Coverage

Mathew’s NJPW G1 Climax 30 A Block Results & Review: Day 11

G1 A Block is close coming to their 6th matches. Okada on the rise, Ospreay facing Murder Grandpa and Shingo looking to gift wrap Ibushi to godhood. Who comes out victorious?

Published

4 years ago

October 7, 2020

Mathew Sarpraicone

Now that we are now past the halfway point of the tournament, things are now going to heat up as a win for anyone is important for them from here on out since just losing one or two more matches could cause you to get eliminated. Got another stacked show with some first time ever matches happening on top of that. We got one guy in the lead while 5 are tied for second with some able to catch up, and one still eliminated.

Let’s see if that changes as we…dive right in.

Star 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

G1 Climax A Block Match
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yujiro Takahashi

Review: Time for our first match as we kick things off with Tomohiro Ishii taking on Yujiro Takahashi. Ishii was able to win his last two matches to try and catch up but if he loses one more, he’ll be out and will have a difficult time to catch up. Yujiro is still the only one out and could potentially take Ishii with him. Can he still stay in the game?

Yujiro attacks Ishii before he could get into the ring and he’s looking to hit the Pimp Juice but Ishii fights out of it but gets caught in a Reverse DDT on the entrance ramp! Yujiro gets control of the match once he gets Ishii back into the ring but it’s not enough to put him away yet. You can see how frustrated Yujiro is getting during every match since he still has no wins and is trying different methods to try and get a victory, but none of those ideas have been working thus far. Ishii would forearm Yujiro after having his hand bitten and went for a kick but was pushed down, failing to get some momentum in the match so far. Ishii finally gets to get a small comeback after hitting Yujiro with a Backdrop but Yujiro would give him a German Suplex after and it looks like Ishii is hurt. Yujiro charges at Ishii into the corner but Ishii would hit him before hitting a German Suplex into the corner.

Ishii gets Yujiro on the top rope and hits a Brainbuster but Yujiro would kick out at two. Ishii attempts a Powerbomb but Yujiro lads on his feet to hit a Lariat but Ishii stood still, hitting him with a forearm but Yujiro would reply with an Alabama Slam to get the pitbull down again. Yujiro catches Ishii with the Incolle Slam and Ishii kicked out at two. Ishii would hit Yujiro with a headbutt but Yujiro counters to get him up for the Suisha Otoshi and goes for the cover again but Ishii kicked out again! Yujiro gets a Superkick in before attempting to hit the Pimp Juice but Ishii would get behind him to hit a German Suplex. The two slowly get up as Yujiro kicks Ishii back a couple of times until Ishii hits a Jumping Enziguri onto Yujiro, hitting the ropes to hit a Lariat as Yujiro kicked out. Ishii fails to get him up for the Vertical Drop and once he does, Yujiro reverses it into a Brainbuster! Ishii attempts to hit the Brainbuster again but Yujiro counters into a Small Package but kicked out, leading to Yujiro to get him for the Backslide, turning it into the Pimp Juice but Ishii pushed him off to hit a headbutt! Ishii hits a Sliding Lariat before picking him up for the Vertical Drop Brainbuster and it’s over! Solid match by both men, almost believed Yujiro would get a victory.

Highlights from “#G1CLIMAX30 Night11” (Oct 7th)
Watch full matches on New Japan World!

Let's go!

The first of our group matches tonight sees Tomohiro Ishii (2-3) take on Yujiro Takahashi (0-5)!

WATCH NOW▶︎https://t.co/Tj7UBINesh #njpw #njpwworld pic.twitter.com/EwGUsmOBv1
— njpwworld (@njpwworld) October 7, 2020

Rating: Eric Bischoff and a half

G1 Climax A Block Match
Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb

Review: Time for our next match-up as we have a first-time-ever taking place with Kazuchika Okada and Jeff Cobb. Okada was able to quickly catch up and if he can win here, he’ll be tied for first. Cobb is at risk of being eliminated if he loses here but a win here would also be huge for him in terms of beating their ace. Can Cobb beat Okada or will he be eliminated?

Basic lock-up to kick things off until Okada gets Cobb into the ropes, tapping his chest before backing up as he would usually do. Okada would quickly get him into a Headlock but Cobb pushes him off to hit a shoulder tackle, having a look of confidence right there but knows to not showboat due to who he’s dealing with. Okada attempts to jump over Cobb but is caught mid-air as he turns it into a Suplex, causing Okada to roll out of the ring to regroup. Okada would soon get control of the match after having Cobb hit the turnbuckle when he moved out of the way but still makes sure to sell his back despite the tape being torn off during the match. With how he’s selling it, you get the feeling that it will slowly come back to him in one of these matches to make it an even bigger downfall for him. With the way Cobb wrestles with the style he has, he can definitely be the one to cause a lot of damage to it win or lose, like how he tosses him into the turnbuckle twice and then tosses him over with a Belly-to-Belly Suplex. Great selling by Okada right here.

Cobb charges into Okada into the corner and lifts him up for a Back Suplex but Okada kicked out. Looked like Cobb was going to throw Okada into the turnbuckle but he fights off him, ducking his Lariats while running the ropes to get enough momentum to hit Cobb with his elbow, getting him down. Looked like Okada was going for the Reverse Neckbreaker but Cobb doesn’t budge, so Okada tries to kick him as Cobb answers with a Lariat. Cobb lifts him up Gutwrench style as he tosses him back and forth, still keeping the position until he tries to go for the Powerbomb as Okada lands a few punches in but it doesn’t work as Cobb gets to cradle him before slamming him back. Cobb calls for the Tour of the Islands but Okada gets off him to hit a chop before being able to get him down with a Dropkick. Okada hits the Tombstone and applies the Money Clip right away with Cobb fighting to get to the ropes as Okada turned it into a Backslide before they get up, attempting a Lariat but Cobb would give him a Dropkick of his own. Cobb looked like he was gonna go for the Rainmaker but he instead catches him for the Tour of the Islands as Okada rolled him into a Small Package as Cobb kicked out. Okada hits a Rolling Lariat but Cobb doesn’t budge as he goes for a Lariat, leading to Okada flipping him over but grabbed his legs to pin him and he gets the victory! Because of this loss, Cobb is now mathematically eliminated.

