Ring of Honor: A Whole World of Wrestling... [July 2019-]

christmas_ape · September 12, 2019

yeah that was a great show start to bottom, Suzuki definitely a welcome surprise! Think you got the format just right as well.

olivertaylor276 · September 12, 2019

Dude. That was awesome!! Will Suzuki defend the belt at Wrestle Kingdom?

Hashasheen · September 12, 2019

Great show. Only things I'd argue against is Jushin Liger not beating the absolute piss out of Flip and the rest of SZKG not invading at the end of the show to repeat the 2 year NOAH arc.

joshspicer · September 12, 2019

*rips up predictions to shreds* Well that couldn't have gone any worse if I had tried.

20LEgend · September 12, 2019

[ROH Television Spoilers] Fallout From The Final Battle Main Event

DISCLAIMER: THIS WILL NOT BE A POPULAR POST - PROCEED WITH CAUTION

<hr color=black>[ROH Television Spoilers] Fallout From The Final Battle Main Event

Minoru Suzuki Striped of The ROH World Championship!

Last night at Ring of Honor’s Final Battle event, Minoru Suzuki defeated Jeff Cobb to become the new ROH World Champion. However, after the match, having refused to release Jeff Cobb from the Rear Naked Choke that had won him the title, Minoru Suzuki attacked a number of ROH officials and crew members. Looking to restore some order, an executive from Sinclair Broadcasting Group (ROH’s parent company) came down to the ring, after the decision had been made to reverse the result of the Main Event. “The Voice of ROH”, ring announcer Bobby Cruise, was informed of this, but was unable to make the announcement before Minoru Suzuki attacked the SBG executive. The high ranking member of the Sinclair hierarchy has previously had zero training or involvement in the Pro Wrestling business, and is said to be seeking further legal action against Suzuki.

While internally some believe that the executive had no right to get involved in front of the curtain, and is at least partially responsible for what happened, there is huge pressure on ROH management to act in the strongest manner possible. As a result, ROH announced that Minoru Suzuki had been stripped of the Ring of Honor World Championship, with the title reverting back to it’s previous holder Jeff Cobb. This isn’t seen as an ideal situation by those within ROH, but was deemed a necessary step in ensuring that the demands of their paymasters were met. It is believed that New Japan Pro Wrestling were contacted before the announcement was made, but it is unknown how they reacted to the decision. The section below contains spoilers for upcoming episodes of ROH TV:

The event began with Colt Cabana and an unnamed member of ROH management walking down to the ring. The suited man held the Ring of Honor World Championship, and had a very serious demeanor. Colt Cabana matched this tone, explaining the situation from Final Battle, and the reaction over the last 24 hours. Colt Cabana confirmed that Minoru Suzuki had been stripped of the ROH World Championship, and while his 1 day reign would remain in the title’s lineage, the former holder Jeff Cobb would have the Championship returned to him.

Jeff Cobb came out from the back, and took the title, but was clearly reluctant to accept the decision. Colt Cabana continued to speak, explaining that tonight would also mark the beginning of the “Honor League”, a 16 man round robin, featuring 4 groups containing 4 of Ring of Honor’s top competitors. The 4 men who scored the most points in their group would advance to a “Winner’s Group”, the man scoring the most points in that group earning a Ring of Honor World Championship shot at the April Supercard in Tampa, Florida.

Jeff Cobb had something to say about this, pointing out that upon losing the ROH World Championship, he was set to enter the “Honor League”, along with every other male title holder in the company. However, due to him now being the World Champion, there was a space left in the tournament. Cobb added that being handed back the title didn’t sit well with him, and while he is proud to be the ROH World Champion, he had a proposal for the ROH management representative in the ring. Jeff Cobb suggested that he keep his place in the “Honor League”, but to truly prove to the fans that he is a worthy Champion, he’ll put his title up as well. Whoever wins the Honor League, whether it’s him or somebody else, they are the true Ring of Honor World Champion. It was correct that Jeff Cobb was scheduled to be in the Honor League, and after some deliberation the proposal was accepted. Colt Cabana confirmed that the winner of the Honor League would not only be the first man to win the trophy attached to the competition, but will also become the Ring of Honor World Champion!

This led into the opening match of the high-stakes Honor League, Jay Lethal versus fellow ROH World Six Man Tag Team Champion, Tracy Williams…

joshspicer · September 12, 2019

Yeah, gotta agree with the "some." If a TV executive for the people who own the wrestling company decide to interfere on-air with no precaution or warning or any prior establishment of this ever happening, it's kinda some level of BS.

Kijar · September 12, 2019

Damn, I think you should've gone with former ROH TV Champ Tomohiro Ishii and had him run with it for a bit. Him and Cobb in NJPW earlier this year was incredible.

The shock title change was cool, I see the direction, but now Cobb got the belt back. You have to think he has to go over Minoru in the future? Or is he now barred from ROH per Sinclair? I don't know.

I'm intrigued now, and excited for the Honor League.

Texasrangers13 · September 13, 2019

Interesting spin after a killer finish to the season "finale". Should be a fun 2020.

Kijar · September 13, 2019

The ending of Final Battle was shocking to say the least. I definitely did not expect Suzuki to win the championship and subsequently have his victory retconned. It felt like sports entertainment! Now I want to see a Sinclair Representative character debut, like Cyrus in ECW, explaining that he was chosen to appear on ROH TV in order to improve relations between ROH and Sinclair after Final Battle. Then he could insult midcarders for being boring and form a heel stable led by Sinclair's chosen "face of the company". You could even bring Rhyno in as the muscle in a callback to that storyline!

I understand if you don't want to do that whole storyline, but I still think you should have Rhyno work a few matches anyway. Seriously, imagine Rhyno vs. Cobb.

I like this take, and am always game for more RHINO!

DGenerationMC · September 13, 2019

Wow.

20LEgend · September 18, 2019

Honor League Survey

ROH 2020 / Honor League Survey

Damn, I was doing so well up to a certain point with my predictions!

Btw, the result of that main event... I've never looked more like this -> reading a diary! Wow!

yeah that was a great show start to bottom, Suzuki definitely a welcome surprise! Think you got the format just right as well.

The surprise factor was the idea, I'm still not sure if I think it was the right call. But I think it would get people talking... followed by "LOLROH" after the reversal of the decision.

Dude. That was awesome!! Will Suzuki defend the belt at Wrestle Kingdom?

I really would have liked that, and it was the plan with Sabre Jr. Unfortuntely it didn't come to pass, but it would have been great exposure for the title.

Great show. Only things I'd argue against is Jushin Liger not beating the absolute piss out of Flip and the rest of SZKG not invading at the end of the show to repeat the 2 year NOAH arc.

Haha, I can take those two minor issues from the full show. Either would have been good to see though.

*rips up predictions to shreds* Well that couldn't have gone any worse if I had tried.

Yeah, gotta agree with the "some." If a TV executive for the people who own the wrestling company decide to interfere on-air with no precaution or warning or any prior establishment of this ever happening, it's kinda some level of BS.

I felt like anybody else (i.e referees or other staff members) would have not been seen as such definite grounds for stripping him of the title. The idea, while not neccessarily going to be explored on-screen, is that the exec was there to see the culmination of what was supposed to be six months of turning the company around, only for the incident to take place. ROH management trying to impress the exec only for him to be attacked by the World Champion forced them into a taking serious action Suzuki's actions could have seriously jeapordised the company in their eyes, so he won't be welcome back any time soon...

Damn, I think you should've gone with former ROH TV Champ Tomohiro Ishii and had him run with it for a bit. Him and Cobb in NJPW earlier this year was incredible.

The shock title change was cool, I see the direction, but now Cobb got the belt back. You have to think he has to go over Minoru in the future? Or is he now barred from ROH per Sinclair? I don't know.

I'm intrigued now, and excited for the Honor League.

