Welcome to another edition of The ROHbot Report – the only article you need for all the Ring of Honor news you have to know. ROH officially returned under new management, but with the same flair & presentation style as to what was seen before the company went on hiatus. Dream matches and first-time encounters occurred in Dallas for an event that will be remembered for years to come.
Supercard of Honor Results; April 1st, 2022; Garland, TX
– Colt Cabana defeated Blake Christian
– A.Q.A. defeated Miranda Alize
– The Gates of Agony (Kaun & Toa Liona) defeated Shinobi Shadow Squad (Cheeseburger & Eli Isom)
– Dalton Castle defeated Joe Hendry
– Swerve Strickland defeated Alex Zayne
– Brian Cage defeated Ninja Mack
– Jay Lethal defeated Lee Moriarty
– Interim ROH World Women’s Championship: Mercedes Martinez defeated Willow Nightingale to become the NEW CHAMPION
– ROH World Tag Team Championship: FTR defeated The Briscoes to become the NEW CHAMPIONS
– ROH World Television Championship: Minoru Suzuki defeated Rhett Titus to become the NEW CHAMPION
– ROH Pure Championship: Wheeler Yuta defeated Josh Woods to become the NEW CHAMPION
– ROH World Championship Unification Match: Jonathan Gresham defeated Bandido to unify the ROH World Championships
“Zero Hour” free on Youtube kicked off ROH’s return in fine and surprising fashion with four bouts featuring new and old faces. Blake Christian debuted to take on the returning Colt Cabana with the latter getting a hero’s welcome. Cabana’s tried & true grappling antics kept Blake grounded & subdued for the match’s majority with Christian turning up the momentum once he was able to land some impressive high-flying maneuvers including a Fonsbury Flop into the reverse DDT on the floor. But Christian’s tendency to fly would cost him in the end as Cabana countered whatever he had in mind on the top rope with the Chicago Skyline to pick up his first ROH victory in nearly half a decade in a match that felt like something from the old days of ROH where the show would open with a fresh face pushing one of the honorable vets to the limit before falling in defeat.
A.Q.A. – who recently fought for the AEW TBS Championship – also debuted in ROH for this event to take on perennial ROH Women’s World champion challenger Miranda Alize. Though Alize had the experience advantage and controlled most of the bout by cutting off routes with quick strikes, it was the new face overcoming following a Shooting Star Press in another solid encounter that presented the opposing side of what can happen when someone new on the scene fights a known commodity.
Next was the unveiling of Tully Blanchard’s new clients in the form of Kaun formerly of Shane Taylor Promotions & Soldiers of Savagery and, once again, a debuting entity in Toa Liona – The Gates of Agony. The reunited Shinobi Shadow Squad of Cheeseburger & Eli Isom were decimated by the GOA as Kaun sprinted & struck while Toa slammed & hit including a sick Asianic spike from Toa that finished off Isom. A perfect squash if there could be one for a team that seems poised to win Tag gold in the very near future.
The pre-show closed out with two former tag team partners colliding as Dalton Castle and Joe Hendry attempted to prove their superiority. The early going with Hendry tossing Castle around with ease frustrated “The Peacock”; causing Dalton to rally his baby chicks at ringside. The encouragement from the chicks helped Castle withstand a slew of dead-lift slam offense from the ridiculously strong Scotsman. But Castle wouldn’t be denied, catching Hendry running with the Bang-A-Rang out of nowhere for the pin fall in another solid affair that left the crowd happy before the main show could begin.
There were few matches better to officially start the pay-per-view than the debuting Shane “Swerve” Strickland facing Alex Zayne for the first time. Strickland obviously enjoyed executing both high impact and simple grappling maneuvers with such fluidity & ease unlike few in the wrestling business can pull off including a rope-assisted TKO after blocking Zayne’s rolling Frankensteiner. “Swerve’s” onslaught went from executing moves that could knock the wind out of Alex to working over “The Sauce’s” left leg.
But it wasn’t a solo showcase for Strickland as Zayne fought through the pain, pulling off a jaw-dropping poison-rana from the apron to the floor, the Crunch Wrap Supreme (a shooting star double knee drop on a rising opponent), and that aforementioned rolling Frankensteiner. “Swerve” actually seemed to be on the verge of defeat when he rolled through a snapmare driver to kick Zayne into the JML Driver for his first ROH victory. A stellar opener if there has been one on recent ROH pay-per-views.
Similar to what happened during “Zero Hour”, Tully Blanchard’s newest client in the “Tully Blanchard Enterprises” stable was none other than Brian Cage. The former PWG World and FTW champion obliterated his fellow debuting wrestler Ninja Mack. Though Mack made a few comeback attempts, they were cut off and resulted in him getting dropped on his head with the Drill Claw. Cage looked great here and Mack has something special about him that, hopefully, will be in full display at a latter date whenever ROH returns for more events.
