are on brightest.
Martinez comes into any fight with credentials second to none including being one of the few two-time SHIMMER champions. SHIMMER’s sister promotion, SHINE, also has a title lineage associated with Mercedes. Both of the aforementioned companies have seen Mercedes win the Tag Team title. Going back further is a true testament to her abilities in the ring, her endurance, and tenacity to win as she had one of the longest title reigns in the last twenty years working for Women Superstars Uncensored (now Women’s Superstars United).
In her 1000-plus days as the WSU champion, Martinez participated in a match that went ninety-three minutes before she was victorious over Alisha “Lexxus” Edwards. Mercedes is a machine if there ever was one and someone who can grab victory from the jaws of defeat – the exact opposite of what Willow wants to happen when fighting for a ROH championship again.
“The Babe With the Power” sports a smile brighter than the sun, a personality more bubbly than champagne, and an in-ring ability worthy of champion status. Like Rok-C, Willow competed in the Women’s Championship Tournament. Willow failed to make it out of the figurative gate, losing in the first round. But Willow’s personality & will to keep moving forward helped her maintain a positive outlook. So when the opportunity arrived for Willow to stake her claim at a title shot in the future, she stepped up immediately. Willow looking for her first crack at ROH gold resulted in her being placed in a Triple Threat bout featuring herself taking on former two-time Women of Honor champion Angelina Love and Miranda Alize.
After a wild encounter, Willow cradled Love to pin her with the intent of facing the winner of a following three-way encounter weeks later. Interestingly enough it was Love’s fellow Allure stablemate and long-time ROH competitor Mandy Leon that Willow would share a ring with to determine the top title contender. In a back & forth battle, Willow was outnumbered and seemingly outmatched until several women came to ringside to stop Love from interfering on Leon’s behalf. Willow took advantage of the situation people looking to avoid dishonor tainting a match, pinning Mandy after executing her “Babe Bomb” power bomb.
Sadly for Willow, “Final Battle” and her first shot at the ROH World Women’s Championship was not her night as she fell to inaugural titleholder Rok-C. Willow has never been one to let a setback hinder her progress and this match is her chance to gain some type of retribution following ROH’s return to Philadelphia last year.
This will be another clash of styles with Mercedes looking to break down her opposition with strikes and suplexes. Willow, however, only needs one big move to end any match – an outcome that many hope will be the case to set the stage for Willow versus Deonna Purrazzo for the undisputed ROH World Women’s Championship. But like so many instances and matches in her career, never count out Mercedes to do the seemingly impossible in what should be a fantastic interim title bout.
Jay Lethal vs. Lee Moriarty
There was a very interesting and telling moment during ROH’s “Death Before Dishonor” this past September. Following a hard-fought loss in his ROH debut, Lee Moriarty stood alongside his one-night-teammates to be congratulated by The Foundation and, specifically, Jay Lethal. Moriarty’s talents made him one of the most popular and in-demand wrestlers on the indie scene before his ROH debut. Known in many circles as “The Apex of Combat”, Lee established himself as versatile a grappler there is by being able to brawl, fly, and, most importantly in regards to pure wrestling, go hold for hold with anyone in his way.
On that night in Philadelphia, Lethal joined fans and wrestlers alike in stating Moriarty’s future was bright as bright could be anywhere he went including AEW as Lee had just signed with the promotion. Ironically enough it would be Lethal who followed the less-tenured wrestler’s lead as he became an official AEW wrestler two months after Jay and Lee shared a moment in the honorable ring.
Though they’ve been a part of the same promotion for nearly six months, they’ve yet to have an in-ring encounter. Interestingly enough, this first-time match would’ve been a rematch if everything went according to plan for Jonathan Gresham & Baron Black’s TERMINUS promotion. Due to travel issues, Lethal was unable to make the event and Moriarty opened TERMINUS’ first show by overcoming ROH Pure champion Josh Woods.
Though Moriarty is a man who pushed Bryan Danielson and CM Punk to their limits on AEW “Dynamite”, he’s coming into the house Lethal has reigned supreme in since 2015. This homecoming for Lethal will only fuel his talents against someone looking to make a legacy that comes close to what the former two-time ROH World champion has already accomplished. If given enough time, this bout could easily steal the show with “The Franchise of ROH” showing why he’s become synonymous with Ring of Honor.
Shane “Swerve” Strickland/Sw3rve the Realest vs. Alex Zayne
Another first-time encounter will occur at ROH’s return event as one star debuts and another attempts to regain his winning ways in Ring of Honor. The former “Isaiah Scott” made his name on TV under a mask and a different moniker while opening eyes on the independent scene as “Shane Strickland”. When Strickland arrived in NXT, it wasn’t an easy ride as he struggled to garner the attention warranted by his talents. That changed for Scott as he formed the Hit Row faction while attaining the NXT North American Championship.
What should’ve been the beginning of something grand for Scott & his crew turned into a missed opportunity for WWE as they released Hit Row. Strickland rebounded almost immediately and is on the road to stardom yet again in AEW – the promotion he signed with not long after the announcement of his ROH debut.
Similar enough is Alex Zayne. The taco master himself was signed to WWE and, essentially, 205 Live as “Ari Sterling”. This naturally charismatic, athletic specimen known once “The Sauce” floundered in WWE simply because of a bloated roster and waning interest in WWE’s Cruiserweight division. After being released by WWE last summer, Zayne quickly jumped into the deep-end of indie wrestling before returning to ROH. Zayne made his presence in ROH known immediately as he won a top contender’s Honor Rumble.
The victory resulted in Alex almost winning the ROH World Championship before “Final Battle” when he nearly overcame Bandido. This bout will mark Zayne’s first match since a barbaric death match that put him in the hospital. Strickland, however, has been incredibly busy in the last month; making promotional debuts and returns including in AEW and DEFY respectively. Though this may be his sole appearance in ROH, there’s no doubt Strickland will prove any promotion he’s in it’s Swerve’s house against one of the hottest talents on the indie scene who could become a fixture in ROH or AEW (or both) going forward.
– Also scheduled: Ninja Mack vs. Tully Blanchard’s new client
And there you have it. Show that love, or like, for The ROHbot Report on its Facebook page. Here’s to a great week for you and yours and, as always, thanks for reading.