Ishii was joint first in the survey and was only beat out by Suzuki on the slightest of margains (Suzuki was more people's second choice so had more points overall). Ishii would have been a cool option too, and easier to book Jeff Cobb to go over. I wanted to do something shocking and different for the end of the major show, even if it could be perceived as screwing the fans out of Suzuki as Champ.

I'm not going to definitively say he'll never be back, but he's blacklisted from the company at the moment. If that can lead into a long-term story, somewhere down the line, it may be something I come back to.

Interesting spin after a killer finish to the season "finale". Should be a fun 2020.

I think the season finale is the best way to describe it. Jeff Cobb getting the title back is a bit iffy, but it does create a clean slate for the new year, which is really like. The first month of shows in 2020 have felt like the first time I have "my" roster, so I think it's going to be a good year.

The ending of Final Battle was shocking to say the least. I definitely did not expect Suzuki to win the championship and subsequently have his victory retconned. It felt like sports entertainment! Now I want to see a Sinclair Representative character debut, like Cyrus in ECW, explaining that he was chosen to appear on ROH TV in order to improve relations between ROH and Sinclair after Final Battle. Then he could insult midcarders for being boring and form a heel stable led by Sinclair's chosen "face of the company". You could even bring Rhyno in as the muscle in a callback to that storyline!

I understand if you don't want to do that whole storyline, but I still think you should have Rhyno work a few matches anyway. Seriously, imagine Rhyno vs. Cobb.

I like this take, and am always game for more RHINO!

It did step into sports entertainment, but I wanted to keep it in the relms of something that could happen in ROH. It doesn't feel ROH to go full out with a on-screen character, but I like the idea of an undercurrent of maybe the company playing things "safer". With the Honor League starting, an example of this is how strict the rules will be enforced during the tournament. It's not quite a "storyline" coming out of what happened with Suzuki, but more the company has been forced to reflect on the behaviour of people like - for example - Jay Briscoe, who has been out of control for some time. The full rules of The Honor League will come soon, but the effects of what happened at Final Battle, and the actions of Suzuki, will shape the company in 2020.

It's another part of the clean slate, things have got out of control and Suzuki ending the last show of the decade in the way that he did was symbolic of that. Going into 2020, I have a structured roster that I'm happy with, and the company is forced to make sure the competitors stay in line. That means only a certain type of worker will be signed, and they will have to be of a certain standard. I said earlier about the company losing or lacking a true identity, I hope the next few months will see a new identity take shape.

As for Rhyno, I've been on the fence about him since I started. Part of me thinks he'd be a good addition, part of me thinks he isn't a good fit for the roster I'm trying to build. I do have him pencilled in for a match at the Mania weekend show, but that could change before then...

Wow.

I don't know if that's good or bad, but I'm pleased for the reaction <hr color=black>

ROH 2020 / Honor League Survey

EBEZA · September 19, 2019

For the record, in case it's anonymous, I'm the survey taker who wishes you'd had Cobb declare he would win Honor League in order to earn a rematch with Suzuki.

20LEgend · September 22, 2019

ROH Final Battle Fallout!

ROH: Final Battle Fallout - Television Taping

While the major storyline from the Final Battle fallout was already widely known, having circulated on ROH’s social media, the episodes recorded in the two days after Final Battle offered some of the best wrestling the company has seen in quite some time. The top 16 selected full-time members of the Ring of Honor roster were put into groups of 4, with the first two rounds of matches contested over the course of the two nights. That meant that the vast majority of matches that took place were part of the “Honor League”, with just a few other matches filling out the rest of the cards.

It was also announced during the course of the weekend that the 18th Anniversary of Ring of Honor would be celebrated in late February, with two events to mark the occasion. The first night would see the final round of matches in the Honor League’s initial stage, with the “Winner’s Group” beginning the night after. That show would be recorded for ROH TV.

The controversial decision to strip Minoru Suzuki of the ROH World Championship - less than 24 hours after he won it - received at best a mixed reaction, but with Jeff Cobb’s title now on the line in the “Honor League”, ROH hoped to win the doubters round with the two nights of action. Over the next seven weeks, those matches and accompanying angles would air on Charge! in roughly the following order:

Day 1

[Group B] Jay Lethal bt. Tracy Williams - two thirds of the World Six Man Tag Team Champions kicked off the Honor League, and showed great respect to each other during the match. It was established before the match that the Code of Honor must be adhered to before any match in the Honor League got underway.
[Group D] Flip Gordon bt. PJ Black
[Group C] Matt Taven bt. Jonathan Gresham - Taven gouged Gresham’s eyes to escape an Octopus Hold, winning the match in a tainted manner.
[Group A] Alex Shelley bt. Dalton Castle - Alex was open about his discontent at being left off the Final Battle card, and set his sights on the ROH World Championship.
Kelly Klein & Mercedes Martines bt. Local Talents - there was clear tension remaining between the two, who weren’t happy to be forced together during the match.
[Group A] Jeff Cobb bt. Dragon Lee - the ROH World Champion began with a victory, easing some of the huge pressure he put himself under. This match was the contest that came closest to reaching the 15 minute time limit during night 1.
Mistico bt. Mark Briscoe (DQ) - with Mistico looking good for the win, Mark Briscoe pushed him from the top rope to the outside, and then intentionally got DQ’d. After the match, Jay Briscoe joined the attack (commentary claimed his brothers Dragon Lee & Rush were being interviewed when this happened, and were unaware of the assault), and cut a promo about Davey Richards’ return to ROH. He wasn’t happy to see him back, and asked how ROH could forget everything he did when he walked out on them. Jay said that while Davey Richards was still in the Honor League, ROH would have a black cloud over it’s reputation, and he promised to take the former World Champion out of the picture… permanently!
Madison Eagles bt. Amber Nova - winning her debut match, Madison Eagles was confronted after the bell. It was expected that Klein would want revenge for the Final Battle attack, but instead challenged Eagles to put her money where her mouth is, and face her in a one on one match!
[Group C] Davey Richards bt. Josh Woods - before the match, a candid interview with Davey Richards aired, where he talked about his return to ROH and his desire to be the best fighter in Ring of Honor. He didn’t want to speak about Jay Briscoe, saying that his only focus was the competition put in front of him in the Honor League. Richards’ return to TV was successful, as he made Josh Woods tap out in convincing fashion.
[Group B] Jay Briscoe bt. Fred Yehi - with Mark Briscoe kicked out before the match began, it was established that nobody is allowed at ringside for Honor League matches.
[Group D] Rush bt. Mark Haskins - comfortably the best match of the first night of the taping, Rush’s win put him joint top of Group D with Flip Gordon.

As well as those tables, a number of rules were firmly established during the night, including:

There is a 15 minute time limit to all matches in the initial phase.
Competitors receive 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for a loss.
If any two competitors end on the same points, their head to head record will be used to decide final positions. If their match was a draw, a rematch may take place.
The “Code of Honor” must be adhered to before any match in the Honor League begins. After the match, the code is optional.
No wrestlers other than the two competitors will be allowed at ringside at any point during the match. If any involvement happens without the official’s knowledge, a review will take place based on the footage after the match. It will be up to the referee to decide what action is taken.
In light of recent incidents involving non-wrestlers, anybody who gets physically involved with a referee or any other non-competitor will be removed from the Honor League and face further sanctions.