Rating: Eric Bischoff and a quarter

G1 Climax A Block Match
Minoru Suzuki vs. Will Ospreay

Review: Our second first-time-ever match takes place as Minoru Suzuki takes on Will Ospreay. The two of them are tied with three wins and two losses, meaning one of them is gonna be around the middle while the other will move to the top spot with Ibushi and Okada. This match has been requested ever since Will moved to the heavyweight division and now we’re getting it. Who will win this encounter?

Ospreay rushes in with a kick soon as the bell rang as Suzuki would do the same thing, leading the both of them to brawl with each other, which is smart when you’re against someone like Suzuki. The two would get outside the ring and it seemed like Ospreay had control but got tossed into the turnbuckle, catching himself to jump over and as he attempts to jump over, Suzuki catches his arm to apply the Fujiwara Armbar. Suzuki would torture his arm more, showing no mercy and it’s smart since that would kill his arsenal and would make it rather difficult to hit the Stormbreaker. When Suzuki is in killer grandpa mode, that’s when he performs better as this sadistic masochist, enjoying to hear you scream while he breaks your body apart. I’m loving the selling by Ospreay here and Suzuki goes a great job applying pressure onto the arm with submission holds. Seeing a little blood on Ospreay’s chest there, nice to show a little battle scar against the king. Ospreay would work through the pain for a moment as he hits Suzuki with a handspring kick to get him down for the moment.

Ospreay hits Suzuki with the Atomic Drop and gets him down with a chop before hitting a standing Shooting Star Press but Suzuki kicked out. Looked like Ospreay was going for the Pip Pip Cheerio but Suzuki catches his arm for the Fujiwara Armbar again, really stretching it out to hear him scream but Ospreay’s foot gets to the ropes. Suzuki rolls him over with the Snapmare and went for a Pentality as Ospreay blocked with his arms to try and soften the blow but his bad arm was kicked, making it much worse. Will is just losing this forearm battle since he’s just using his bad arm to punch him, only hurting himself in the process while Suzuki’s arms are fresh and ripe for abuse on his face. Ospreay goes over the ropes and kicks Suzuki before finally hitting the Pip Pip Cheerio on him, selling his arm in the process. Will goes to the top rope as Suzuki hits him to attempt the Kimura Lock but Ospreay gets him down, attempting the 450 Splash but misses. Suzuki charged at him with a kick as Ospreay would return with a kick of his own, hitting the Marufuji kick to get him down. Looked like Will was going for the handspring again but Suzuki catches him with the Sleeper but Will grabbed one of his arms to hit it on his shoulder and hits a stiff forearm to get him down again. Will misses the Hidden Blade and Suzuki kicked his bad arm, ran the ropes and it looked like Will was going for the Tilt-a-Whirl Backbreaker but Suzuki turned it into the Fujiwara Armbar once again! Suzuki quickly applies the Sleeper and looks like Will is fading but Suzuki tries to turn it into a Gotch Style Piledriver as Will spun around to hit an Enziguri! Will goes for the Stormbreaker but Suzuki turned it into the Sleeper once again, only for Will to reverse it into the Stormbreaker and gets the victory! I know the move looked sloppy but with how he sold his arm, it looked perfect and showed he just got lucky and barely survived it.

Rating: Eric Bischoff and three quarters

G1 Climax A Block Match
Jay White vs. Taichi

Review: Time for our semi-main event as the leader of Bullet Club takes on our Holy Emperor, Taichi. The two fought each other last year with Jay coming out the winner but with how much Taichi has improved, things could be different between them. Much like the previous match, only one will move up to the top and the other will be in the middle. Will Jay prevail again or does Taichi get another big win this year?

The bell rang as Jay would start to roll out of the ring but Taichi does the same thing as they two stared at each other. Taichi seems to be doing some mind games for this match as he mimics Jay again with the rolling out of the ring attempt. They get in the middle of the ring as Jay quickly goes for the Blade Runner, Taichi pushing him off as he rolls out of the ring. Taichi pretends he doesn’t see Jay running towards him as he kicked him in the gut and tosses him into the guardrail. With the two of them considered the top heels in the promotion, they would at least make it somewhat comical with the heel tactics while also taking it seriously at the same time. After choking Jay out with the cord, he would eventually get some payback on Taichi, tossing him into the guardrail and gets back in the ring, grabbing his microphone to tell Taichi to sing something to him. With how they act in the ring with their characters, it works out for both of them while making it a bit comical in the process. These two are usually the highlights of the night with their characters making the matches more interesting and do their best to make it memorable with how into it they are, how can you dislike either of these two guys?

Jay hits a quick DDT onto Taichi and picks him up to hit a Spinning Brainbuster as he went for the pin but kicked out. Jay went for the Uranagi but Taichi held his ground until he’s hit with a chop but Taichi pulls him in to attempt the Backdrop but now Jay won’t budge, leading Taichi to hit him in the back of the head as Jay’s face hits the ropes. Taichi hits the Kawada kicks on Jay’s head and before he could go for a Powerbomb, Jay gets his foot and hits a Dragon Screw. Jay hits a German Suplex as Taichi stands up, going after him as he’s caught in a Uranagi as it hits this time. Jay looks like he’s going for the Blade Runner but Taichi hits the Backdrop! The two start to get up as they would deliver strikes on each other but Taichi hits his Jumping Kick and goes for the Gedo Clutch but Gedo would distract the referee, making sure he didn’t get the pin. Taichi went to kick Jay below the belt but Gedo quickly turned the ref around to stop him and Jay pushes Taichi into the ref as Gedo gets involved now. Taichi catches Gedo’s foot to kick him below the belt and does the same to Jay before going for the Gedo Clutch again as Jay kicked out at two. Taichi hits the Last Ride Powerbomb but Jay kicked out again. The pants finally come off and Taichi went for a kick as Jay goes for the Blade Runner, Taichi reversing into the Black Memphisto but Jay tries the Blade Runner again but gets pushed off with Taichi hitting a stiff forearm. Taichi goes for the Superkick but Jay quickly catches him for the Blade Runner and gets the win!