Promoted as a “generational mirror match,” former two-time ROH World champion Jay Lethal faced off with Lee Moriarty in the latter’s first singles match in the promotion. Moriarty’s statements about studying Lethal’s matches was seen in full effect as Lee countered a majority of his opponent’s offense including the cartwheel dropkick off the hip toss by clutching Jay’s left wrist, rolling up Lethal instead of feeling the Lethal Injection, and actually winning a strike exchange. But pulling Lee into a mini-brawl actually changed Moriarty’s gameplan for the worst as Lethal took all the offense and fired back in kind to rock Lee as the crowd chanted in approval of both men.
The momentum swung back & forth in and out of the ring as Lethal landed his patented topes, only for Lee to respond with some of his own. The closing moments were shockingly controversial as Lee pulled the ring apron in when attempting to block the figure four. As the referee went to remove the potential obstruction, Lethal connected with a low blow to a roar of disapproval from the fans. Though disgusted with his own actions, Jay still executed the Lethal Injection to subsequently pin Lee. Lethal seemed beside himself as was Jay’s long-time friend Sonjay Dutt in the crowd and Lee’s mentor Matt Sydal. Kicking Sydal’s crutch from underneath him (Matt’s recently had knee surgery), Lethal unleashed a rain of punches that was only stopped by an intervening Dutt. The fans were rightfully upset with Lethal’s actions, letting him hear it after another strong match on a consistent show thus far.
That consistency continued with the interim Women’s World Championship match as the very popular Willow Nightingale took on the returning Mercedes Martinez. Though fun-loving, Willow showed early on that she can turn up the heat when being struck with the same as she fired off some being slams, a wind-destroying senton, and a series of clotheslines that put an early end to Martinez’s submission attempts including the butterfly choke and a very tight dragon sleeper. Similar to the previous match, the momentum swayed in favor of both competitors with the fans in support of each at any given moment.
No better example came after Willow hit the Pounce (period)-corner cannonball for a near fall due to the closeness of the ropes, only for Mercedes to execute her OG Drop when Willow attempted to follow up on the failed pin attempt. Martinez showed incredible heart & tenacity as she took a pair of legs to the chest off the moonsault from the top rope that really had people worried if some significant damage had been done as it seemed Martinez was struggling to breath. Yet, the former two-time SHIMMER champion countered the Babe Bomb to cinch in her Brass City dragon sleeper off the surfboard to submit Nightingale. Though the crowd favorite fell, it came at the expense of another impressive bout.
And then came, what could be, the best match of the entire weekend anywhere. The Briscoes were in Dallas to defend their ROH World Tag Team Championship against FTR in the challengers’ ROH debut. The crowd was hotter for this match more than anything else during the event. The Briscoes, sporting the old version of the ROH World Tag Team title belts – the belts synonymous with The Briscoes during their impressive reign between 2007 and 2008 – were ready for war. What came can’t be easily described in words other than this being a perfect definition of tag team wrestling excellence. The early going saw Dem Boys hitting on all cylinders, pulling off double teams with such precision and speed that the cameraman struggled to keep up with them. Unfortunately for the champions it was their ferocity in and out of the ring that cost them as Jay got caught on the floor and catapulted against the bottom of the timekeeper’s table that left his face cut significantly.
Jay fought through the blood loss and Mark was there to help his brother put the pressure on their challenger as FTR were as crisp & perfect as one team could be against, arguably, the greatest names in ROH history. FTR not only thrived in this title match, they survived their own moves including the Big Rig after Redneck Boogie on Cash Wheeler didn’t end his night. What did seem to be the end was Jay suplexing Dax Hardwood over the top rope to the floor in a sickening sight. Referees and doctors checked on Dax after the fall with Hardwood refusing to let this highly-anticipated match end in a double count-out or referee’s stoppage due to him not being able to continue. It was anyone’s match as all four men were throwing bombs. Just when it seemed The Briscoes had the biggest attack locked & loaded – the Doomsday Device – Jay got shoved to the floor and Mark felt the Big Rig to allow FTR to pin Mark and attain the ROH World Tag Team Championship.
As FTR bowed in respect of their fallen adversaries, the crowd chanted in favor of the former champions until The Young Bucks arrived to lay out Jay & Mark. FTR returned to make the save, setting the stage for FTR versus The Young Bucks for AEW “Dynamite” Wednesday with the ROH World Tag Team Championship on the line. Though the fallout left something to be desired (a genuine conclusion to a magnificent match being used a promotional tool for AEW’s free show), this was everything expected of it and then some.
Not only did they go absolutely wild, they actually left something on the table for a rematch as The Briscoes’ biggest moves including the Jay Driller and the Doomsday Device weren’t used; leaving the big question of whether or not FTR could survive. It’ll be interesting to see where The Briscoes go from here in ROH or elsewhere as it felt like something of a farewell for them in ROH – something that should not be the case as they are, essentially, the last connection to the original era of ROH not currently signed to AEW.
The Television Championship match had a tough act the follow and really didn’t attempt to outdo what came before it as Rhett Titus looked to push challenger & living legend Minoru Suzuki into a figurative and literal corner early after “The King” laughed off most of his strikes & holds. It wasn’t until Titus peppered Suzuki with kidney shots that allowed him to execute a snap belly-to-belly suplex that set up that patented Hydraulic Dropkick. Suzuki not only kicked out of the move that helped Titus win the TV title, he caught the champion in the sleeper before utilizing that Gotch Style Piledriver to pin Rhett in quick fashion. Suzuki not only won the TV title, but also his first North American-based championship in five minutes.
The Pure Championship semi-main evented this one as Wheeler Yuta returned to ROH to challenge “The Technical Beast” in the champ’s prime environment. Woods showed how comfortable he is in Pure matches, forcing Yuta to use up two of his three rope breaks in a little over five minutes (unfortunately the clock & rope break graphics seen on ROH TV and PPVs since the division’s return in 2020 weren’t here for this match). But Woods forcing Yuta to burn through rope breaks and mocking him for doing so fired up Yuta as he gave the champ a slap similar to what William Regal did to him a couple of weeks ago. Woods regained his composure and, subsequently, the advantage by working over the challenger’s left arm.
Yuta being assaulted with strikes actually benefited him as he was able to duck a clothesline and being a string of attacks that actually stunned “The Technical Beast” including the flying clothesline and a tope. Sadly for Yuta, his chances for victory seemed to be fading when he flung himself into a flying knee strike topped by Woods suplexing him against the turnbuckles. Wheeler had to use his third & final rope break to stop a sure three count. Woods had that Beast Slam in mind when the challenger rolled through and trapped him with a modified octopus cradle off the rapid elbows to Josh’s neck to pin “The Goods” to end his near seven-month reign in a very good Pure Rules match only hindered by the fact the crowd was tired from the Tag title bout.
It was time for the main event as Bandido – decked out in black and accompanied by Chavo Guerrero Jr., though Bandido declared no cheating by “Chavito” – faced off with his fellow World champion Jonathan Gresham to unify the titles. The early going showed how strong Bandido is and how resourceful Gresham can be as the latter used technique & leverage to counter moments like the test of strength and Irish whips across the ring.
Grounding the masked man after showcasing some lucha libre of his own, Gresham manipulated joints and limbs as the fans chanted in favor of both men. Bandido refused to submit even when he seemed caught in unbreakable holds; eventually figuring out a counter that he hoped to turn into a series of offense. That moment came for Bandido after reversing a hammerlock slam before coming off the top with his corkscrew cross body block. In an impressive show of strength, Bandido performed a minute-long delayed vertical suplex that left Gresham completely delirious.
“The Octopus” struggled to regain his stride, going for multiple submissions that Bandido slipped free of until the luchador tumbled to the floor. When Gresham went to dive on Bandido, Chavo shoved his client out of the way so Gresham hit nothing but the floor. This illegal act was reprimanded by the fans and slightly by Bandido. But it wasn’t until the referee got caught in a collision. Chavo tossed one of the ROH title belts, clocking Gresham in the face. Bandido lost his mind, reviving the referee to explain what Chavo just did. The referee had no choice to eject Guerrero as Chavo exclaimed, “I gave you the match!”
Bandido wanted to win this honorably and seemed to be on the verge of accomplishing just that when he pulled off the X-Knee to set up his 21-Plex that only gave him a near fall. Just when it seemed Gresham had nothing left in him, “The Octopus” used an Irish whip against Bandido to spring off the ropes for a moonsault. Bandido was out of it when Gresham followed up with a tope when the masked man exited the ring. Unable to figure out where Gresham was coming from, Bandido got caught in crucifix cradle off the flying arm drag that put his shoulders to the match for the three count.
Cary Silkin presented Gresham both championship belts before Bandido followed the Code of Honor. But the show wasn’t over as Gresham attempted to give a closing speech. Jay Lethal interrupted, picking a fight with “The Octopus” after talking down to his former tag team partner. Sonjay Dutt arrived apparently hoping cooler heads would prevail. In actuality, Dutt was here to help Lethal attack the World champ. Then a familiar sound for old school ROH fans echoed out: Godzilla roaring. Out came former ROH World champion Samoa Joe to confront his old protege in Lethal. Joe choked out Dutt before retrieving the title belts Lethal seemingly wanted to leave with if he had the chance. ROH’s return event closed with the reemergence of the longest-reigning ROH World champion in the promotion’s history standing side-by-side with the current ROH World titleholder.
In a lot of ways, “Supercard of Honor” represented a regime change with multiple title changes connected to people currently signed to AEW or stories focused on AEW talent including the recently arriving Joe. But with that information comes the fact this show had several great matches (Strickland-Zayne, Lethal-Moriarty, Martinez-Willow, and the main event) including an early Match of the Year candidate between FTR and The Briscoes that, alone, makes this highly-anticipated event must-see. But like “Final Battle” 2021, things are left in question as to what the future holds for ROH as nothing was announced about what is to come in regards to the company’s next pay-per-view, the TV show, or who is currently signed to the roster. For now, it just feels good to know honor still lives.
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