Day 2

Bullet Club’s KENTA & Taiji Ishimori bt. The Kingdom’s TK O’Ryan & Vinny Marseglia
[Group C] Matt Taven bt. Josh Woods - following up his victory over Jonathan Gresham with another win, Taven put pressure on former group leader Davey Richards to match him.
Brody King bt. Chase Owens - a sit-down interview established Brody as a singles competitor for 2020, and he began with an impressive victory.
[Group A] Jeff Cobb bt. Dalton Castle - things didn’t get much better for Dalton Castle, as the ROH World Champion came out victorious in a close contest. As far as Castle is concerned, his last match with (of all people) Dragon Lee is a dead rubber.
[Group B] Jay Briscoe bt. Tracy Williams - Briscoe continued to be outspoken before the match, suggesting that a company with “Honor” in its name, and presenting a tournament called the “Honor League” needed to take a look in the mirror. He said that the company welcoming Davey Richards back, after how he left the company, was a slap in the face to everybody who stayed and fought to build ROH. Jay was particularly disgusted in his fellow roster members, pointing out that Tracy Williams and Jay Lethal (both in his group) have been suspiciously quiet for two people who are supposed to represent the “Lifeblood” of ROH!
[Group D] Flip Gordon drew with Rush - the first time limit draw of the Honor League gave Mark Haskins and PJ Black chance to gain ground on the group leaders.
[Group A] Dragon Lee bt. Alex Shelley - keeping the group wide open, Dragon Lee scored his first victory of the Honor League.
[Group D] Mark Haskins bt. PJ Black - Haskins was able to capitalise on Rush and Flip Gordon dropping points, putting himself right back in contention to win Group D.
[Group B] Jay Lethal bt. Fred Yehi - Lethal maintained his perfect record, joining Jay Briscoe on 6 points at the top of the group. Their match at ROH’s Anniversary show would decide the winner of Group B. Judging by Briscoe’s words about Lethal in recent weeks, that match would also be a very personal contest.
[Group C] Davey Richards bt. Jonathan Gresham - within moments of another draw, Richards finished Gresham off. He and Matt Taven would also have a deciding match at the Anniversary show, with the winner confirming their place in the “Winner’s Group”!

<hr color=black>With the final round of Honor League matches scheduled to air on PPV, at ROH’s 18th Anniversary show, 5 competitors are on full points. Both Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal and Davey Richards vs. Matt Taven are set up to be deciding matches in their respective group. 6 competitors stand no chance of advancing, but can still affect the final standings of their group. Alex Shelley, Dalton Castle and Jeff Cobb are in with a chance of topping Group A, while Group D could still be won by Flip Gordon, Mark Haskins or Rush. Of course, ROH World Champion Jeff Cobb has the most to potentially lose, as if he fails to advance, four other competitors will battle it out for the chance to win his title, as well as the Honor League trophy.

With huge stakes going into the event, there are high hopes for the Anniversary show, despite storyline build somewhat lacking over the last two months. Given the quality of the matches in the Honor League so far - considered some of the best in ROH’s recent history - particular expectation has been placed on Davey Richards vs. Matt Taven and Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lethal, one of which is likely to Main Event the show. After the PPV, the Anniversary weekend continues, with an Honor Club event that would later air on ROH TV. Those episodes will begin the build to “Supercard of Honor” during WrestleMania weekend, with the company looking for that to be another landmark event, as wrestling fans from around the world descend on Tampa, Florida.

Ring of Honor’s website was also updated in early 2020, with names such as Shane Taylor, PCO, Beer City Bruiser and Kenny King all removed from the roster page. It was reported that Kenny King requested his release from the company, while the others were not offered new deals to stay in ROH. While a small talent pool was used during the post-Final Battle shows, and the same would be true over the Anniversary weekend, there is interest in adding to the roster in the coming months. Having cut down numbers significantly over the last half of 2019, the rebuild will continue with talent from Mexico, Japan and the United Kingdom being approached, as well as some of the biggest independent names in the North American scene. Chris Sabin also left the company, just weeks after being cleared to return to the ring. ROH were said to be extremely disappointed in Sabin's decision, after the help they'd given him during his time on sidelines.

20LEgend · September 25, 2019

ROH 18th Anniversary Show Preview

<div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="thiqCaZ.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/thiqCaZ.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="k5WnlLS.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/k5WnlLS.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><hr color=black><img alt="03EG5u0.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/03EG5u0.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="BXYJnHD.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BXYJnHD.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="C48zpWc.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/C48zpWc.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Group A: Alex Shelley [3 points] vs. Jeff Cobb [6 points]

<img alt="hgYUS77.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/hgYUS77.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="BXYJnHD.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BXYJnHD.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="oZs1Y2Z.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/oZs1Y2Z.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Group A: Dalton Castle [0 points] vs. Dragon Lee [3 points]<hr color=black><img alt="G1bJHC8.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/G1bJHC8.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="BXYJnHD.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BXYJnHD.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="b3KTs4i.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/b3KTs4i.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Group B: Fred Yehi [0 points] vs. Tracy Williams [0 points]

<img alt="1bkAAGV.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/1bkAAGV.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="BXYJnHD.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BXYJnHD.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="lnaDQBd.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/lnaDQBd.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Group B: Jay Briscoe [6 points] vs. Jay Lethal [6 points]<hr color=black><img alt="Q6DPqJ1.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Q6DPqJ1.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="BXYJnHD.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BXYJnHD.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="TjVWgle.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/TjVWgle.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Group C: Davey Richards [6 points] vs. Matt Taven [6 points]

<img alt="QpPzCbO.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/QpPzCbO.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="BXYJnHD.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BXYJnHD.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="Lx7NIDW.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/Lx7NIDW.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Group C: Jonathan Gresham [0 points] vs. Josh Woods [0 points]<hr color=black><img alt="uKE0irC.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/uKE0irC.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="BXYJnHD.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BXYJnHD.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="ndPxhb6.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/ndPxhb6.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Group C: Flip Gordon [4 points] vs. Mark Haskins [3 points]

<img alt="CCSygxs.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/CCSygxs.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="BXYJnHD.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BXYJnHD.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="D4g9EHy.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/D4g9EHy.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

Group C: PJ Black [0 points] vs. Rush [4 points]<hr color=black><img alt="TPKsu2J.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/TPKsu2J.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

ROH Women of Honor World Championship Match

<img alt="7bRCiTH.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/7bRCiTH.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="BXYJnHD.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/BXYJnHD.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="B2hlALF.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/B2hlALF.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><hr color=black>ROH 18th Anniversary Show - Match Card

Alex Shelley [3] vs. Jeff Cobb [6] - Group A

Dalton Castle [0] vs. Dragon Lee [3] - Group A

Fred Yehi [0] vs. Tracy Williams [0] - Group B

Jay Briscoe [6] vs. Jay Lethal [6] - Group B

Davey Richards [6] vs. Matt Taven [6] - Group C

Josh Woods [0] vs. Jonathan Gresham [0] - Group C

Flip Gordon [4] vs. Mark Haskins [3] - Group D

PJ Black [0] vs. Rush [4] - Group D

Kelly Klein © vs. Madison Eagles - ROH Women of Honor World Championship</div>

merrykieran2 · September 25, 2019

Alex Shelley [3] vs. Jeff Cobb [6] - Group A

Dalton Castle [0] vs. Dragon Lee [3] - Group A

Fred Yehi [0] vs. Tracy Williams [0] - Group B

Jay Briscoe [6] vs. Jay Lethal [6] - Group B

Davey Richards [6] vs. Matt Taven [6] - Group C

Josh Woods [0] vs. Jonathan Gresham [0] - Group C

Flip Gordon [4] vs. Mark Haskins [3] - Group D

PJ Black [0] vs. Rush [4] - Group D

Kelly Klein © vs. Madison Eagles - ROH Women of Honor World Championship

DGenerationMC · September 25, 2019

Alex Shelley [3] vs. Jeff Cobb [6] - Group A

Dalton Castle [0] vs. Dragon Lee [3] - Group A

Fred Yehi [0] vs. Tracy Williams [0] - Group B

Jay Briscoe [6] vs. Jay Lethal [6] - Group B

Davey Richards [6] vs. Matt Taven [6] - Group C

Josh Woods [0] vs. Jonathan Gresham [0] - Group C

Flip Gordon [4] vs. Mark Haskins [3] - Group D

PJ Black [0] vs. Rush [4] - Group D

Kelly Klein © vs. Madison Eagles - ROH Women of Honor World Championship

Kijar · September 25, 2019

Alex Shelley [3] vs. Jeff Cobb [6] - Group A

Dalton Castle [0] vs. Dragon Lee [3] - Group A

Fred Yehi [0] vs. Tracy Williams [0] - Group B

Jay Briscoe [6] vs. Jay Lethal [6] - Group B

Davey Richards [6] vs. Matt Taven [6] - Group C

Toughest call for me

Josh Woods [0] vs. Jonathan Gresham [0] - Group C

Flip Gordon [4] vs. Mark Haskins [3] - Group D

PJ Black [0] vs. Rush [4] - Group D

Kelly Klein © vs. Madison Eagles - ROH Women of Honor World Championship

Powerbrock100 · September 25, 2019

Alex Shelley [3] vs. Jeff Cobb [6] - Group A

Dalton Castle [0] vs. Dragon Lee [3] - Group A

Fred Yehi [0] vs. Tracy Williams [0] - Group B

Jay Briscoe [6] vs. Jay Lethal [6] - Group B

Davey Richards [6] vs. Matt Taven [6] - Group C

Josh Woods [0] vs. Jonathan Gresham [0] - Group C

Flip Gordon [4] vs. Mark Haskins [3] - Group D

PJ Black [0] vs. Rush [4] - Group D

Kelly Klein © vs. Madison Eagles - ROH Women of Honor World Championship

20LEgend · October 1, 2019

ROH 18th Anniversary Show!

Announcers: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman & Colt Cabana - Venue: Sam’s Town Live! Location: Las Vegas, Nevada<hr color=black>

Honor League - Group A

Match #1 - Dalton Castle (0 points) vs. Dragon Lee (3 points)

The Background: With Dalton Castle already eliminated, and Dragon Lee hoping for a slip up from Jeff Cobb in his match with Alex Shelley later, the pressure was on one half of the ROH World Tag Team Champions to keep his Honor League ambitions alive with a victory. Dalton Castle had nothing to lose, but would put Dragon Lee into last place with a win, based on the head to head standings. Castle has had problems with Dragon Lee and family for much of the last year, and would love the opportunity to gain some bragging rights over them with a win.

The Result: Dalton Castle struggled throughout the match, with his frustration getting the better of him. In a move that would have seen him kicked out of the competition (following a review by the referee), had he still been in with a chance of winning it, Dalton Castle was intentionally DQ’d, shortly after throwing Lee from the top rope.

The Reasoning: Dragon Lee’s victory keeps open the chance of a three way tie at the top of the group, and the potential of a play-off (due to the matched head to head records). This places extra interest in the Cobb/Shelley match later. Dalton Castle losing all three matches is not ideal, but his character and charisma means he is somebody who can lose without too much damage to his credibility. The DQ means that Castle hasn’t been pinned three times, and somewhat protects him as he stands tall following the match.

The Aftermath: Dalton Castle continued his attack on Dragon Lee after the bell, taking out his frustrations re: the Honor League, as well as Lee and his brothers. While the attack didn’t last too long, it was brutal enough that Castle could stand over Lee, albeit not with his arm raised. [Jeff Cobb 6*, Dragon Lee 6, Alex Shelley 3*, Dalton Castle 0]<hr color=black>Jay Briscoe cut a promo on his match with Jay Lethal later in the evening, putting over his animosity towards the man who is joint top of Group B with him. Jay Briscoe said that Lethal teams with guys who claim to be the “Lifeblood” of ROH, and who say they’ll stand for what is right, but they were all suspiciously quiet when Davey Richards walked back into the company...

Briscoe said Jay Lethal is nothing but a stooge, and is therefore complicit in Richards being allowed to return. That is a slap in the fact to the history of Ring of Honor, and - since he’s been here since day one - a direct slap in the face of Jay Briscoe!<hr color=black>

Honor League - Group B

Match #2 - Fred Yehi (0 points) vs. Tracy Williams (0 points)

The Background: Having each been beaten by Lethal and Briscoe in Group B, Yehi and Williams were fighting for honor in this match, looking to sort themselves into third and fourth place. Both men had been frustrated with how the Honor League had gone so far, and had vowed to make sure that the quality of the match, more than made up for the fact there was nothing riding on it.

The Result: Tracy Williams made Fred Yehi submit with a Crossface, securing his third place finish in Group B.

The Reasoning: Tracy Williams is the one of the two I am slightly higher on, despite both being part of our long-term plans. With future storylines that are sketched out, Fred Yehi losing this match felt like the right move, and will add to the future direction of his character going forward, beyond the end of the Honor League.

The Aftermath: Tracy Williams offered the handshake to Fred Yehi after the match, as had been customary throughout the Honor League. While they had followed the mandatory “Code of Honor” prior to the match, Fred Yehi was too frustrated to take part post-match, heading up the ramp and leaving Williams hanging. [Jay Briscoe 6*, Jay Lethal 6*, Tracy Williams 3, Fred Yehi 0]<hr color=black>

Honor League - Group D

Match #3 - Flip Gordon (4 points) vs. Mark Haskins (3 points)

The Background: Coming into the match, Flip Gordon, Mark Haskins and Rush could still win Group D, and while a draw would send Flip to the top of the group, it would open the door for Rush to take top spot. For Mark Haskins the match was must win, anything else and he would be eliminated from the Honor League. Despite enjoying much control of his match with Rush earlier in the tournament, Flip Gordon was unable to show the cutting edge to pick up the win. In this match, he’d have to show that killer instinct.

The Result: Flip Gordon and Mark Haskins went to a 15 minute time-limit, with both competitors coming close to victory on a number of occasions.

The Reasoning: This result keeps the group open, with Flip Gordon in top spot, but by only a single point. As a result, Rush’s match with PJ Black later becomes a high pressure situation for Rush. While a draw will be enough to take him joint top with Gordon, Rush will be looking to take the group outright. Mark Haskins ends on a creditable 4 points from 3 matches, and the suggestion that Flip Gordon lacks a ruthless streak gains traction with another draw.

The Aftermath: Both men were frustrated following the match, having both missed a golden opportunity to go clear at the top of Group D. The commentators put over that while Flip Gordon was top “as it stands”, the group is now in the hands of Rush! [Flip Gordon 5, Rush 4*, Mark Haskins 4, PJ Black 0*]<hr color=black>

Honor League - Group C

Match #4 - Davey Richards (6 points) vs. Matt Taven (6 points)

The Background: The first group deciding match of the evening, the two top ranked Group C competitors had each defeated Jonathan Gresham and Josh Woods in the build up to the match. Matt Taven has continued to prove doubters wrong, a chip on his shoulder developing due to the lack of respect shown to the former World Champion. This in contrast to Davey Richards, who has returned with a lot of hype. Taven promised that he’d prove himself in the Honor League, and will have to beat Richards to take his place in the “Winner’s Group”.

Davey Richards’ mind has been solely on the Honor League since his return at Final Battle, where he defeated Jay Briscoe. Despite Briscoe’s issues with him, Richards has not allowed anything to take focus from the goal of becoming ROH World Champion, and he could take a step closer to that with a victory over Taven.

The Result: Davey Richards secured his place as the winner of Group C, and his advancement to the “Winner’s Group”, with a convincing victory over Matt Taven. At one point, Taven looked content to try and see out the time limit and tie Group C, but couldn’t hold out when he was locked in the Ankle Lock by Richards. Davey Richards wins Group C; advances to Honor League “Winner’s Group”!

The Reasoning: Davey Richards was always going to win his group, and certainly couldn’t afford to be beat by Matt Taven this early into his return. Taven was built up through his victories over Jonathan Gresham and Josh Woods, but there was little belief he’d defeat Richards. Nonetheless it gave Richards somebody to overcome, and sets him as a serious threat to Jeff Cobb’s title, going into the “Winner’s Group”.