Rating: Eric Bischoff and three quarters

G1 Climax A Block Match
Kota Ibushi vs. Shingo Takagi

Review: Time to close the day with our main event as we have Kota Ibushi taking on Shingo Takagi. They have crossed paths before but this is the first time these two will be fighting each other in singles competition and is considered a dream match. Ibushi is still in the lead and if he can win here, he’ll still be in first. Shingo only has two wins and if he wants to stay in the game, he has to win here or he’s out. Who will win in this dream match?

The two seem to be testing the waters with each other before kicking into high gear with a tie-up to the ropes, Shingo attempting to forearm him as he ducks, the two getting a strike or two in before Ibushi gets the kick on his chest. Ibushi goes for the Moonsault but Shingo rolled out of the way and attempts a Sliding Lariat as Ibushi ducked, the two staring at each other while the crowd applauds them. A good way to make it even between the both of them to test out their strengths to see what the other is dealing with since it is their first time fighting each other. The slow-acing start of this match works well since you don’t always need to do crazy stuff at the beginning of the match to get the crowd invested, you just tell the story in the ring and you work your way up to it so that it makes it more special when they send the match home. Shingo would have Ibushi up on his shoulders and makes him land on the ropes, hitting a Lariat to get Ibushi to the outside of the ring. Shingo showing his power here is exactly what he needed to do to dominate the match because if he really wants to step up to that next level, he needs to show it against someone like Ibushi, who is considered one of the top guys in the promotion, so a pairing with him makes him look like a big star and yeah, you can definitely see these two main event for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in the future. Ibushi gets Shingo out of the ring and launches himself on top of him and seems to be getting the ball rolling now. Seems like no matter how many times Ibushi tries to strike him, Shingo always seems to have a counter reaction to hit him just as harder and make his hits impactful each time.

Shingo attempts the Blood Fall but Ibushi reverses it to try and Backslide him to turn it into the Kamigoye but Shingo would reverse it into the Blood Fall as it connects this time around. Kota would go for the Lariat but Shingo catches him with a quick Backdrop but Ibushi it already up and hits Shingo the Half Nelson Suplex as they go down. The two are on their knees, hitting each other back and forth until they get on their feet with the strikes continue, Ibushi getting some stiff kicks in but Shingo does a quick punch to the face to daze him. A barrage of forearms on Ibushi and goes for the German Suplex but Ibushi overshot it when he landed on his feet, tripping into the ropes but quickly gets up to kick the back of his head. Ibushi gets him up for the Last Ride but Shingo kicked out at two. Ibushi waits for Shingo to get up and looks to hit a knee but Shingo catches him for the Death Valley Driver. Shingo gets him up for The Last of the Dragon but Ibushi fights him off to attempt the Kamigoye as Shingo headbutts his gut but Ibushi responds with a kick. Ibushi goes for a Buzzsaw Kick but Shingo ducks to hit the MADE IN JAPAN but Ibushi kicked out at two! Shingo hits Ibushi with a Pumping Bomber and does another one on the back of his head before hitting a third one, causing him to flip and Shingo goes for the pin and Ibushi kicked out. Shingo hits Lariat into the ropes and goes for the Pumping bomber as Ibushi catches him with a Lariat of his own. Ibushi hits the Boma Ye and as soon as Shingo kicked out, Ibushi pulls his knee pad down to call for the Kamigoye one more time, he hits it but Shingo catches his leg in time to soften the blow and lifts him for The Last of the Dragon and hits it, getting the victory! Great match and they did enough to make me want to see them go at it again!

／
G1 CLIMAX30広島大会(10/7)を公開‼️
本日はAブロック公式戦🏆
＼

同年デビュー同い年、因縁のある両者🐉⭐️‼️
Aブロックトップの飯伏、このまま独走となるか…🔥⁉️

🆚 @ibushi_kota × @Takagi__Shingo
📲 #njpwworld で配信中✨#G1CLIMAX30 全戦生配信👉https://t.co/Tj7UBJ4PjP #njpw pic.twitter.com/u4FyKtLCO9
— njpwworld (@njpwworld) October 7, 2020

Rating: Bruce Prichard and a quarter

Overall: Another fun and successful night of the G1 with plenty of solid matches all across the board. For the next show, we got Shingo taking on Okada and it’s something I’m very much looking forward to seeing. Hope the rest of the show delivers and get more eliminations to happen.

Favorite Match: Kota Ibushi vs. Shingo Takagi

Least Favorite Match: Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb

Score: 8/10

A Block Standings:

Kota Ibushi: (4-2) (8 Points)
Jay White: (4-2) (8 Points)
Will Ospreay: (4-2) (8 Points)
Kazuchika Okada: (4-2) (8 Points)
Minoru Suzuki: (3-3) (6 Points)
Taichi: (3-3) (6 Points)
Shingo Takagi: (3-3) (6 Points)
Tomohiro Ishii: (3-3) (6 Points)
Jeff Cobb: (2-4) (4 Points) (Eliminated)
Yujiro Takahashi: (0-6) (0 Points) (Eliminated)

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

Up Next

Andrew’s G1 Climax 30 B Block Results & Match Ratings: Day 12

Don't Miss

Mitchell’s WWE NXT Results & Report! (10/7/20)

Coverage

Andrew’s TNA iMPACT! Results & Match Ratings: 4.25.2024

We just got done with Rebellion, and Under Siege is two weeks away! Gotta see how these dots connect!

Published

9 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Andrew Balaz

Rebellion had quite a few returns, Mike Santana, Sami Callihan and Broken Matt Hardy. All three of these guys could easily be main event players, and its nice to mix up and expand what felt like a rather small pool of potential challengers.

Under Siege is only like 2 weeks out, so we’ll see how the dots connect in such a short period of time.

.@AJFrancis410, Rich Swann, and rap legend @BunBTrillOG are IN THE HOUSE Meanwhile, @joehendry announces he will deliver an apology to Fir$t Cla$$ NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT! pic.twitter.com/4GNe2xWfyU

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Ratings:

Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz: Santana wins via Spin the Block – ** 1/2
#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander: Josh wins via Grapevine Ankle Lock – ***
ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside: Xia wins via School Girl Roll-Up – ** 3/4
Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands: Sami Callihan wins via Cactus Driver ’97 – SQUASH
Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth: Eddie wins via Boston Knee Party – *** 1/4

Results:

Did @NicTNemeth say BROKEN? @MATTHARDYBRAND has arrived in the iMPACT Zone! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/HbkUangt6e

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

A weird opening that is just framed to put Nemeth and Hardy together against The System. Feels a little awkward, but who knows how it will play out.

.@JordynneGrace vs @miyu_tjp NEXT WEEK on #TNAiMPACT will now be for the Knockouts World Championship! pic.twitter.com/YnKZjb9yjx

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Mike Santana vs Myron Reed w/Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz

Ahh I didn’t really pay attention to Santana’s theme at Rebellion, but its pretty damn cool. Good stuff.

Rascalz blindside Santana early, but the heel advantage doesn’t last more than a few moves. Santana whips Myron from corner to corner, hits a few Hip Attacks before Myron finally dodges one and starts using his unique offense and agility to his advantage. Matrix dodge, into an Leaping Outside Back in Slingshot Codebreaker. Some more offense and Santana powders to the ramp, Myron jumps over the rope and tries a Flying Cutter, but Santana blocks it, turns things around, gets pushed forward and hits the Rolling Cutter. Santana takes out the Rascalz, heads back into the ring, Myron tries to catch him unawares but eats the Spin the Block off the rope run! Santana wins fairly quickly.

Maclin’s music hits, he tries to employ the help of The Rascalz to attack Santana, but as soon as Maclin positions himself to get in, The Rascalz bail and flip off Maclin. Maclin makes it out of the confrontation relatively unscathed, but at least we know where he’s going for Under Siege probably.

OH FUCK ME WITH RUSTY KNIVES. Because Cardona is hurt Kon is paired with SDL, and she just challenges Jordynne and PCO to a tag match. WHY!? STOP IT. This is hot garbage.

Josh Alexander comes out…I wonder who’s Super Finisher he’s gonna conveniently kick out this time? Brian Myers? Frankie Kazarian? Rich Swann? Because yes, I’m still annoyed that Hammerstone has been in TNA for half a sandwich, he already connects with a Super version of his finish on tacks, and that’s not a finish. Oh Kaz’s music hits. Okay, so time for Josh to kick out of Fade to Black or Flux Capacitor. Kaz talks smack, says he won his match too so he should have a say in who’s number one contender. Josh challenges him, Kaz says not right now, but a referee runs out and says the match is official.

#1 Contender: Frankie Kazarian vs Josh Alexander

Kaz throws his jacket on Josh’s head, and attacks him with some strikes before Josh fights back and throws Kaz out. Commercial break, we see Kaz misses his Apron Guillotine, Josh goes for the Low Crossbody but Kaz dodges and Josh goes flying. Kaz starts throwing some chops and claws at the cauliflowered ears of Josh. Russian Leg Sweep from Kaz for a near fall. Josh swings wildly and Kaz ducks the strike and levels Josh with a Lariat.

Josh blocks a Vertical Suplex attempt, but Frankie pulls off a Fisherman’s Suplex after a few overhead strikes for a near fall. Josh stands up and connects with a straight right, rocks Kaz, Back Body Drop, into a Charging Forearm, Rolling Senton, 2 count! C4 Spike attempt countered into a Back Stabber and then Chicken Wing, but Josh fights it off, rolls through and into an Ankle Lock, Kaz kicks off and into a Head and Arm Cradle for a near fall and then the Guillotine Leg Drop into Slingshot DDT spot from Kaz for another 2 count!

Fade to Black, but its fought off, Big Boot but then Kaz counters the next move with a Power Slam into the Springboard Guillotine Leg Drop, but Josh grabs the Ankle Lock! Locomotion German Suplex time from Josh, Halfhatch Suplex after the Germans, floats over for a 2 count! C4 Spike attempt again, but Kaz fights it off, dumps him over the top rope, slingshots him in and into the Cutter for a near fall for Kaz! After the 2 Kaz grabs a chair and chain, the referee stops the chair of course, so he tries the chain, EY runs down and grabs the chain so Kaz pulls the Eddie Guerrero and the referee admonishes EY, but doesn’t DQ Josh. So as Kaz is busy laughing at EY, Josh picks the ankle, Ankle Lock with the Grapevine, Kaz taps.

Tensions are sky-high between @alexhammerstone and @JakeSomething_! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/LLCUJOCy7H

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

ASH by Elegance vs Xia Brookside

Both are jawing at each other and then throw hands before Xia gets the upper hand with a Headscissors from the Top Turnbuckle, Charging Knees, a Flurry of Kicks, but when the ref forces some space in the corner, ASH is finally able to dodge and work over Xia with her Twisting Body Splash, a few choking moves, a corner Stomp into a Snap Suplex for 2. ASH is in charge elegantly, but the referee keeps forcing space on both of them when they go for corner attacks. Xia manages to take advantage a little, but ASH regains control, kicks Xia up the ramp and then lands her Cartwheel Back Elbow up the ramp. It actually looks pretty cool executed like that.

Headlocks and Hair Pulling to keep Xia down and using energy to kick out. ASH is getting frustrated but Xia is remaining persistent. ASH goes back to the Headlock, but Xia fights up, Jawbreaker, Back Elbow, Kick to the gut and Drop Toe Hold sends ASH face first into the middle buckle. Xia rips off 4 Double Knee Smashes to the back of ASH’s head into her Flying Crossbody for a close 2! Xia pulls her up, but ASH spins out, then Xia slips it, but ASH kicks her in the chest and deposits her to the outside and demands a count from the referee. Iceman puts Jeweled Knuckles/Rings on ASH’s hand, the referee catches her, removes the stuff from her fingers and Xia hits the School Girl Roll-Up for the flash win.

Fraud has thrown the Ballot Box Battle into chaos, but also paved the way for an explosive showdown between @TheTreyMiguel and @The_Ace_Austin NEXT WEEK to determine the #1 Contender for the X Division Championship! #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/lYHrtgNrc3

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Sami Callihan vs The Good Hands

So the Good Hand Jobs are about to do their job to Sami. I’m just gonna assume Sami beats the hell out of both and wins with a Cactus Driver ’97. If anything interesting happens I might actually cover it, but come on now.

.@SteveMaclin has a proposition for @FrankieKazarian #TNAiMPACT pic.twitter.com/XY6lMdmSWo

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) April 26, 2024

Kaz makes a Metallica reference with the “Wash Your Back So You Won’t Stab Mine”…and Sweet Amber is the only good song on St. Anger. So…I ain’t mad.

Eddie Edwards w/Alisha Edwards & Brian Myers vs Nic Nemeth

A little early ground wrestling and headlocks for control from both men. Nothing super flashy to start until we get to the rope run and Nemeth goes for the Flying Body Press to drop Eddie. Before Nemeth can follow up, Lish grabs his foot. Nic does have his brother Ryan in the crowd, trying to get chants going and do the old school ‘power up the babyface’ thing, but Eddie has been in control since Lish got involved. Simple offense, chokes, strikes, Snap Suplexes, Knee Drops, simple yet effective. But then Eddie ducks his head too early, Nemeth kicks him in the face, bounces his head off the buckles a few times, Dropkick sends Eddie reeling to the corner, Nemeth starts the 10 Count Punches but Myers hits the apron to distract and Eddie manages to slip the situation and push Nemeth to the floor.

Commercial break happens, Nemeth is trying to fight back with Chops, but a Kitchen Sink from Eddie puts Nemeth on the floor again! Clubbing blow from Eddie, but Eddie then misses the Hip Attack in the corner and Nemeth counters with the Rude Awakening into the 10 Count Rain of Elbows. Fame Ass-er miss, Eddie tries something but Nemeth turns it into that hesitation DDT for 2! Tuning up the band starts to build and Eddie powders to avoid it. Nemeth throws Eddie back in, goes to the top, but Eddie crotches him, rises up and hits the Superplex into Tiger Driver for 2! Eddie starts mocking with Tuning Up the band but Nemeth hits his own Superkick into an Olympic Slam for 2!

Both men just trade strikes Fighting Spirit style, Eddie says “Always Trust the System” and Nemeth shuts him up with a Headbutt. Danger Zone is blocked, Boston Knee Party gets ducked, they level each other with Lariats! Myers and Ryan Nemeth start fighting to distract the referee, Moose hits the ring and hits Nemeth with the belt. Eddie lands Boston Knee Party and The System wins again!

Overall Score: 6/10

A lame opening segment, a squash match, ASH by Elegance getting her first loss, and a weird way of just pulling the number one contender out of mid air makes for an awkward show. Also Kon still be involved in, literally anything, is negative. However, I can say there was a ton of stuff thrown at the wall this episode, so there’s a chance that some things landed better with other people than myself. The ballot segments were amusing, they overused the “I need to talk to you Santino” gimmick a bit much and personally I feel like having Jake versus Hammerstone is booking yourself into a weird corner.

But hey, the main event was fun, Nemeth getting laid out to the point that there could be a story reason to take him out of the Under Siege match. Kaz with the Metallica reference was pop worthy and I guess its a lot of ‘let’s see where it goes’ kind of angle creation. So it wasn’t complete trash, but its definitely a wait and see episode.

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

Coverage

Mitchell’s ROH Results & Report! (4/25/24)

Champions need challengers!

Published

13 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Steven Mitchell

The Queen is coming for her crown!

Athena & Billie Starkz are the top champions in the ROH Women’s Division, but Queen Aminata’s coming after them! Who will she target first?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Isiah Kassidy VS Komander w/ Alex Abrahantes; Zay wins.
Six Man Tag: Top Flight VS The Dark Order; Top Flight wins.
Anna Jay VS Allysin Kay; Anna wins.
Johnny TV w/ Taya Valkyrie VS Will Austin; Johnny wins.
Six Man Tag: The Mogul Embassy VS MANDERS & BEEFTANK; The Embassy wins.
Yuka Sakazaki VS Leila Grey; Yuka wins.
ROH World Tag Team Championships Proving Ground Match: The Undisputed Kingdom VS The Outrunners; The Kingdom wins and denies The Outrunners a title match.
Taya Valkyrie w/ Johnny TV VS Laynie Luck; Taya wins.
Six Man Tag: Lance Archer & The Righteous VS Jon Cruz, GPA & Ren Jones; Archer & The Righteous win.
Abadon VS Nova; Abadon wins.
Triple Threat: Blake Christian VS AR Fox VS The Beast Mortos; Mortos wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Isiah Kassidy VS Komander w/ Alex Abrahantes!

Brother Zay and the Commander of the Skies are coming down from the high of competing against Rob Van Dam on April 20th, but they’re both ready to get back up. Will Kassidy earn his shot (shot shot) at a championship? Or will the AAA Cruiserweight Champion be aiming for ROH gold?

The Code of Honor is upheld, but Zay has his fingers crossed! Zay trips Komander at the bell, says he’s too smart, then he steps on Komander’s dropdown to say “SHOTS! SHOTS! SHOTS!” and “SUCK IT!” Komander keeps cool, he and Zay tie up, and Komander headlocks. Zay pulls on the mask, powers up and out to hurdle, but then Komander steps on him! Komander mocks “SHOTS! SHOTS!” Zay runs up, Komander avoids the boot to then wrench, wrench and mule kick a leg! Kmoander steps over, rolls through, then rolls again, to a HALF CRAB! Zay endures, fights around, ROPEBREAK! Komander lets go and Zay stands back up.

The fans rally, Komander runs in but is put on the apron. Zay runs in but into a slingshot BOOT! Zay comes back but Komander goes up and headscissors Zay into buckles. Komander comes back to springboard, wheelbarrow, but Zay HOTSHOTS Komander and then throws him down! The fans boo but Zay says they don’t teach that at school. Just follow Zay and he’ll get your right. Zay then smothers Komander with his towel! The ref reprimands, Zay lets off and Komander sputters to a corner. Zay bumps Komander off buckles, CHOPS him, then stomps Komander down. Zay says “SHOTS! SHOTS!” as he gives stomp after stomp.

The ref counts, Zay lets off at 4 and dusts his shoes off. Zay goes back to scuff Komander, taunt him, but the fans rally up for Komander. Zay scuffs Komander more, eggs him on, but Komander fights up to fire hands! Zay ducks a roundhouse but not the HEEL KICK! Zay leans on ropes, Komander runs in but Zay puts him on the apron. Komander gets up but Zay triangle jump STUNNERS! Komander flops to the floor, Zay scowls and goes out after him. The fans rally, Zay backs Abrahantes off, and the fans boo. Zay goes back for Komander, SMACKS him off barriers, then grabs the chair.

The fans boo, Zay says watch this, it’s about to be an 8K. Zay runs and uses the chair to LAUNCH, into barriers! Komander avoids disaster, puts Zay in the ring, and he hurries to a corner. The fans fire up as Komander springboards, but Zay moves! Komander rolls through, ducks ‘n’ dodges then RANAS! The fans fire up while Zay bails out. Komander builds speed and WRECKS Zay with a dropkick! Then ASAI MOONSAULT and down goes Zay! The fans fire up, Komander drags Zay up and in, then he springboards again, for a SWANTON BOMB! Cover, TWO! Zay stays in this as fans chant “DOS! DOS! DOS!”

Zay goes to the apron, Komander storms up and stands him up. Zay shoves Komander away, goes up the corner, but Komander runs up! Zay anticipates and GAMANGIRIS! Zay goes up to SUPSER SUSNET FLIP, but Komander flips through!! The fans fire up and Zay is shocked! Zay still BOOTS Komander, fires forearms, but Komander bobs ‘n’ weaves to SLAP, UPPERCUT and power up! Zay turns Komander around but gets a SHOTEI! Komander then jumps up top POISON-RANA! The fans fire up again and Komander runs, but into a SPANISH FLY! Cover, TWO! Or as the fans remind us, “DOS! DOS! DOS!”

Zay says Komander’s done wasting his time. Zay whips, Komander reverses but Zay reverses back to scoop, only for Komander to tilt-o-whirl sunset flip! TWO, but Komander tries a side roll sunset, TWO! Zay escapes, Komander dodges his haymaker and waistlocks. Zay switches, Komander switches back, but Zay grabs the ref! LOW BLOW MULE KICK!! The fans boo as Zay gets away with that one! Abrahantes protests but the ref can’t call what he didn’t see! Zay blows a kiss, before the INVERTED TWIST OF FATE! Cover, Zay wins!

Winner: Isiah Kassidy, by pinfall

Brother Zay didn’t break rules but he did find a loophole to DELETE Komander’s momentum. Will Zay soon have a WONDERFUL ascension to the top of ROH?

ROH hears from Bullet Club Gold.

It was backstage at AEW Dynasty this past Sunday that the Bang Bang Gang unified the AEW and ROH World Trios Championships! Jay White says, “Today, our destiny, fulfilling our destiny by building our Dynasty! Y’see, I’m full! I’m full of that feeling when I get to say, I told you so! When I came to AEW, joined forces with The Gunns, I said the Gunns were money! Brought them in along with Juice Robinson, to Bullet Club GOLD. I said I would bring you gold, and boys, we’re running out of space. Because we’ve got gold a plenty, haven’t we, boys? Cuz I’m the mother effin’ Catalyst of Professional Wrestling! I told you so!”

Austin says their backpacks are heavier on the ride home, but that extra weight just reminds him that the Bang Bang Gang runs this Trios ish! Colten says they like to have fun before and after, but during? They don’t take no ish! There’s this saying around here, “Restore the Feeling.” That’s something for the young guys to get on TV, but guess who are never mentioned? The Gunns! Is it because they’ve been in too many main events? Is it because they’ve been tag team world champions? And now they’re AEW & ROH Trios Champions! The Gunns are the best damn team in the world! White is the best singles man in the world!

And tonight, they are the BEST trio in the world!! And if you’re not down with that, they’ve got two words for ya: GUNS UP!! The Bang Bang Gang is firing on all cylinders, but will they be able to shoot down those who take aim at them?

Six Man Tag: Top Flight VS The Dark Order!

Speaking of the trios championships, Action Andretti, and the brothers Martin get their shot at the Bang Bang Gang this Saturday! Will Top Flight pick up speed going into that Collision? Or will Evil Uno, John Silver & Alex Reynolds prove they are worthy contenders?

The Code of Honor is upheld, the trios sort out, and Darius Martin starts against Johnny Hungy. The bell rings, the fans rally and the two circle. The fans rally for “JOHNNY HUNGY!” as the two tie up. Darius wrenches, wristlocks, but Silver spins and fireman’s carries for the takeover. Silver has the cording hold but Darius fights up. Silver wrenches but Darius spins, slips around, waistlocks, spins Silver and cravats for the neck wrench. Silver endures, powers up and out, but Darius rolls over the dropdown. Darius sweeps a leg to cover, ONE! Darius turns Silver’s sweep into a cradle, TWO!

Silver gets up but Darius arm-drags him back down. The fans cheer, Darius wrenches Silver and tags Action. Action runs to LEAP FROG ATTACK the arm! Action wrenches Silver, tags Dante, and Dante goes up to AX HANDLE the arm! Dante clamps onto the arm, digs a knuckle into Silver’s ribs, or was it a tickle attack? Tag to Darius and Dante snapmares Silver. Darius runs to basement dropkick! Cover, ONE!! Silver stays in this but Darius stays on him. Tag to Dante, Top Flight reel Silver in but the rest of Dark Order save him from the double suplex! So Action jumps in and Top Flight TRIPLE SUPERKICKS!

The fans fire up while Uno and Reynolds spill back out. Action and Darius aim, DOUBLE PLANCHA but Uno and Reynolds DECK them outta the air! Dante brings Silver up but Silver fights the half nelson to then whip Dante into the ropes! Silver then runs up, Uno & Reynolds join in, TRIPLE DROPKICK! Silver then waistlocks to GERMAN SUPLEX Dante into a bridging cover, TWO! Silver tags Reynolds and he short arm LARIATS Dante! Cover, TWO! Reynolds brings Dante up, bumps him off buckles, then tags Uno. Uno CHOPS Dante, then snapmares him to stomp him down! The fans rally for Uno as he tautns Action.

Uno goes back for Dante but Dante throws body shots. Uno CLUBS Dante, bumps him off buckles, and tags Reynolds. Silver holds Dante in whiel Reynolds whips Uno for the SPLASH! Uno goes again, but Dante dodges, goes up and over Reynolds, hot tag to Action! The Sight to See rallies on the Dark Order! ELBOW for Uno! BOOT for Silver! ELBOW for Reynolds! Uno kicks low, whips, but Action handsprings to DOUBLE BACK ELBOW! The fans fire up as Action kips up, and he runs in at Reynolds in a corner. UPPERCUT! Uno runs in but the SPLASH is sent into Reynolds! Uno staggers away, Action DECKS Reynolds!

Action aims, slingshot and SPLIT LEG but he has to bail out as Reynolds moves! Action just uses that to roll and PELE Uno! SPANISH FLY on Reynolds! Cover, Silver breaks it! Darius tosses Silver out but Silver ROCKS Darius! Darius drops down but Dante runs in and uses Darius as a step, POETRY IN MOTION! Silver falls, Reynolds dodges Darius to RAM Dante! Dante comes back, Darius helps him get up and over, then Dante helps in the TORNADO DDT! Darius sets Reynolds up for the STANDING SHOOTING STAR! Cover, Uno shoves Dante onto it! Uno then CHOPS Darius down and goes to his corner.

Reynolds crawls over, hot tag to Uno! Uno fires forearms on all of Top Flight! Uno winds up, but Dante JUMP KNEES! Darius mule kicks! Action KICKS, Darius BUZZSAWS! But then Silver & Reynolds drag the Martins out! Uno dodges Action, tells him to STOP, then ROCKS him! The rest of Dark Order get in, Reynolds spins Action before the TRIPLE ROLLING ELBOWS!! Action wobbles, Uno reels him in, and Silver gives Reynolds the BOOST to take out the Martins! PILEDRIVER for Action! Cover, TWO!! Action survives and shocks the Dark Order! Uno cools off, tags Silver in, and Silver tags Reynolds.

The Dark Order surrounds Action and the fans rally up. They stand Action up, hoist him up, and Silver builds speed, but the Martins trip Silver! Darius drags Silver out, Action gets away and Dante baits Uno. Uno runs in, Dante goes up and over to JUMP KNEE Reynolds! GAMANGIRI for Uno, then Action SUPERKICKS! Dante DIVES to take out Silver, Darius steps in to COMPLETE SHOT Uno! Action and Darius have Reynolds for the double pump handle, DOUBLE LIGHTNING SPIRAL! Cover, Top Flight wins!

Winners: Top Flight, by pinfall

Action, Dante & Darius are flying high and heading for Collision, will they take those unified World Trios Championships away from the Bang Bang Gang in the blink of an eye?

Backstage interview with Athena & Billie Starkz.

Lexy Nair is with the ROH Women’s World and Women’s Television Champions, and says “Ladies and gentlemen, we are calling an Emergency MEM, a Minion Empowerment Meeting.” The Fallen Goddess asks the Minions why they’re here, and Minion #400,237.75 knows why. This is because of Red Velvet and Queen Aminata. They decided to stick their noses in Athena’s moment. The main event of Battle of the Belts, live on TNT, the first time the Overlord has been on live TV in over a YEAR. And Aminata put her hands on Athena, put Athena on her head, and proved that she is nothing more than “a hot piece of porcelain hussy garbage.”

Billie says not to forget about Red Velvet. Velvet acted all high ‘n’ mighty, but she just forgot Billie hasn’t beat her yet. Lexy says then it seems there is some unfinished business. The champs bring Lexy in for an uncomfortable double side hug, and Athena says “Bestie” is right. There is unfinished business. And since MIT is a nonprofit, they’ll give a “scholarship to the biggest ass-whooping Queen Aminata and Red Velvet have ever seen. Got it?” Athena tells Queenie and “Blue Velvet” to either step up or step out. Challenge issued to the Queen and the Chef, but are the Overlord and her sidekick about to get cooked?

Mark Sterling speaks.

“Some people get into professional wrestling because they need to. You haven’t needed anything in your entire life. You have an unlimited amount of resources at your fingertips. Money, culture, knowledge. You wanted to excel at this business, so you got the best training, the best workouts, the best diets, the best gear, the best moves. If it’s not the best, it’s simply not you. But the wisest man doesn’t think he’s the best until he’s surrounded by the best. And now, we all are. You are Ariya Daivari. And you are a Premier Athlete. We are the Premier Athletes.”

The Premier Athletes are here in person.

Sterling talks to his stable and tells them the beginning of phase two was a success. They wanted to assert dominance over ROH, and he would say message sent. However, they were not aware that the message would be sent to ROH World Champion, Mark Briscoe, to Dalton Castle, and half of the ROH men’s locker room. It took SIX men to stand face to face to these three. They’ve got Ariya back and more pissed off than ever. They’ve got National Champion, Josh Woods. And they’ve got Tony Nese in peak, physical performance. Now, they all know The Infantry wasn’t personal. They were just in the line of fire.

The Infantry is just on a long list of people who do not deserve the opportunities. Opportunities that belong to these three physical specimens! Because these are The Premier Athletes. When and where will Sterling’s stable finally break through to that next level?

Backstage interview with Griff Garrison & Cole Karter.

Lexy is now with Maria Kanellis’ baby boys and says they haven’t had the best luck as of late. What’s next? Karter isn’t sure. They keep getting opportunities, but they keep failing. Karter recently had a match against Christopher Daniels, and he lost! Griff says Karter thinks that’s bad, but Griff lost his shot at the ROH World Championship. Griff has faced Mark Briscoe twice in his career, and he’s 0-2. Karter’s match wasn’t even for a title! Griff had so much more on the line! Maria then walks in and sees her boys are disappointed. Well, Mama is disappointed, too. They both could’ve done much better in their matches.

But every loss is an opportunity. Griff was in the ring with THIRTEEN TIME ROH World Tag Team Champion, Mark Briscoe! Karter was up against Christopher Daniels, a legend! Maria’s been in the ring with both of those men, and they have so much experience. That is what Griff & Karter gain every time they’re out there. Every single loss is an opportunity. And everyone around here is always jealous of the abs and the looks, and it’s great that they are. But eventually, they’ll be jealous of what these two do in the ring. And eventually, these two will get back her championships, the ROH World Tag Team Championships.

Maria leads the way, but does anyone wanna tell her that that would mean her baby boys going up against her husband, Mike Bennett?

ROH World Tag Team Championships Proving Ground Match: The Undisputed Kingdom VS The Outrunners!

Speaking of Mike Bennett, he and Matt Taven are still champions after the big assist from Wardlow at Supercard of Honor. But will the Kingdom need their War Machine again real soon? Or will they be able to handle Turbo Floyd & Truth Magnum in 10 minutes or less?

The fans rally up for the Outrunners already while the Code of Honor is upheld Mega Powers style. The teams then sort out, and though Taven is confused, Bennett steps up and starts against Truth. The fans chant “TAVEN SUCKS!” but Taven just eggs the Melvins on. Truth and Bennett tie up, then Truth wrenches to wristlock. Tag to Turbo, he takes the handoff, and he nods as he wrenches and wristlocks. Bennett knees low, flexes on Turbo, then wrenches to an ELBOW BREAKER! Bennett wristlocks, says this is old school wrestling, but Turbo powers up! The fans fire up as Turbo rolls, handsprings, and kips up! Turbo then BOPS Bennett on the head!

The fans cheer, Turbo tags Truth, and Truth wrenches to wristlock. Truth grinds the arm, whips, but Bennett reverses. Taven trips Truth up while Bennett’s all up in the ref’s face! The fans boo and Turbo protests but Bennett dropkicks Truth down! Bennett mocks the old school posing then takes a bow. Tag to Taven, he CHOPS Truth in the corner. Taven CHOPS again, digs his boot in, but the ref counts. Taven lets off to taunt Turbo, and Bennett gets a cheap shot on Truth! Bennett drags Truth up by his hair, the ref sees that and reprimands, but Taven ROCKS Truth. Taven whips, but Turbo trips Truth to actually save him from the crossbody!

Taven tumbles up and out of the ring, Truth gets up to tag Turbo! Truth then runs and Turbo holds ropes up, BASEBALL SLIDE DROPKICK! Bennett runs up, is sent out, and The Kingdom regroups. The fans fire up for Turbo as he fires up, then PLANCHAS! Down goes The Kingdom and Turbo is all revved up! Turbo gets in the ring, shakes the ropes, then tags in Truth. The Outrunners coordinate, to spin and pose! The fans fire up but The Kingdom CLOBBER The Outrunners from behind! The fans boo but Bennett flexes. Bennett brings Truth up, CHOPS, and now fans chant “BENNETT SUCKS!”

Bennett CHOPS Truth, puts him in the corner, and tags Taven. Bennett feeds Truth to a BOOT, adds the BOSTON BAYONET, then Taven LARIATS! Cover, TWO! Truth is tougher than that, but Taven argues with the ref. The ref defends his count, so Taven brings Truth over to ropes. Taven CHOKES Truth but the fans boo. The ref counts, