Coverage

AJPW Excite Series 2019 Results & Review (2/24/2019)

Mathew is back with AJPW! Fans of New Japan won’t be upset giving All Japan a fair chance. Read Mathew’s expert breakdown!

Published

5 years ago

March 7, 2019

Mathew Sarpraicone

Mathew is back with AJPW! Fans of New Japan won’t be upset giving All Japan a fair chance. Read Mathew’s expert breakdown!

Welcome back to All Japan Pro Wrestling as we’re now gonna talk about their next big show that took place on February 24th.

We have a lot of big matches to cover on this one as we have the finals of the Junior Battle of Glory Tournament along with two titles matches, and the announcement of this year’s Champions Carnival participants. Plenty of stuff to cover in which should be an exciting show.

What will unfold tonight? Let’s find out as we…dive right in.

Rating System:
0 Stars: Dave Meltzer
1 Star: Vince Russo
2 Stars: Tony Schiavone
3 Stars: Eric Bischoff
4 Stars: Bruce Prichard
5 Stars: Jim Cornette

Tag Team Match
Atsuki Aoyagi & Gianni Valletta vs. Hokuto Omori & Osamu Nishimura

Review: Our first match is a tag team match to open up the show as we have Atsuki Aoyagi and Gianni Valletta taking on Hokuto Omori and Osamu Nishimura. This match has two of our Young Lions, Atsuki and Hokuto in the match to give them some time in the ring while being paired off with active members on the roster. Will the Young Lions show us their progression in their training?

This tag match was mostly for Atsuki and Hokuto since they’re the young rookies in the match and it’s to see how their training has been going and overall, they both seem to be pretty solid for the most part. I really can’t say who’s better at this point between the two since I haven’t seen too much of them, but I would still love to see a singles match between the two of them down the road instead of just a tag team match. I thought the match was basic but a solid bout to help showcase the rookies and Gianni just being well…Gianni since that’s what he does. The match lasted a little over eight minutes when Osamu would have Atsuki in a Spinning Toe Hold a couple of times to weaken his legs before he locked in the Figure Four Leglock to make Atsuki tap out as him and Hokuto won the match. Not bad, younglings.

Rating: Tony Schiavone and a half

Ten Man Tag Team Match
Atsushi Aoki, Black Menso-re, Black Tiger, Chikara & Hikaru Sato vs. Akira Francesco, Atsushi Maruyama, Kotaro Suzuki, TAJIRI & Yusuke Okada

Review: Our next match is another tag match but this one is with all the participants of the Junior Battle of Glory tournament that failed to make it to the final round tonight. We got Atsushi Aoki, Black Menso-re, Black Tiger, Chikara, and Hikaru Sato on one team as they take on Akira Francesco, Atsushi Maruyama, Kotaro Suzuki, TAJIRI, and Yusuke Okada. These to teams are sure enough to deliver us an exciting match. Which one of these teams will win?

I have no idea what Chikara and Menso-re were doing before the bell rang but Black Tiger got annoyed enough to beat up his partner, Menso-re and made him go to the corner. I was surprised Chikara had the most time in the ring from his team aside from maybe Black Tiger and Menso-re a little bit while Atsushi didn’t really do a whole lot unless it was a run-in spot. Menso-re had a little bit of time in the ring before Tiger would throw him out after beating him up again, it did give me a little laugh. The other team was a little more balance with ring time since they would come in once after showcasing a few things and I’m glad Akira was able to be a part of this tournament since he’s a very solid competitor in the ring and would love to see him in All Japan more often since he would fit the bill fine. Akira and Maruyama would dive out of the ring to get people out after TAJIRI hits Chikara with the green mist into his eyes as Kotaro and Sato are left alone in the ring. Kotaro would get Sato in the La Magistral for a two count but the two would go back and forth with the pin and kicking out until Kotaro would get him pinned this time as he gets the victory for his team in a solid match.

Rating: Tony Schiavone and a half

Tag Team Match
Masanobu Fuchi & Takao Omori vs. Jun Akiyama & Mitsuo Momota

Review: We have a special tag match for this next bout as we have Masanobu Fuchi and Takao Omori taking on Jun Akiyama and Mitsuo Momota. So why is this match special since we’ve already seen these guys wrestle in the ring together? This one is special because this match is also Fuchi’s 45th anniversary as a wrestler, so of course, it’s special for him as he’s been wrestling for so long and still has enough in the tank to keep going. Will Fuchi be able to win on this special day or does Uncle Jun’s team crash the party?

Fuchi and Mitsuo started the match off as the two old-timers would start to have a basic wrestling match as they would go back and forth until Jun would get tagged into the ring. What I love about Jun is that he can play the heel anytime he wants to and it wouldn’t be a permanent role since he just plays the part for the match and if he needed to be a bad guy for Fuchi, he’ll do it. Fuchi would do his old punch to the forehead after a Headlock and would tell the referee that it was an open fist, but Jun would do it back to him and the crowd would start to boo him pretty loudly, especially when Jun would mock that little taunt right after and it’s just great. Omori would help Fuchi out a little bit and would Irish Whip him into the ropes for Fuchi to possibly hit a Dropkick but Jun held onto the ropes to make Fuchi miss and the crowd would boo him again. Fuchi finally hits a Dropkick onto Jun which made Mitsuo get tagged in this time as the two would fight each other until Fuchi caught him in a cradle and would get the pin to win. While not a good wrestling match, it was still a fun entertaining match with four veterans in the ring to give Fuchi a fun time for his 45th anniversary in the ring, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Rating: Tony Schiavone and a quarter

Six Man Tag Match
KAI, Shuji Ishikawa & Yuma Aoyagi vs. Yoshitatsu, Yutaka Yoshie & Zeus

Review: Our next match is a six-man tag match with some people being thrown together just for the sake of being on the card. We got KAI, Shuji Ishikawa, and Yuma Aoyagi taking on Yoshitatsu, Yutaka Yoshie, and Zeus. This is pretty much an exhibition with their partners already booked, injured, or just feel like being there. Either way should be a solid bout between the two teams.

We had Zeus and Shuji starting this one off as the two would mostly do a test of strength together to see who would be the strongest out of the two but after Zeus lifted and slammed him down, he showed that he was stronger and sexier than Shuji…I know what I said. Yoshitatsu and KAI were in the ring now and they wouldn’t do too much since it was more even and technical before Yuma and Yutaka were tagged in now and Yuma would try to roll Yutaka but he sat on him and would have Yuma kick out at two. I personally thought the match came out much better than I expected it to go since all six men did well with doing what they needed to do to give the fans an entertaining match. Nearly everyone who shared the ring together was solid, especially when Shuji and Yutaka would be in there as Shuji would match his strength but was just a bit faster as his strikes were also very crisp. Yuma and Yoshitatsu would be in the ring last as the two went back and forth but Yoshitatsu went for the Koji Clutch as Yuma would pin him down for a two count before Yoshitatsu would go for it again and actually applies it, Yuma looked like he was out for the count as KAI would make the save by breaking the hold. Yoshitatsu would go for the Codebreaker of Jericho but Yuma would catch him midair and would have him on the ground to flip over him ot get the pin as Yuma would get the surprise victory for his team! Very fun tag match, worth watching.

Rating: Eric Bischoff and a half

– We have found out our official participants for this year’s Champions Carnival as the tournament is looking to start on April 4th, which both Andrew and I will once again be covering together. Here are our participants.