The Aftermath: Davey Richards stood tall after the match, focussed on the task ahead. The commentators put over that half of the night’s “Honor League” matches were over, and 3 groups were still open to multiple winners! [Davey Richards 9, Matt Taven 6, Jonathan Gresham 0*, Josh Woods 0*]<hr color=black>Coming between those Honor League matches, the commentators turned attention to the upcoming Women of Honor World Championship match, airing an interview with Kelly Klein. During the interview, Klein put over the challenge of the talented and respected Madison Eagles, but said that she’d face big challenges before… and walked out as WOH World Champion!<hr color=black>

ROH Women of Honor World Championship

Match #5 - Kelly Klein © vs. Madison Eagles

The Background: Stealing the thunder of Kelly Klein at Final Battle, Madison Eagles made her ROH debut, taking down the longest-reigning - and only two time - World Champion in Women of Honor history. Kelly Klein had just defeated Mercedes Martinez, and understably took the incident as a huge sign of disrespect. Things went from bad to worse, as Kelly Klein called out Eagles, only to be laid out once again by the newcomer. Klein appeared to be out for vengeance when she confronted Madison later in the month, but instead had a simple message. If Eagles wanted a shot at the Champion, then she’d get it!

The Result: Kelly Klein had expected a tough challenge from Madison Eagles, the latest of a number of established names looking to take her Championship. Where Nicole Savoy and Mercedes Martinez had failed, Madison Eagles succeeded, pinning Kelly Klein after a gruelling contest, hitting a Hellbound to secure the victory. Madison Eagles is the NEW ROH Women of Honor World Champion!

The Reasoning: Something that has needed to be done for a while, but where I have failed to address the weakness, the Women of Honor World Championship changes hands for the first time since the new regime took over. While others had been considered to take the title from Klein, Madison Eagles felt like the right choice, a reliable performer who will bring the best out of her opponents, and carry the Championship well. Kelly Klein improved throughout her title reign, but didn’t reach the heights needed to bring the division to prominence. Women of Honor has long been neglected (the past 8 months included), but the hope is that this title change - coming somewhat out of the blue - will be the shot in the arm needed for the women’s division to build some momentum throughout 2020. Buried between the Honor League matches, this match went under the radar, and would hopefully provide a pleasant surprise on what looked like it could have been a routine title defence.

The Aftermath: Following her title win, Madison Eagles stood tall in the ring, as her meteoric rise was put over on commentary. Debuting just two months ago, Eagles had steamrolled her way to the Women of Honor World Championship. Tribute was also paid to the record-setting reign of Kelly Klein, with Ian Riccaboni sure that she’d hold the title again, one day in the future.<hr color=black>

Honor League - Group A

Match #1 - Alex Shelley (3 points) vs. Jeff Cobb (6 points)

The Background: Going into this match, and this whole tournament, the pressure on Jeff Cobb was heightened beyond any other competitor, as he had put his ROH World Championship on the line. Responding to the “Suzuki Incident” at Final Battle, Jeff Cobb requested a place in the Honor League, and stated that whoever won the tournament, would be the rightful holder of the World Championship. With Jeff Cobb desperate to prove himself, he needs a draw or a victory to secure his advancement to the “Winner’s Group”, with a defeat leaving him in a three way tie with Alex Shelley and Dragon Lee.

The Result: While Alex Shelley looked close to what would have been a pretty big upset, he was unable to keep Jeff Cobb down. Cobb eventually took control of the match, hitting a Tour of The Island to secure top spot in Group A. Jeff Cobb wins Group A; advances to Honor League “Winner’s Group”!

The Reasoning: Jeff Cobb was always set to advance to the “Winner’s Group”, and winning every match on the way serves as part of his journey to prove himself as a worthy ROH World Champion. Alex Shelley comes third in the group, and is increasingly looking less of a credible threat. While this isn’t great for him, plans for Shelley to return to prominence as part of a Motor City Machine Guns reunion have been shelved, leaving him somewhat directionless. With Chris Sabin leaving the company, on somewhat bad terms, the future looks uncertain for Alex Shelley, and there was no hesitation in having him fairly convincingly defeated by the ROH World Champion.

The Aftermath: Jeff Cobb’s relief was put over on commentary after the match, more than anybody the Honor League had put huge pressure on Cobb. While much of this was self-inflicted, Cobb’s celebrations after the match showed just how much victory meant to him. [Jeff Cobb 9, Dragon Lee 6, Alex Shelley 3, Dalton Castle 0]<hr color=black>

Honor League - Group D

Match #7 - PJ Black (0 points) vs. Rush (4 points)

The Background: With PJ Black eliminated, the only story going into the match was whether Rush could secure the victory necessary for him to advance to the Winner’s Group. The most delicately balanced of all the groups, the three potential results led to three potential scenario for the final standing. If Rush could win, he would take top spot, a draw would leave him level with Flip Gordon on 5 points, while a defeat would see Flip take the group.

The Result: The commentators put over the high pressure scenario for Rush, pointing out that a draw wouldn’t be a disaster for him, but a win was needed to advance. The group with the only two draws in it so far, things seemed set up to go to the wire, only for Rush to quickly take control. Taking the tension out of proceedings with a thoroughly professional and ruthless performance, Rush scored the quickest win of the Honor League so far, taking less than 5 minutes to beat PJ Black. Rush wins Group D; advances to Honor League “Winner’s Group”!

The Reasoning: Creating the scenario where the group could swing in various directions, the decision was made to subvert this by giving Rush a quick, decisive win. While there was a story built for the match to go down to the wire, I had little interest in Rush and PJ Black going almost 15 minutes, especially on a card with 9 matches. Instead, Rush’s victory puts him into Winner’s Group, with the best performance of the competition so far, continues the story of Flip Gordon comparatively lacking the “cutting edge” that Rush showed, and plays into plans that I have for PJ Black going forward.

The Aftermath: There we no questions about Rush lacking a cutting edge after the match, as he celebrated the most decisive victory of the Honor League so far. The commentators put him over as a dark horse to take the World Championship, as he joins Davey Richards and Jeff Cobb in the final four. [Rush 7, Flip Gordon 5, Mark Haskins 4, PJ Black 0]<hr color=black>Playing on the fact that their group is already decided, and there is no reason to be invested in their match, Josh Woods cut an opportunistic promo as Jonathan Gresham stood in the ring. Woods pointed out that Davey Richards had already advanced to the “Winner’s Group”, and that makes this match a dead rubber. However, Woods noted they were live on Honor Club… and he sees the Honor Club Championship around the waist of Gresham. Putting pressure on Gresham and trying to get the crowd on board, Woods challenged Jonathan Gresham to put the title on the line. As a fighting Champion, and somebody who wants every match to count, Gresham agreed to make the match a Honor Club title defence.

After the referee received word from the back… the match was official!<hr color=black>

Honor League - Group C; ROH Honor Club Championship

The Background: With both men already eliminated, the only background to speak of in this match was made moments before the contest began. Now an Honor Club Championship match, Josh Woods had created an opportunity to turn a dismal Honor League performance, into a potential career defining moment.

The Result: Making a competitive match out of a potential damp squib, the two men went toe to toe on strikes, and matched each other on the ground, resulting in an intense contest. Jonathan Gresham eventually won, rolling up Josh Woods to retain his title, and take third place in Group C.

The Reasoning: Adding the title to the match gave it some meaning where it otherwise would have been a throwaway - and completely out of place on a pay-per-view card. As this was the case, and there is no intention of Jonathan Gresham dropping the title just yet, it was a fairly easy decision. Gresham also takes 3 points from the group, with the rookie Josh Woods taking less of a hit from coming last than Gresham would have.

The Aftermath: Jonathan Gresham raised his arm after the match, and offered a handshake to his beaten opponent. Woods accepted, as Group C came to a close. Both men were eliminated, but had put in a number of solid performances during the Honor League. [Davey Richards 9, Matt Taven 6, Jonathan Gresham 3, Josh Woods 0]<hr color=black>

Honor League - Group B

Main Event - Jay Briscoe (6 points) vs. Jay Lethal (6 points)

The Background: As well as being the decider for Group B, with the two competitors both on 6 points from the first 2 matches, Jay Briscoe has made this match personal, tying his issues with Davey Richards into the build up to this match. Before the contest began, a video package was shown, that in turn preceded by a Jay Lethal promo. During the promo, Lethal accused Briscoe of being “obsessed” with Davey Richards, and said that he should be focussing on the Honor League. While that may be true, Jay Briscoe feels strongly about his point, and is particularly disappointed by Lethal’s lack of objection to Davey Richards’ return.

Jay Briscoe has repeatedly stated that he feels Davey Richards should not have been allowed to resign with the company, given the nature of his departure, but has not been backed up by other senior figures. Jay Lethal & Lifeblood should have spoke out according to Jay Briscoe, who called them “yes men” and “stooges”. Their ethos was in direct contradiction to Davey being allowed back, and Jay Briscoe considers it a slap in the fact to all those who stayed and tried to build ROH, that nothing is being done. The poster boy for that, somebody who Briscoe considers as having considerable influence in the locker room, is his Group B opponent Jay Lethal...

The Result: Evenly matched throughout the Honor League, and this match for that matter, the two Jays gave everything they had to secure their advancement to the “Winner’s Group” of the tournament. So closely matched were they, that the 15 minute time limit expired before either could seal the victory. Jay Briscoe and Jay Lethal finish joint-top of Group B.

With both men on 7 points, and their head to head ranking similarly matched, the referee had a decision to make. He left the ring after the bell, speaking into a headset and receiving feedback from somebody behind the curtain. Due to the fact that the other positions in the group wouldn’t be affected in any way, and the need for the group to have a winner, it was announced that the match would be restarted…

From the restart, there was an added intensity and energy to the match, the “sudden death” scenario of overtime creating a high stakes feel. This brought more out of both competitors, with Jay Briscoe setting up for a brutal looking move from the top rope, only for Lethal to fight back. Briscoe had seemed intent on sending Lethal through a Table on the outside of the ring, but Lethal fired boots to his chest that sent him backward. Lethal then jumped from the second rope, hitting an Elbow Drop to the standing Jay Briscoe. This sent both of them flying backwards, crashing through the Table at ringside. As neither man had set the Table up, there was no suggestion that any rules had been broken, but Jay Briscoe had clearly taken the brunt of the damage.

While the match continued briefly, that incident was undoubtedly the definitive factor, and another Elbow Drop from Jay Lethal, this time in the ring, was enough for him to pick up a hard-fought victory. Jay Lethal wins Group B; advance to Honor League “Winner’s Club”!

The Reasoning: Of all the groups, this was certainly the most difficult to call, with Jay Briscoe and Jay Lethal being considered to win the group right up to the night of the event. In the end, the Winner’s Group will be about putting on the best matches possible, and on the evidence of their recent performances, Jay Lethal is better suited to the role. As a group, I feel Davey Richards, Jeff Cobb, Rush and Lethal works better, and this should reflect in the quality of the Honor League contests going forward.

As for Jay Briscoe, he has yet more fuel to his fire, his bitterness exasperated by not only coming so close, but by watching Davey Richards advance in the Honor League, as he is eliminated from the tournament. Richards being potentially just 3 matches from becoming ROH World Champion fans the flames, and gives Jay Briscoe plenty to work with as the rivalry continues.

The Aftermath: Closing the show, Jay Lethal stood tall in the ring, the commentators promoting the completed line up for the “Winner’s Group”, as a graphic displays the final standings of the initial phase of the competition.

Jay Lethal was delighted having dug deep, with the commentators signing off on an excellent night of action, the first event of ROH’s 18th Anniversary Weekend!<hr color=black>

Quick Results:

[Group A] Dragon Lee bt. Dalton Castle (DQ) (C-)

[Group B] Tracy Williams bt. Fred Yehi (D)

[Group D] Flip Gordon drew with Mark Haskins (C-)

[Group C] Davey Richards bt. Matt Taven to advance to the Honor League “Winner’s Group” (C-)

[Group A] Jeff Cobb bt. Alex Shelley to advance to the Honor League “Winner’s Group” (C-)

[Group D] Rush bt. PJ Black to advance to the Honor League “Winner’s Group” (C-)

Show Rating ©

20LEgend · October 5, 2019

Ring of Honor Wrestling: 18th Anniversary Weekend - Night #2

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ROH: 18th Anniversary Weekend; Night #2 - Television Taping</div>

With the successful first night of the Anniversary weekend providing the company with a new World Champion on the women’s side of the roster, as well as the group of competitors for the “Winner’s Group” of Honor League, the following night looked to continue the momentum with a TV Taping from the same venue. With the Honor League continuing over the next month, focus turned to “Supercard of Honor”, a huge event that will look to take advantage of WrestleMania weekend, using the opportunity to gain the attention of those fans who aren’t currently following the company.

Before then, there were a few more rounds of television to be recorded, and this began the night after the 18th Anniversary pay-per-view:

Episode #1

<ul><li>Jay Briscoe bt. Mistico - Briscoe took out his frustrations over his Honor League defeat, and picked up a victory over the man who beat his brother last month. </li><li>After the match, Jay was joined by Mark Briscoe, who appeared ready to continue to bring the pain to Mistico, before Dragon Lee & Rush came out to aid their brother. When the two teams faced off, The Briscoes took a cheap shot at the Tag Team Champions, and began laying into them. Looking to bring a Table into the ring, The Briscoes were clearly looking to take their rivals out, only to be stopped by the returning Bandido… and his tag team partner Flamita! <div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="GTrgc7q.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/GTrgc7q.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><img alt="9jSAkQs.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/9jSAkQs.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div> </li><li>Jonathan Gresham, Fred Yehi & PJ Black cut a promo on their relative failures in the Honor League, saying that they were determined to return to winning ways, against The Kingdom later in the night. </li><li>Madison Eagles’ Women of Honor World Championship victory was recapped via stills. A replay of the event was promoted, available on Honor Club. Later in the night, Madison Eagles cut a promo on becoming the Champion, while throwing some shade at the previous title holder. Kelly Klein came out, and went tit for tat with Madison Eagles, dropping her as Eagles had done previously, giving her a taste of her own medicine. </li><li>Flip Gordon bt. Mark Haskins - having been unable to pick up the victory in under 15 minutes when the pressure was on during the Honor League, Flip Gordon beat Mark Haskins. After the match, it was clear he was frustrated he was unable to do that when it mattered most. </li><li>Stills from the Honor League were shown, putting over Davey Richards’ victory over Matt Taven. Later, Jeff Cobb discussed his victory, and his determination to walk out of the “Winner’s Group” as ROH World Champion. </li><li>The Kingdom bt. Fred Yehi, Jonathan Gresham & PJ Black - Matt Taven managed to pin the Honor Club Champion for the second time in a month, as Jonathan Gresham’s partners walked out of him during the match. No reason was given for this, and even The Kingdom were surprised, as Fred Yehi and PJ Black abandoned Gresham. </li></ul><hr color=black>Episode #2

<ul><li>Opening the show, footage was shown of a conversation that took place between Dragon Lee & Rush and Bandido & Flamita, regarding the save that aired the previous week. Bandido & Flamita asked for the Tag Team title match that they were robbed of by injury at the end of last year, as a favour in return for last week’s save. Dragon Lee & Rush agreed, with the match airing straight after. </li><li>Bandido & Flamita bt. Dragon Lee & Rush © - suggestion was made that Rush’s mind was on the Honor League, with him juggling his World title ambitions, with those of remaining a Tag Team Champion. This was proved true during the course of the match, as he was taken out of contention. This left Dragon Lee to fight off both men alone, and he was eventually taken down by Bandido. Bandido & Flamita become the new ROH World Tag Team Champions! </li><li>Jonathan Gresham responded to the actions of Fred Yehi & PJ Black last week, baffled by their decision. He didn’t have any answer, and was quickly surrounded by The Kingdom. The three mocked him, with Matt Taven clearly having his eyes on the Honor Club Championship. </li><li>Brody King bt. Rhett Titus - A one sided match that saw Brody King’s singles run continue. King squashed Titus, barely breaking a sweat in the process. This would be Titus’ final match with the company. </li><li>A fired up Kelly Klein demanded her rematch for the WOH World Championship… as soon as possible! </li><li>The journeys of Jay Lethal and Jeff Cobb in the Honor League were shown during a video package. Next week, the “Winner’s Group” begins with Jay Lethal vs. Jeff Cobb. </li><li>Davey Richards bt. Mark Briscoe - equally as disgusted by Davey Richards’ return, Mark Briscoe could do nothing as Davey picked up another victory. Davey’s return continues to impress, but now out of the Honor League, Jay Briscoe jumped him from behind, laying him out with a Jay Driller to the outside. After the match, it was clear that Richards had seriously hurt his neck... </li></ul><hr color=black>Episode #3

<ul><li>Rush responded to suggestions that he had not been focussed on the Tag Team titles match last week, admitting he let his brother down. Despite that, he was still open about the fact that the Honor League had to be his main focus going forward. </li><li>Dalton Castle bt. Alex Shelley - a bit of a surprise win for Dalton Castle, he rolled Shelley up. After the match, Castle issued a somewhat out of the blue challenge, calling out ROH World Champion Jeff Cobb. </li><li>From the doctor’s room after last week’s show, an interview with the hurt Davey Richards aired. He said that the time would come for his revenge on Jay Briscoe, but he won’t give him the satisfaction of taking his eye off the Honor League! </li><li>Madison Eagles accepted the challenge of Kelly Klein, and called on ROH management to make their WOH World Championship rematch official! </li><li>Tracy Williams bt. Josh Woods - the tough times continued for the youngster Woods, as he was beaten by the Lifeblood member. </li><li>[Honor League] Jay Lethal drew with Jeff Cobb - after pre-match promos, the two competitors gave their all, but couldn’t beat the clock. The new 20 minute time limit elapsed with no winner in sight, and as such the door was left wide open for Davey Richards and Rush to take pole position in the group...</li></ul><hr color=black>With a number of solid matches, the positivity continued coming out of the Anniversary weekend. The next scheduled event would be “Honor Reigns Supreme”, an Honor Club exclusive from the Aberdeen Pavilion in Ontario, Canada. ROH would then cross back over the border, returning the following night with a television recording.

20LEgend · October 8, 2019

ROH Supercard of Honor 2020

Announcers: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman & Colt Cabana - Venue: Aberdeen Pavilion Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

<hr color=black>Before the show, it was confirmed that due to the World Championship being on the line in Honor League, the winner would get to choose their own opponent for April’s Supercard of Honor event. Throughout the course of the night, the four competitors had their say, with the following potential Main Events of that show:

Airing exclusively on Honor Club, the following are the results from Honor Reigns Supreme 2020:

[Honor League] Jeff Cobb bt. Rush - coming into the match with different mentalities, the win seemed just that bit more important to Jeff Cobb, who had already dropped two points against Jay Lethal in the “Winner’s Group” opener. That extra bit of pressure may have been just what he needed, as he hit a Tour of the Islands to give Rush his first pinfall defeat in Ring of Honor. (C-)
PJ Black & Fred Yehi bt. Lifeblood’s Mark Haskins & Tracy Williams - since walking out on Jonathan Gresham earlier in the month, PJ Black and Fred Yehi have been completely silent, but some answers came during the course of the match. With Lifeblood in control, David Finlay Jr. made his return from injury, and turned on his former stablemates.

Seemingly aligning with PJ Black and Fred Yehi, Finlay’s involvement was enough to secure them the victory. Why these men had come together was unclear, but their impact couldn’t be any more obvious. (C-)
Jonthan Gresham © bt. Matt Taven to retain the ROH Honor Club Championship - Taven couldn’t follow up his two pinfall victories over Gresham when it mattered, and despite taking the Champion to his limits, there was no title change in this match. (D)
The Briscoes bt. Dragon Lee & Mistico - with Rush in singles competition, his brothers were given the chance to settle a personal issue, only to be defeated by The Briscoes. Jay & Mark were fired up for the match, and came out victorious, but reports suggest punishment was coming their way in the near future... ©
Madison Eagles © bt. Kelly Klein to retain the ROH Women of Honor World Championship - making her first defence of the title, Eagles once again had the number of Kelly Klein. Following her impressive title run, Klein appears to be in a bit of a rut, and it seems Madison Eagles is the one woman who has her number. (D+)
Before the Main Event, Bandido & Flamita issued an open challenge, having won the titles at night #2 of the 18th Anniversary weekend. They were answered by Flip Gordon & Brody King, the two remaining members of the group formerly known as Villain Enterprises.
Bandido & Flamita © bt. Brody King & Flip Gordon to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championships - surprisingly accepting the challenge, having both made their intentions to become singles stars clear, the former running buddies gave a good showing of themselves, but lacked the cohesion of Bandido & Flamita. In the end, Brody King was pinned after taking moves from both Bandido & Flamita, and wasn’t happy with Flip Gordon. After the match, the two big egos clashed, bubbling over until Brody King walked away. ©
[Honor League] Davey Richards bt. Jay Lethal - as Lethal’s match with Jeff Cobb had previously, this match almost went right to the wire, and would have left the group wide open. However, with less than a minute remaining of the time limit, Davey Richards hit a Kick to Lethal’s head that knocked him clean out. Richards pinned Lethal, sending him to second place in the group, but having only competed in one match, compared to Jeff Cobb’s two. (B)

<hr color=black>Following the event, ROH would travel back to the US for the final episodes of TV before Supercard of Honor 2020 on pay-per-view. Going into those shows, the Honor League “Winner’s Group” looked as follows:

joshspicer · October 8, 2019

David Finlay to win everything, that's my prediction.

EBEZA · October 13, 2019

All caught up, and boy, am I glad I did!

Any chance you can cut the ROH Title into four pieces, I want to see all of those matches at Supercard Of Honor! <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

20LEgend · October 19, 2019

ROH: Honor League Culminates!

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ROH Honor League Culminates - Television Taping</div>

Heading to Pittsburgh the night after Honor Reigns Supreme, ROH turned their attention to the final episodes of TV before Supercard of Honor, which would take place during WrestleMania weekend. Before then, the Honor League would conclude, with Davey Richards, Jay Lethal, Jeff Cobb and Rush battling it out to win the tournament. The person who won the tournament would go into Supercard of Honor as the ROH World Champion, and would choose their own opponent for the event.

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Episode #1<ul><li> </li><li>David Finlay, Fred Yehi & PJ Black bt. Shinobi Shadow Squad - having come together at Honor Reigns Supreme, the new group picked up a convincing victory. After the match, Jonathan Gresham, Mark Haskins & Tracy Williams were out for revenge, but the three men escaped. </li><li>A promo from the aforementioned Black, Yehi & Finlay was then aired, as the three men explained that they had been sidelined for different reasons, but weren’t going to be sidelined anymore. Finlay pointed out that he was in the original lineup of Lifeblood, but since returning from injury, he’s heard nothing from his so called stablemates. Instead, he reached out to Yehi & Black, two men who know what it’s like to have Lifeblood’s back, and get nothing in return. They had been relegated to cannon fodder by Lethal & Lifeblood… and now they are “The Blacklist”! </li><li>Footage recapped the recent incident where Davey Richards was attacked by The Briscoe Brothers. With the Honor League still ongoing, and Davey still in contention to win the tournament, The Briscoe Brothers were sent home, ensuring they couldn’t have any involvement going forward. </li><li>Sumie Sakai bt. Kelly Klein - put over as a surprising result, Kelly Klein’s week went from bad to worse with another defeat. Since losing the title, Klein has been all out of sorts, and her frustrations boiled over after the match. </li><li>With the Honor League concluding the following week, the “story so far” was recapped, before an interview with Jeff Cobb. Cobb said he couldn’t control anything that was happening between Rush and Richards, but knew that whatever happens, his match with Davey Richards is must win! </li><li>[Honor League] Davey Richards bt. Rush - despite feeling the pain in his neck, still lingering from the Jay Briscoe attack, Richards fought through to make sure he stayed in control of the “Winner’s Group”. Another match coming close to the 20 minute time limit, Richards picked up the victory with moments to spare. The group was now in the hands of Davey Richards, with anything but defeat to Jeff Cobb securing him the Honor League trophy and the ROH World Title.</li></ul>

<div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="rTgngjy.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/rTgngjy.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><hr color=black>Episode #2

<ul><li>[Honor League] Rush bt. Jay Lethal - while the match was essentially a dead rubber, it didn’t stop the two competitors giving their all to secure third place in the group. Picking up the quickest victory of the initial stage of the Honor League, Rush also took this accolade for the “Winner’s Group”, beating Lethal in the first sub-15 minute match. </li><li>With Jay Lethal finishing bottom of the “Winner’s Group”, his night got a whole lot worse, as he was attacked by The Blacklist after Rush had left the ring. The attack was quick, and with the Honor League still ongoing, security acted swiftly. Later in the night, it was confirmed that the three men had been escorted from the building. </li><li>Following a video package for the Main Event, Madison Eagles was interviewed on the stage, speaking about the Women of Honor World Championship. Eagles confirmed that she would be defending the title at Supercard of Honor, in a “Champion of Champions” match. That meant that the three former Champions would be given the chance to take her title, as Madison defends against Kelly Klein, Sumie Sakai and Mayu Itawani! </li><li>[Honor League] Jeff Cobb bt. Davey Richards - the final and most important match of the Honor League, Davey Richards came into the contest far from 100%. This didn’t stop Jeff Cobb, who in fact appeared encouraged by Richards’ injury. Focussing much of his offence on the Davey’s weak spots, the referee even had to step in at one point. While a draw would have been enough for Davey Richards to win the Ring of Honor World Championship, and time appeared to be on his side, Cobb gave him his first defeat since returning, hitting a Tour of The Islands in 19:39! </li><li>Following the match, Jeff Cobb was handed the ROH World Championship and the Honor League trophy, by the same man who was present at the Honor League announcement. This man had been behind Minoru Suzuki being stripped of the title, and looked happy to have Cobb secure as the Champion. Jeff Cobb shook hands with Davey Richards, who headed to the back, before issuing his challenge once again. Garnering a clear, negative reaction from the member of management who had given him the Honor League trophy, Jeff Cobb reiterated that there was only one man he wanted at Supercard of Honor… Minoru Suzuki!</li></ul><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="B9d1rJ5.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/B9d1rJ5.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div><hr color=black>Episode #3

<ul><li>After a recap of the previous week’s show, Davey Richards’ reaction to losing to Jeff Cobb was shown, with the second placed competitor saying he’d been advised to take time off. Davey spoke about how long he’d waited to return to ROH… and for that reason there was no chance he’d be taking time off! </li><li>Flamita bt. Flip Gordon (DQ) - attempting to show his “cutting edge”, Flip went too far the other way, and got himself Disqualified. After the match, he threw Flamita to the outside, promising to show ROH his cutting edge! It was later confirmed that Gordon would face KENTA at Supercard of Honor. </li><li>Beginning with Jonathan Gresham, and continuing throughout the night, there was promotion for the “Honor Rumble” at Supercard of Honor. The winner of the Battle Royal would challenge for Gresham’s Honor Club Championship later in the event. </li><li>Madison Eagles bt. Tasha Steelz - a convincing win, as Eagles geared up for the Champion of Champions match at Supercard of Honor. </li><li>Jeff Cobb returned to the ring, confirming that he would face Minoru Suzuki at Supercard of Honor. Cobb said that management might not be happy, but he has something to prove. Jeff Cobb added that it wasn’t just the bosses who were unhappy, because the fans weren’t happy with how it went down at Final Battle, and neither was he. This time they’re going to do it right. The referees, the fans and everybody else will be protected from Minoru Suzuki, because Jeff Cobb will be locked inside a Steel Cage with “The Man with the Worst Personality in the World”! </li><li>The Honor League winner was then joined by the runner up, as Davey Richards came down to the ring. Davey put over Jeff Cobb, and said that he also wants to talk about Final Battle. At that event he returned to ROH, but since then he’d been targeted by The Briscoe Brothers, particularly Jay Briscoe. With The Honor League out of the way, Davey can finally give Jay the attention he craves, challenging him for Supercard of Honor… to a FIGHT WITHOUT HONOR! </li><li>Speaking on behalf of Lifeblood, Jay Lethal accepted Blacklist’s challenge. It was clear he was still feeling the effects of their attack. </li><li>Mistico bt. Bandido - representing his family in place of the sidelined Dragon Lee, Mistico picked up a victory. Commentary later confirmed that Dragon Lee had aggravated an injury to his bicep, and would be out of action for a while. At Supercard of Honor, Bandido & Flamita will face Rush & Mistico, once again taking his injured brother’s place.</li></ul><hr color=black>Episode #4

<ul><li>Much of the show before Supercard of Honor was focussed on building to the upcoming event. This included an in-depth run through of the card from Ian Riccaboni, as well as recaps of the Honor League which took place earlier in the year. </li><li>Jonathan Gresham bt. TK O'Ryan - a convincing victory for the Honor Club Champion, with Vinny Marseglia's presence at ringside doing little to help his Kingdom partner. </li><li>Another video package looked at the rivalry between Davey Richards and Jay Briscoe. At Supercard of Honor, they will have a Fight Without Honor, and a promo sent in from Jay Briscoe showed that he was looking forward to the match. He had a clear plan of what he intended to do to Davey Richards, and promised once he was done… Davey wouldn’t want to call ROH “home” anymore. </li><li>Jeff Cobb spoke with Ian Riccaboni during the episode, promoting his Steel Cage match with Minoru Suzuki at Supercard of Honor! </li><li>Brody King bt. Josh Woods - After the match, as Taven cut a promo on the stage vowing to take the Honor Club Championship, King took out the entire group. Like Taven, Brody King would fight for a shot at the Honor Club Championship, in a Battle Royal at Supercard of Honor.</li></ul><hr color=black>The injury to Dragon Lee wasn’t the only bad news to come out of ROH following the last taping before Supercard of Honor, as two top talents informed management they were finishing up with the company. While Flip Gordon is still expected to leave for AEW, Alex Shelley and Jay Lethal are both confirmed to be leaving.

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Alex Shelley was not at the taping at Stage AE, and is already done with the company, while Jay Lethal will finish up at Supercard of Honor and the following night’s TV taping.

ROH are said to be surprised by Jay Lethal’s decision, but had been aware of Shelley’s unhappiness since plans for a Motor City Machine Guns’ reunion didn’t work out. Lethal and Shelley join Chris Sabin and a number of other veteran roster members in leaving the company, with ROH once again forced to make new stars and bring in more fresh faces. Some within the company see this as a great opportunity to continue the reshaping of the roster, but in truth it is difficult to put any positive spin on losing a talent like Jay Lethal.

Hashasheen · October 20, 2019

Give me a minute and I'm sure I'll find one.

I know you were quite insistent that they were carrying your grades, but surely theres a couple of guys available following release from WWE, TNA, etc...?

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Ring of Honor: A Whole World of Wrestling... [July 2019-]

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