Block A: Kento Miyahara, Zeus, Shuji Ishikawa, Yuma Aoyagi, Dylan James, Yuji Okabayashi, Gianni Valletta, Kengo Mashimo, and Ryouji Sai

Block B: Suwama, Jake Lee, Joe Doering, Naoya Nomura, Yoshitatsu, Joel Redman, Takashi Yoshida, Sam Adonis, and Daichi Hashimoto

Singles Match
Dylan James vs. Naoya Nomura

Review: We got our first singles match of the night as Dylan James takes on one half of the All Asia Tag Team Champions, Naoya Nomura. Not many details for this match but Uncle Jun is not one to do things without a very good reason and the winner could possibly get something in return. Is it a future title opportunity? No idea, but I’m excited to see who wins out of these two and what the exact payoff will be for them.

The match went exactly how it needed to go and that’s with Dylan dominating the match while Nomura just trying to hit his moves and mostly failing. Why does it have to go like that? It’s because Dylan is bigger and stronger than Nomura while Nomura is just small and quick, Dylan needs to dominate as the heel of the match so the fans can get behind him. Nomura would try to lift Dylan up for a Death Valley Driver but would fail at the attempt and even tried to Spear him but Dylan would stand his ground and not move while he slammed him down and deliver a few elbows for a two count. Dylan would go for a Chokeslam as Nomura would actually hit a Brainbuster to get him down for a two count. Nomura starts getting more offense in the ring as he hits a German Suplex Hold for a two count but would climb the ropes for a Splash and hits it twice to get him down before picking him up for the Death Valley Driver as it connects for the three count and gets the upset victory. I wasn’t expecting a win without the use of a surprise pin but I’m very happy with the result as Nomura has definitely improved, wonder what’s next for him.

Rating: Eric Bischoff and a quarter

Junior Battle of Glory 2019 Final Match
Koji Iwamoto vs. Seiki Yoshioka

Review: Our next match is the final round of the Junior Battle of Glory tournament. We have Seiki Yoshioka from Wrestle-1 taking on the current World Junior Heavyweight Champion, Koji Iwamoto. Both of these men were able to win their blocks to get this far in the finals and if Seiki can win here, he’ll get a future opportunity and if Koji wins, then he’ll be one of the few that have won the tournament twice. If you’re not familiar with these guys, definitely check out their work because it’s great stuff. Who will be the winner of this year’s Junior Battle of Glory?

It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen Seiki wrestle and I’ve apparently missed a lot since he’s a new member of STRONG HEARTS and I have no idea how or when it happened, I need to get back into Wrestle-1. Anyway, I’m actually digging this new persona of his since he’s just shining as a heel here with how he adapted his moveset to be more aggressive while also being his agile self here. I’m glad these two were able to fight in the final since this is a damn good match with Wrestle-1’s best cruiserweight against All Japan’s champion to give us some great chemistry in the ring between these two. The final five minutes or so were very explosive, to say the least with how intense these two were getting with each other as Koji would hit three STO’s in a row and would make them stiff as he covered Seiki for a two count. Koji would have him up as Seiki was able to hit the Torbellino shades of Masato Yoshino and would quickly hit a Blue Thunder Driver as Koji would kick out at two! Seiki went for another Torbellino as Koji would hit a Koko no Geijutsu and the two are down. Koji hits a Dragon Suplex and once he ran into him, Seiki would hit him with a Superkick before going to the ropes but Koji would catch him with another Koko no Geijutsu he pinned Seiki for the win as he won the Junior Battle for Glory tournament!

Koji was able to win his second Battle to Glory cup as the first time he won it was in 2017, and now he has won it in 2019 while being All Japan’s champion at the same time. Koji has come a long way and I’m glad they were able to pull the trigger on making him the champion finally since Atsushi Aoki wasn’t working out as the top guy for the division, but I do have faith in Koji Iwamoto to lead that division. So what’s next for Koji since he won the tournament? I believe Kotaro Suzuki is next in line for a title shot due to beating him in the tournament and I’m okay with that. Great match and don’t worry, Seiki since you’ll win Wrestle-1’s Cruiser Fes to reclaim your title there.

Rating: Bruce Prichard

AJPW World Tag Team Title Match
Strong BJ (Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi) (c) vs. Sweeper (Jake Lee & Ryouji Sai)

Review: Our first title match of the evening is next as Strong BJ is looking to defend their titles against two members of Sweeper, Jake Lee and Ryouji Sai. Jake Lee is itching to get some gold this year as him and Ryouji so make a pretty solid team and want to do what Violent Giants couldn’t do, which is beat Strong BJ to bring those titles back to All Japan. Strong BJ is looking to get a solid first title defense under their belt and keep their momentum going. Will we have new champions or does Strong BJ retain?

When you look at Strong BJ, you can see why they were able to defeat Violent Giants for the titles and while the Violent Giants are a much better tag team, Strong BJ is just more powerful and agile compared to them and that’s what gave them that advantage to win the titles in the first place. When you see them fighting Sweeper, they’re just as powerful and would just destroy the smaller guys in the match as Sweeper is clearly the underdog team in the match and it makes sense with their size and the people involved along with the people they’re fighting in that ring. Strong BJ would have some fun with Sweeper after dragging them to the outside to fight them a little bit more after they were playing with their food inside a little bit. I really do love the dynamic of the match since I like a good underdog story and this match was able to tell it well, Jake Lee is still a star with how he performs.

Ryouji would get a few PK’s in on Daisuke before he would get him onto the ground and went to the top rope so he could go for a Splash it looks like as Ryouji would hit him with a kick before climbing onto the ropes to hit a Superplex and it was nicely done as Sweeper finally has an opening to try and turn things around after Strong BJ controlled most of the match. Ryouji would tag Jake in along with Daisuke tagging in Yuji as Jake is in control with the hot tag, giving Yuji a few things in the ring to get some momentum in now and when he had Yuji in a DDT position, Ryouji would try to run in for an STO but Daisuke would catch him with a Spear. Strong BJ would make a comeback as they lifted both members of Sweeper up for a Torture Rack to do some more damage onto them and Ryouji is rolled out of the ring. Yuji would have Jake set up for a German Suplex as Daisuke would give Yuji the assist with a German as well and Ryouji would break the count just in time before three. Jake started to get fired up as he delivers stiff knee strikes onto Yuji to try and put him away and Yuji kept on kicking out of them. Jake pulls his kneepad down to go for the Ko-Oh and Yuji moved out of the way to hit a few Lariats as Jake Lee would also now kick out of it. Yuji would get him down one more time before going to the top rope and hits a big Splash for the three count as Strong BJ retains the titles in a great tag match!

Rating: Bruce Prichard

Triple Crown Title Match
Kento Miyahara (c) vs. Suwama

Review: We now have our main event of the evening as we have Kento Miyahara defending his Triple Crown Championship against the former ace of All Japan, Suwama. The last the these two fought for the title was in September of 2017 and Suwama would defeat Kento to win the title from him in Kento’s first title defense of his second reign. Kento still wants to break the record of Toshiaki Kawada’s title defenses and to do that, he would have to fight one of his toughest challenges early. Suwama is looking to defeat Kento once again for the title and this time to prove that he is still on top of the world in not only tag team wrestling, but as a singles competitor. Will Kento be able to defeat his rival like he did to win his first Triple Crown Championship or will Suwama still prove why he’s number one?

I loved that the match started out even with none of them getting the upper hand right away since it makes them feel like equals because they actually are when it comes to this big match and their status to the company. The two would eventually make their way to the outside as the two were going blow for blow with punches on the entrance ramp until Kento would hit Suwama with a DDT onto the ramp to knock him down. Kento would get him up near the ring to hit him with a Headbutt and used this time to climb the apron to hit a jumping Blackout but Suwama moved out of the way to make Kento crash into the guardrail and his knee is damaged from that as Suwama would now have the opening he needs to control the match. This is where Suwama now has what he needs to do and hits Kento with a Lariat to knock him down and applies a Boston Crab to do more damage to his leg but Kento would grab the ropes just in time to break the hold. Suwama kept on destroying Kento in the ring with a Belly-to-Belly Suplex and has him over the apron to apply the Sleeper Hold and is really wringing his neck here as Kento sells it beautifully before making him land outside the ring as Kento is out for the count.

Kento would eventually get the comeback that he needs after reversing the Last Ride into a DDT and would deliver a Blackout, German Suplex, and another Blackout right after but Suwama would kick out at two. Kento would try to go for the Shutdown German Suplex Hold but Suwama would kick Kento’s arm away before he could lock it and would hit a German Suplex of his own as Suwama ruined Kento’s momentum. After failing to make Kento tap with another Sleeper Hold, the two would exchange some punches back and forth until Kento just kept hitting Suwama with Forearms until Suwama fell to the mat and would attempt a Shutdown German Suplex hold again but Suwama would break out of it and hits the Last Ride for a two count. Suwama would try to go for a Backdrop Driver but Kento flipped himself to land on Suwama for a two count. Suwama would finally hit the Backdrop Driver but Kento would kick out of it somehow but Suwama would quickly go for another Last Ride as Kento jumped off of him to hit a Blackout behind him and hits the Shutdown German Suplex Hold, but Suwama would kick out at two! Kento couldn’t believe it but he doesn’t stop as he would try to go for the Shutdown German Suplex Hold again as he held it in the air for a bit while Suwama tried to fight it but Kento hits it for a second time and gets the pinfall victory to retain!

Kento would have his second successful title defense under his belt and would be the last time he’ll be champion in his twenties as he’s now thirty years old. After the match though, Naoya Nomura would come out to challenge his fellow NEXTREAM member for the Triple Crown Championship and Kento would actually accept this match as it would take place on the March 19th show and it’ll be his last defense until the Champions Carnival is over. We also found out that since he’s challenging Kento, he and Aoyagi would be vacating the All Asia Tag Team Championships in the process as new champions will be crowned at a later date. This was honestly the best Suwama match that I’ve seen in quite some time as these two would have magic in the ring as he does show he still has plenty left in the tank for a future title reign if they ever decide to give him one again, but right now they should focus on the future and the future is Kento. Fantastic match and two successful title defenses down, nine more to go to break the record.

Rating: Bruce Prichard and a half

Overall: Despite the undercard mostly being average, they were all still solid and this was a great show. From top to bottom, I didn’t dislike any match as everything delivered the way I expected them to and the final three matches alone are worth watching this show. A lot of fun and excited to cover the next big one before the Carnival.

Favorite Match: Kento Miyahara vs. Suwama

Least Favorite Match: Masanobu Fuchi & Takao Omori vs. Jun Akiyama & Mitsuo Momota

Score: 8/10

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

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Coverage

Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 4.18.2024

Motor City Machine Guns either go out on their backs, or head to Rebellion as champs! Lets see how they finish their current run in TNA!

Published

15 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Andrew Balaz

No burying the lead here! The Main Event is The System versus Motor City Machine Guns, and it’s the Go Home episode before Rebellion! So we’re guaranteed a damn good tag match, and we should get either new wrinkles, or ways to keep the storylines cooking going into the Pay-per-View.

With all the rumors and innuendo about the Guns being on their way out, I think we all assume that MCMG is losing, but my inner fanboy is still excited.

Part Three: Acceptance @TheJonGresham #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/NE9FPzCCz2

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 19, 2024

Ratings:

Little Guido w/New FBI vs Hammerstone: Hammerstone wins via Torture Rack – SQUASH
LSG vs Joe Hendry: Hendry wins via Standing Ovation – SQUASH
Mustafa Ali & GYV vs Cody Deaner, Jake Something & Rhyno: Ali wins via 450 Splash – ** 3/4
Rosemary w/Havok vs Jody Threat w/Dani Luna: Rosemary wins via Spear – ***
Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) vs The System (Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers) w/Alisha Edwards: System wins via Roster Cut + Knee Party – *** 1/4

Results:

So we kick off the match with Josh coming out to commentary again to watch Hammerstone’s match. They really need a new way to try and keep heat without reusing the same tired gimmick of “ring side seat” to a Squash match.

Little Guido w/New FBI vs Hammerstone

Guido tries to shoot the half, but Hammerstone shrugs him off, lifts him like a child and runs him into a corner, few short shots and then just tosses him across the ring. Hammer gets a little distracted talking smack to Josh and eats a foot, but then tosses Guido with the ole Sack of Shit move and keeps working over Guido.

Hammer shoves Clayton, and provokes him to push him back right in front of the referee. She ejects them, Guido tries to take advantage but when he goes for the pinfall Hammer kicks out immediately and presses Guido out of thing through the ropes. Continues to dog walk Guido, puts the head gear on the ECW Original and then Torture Racks him while staring directly at Josh, and of course picks up the submission victory.

.@XiaBrookside and @Ashamae_Sebera face off NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT! pic.twitter.com/Q0S3wSRpeu

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 19, 2024

LSG vs Joe Hendry

Hendry cuts a little promo, mentioning the Fat Uncle Phil joke…something about shopping at the TOP Dollar Store. Solid mic work.

LSG is a damn good local talent, he’s been seen in ROH and AEW in the past (perhaps others, but that’s what comes to mind immediately for me), but we all know this is an enhancement match. A few nice chain wrestling spots early, but Hendry uses his power to stop the smaller wrestler, Sack of Shit into Standing Ovation and the match is over quickly.

Mustafa Ali & GYV vs Cody Deaner, Jake Something & Rhyno

Well okay, having Deaner ask the crowd if they wanted a 3v2 or their third member…RHYNO…is pretty much a no brainer in Philly. But at least the gimmick isn’t quite as cringe as I expected.

Jake starts with Zack Gibson and throws him around. Jake goes for the tag and Deaner asks the crowd who Jake should tag, and the crowd picks Rhyno. Rhyno Whips Gibson into a corner, Drake actually softens the impact, allowing Gibson to fire back, tag out, but Rhyno levels both GYV members and then even knocks Ali off the apron. Rhyno tries to call to the crowd to tag in Deaner and that goes over like a fart in church. He tags him in anyway, and the crowd is kinda dead and doing whatever it wants after the obvious ECW chants when Rhyno tagged in.

GYV take a couple lumps but they of course start to work over Deaner and capture some momentum. Solid tandem work from GYV, they cut off Deaner from making a tag and goad Jake a little to cause the ref to block off the babyfaces so the heels can take a few shortcuts. Cody eventually makes the tag to Rhyno, hot tag, he tries to set up the Gore but the GYV manage to stop him in his tracks and hit an Enzuigiri to daze the Man Beast, he falls to his corner and Jake tags himself in. Jake literally runs them all over, tags in Cody and Launches him from the Top Rope into Zack Gibson. Ali makes the save and Jake tries to get his hands on Ali, but the GYV keep throwing themselves at him, literally. The triple team finally gets the best of Jake, they hit 3 Dives and then post Jake, so they gather around Cody like hyenas.

They forgot about Rhyno, he’s set up for a Gore, he Gores Drake, Gibson and Ali take out Rhyno, but then Cody starts to fight back. Ali stops Deaner’s offense with an Avalanche Sunset Bomb, then hits his 450 Splash. Jake barely misses being able to break up the pin.

.@TheEricYoung channels "The Sickness" as he prepares for FULL METAL MAYHEM with @FrankieKazarian at #Rebellion! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/tm1TqxZBLo

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 19, 2024

Rosemary w/Havok vs Jody Threat w/Dani Luna

Jody tries to start quickly with Shoulder Tackles, Lariats and Scoop Slams, and it does seem somewhat effective. Rosemary is having trouble finding offense against the intensity, but she keeps kicking out. Shotgun Dropkick finally gives Rosemary an opening, she goes into full mount and rains down strikes. Rosemary shoves Jody into a corner and Bites her in the corner. Jody tries to fight out, they go across and Rosemary catches her with the legs and puts her in the Upside Down. Splash in the corner from Rosemary, Exploder Suplex and Jody is eating a lot of offense.

Rosemary looks like she’s caught after she gets tripped up into the ropes and Jody goes for her Rope Knee into the German, but Rosemary dodges. Rosemary hits her own suplex and pulls out a beautiful Last Chancery! I haven’t seen her do that in a long time. Jody manages to fight to the ropes, Rosemary is a little slow to capitalize and eats a Pump Kick. Rosemary goes flying into the ropes, Jody hits the Double Knees into the German this time for 2, and they trade a few haymakers after that. Jody folds Rosemary with a low Lariat, Zombie rise spot a few times, Jody goes for a pinfall and Rosemary kicks out.

Havok jumps up on the apron, Dani meets her and they decide to step down, but the distraction was enough. Jody turns around and eats a Spear. Rosemary wins!

Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) vs The System (Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers) w/Alisha Edwards

Eddie and Shelley start off, and its a very simple slow start. Mostly an early stalemate, the typical Japanese style the TNA seem to love to employ. Starters tag out, but then Shelley with the blind tag, Sabin Baseball Slides out, picks Eddie’s ankle and sends his face bouncing off the apron, while Shelley sneaks up being Myers and they hit a tandem move before we cut to commercial. Off of the commercial it looks like Eddie and Myers regained control. But a nice Jawbreaker from Shelley sends Eddie falling back into the MCMG corner. Dragon Screws to both legs from Sabin and Shelley, and we get the Dragon Screw dissection spot for the Guns.

Myers gets sick of things, tries to get involved, but Simultaneous Figure Fours from the MCMG makes The System look silly. Alisha does the classic “push the rope forward” gimmick to assist Eddie in breaking the hold. She keeps chirping at Shelley until she finally grabs his foot. Shelley doesn’t take kindly, tries to grab her by the hair but she gets away, Shelley eats a strike and falls back to the ropes so Lish can just throttle him with the rope, Sabin walks over and acts like he’s going to PK her and the look of disgust on her face is hilarious, like “how dare he threaten to kick her”. Would I be mad is Masha decides to team with Lish and they win the Knockouts Tag titles? No, because the Knockouts Tags are trash. But I still prefer Lish as valet/manager.

Shelley starts fighting back after another commercial break, Eddie tries to cut him off, but Sabin clocks Eddie and Shelley manages to make the tag and Sabin comes in. Lights up both System members, Kick off Tornado DDT, into a Running Gamengiri. Eddie tries to counter but Shelley assists, tandem strikes, Double Baseball Slide into the classic MCMG spot 5 Hole Dive! Keeping up with the classics Shelley stacks the System members on each other and hit the Missile Dropkick/Flatliner spot. As the Guns are rolling, Sabin accidentally catches Sabin with his foot and The System take control! They hit their pieces of the System Overload spot, but Sabin kicks out. Roster Cut attempt from Myers, but Shelley is back. High Speed Dirt, Machine Gun Sandwich, but Lish grabs Shelley’s foot when they’re setting up Skull and Bones. Shelley gets dropped on the turnbuckle and thrown out, Sabin eats the Roster Cut followed up with Boston Knee Party and System retains!

Its a little weird to have had the two commercial cuts and the fact there’s still Nic Nemeth to follow. So it feels a little flat, I hope this wasn’t their swan song match, because it was nice to see some classic spots, but it was entirely too abbreviated.

Nemeth comes out, goes into the crowd and finds a kid with a kendo stick and borrows a beer from someone, so he does a bit of a Sandman tribute. Moose cuts off his promo basically immediately. He throws out the “can’t beat the system” line again, and Nic rolls with the punches well. Moose uses a few cute analogies about Nic having a failure laden past, but Nemeth bites back and its really damn good. He says he can see it in Moose’s eyes that he thinks he’s getting in the ring with Dolph Ziggler, but no, there is no more old Dolph Ziggler, just the new Nic Nemeth. And Moose’s cool seems to be slightly shaken after those words. Good promo.

Overall Score: 6.5/10

So this was okay, if it didn’t end as strongly as it did, I would’ve rated this much lower. Two squash matches in the beginning, reusing the Josh comes out to the announce table to watch trope is boring, hell even Clayton’s shove to Hammerstone was super lame looking. The Deaner match was luke warm at best, but things picked up around the Rosemary match.

Lets also not overlook the segments with ASH & Xia, Jonathan Gresham’s whole deal and EY having to return to the violence/sickness/world class maniac, whatever you want to call it, were all great building blocks. This definitely wasn’t what I would call a strong Go Home, but it didn’t hurt things for Rebellion. The whole injury of Cardona was addressed, which honestly sounded weird since Jordynne basically said she was expecting them to have a backup plan so she has a backup plan. I don’t really like how that video package came across.

But who knows, all I know is, this wasn’t an awful episode, it just wasn’t really strong either. Here’s to hoping Rebellion Saturday is still strong.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Coverage

Mitchell’s ROH Results & Report! (4/18/24)

Time to Man Up!

Published

19 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Steven Mitchell

Will the Ivy League MVP earn a title shot?

The NEW ROH World Champion, Mark Briscoe, is here to step onto the Proving Ground with one of Maria Kanellis’ baby boys, Griff Garrison! Will Griff make Maria proud? Or will he reach for the sky?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Bryan Keith VS Aaron Solo; Keith wins.
Six Man Tag: Lance Archer & The Righteous VS Jon Cruz, Savion Truitt & Damian Chambers; Archer & The Righteous win.
Lee Johnson VS JD Drake; Lee wins.
Abadon VS Allysin Kay; Abadon wins.
The Infantry VS The Iron Savages w/Jacked Jameson; The Infantry wins.
Six Woman Tag: Diamante, Leila Grey & Taya Valkyrie VS Kiera Hogan, Leyla Hirsch & Trish Adora; Kiera, Leyla & Adora win.
The Beast Mortos VS Nick Comoroto; Mortos wins.
Lady Frost VS Marti Belle; Frost wins.
The Dark Order VS Zak Patterson & Frank Milano; The Dark Order wins.
ROH World Championship Proving Ground Match: Mark Briscoe VS Griff Garrison w/ Cole Karter & Maria Kanellis; Mark wins and denies Griff a title match.

PLAY BY PLAY

Mark Briscoe speaks.

“Now House of Black, I’ve been doing this dance with y’all a little while now, and I’m starting to understand how y’all operate. Starting to understand y’all’s M-O. You try to intimidate me. You try to strike fear into the hearts of men. Well I done told you, I fear no man, I fear no evil. And ancient wisdom says the violent take it by force. Now lemme tell you, Eddie Kingston, Adam Copeland, and Mark Briscoe, we some violent men! And at Dynasty, we bringing the violence, babeh! So heed my advice, House of Black! Be afraid, be very afraid!” The Sussex County Chicken is ready for a fight, will he, the Rated R Superstar and Mad King tear down The House of Black once and for all?

Bryan Keith VS Aaron Solo!

The Bounty Hunter is still looking for a prize, but he’ll gladly fight to earn his shot. Will Keith be heading for a golden opportunity on the other side of Dynasty? Or will Solo shoot first?

The Code of Honor is upheld with sarcastic enthusiasm by Solo, and Keith shoves him away. The bell rings and Solo SLAPS Keith! Keith TACKLES Solo and rains down fists! The fans fire up, Solo gets away then knees Keith low. Solo ROCKS Keith, whips him to a corner, but Keith comes back to run Solo over! Keith scoops to SLAM Solo, then stands on Solo’s face! The fans fire up for the KNEE DROP! Keith then SLAPS Solo! The fans rally for “BK! BK!” Solo storms up but Keith kicks low. Keith reels Solo in, suplexes, and he holds Solo up! Keith marches around, then SLAMS Solo down! Solo bails out and the fans fire up as Keith aims.

Keith builds speed, slides, but Solo ducks! Solo sends Keith into steel steps! The fans boo as Solo leaves Keith behind. The ring count starts, fans chant “SOLO SUCKS! SOLO SUCKS!” Solo counts along but wants it to go faster. Keith stands at 8 of 20, slides in, but Solo stomps and HAMMERS away! The fans boo more, but Solo stands Keith up to bump him off buckles. Keith CHOPS in return! Then CHOPS again! The fans “WOO~,” then Keith ROCKS Solo with a forearm. Keith CHOPS in the corner, but then Solo dodges. Solo tries but Keith dodges the chop to CHOP Solo down! The fans fire up while Solo is stinging.

Keith whips Solo, Solo reverses and CLOBBERS Keith! Cover, TWO! Keith grits his teeth but Solo knees him in the back! And again! The fans rally, Solo taunts them, and then ELBOWS Keith in the head. Solo stalks Keith to a corner, digs his boots in, but again the fans chant “SOLO SUCKS!” Solo stomps away on Keith, digs his boots in again, but Keith fights up! The fans fire up as Keith fires forearms! Keith fires forearms again and again and again, winds up, but Solo dodges! Solo comes back, but Keith ROCKS him after all! The fans fire up as Keith runs in to BOOT! Solo sputters, Keith runs, but then Solo SUPERKICKS! Keith just roars!

Solo swings, but into a T-BONE SUPLEX! Cover, TWO! The fans rally as Keith keeps calm. Keith waits on Solo as fans rally behind him. Solo staggers into a fireman’s carry, but he fights free! Solo shoves, goes to a corner, but then Keith comes back. Solo ELBOWS Keith, whips, but Keith reverses! Solo goes up but gets caught, for an USHIGOROSHI! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up again as Keith slashes his throat and aims his finger gun! Keith underhooks, but Solo fights the lift! Solo back drops, Keith sunset flips but Solo stays up to DOUBLE STOMP! Solo then runs up, catches Keith and hits a T-BONE! Cover, TWO!

The fans fire up but Solo hurries to a corner. Solo climbs fast, and DIVING DOUBLE STOMPS! Cover, TWO!! Keith survives that coup de grace and Solo isn’t sure what to do. Solo kicks Keith around, drags him up and reels him in to underhook. Keith fight that lift, Solo CLUBS away on him, but Keith Alabama Lifts! Solo grabs ropes so Keith lets him down, and ENZIGIRIS! But Solo SCREW HIGH KICKS! Solo goes up top, but Keith RISING HEADBUTTS! The fans fire up with Keith and he climbs! Keith reels Solo in, for DIAMOND DUST!! Cover, Keith wins!

Winner: Bryan Keith, by pinfall

A big win for BK! And he gives back that sarcastic handshake. Will the Bounty Hunter be hot on the trail of a championship after AEW & ROH pass through the Gateway City?

Mark Sterling speaks.

“If you ask AI to create the perfect professional wrestler, it wouldn’t even come close to you. If wrestling is a body business, then you’re a multinational corporation. Biology defying symmetry, no fat, all muscle, no waste. As functional as you are aesthetic. High-flying? You got it. Ground ‘n’ pound? You got that, too. Striking, brawling, submission, technical, there is not a single style you have not perfected. For the last 20 years, you’ve been one of the most consistent and proficient wrestling specimens for any company that’s been willing to throw money at you and begged you to stay. And now, it’s time for them to beg for mercy.

“You are Tony Nese, and you are a Premier Athlete.”

Now Mark Sterling & The Premier Athletes are here in person.

They stand backstage, Sterling’s guys in matching tracksuits, and he says the last time he looked into the camera, he told everyone he had a plan. The very next day, they enacted that plan. Sterling took them off the road, they entered a professional fight camp. They got the best coaches, best trainers, best doctors, and these three started to do what they do best: go to work. Supercard of Honor, against two former ROH TV Champions, PA got an impressive victory. Fruits of their labor. Ariya Daivari is back better than ever. Josh Woods is bigger and better than he was when he won the National Championship. And Tony Nese is in the best shape of his life, which is saying something.

In fact, what’re we even talking about? These three are the most underappreciated athletes in the company. They walk like stars, they move like stars, they present themselves like stars, and by the end of this year, they will be champions. Supercard was just phase one of this plan. Phase two… starts tonight. Then just what happens when the Premier Athletes start making moves?

Lee Johnson VS JD Drake!

Even though he lost at Supercard, Big Shotty stays positive! He got close to the ROH World Television Championship, will he get back there for another shot? Or will Scrap Metal be another speedbump in Lee’s momentum?

The Code of Honor is upheld, the bell rings, and the fans rally as the two circle. They tie up, JD HIP TOSSES, and Lee scrambles to ropes. JD flexes and fans cheer, which surprises JD. Lee gets up, he and JD reset. They tie up, JD arm-drags, but Lee gets up. Lee keeps calm while JD talks some smack. They circle, tie up again, and JD scoops! JD carries Lee around, with one arm! Then SLAM! JD dusts off his hands and the fans fire up more. Lee is a bit frustrated, but he fires himself up. The fans rally with him, he and JD circle to tie up. Lee goes to hip toss, but JD blocks! JD tells Lee he knows that’s not gonna work!

JD goes to hip toss but now Lee blocks! Lee arm-drags, then he goes to feint, but JD blocks with a headlock. Lee shoves JD, tries another arm-drag, but JD blocks that. JD whips Lee, Lee ducks ‘n’ dodges and arm-drags again! The fans fire up as Lee tries to scoop, but JD’s too hefty! JD SLAPS Lee, ROCKS him, then whips him to ropes. Lee ducks ‘n’ dodges again, shoves JD and hurdles! Lee drops, then DROPKICKS! JD staggers to a corner, Lee fires up, and the fans fire up with him! Lee runs up on JD in a corner to CHOP! JD barely flinches! JD puts his arms back and dares Lee to try again. Lee CHOPS, but JD puts Lee in the corner!

JD swings, Lee dodges and CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS! Lee whips, JD reverses but Lee ELBOWS back! Lee runs up but into a lift, and FLAPJACK off buckles! Lee falls, the fans rally up, and JD dusts himself off. JD storms back up on Lee, brings him up, and the fans rally. JD ROCKS Lee, stands him up in the corner, and CHOPS! The fans “WOO~!” while Lee sputters. The fans want that “One More Time!” so JD stands Lee up. JD winds up, to JAB! The fans boo JD trolling them, but JD stands Lee up to CHOP him after all! Lee is stinging, but JD brings him up. Lee throws body shots but JD ROCKS Lee!

JD whips, Lee sunset flips! JD stays up, but Lee avoids the hip drop! Ghost pin, TWO! JD gets up, kicks low and whips, to SPINEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Lee stays in this and the fans rally up. JD sits Lee up, KICKS him in the back, then paces around. The fans rally for Lee but JD pie faces him around. Lee rises, JD brings him up and Lee CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS again! JD throat chops! The ref reprimands, JD claims he jabbed to the chest. JD then scoops and SLAMS Lee, to then FALLING HEADBUTT! Cover, TWO! Lee is still in this but JD CHOKES him! The ref counts, JD lets off, claiming he was just checking the pulse.

JD clamps on a chinlock, digging his knee into Lee’s back. Lee endures, the fans rally up, and Lee fights to his feet. Lee throws body shots, but JD knees low! JD suplexes but Lee slips free! Lee ROCKS JD, ROCKS him again, but JD CHOPS! JD runs, but Lee SUPERKICKS! JD flops out of the ring and the fans fire up! The fans rally as Lee builds speed, to FLY! Direct hit at the ramp and the fans fire up even more! Lee puts JD in, climbs a corner, and JD stands. JD staggers around, into the CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO! JD stays in this but then bails back out. Lee thinks on what he has to do and the fans rally up.

Lee runs, to slide, but JD gets under! JD pops Lee up to CLOBBER him! JD puts Lee in, aims from a corner, and Lee goes to the opposite end. JD runs up, but Lee moves, CANNONBALL hits buckles! Lee hurries up while JD is down! The fans cheer as Lee aims, FROG SPLASH, but JD moves! Lee rolls through, runs back at JD but JD puts him on the apron. JD ROCKS Lee, goes up, and he brings Lee around. The fans fire up as JD brings Lee up, but Lee fires body shots! Lee GAMANGIRIS, then climbs! Lee sunset flips for the POWERBOMB! The fans fire up and Lee climbs back up, FROG SPLASH!! Cover, Lee wins!

Winner: Lee Johnson, by pinfall

Big Shotty’s got range, and he hit the mark! Will Lee take this momentum and turn it into another chance at a championship?

Abadon VS Allysin Kay!

Speaking of second chances, The Living Dead Girl got screwed out of the ROH Women’s World Television Championship when Mercedes Martinez & Diamante conspired against her. And while AK Don’t Play, she knows the OG Badass well. Can Abadon prepare for revenge by taking down Martinez’s greatest rival?

The Code of Honor is upheld, the bell rings, but Abadon holds on, to BITE Allysin’s arm! Abadon then laughs, dodges Allysin to HEADBUTT low, HELL STAB, then mule kick! Abadon runs to SHOTGUN BOOT! Allysin goes to a corner while the fans rally up and Abadon shrieks! But Allysin BOOTS Abadon down! Allysin rains down fists, covers, ONE!! Abadon sits up but Allysin brings her around to fireman’s carry. SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO! The fans rally up, Allysin drags Abadon up to TOSS her to a corner! Allysin fires body shots, then she CHOPS! Allysin whips corner to corner hard and Abadon bounces off buckles!

Allysin takes a bow, puts pinkies up, and SPLASHES in the corner! Allysin CHOPS, whips, and runs up again, but Abadon BOOTS her! Abadon runs to BULLDOG! The fans rally as Abadon slithers out to the apron then climbs up the corner. Allysin crawls, Abadon aims, CROSSBODY! Abadon runs to KNEE Allysin back down! Abadon storms up on Allysin, reels her in, BLACK DAHLIA! Cover, Abadon wins!

Winner: Abadon, by pinfall

Abadon smiles, then shrieks into the night! Will Mercedes Martinez make sure to stay far, far away from the frightening Living Dead Girl?

Backstage interview with Taya Valkyrie.

Lexi Nair is with La Wera Loca and brings up her trios match alongside Diamante and Leila Grey. But this is also the first time we’ve seen her since Supercard, where Johnny TV lost to Dalton Castle. The question is: where is Johnny? Uh, recovering from that vicious attack by Dalton Castle and his “special boy,” Paul Walter-Whatever! Taya is gonna call up Fran Dreischer to file a complaint! For someone so TV Ready, Castle and Paul sure don’t look it. So yes, Johnny is rehabbing. Wait he’s in rehab? Ew, no, who do you think they are? Johnny is rehabbing the abs! This is an aesthetics business so he has to look amazing!

So tonight, Taya will carry the weight of the TV Family in trios action. So run along, Lexi, Taya has things to do. Uh, this is Lexi’s interview space. Oh, well, her apologies. Taya bumps Lexi on the way out, but will Taya’s team win some major points in the title chase tonight?

The Infantry VS The Iron Savages w/Jacked Jameson!

Captain Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo may not be the ROH World Tag Team Championships, but they are not deterred. Will they get through the jacked ‘n’ juicy juggernauts to go after The Undisputed Kingdom once again?

The teams sort out, #BadNewsAndTattoos starts against Beefcake Boulder, and they keep the Code of Honor. They tie up, Bravo tries but can’t push Boulder back, but Boulder pushes Bravo back! Bravo resets with Boulder, beefs up, and they tie up. Bravo wrenches to wristlock, but Boulder WRINGS Bravo out! Boulder talks smack on Dean and Bravo, but Bravo pie faces. Boulder scoops Bravo, but Bravo slips free to DROPKICK! Boulder stays up, runs up, but Dean is there to GAMANGIRI! Bravo tags Dean while Boulder throws a fit, but DOUBLE DROPKICKS send him reeling! Bulk Bronson tags but runs into a DOUBLE HIP TOSS!

The fans fire up as the Infantry crisscross and SPLIT the wishbone! Bravo gets fans going with “OORAH!” Dean runs to JUMP ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO! Bronson bails out, Boulder is there to help him, and Dean builds speed, only for Jacked Jameson to stand in the way! He wants Dean to sip the Savage Sauce! Dean says no thanks, but in comes Bronson! EXPLODER! Bravo protests but Bronson drags Dean to a cover. The ref is busy arguing, he finally sees the pin, TWO! Bronson is annoyed, but he mocks Bravo’s air machine gun. Bravo then tags Boulder before he brings Dean up. The fans rally but the Savages still hit a SHOULDER TACKLE SUPLEX COMBO!

Bronson flexes, Boulder taunts Bravo, and then Boulder whips Dean to the corner. Boulder wraps Dean’s arms around ropes to HEADBUTT again and again and again! Tag to Bronson, he brings Dean around, and they visit #TIDDYCITY! But Dean reverses, it’s Bronson who dives in! Boulder panics, runs up, but Dean DUMPS him! Bronson swings, misses, hot tag to Bravo! Bravo rallies on Bronson with big forearms! Bravo whips, Bronson reverses, but the CARLIE CROSSOVER takes Bronson down! Boulder gets up, Bravo fakes him out to SCISSOR KICK! Bravo then kicks Bronson, and manages a FALCON ARROW! Cover, TWO!

The fans rally, Bravo pounds the mat, but now Jameson wants Bravo to sip! Bravo says no, get outta here! Bronson runs up again, Bravo dodges, and Bronson barely avoids hitting Jameson! Bravo aims, Bronson dodges, the SUPERKICK hits Jameson! Jameson spews sauce! Boulder catches Jameson, Dean goes up, and Dean CROSSBODIES to wipe them both out! But Bronson rolls Bravo up! TWO, and Bronson grabs Bravo, only for Bravo to kick low! Bravo reels Bronson in, tags Dean, and TORNADO- NO, Bronson stops the DDT! Dean gets in, Bronson scoops, but Dean slips free! Feed to a SUPERKICK!

The Infantry coordinate, for BOOT CAMP! Cover, Infantry wins!

Winners: The Infantry, by pinfall

Dean & Bravo redeem themselves from Supercard and are ready to get back on track! But wait, The Premier Athletes make their way out here! Is this what Smart Mark was talking about for phase two? Daivari & Nese rush the ring and start throwing hands with The Infantry! Woods tips the scales as he DECKS Dean, then DECKS Bravo! But wait! Here comes Dalton Castle! The Peacock won’t stand for there to be bullies, and he takes off his sandals to weaponize them! The Premier Athletes dare him to, but wait! Here comes Mark Briscoe, Bryan Keith and Lee Johnson! They run The Premier Athletes off!

Sterling shouts, “Who do you think you are?!” but he’s shouting at THE ROH World Champion and many other big names around here! Will The Peacock, the Chicken and the rest of ROH humble Sterling’s stable once and for all?

Six Woman Tag: Diamante, Leila Grey & Taya Valkyrie VS Kiera Hogan, Leyla Hirsch & Trish Adora!

The Cuban Diamond has staked her claim at challenging for the ROH Women’s World Television Championship, but so has The Hottest Flame. But let’s not forget The Last Baddie Standing, La Wera Loca, the LEGIT One and The AfroPunk! Billie Starkz still sees herself above all six of these women, but which trio takes the lead in the title chase with a win tonight?

The teams sort out, Taya starts against Kiera and the Code of Honor is upheld. The bell rings, the two tie up, and Kiera gets around to waistlock. Taya pries the hold, backs Kiera into a corner and throws elbows! Taya stomps away on Kiera, then says who’s the hottest now? Taya snapmares, covers, ONE!! Taya drags Kiera up, whips her to ropes, but Kiera holds ropes to BOOT back! Taya runs up again but Kiera drop toeholds her onto ropes! HIP ATTACK! Taya flounders, Kiera runs to step-up and LEG DROP! Cover, TWO! Kiera keeps cool as she brings Taya up, but Taya ROCKS Kiera then throws her by her hair!

Taya tags Diamante, they stomp Kiera, then Diamante sucker punches Leyla! Diamante runs in to DROPKICK Kiera, then drags her to a high stack cover, ONE!! Kiera is tougher than that but Diamante says it’s just a matter of time. Diamante runs, PLANKING SPLASH flops as Kiera moves! Hot tag to Leyla! Leyla gut wrenches Diamante to GUT WRENCH SUPLEX! Tag to Adora, then Leyla wrenches so she can hand it off to Adora. Adora WRINGS Diamante’s arm, drags her up and wrenches again, but Diamante ROCKS her! Adora swings, Diamante dodges to tilt-o-whirl and RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP! Diamante snarls and pushes Adora down to rain down fists!

Diamante storms around, brings Adora up and CHOPS her on the back! Tag to Grey and she NECK SNAPPERS Adora! Cover, TWO! Adora is tougher than that but Grey rains down fists! Grey drags Adora up, bumps her off buckles, then tags Taya. Taya and Grey dig their boots in, then Taya stomps a mudhole. Taya sits Adora down to METEORA! Tag to Diamante and she stomps a mudhole! The ref reprimands but Diamante tags Taya back in. Taya steps over Adora and mockingly has Adora reach out to her corner. The ref has to keep Hirsch back so Grey gets shots in, then Taya drags Adora up.

Taya again mockingly holds out Adora’s hand but the fans rally up. Adora fights up, but Taya pulls her into the motorcycle stretch! Adora endures the knee in her back, fights up to her feet, and then arm-drags Taya away! Taya gets up, ducks ‘n’ dodges and mule kicks! But Adora ducks the buzzsaw to BASEMENT GERMAN! The fans fire up while both women are down! Adora and Taya crawl, hot tags to Kiera and Diamante! Kiera rallies on Diamante with big forearms, then a SUPERKICK! Turn and NECKBREAKER! Kiera goes up a corner while Diamante flounders around. Diamante stands, into a MISSILE DROPKICK!

Diamante flounders, Grey tags in but Kiera dodges to fire off forearms! Grey shoves back, but Kiera returns to SHOTGUN! Grey flounders, Kiera fires up, and says kiss this! HIP ATTACK in the corner! She sits Grey back down to run and BOOT WASH! Kiera drags Grey to a cover, Diamante breaks it! Diamante gets Grey outta there, and Taya tags in. Taya runs up to mule kick, KNEE LIFT and wrench Kiera, into a BLUE THUNDER BOMB! Cover, TWO! Leyla also gets in, she pushes Taya around. Leyla drags Taya up but Diamante runs in. Leyla gets around to SAIDO! Taya gets Kiera up but Kiera SUPERKICKS!

Kiera brings Taya over, tags Adora, and they feed Taya to the BUBBA BOMB! Body scissor and GEDO CLUTCH! TWO!! Hot tag to Grey, she runs up, ducks ‘n’ dodges, then SLINGBLADES! Cover, TWO! Grey is frustrated but she gets Adora up. Underhooks, but Adora breaks that to fireman’s carry! Adora storms over, tags Hirsch, but Grey slips free! Leyla dodges Leila and feeds her to Adora’s BOOT! Then GERMAN SUPLEX! Cover, TWO!! Grey survives but Hirsch tags Kiera. Kiera runs, but Taya trips her up! Diamante distracts so the ref misses that! But then Leyla DIVES onto Taya! Diamante CANNONBALLS Leyla!

LARIAT TUBMAN from Adora to Diamante! Kiera dodges Grey to ROUNDHOUSE! And then “That’s all, PERIODT!” FACE THE MUSIC!! Bridging cover, Team Kiera wins!

Winners: Kiera Hogan, Leyla Hirsch & Trish Adora, by pinfall

It was fast ‘n’ furious in the end there, but the Hottest Flame burns it down! Will she be first up to strike a match with Billie Starkz?

Backstage interview with Maria Kanellis, Griff Garrison & Cole Karter.

Lexi is with the First Lady of Wrestling and her baby boys, the Diamond in the Rough wearing the stolen mask from Serpentico. Lexi congratulates them on their win over Spanish Announce Project at Supercard, but it seems there might be some unfinished business. Are they ever going to give Seprentico his masks back? Karter takes the mask off to say hell no! Griff says Serpentico’s masks mean a lot to him and his lucha libre culture. But uh, they don’t care! It got them the attention that they deserve, and those wins have been a stepping stone in this company.

If Serpentico wants his masks back, he doesn’t need to trick them into a match. They’re happy to beat the crap outta him anytime, anywhere! Maria loves the confidence, and says Griff will need it in his Proving Grounds match against THE ROH World Champion, Mark Briscoe. Griff is all fired up, will the Ivy League MVP pass the test with flying colors? Or will he fail to #ManUp?

The Beast Mortos VS Nick Comoroto!

Black Taurus has evolved into something even more menacing than before, and he is looking to stampede all the way to the top of ROH! But Mr. Freak Beast has changed a lot about himself, too, in hopes of finding success. Whose transformation will prove to be for the better as these behemoths collide?

The Code of Honor is upheld reluctantly, the bell rings, and the fans rally up. The two tie up, go around, and Comoroto shoves Mortos down! Mortos gets up in a huff, gets in Comoroto’s face, but Comoroto pie faces him. So Mortos SLAPS Comoroto! Comoroto runs up, Mortos dodges, and they RAM shoulders! Mortos ducks ‘n’ dodges and jumps to RANA! Comoroto goes to a corner but Mortos runs in to UPPERCUT, CLOTHESLINE, and GAMANGIRI! Mortos wrenches and hits an ARMBAR CODE BREAKER! Comoroto staggers, but he blocks the whip! Comoroto shoves Mortos, runs up, but Mortos dodges to then roll off Comoroto’s back!

Mortos tries to hip toss but Comoroto blocks! Comoroto LARIATS Mortos down then rains down fists! Fans are torn as Comoroto huffs ‘n’ puffs and stomps Mortos around. Comoroto digs his boot into Mortos’ face, lets off to soak up heat, then he drags Mortos up. Comoroto scoops to SLAM, then he runs to JUMP ELBOW DROP! Cover, TWO! The fans rally as Mortos pounds the mat in frustration. Comoroto slashes his throat, but Mortos throws body shots. Comoroto CLUBS Mortos, Alabama Lifts, but Mortos sunset flips! Comoroto stays up, hauls Mortos up, but Mortos JAWBREKAERS, KNEES and ROCKS Comoroto!

Mortos goes to suplex but Comoroto’s a big guy, too! Comoroto suplexes Mortos, but Mortos knees free! Mortos goes to a corner, Comoroto runs in but Mortos dropkicks the legs out! Comoroto hits buckles, then Mortos runs in, CORNER 619! Comoroto staggers away and Mortos climbs, to MISSILE DROPKICK! Cover, TWO! Comoroto still has power to spare and he storms up on Mortos. Mortos UPPERCUTS first! Mortos goes to whip but Comoroto blocks again! Comoroto whips Mortos to a corner, runs up, but Mortos slips out to the apron! Comoroto hits buckles, Mortos goes up, and the fans rally! MORTOS TWISTER! Cover, Mortos wins!

Winner: The Beast Mortos, by pinfall

Comoroto is big and bad but this is a beast of a different breed! Will nothing stop the modern day minotaur from making ROH his domain? Will Jacoby Watts’ teachings ever pay off for Comoroto?

Backstage interview with Nick Comoroto.

Lexi is with Mr. Freakbeast as he returns backstage, and she asks him what his strategy will be moving forward after this tough loss. Jacoby Watts walks in to say, “Turn the page. Start a new chapter. Nothing changes if nothing changes, Nick. It’s a harsh reality. But I am your answer. Your beacon of hope in the darkness. Follow me and I will lead you into the light! For I am Jacoby Watts, the one and only, praise be to he, and he is me.” Watts waxes poetic while making himself the focus, but will Comoroto accept his guidance?

ROH World Championship Proving Ground Match: Mark Briscoe VS Griff Garrison w/ Cole Karter & Maria Kanellis!

The Sussex County Chicken won this title after a war with Eddie Kingston at Supercard, and those two are still going to be friends taking on The House of Black this Sunday! But will Mark be able to focus on tonight with Dynasty on the horizon? Or is this where Maria’s baby boys start building their kingdom?

Mark shows off the belt and its new camouflage patterned leather! The Code of Honor is upheld, the bell rings and we’re on the clock. The fans cheer on Mark as he circles with Griff. They tie up, Griff headlocks, but Mark powers up and out. Griff sunset flips, but Mark rolls through to drop on the headlock! Griff moves around, fights up, and powers up, but Mark holds tight! Mark hits the takeover, Griff headscissors, but Mark kips free. Roles reverse as Griff headlocks for the takeover, and Mark headscissors. Griff kips free, but Mark shows Redneck Kung-Fu stance and Griff scrambles away! The fans cheer but Maria coaches Griff back up.

Griff cools off, he and Mark reset, and the two circle again. They knuckle lock but Griff kicks low. Griff UPPERCUTS, UPPERCUTS again, then whips corner to corner. Mark goes up and out, SWATS the haymaker to REDNECK KUNG-FU UPPERCUT! Then Mark gets in to BOOT Griff down! Griff is on ropes, Mark runs in to BOOT WASH him right outta the ring! The fans fire up as Mark builds speed, and he DIVES onto Griff! Not the cleanest landing but Mark borrows a hat to put it on! The fans fire up with Mark, he gives the hat back, then drags Griff up to DECK him! Mark drags Griff up again, to scoop and SLAM!

Griff sputters, Mark goes to the apron, and the fans fire up as Mark takes aim. But then Karter and Maria stand in the way! The fans boo, Mark sighs and steps inside, and Maria coaches Griff up. Griff flounders up, the fans rally behind Mark but then Karter and Maria each get on the apron! The ref is busy arguing with Maria but Karter distracts Mark. Griff sneaks in to CLOBBER Mark! Griff fires forearms while the fans boo, but then Griff stomps a mudhole into Mark. The ref counts as Griff digs his boots in, but Griff lets off at 4. But then that lets Karter CHOKE Mark behind the ref’s back!

The fans boo as Karter gets away with one, and Griff drags Mark up. Griff UPPERCUTS, but Mark CHOPS! Griff sputters, Mark CHOPS again! Griff knees low, whips Mark to a corner, but runs into an ELBOW! Mark runs up, into a BOOT! Cover, TWO! Griff clamps onto Mark with a chinlock and he grinds Mark down. The fans rally as Mark endures and fights up. Mark throws body shots, then fires up to CHOP! CHOP! And CHOP! Mark runs, but into the ROLLING ELBOW! Griff then torture racks for the TOWER HACKER BOMB! High stack, TWO! Mark survives and Griff is frustrated but Maria coaches him up.

The fans continue to rally behind Mark as Griff aims again. Griff goes up but Mark REDNECK UPPERCUTS! Griff gets caught up in ropes, Mark lets him loose so he can fall to the floor. Karter hurries over, but Mark goes up to PLANCHA both baby boys! The fans are thunderous, and Mark cracks open a can of WOOOOO Energy! Mark chugs it, bangs the can against his head, then gets Griff in the ring. The fans fire up as Mark runs corner to corner, but Griff BOOTS him! Mark comes back to LARIAT! The fans fire up, Mark reels Griff in, but Griff wrenches out, only for Mark to LARIAT! Mark hauls Griff up again for underhooks!

Mark lifts, for the JAY DRILLER!! Cover, Mark wins!

Winner: Mark Briscoe, by pinfall (denies Griff Garrison a title opportunity)

Maria is upset but there’s nothing she can do, her baby boy wasn’t man enough to stop the NEW ROH World Champion! Will Mark continue to carry on his brother’s legacy and become one of the best champions in ROH history?

My Thoughts:

A very good episode of ROH for being 92 minutes. I still skipped some very clear filler, but Marti Belle got a good showing in her loss to Frost and The Dark Order got a good match out of Zak & Frank. Cruz, Damian & Savion got an okay showing but c’mon, they were against Archer & The Righteous, those guys have been running through everyone. It hasn’t really led them to anything yet, but maybe after we get undisputed AEW & ROH World Trios Champions after Dynasty, Archer & Righteous challenge the winners. And real good wins for Bryan Keith and Lee Johnson, each guy looking good towards midcard titles at some point.

Really good match from Infantry VS Savages, with the Savages being a bit more Heelish this time. Good win for Infantry, but I didn’t think The Premier Athletes would be going after them first. And I didn’t expect Faces like Keith, Lee and Briscoe to run out to get at them. Maybe the Premier Athletes can also position themselves to go after the trios titles after Dynasty. If The Acclaimed win, they’ll need Heel opponents. Archer & Righteous can play either side, but fans really like Archer so I kinda want him and Righteous to be Faces when facing Bang Bang Gang.

Good match and good win for Abadon over Allysin. Good win for Kiera, Leyla & Adora, though things got a little sloppy in the middle, Leyla’s timing wasn’t quite there. Athena & Billie are both Heels, so while Queen Aminata is in the mix, the champion she doesn’t choose still needs a good Face challenger so you can take your pick of the winners from tonight. Really good match from Mortos and Comoroto, and Mortos winning also helped serve Comoroto’s story with Watts. Watts keeps insisting he’s the answer, but this has to lead to Comoroto breaking free and beating Watts up for his arrogance.

Good promo from Maria, Griff & Karter, and they just kinda copy-pasted Mark Briscoe’s promo from Collision that same Saturday. Really good match for Griff against Mark but of course Mark wins. Mark getting involved with Premier Athletes, maybe Woods or Nese get a shot at Mark only to lose and be Mark’s solid first defense. Not sure who could be a more prolonged feud with Mark, but there are plenty of possibilities, and I’m just happy to see him showing up on ROH TV as the ROH World Champion should.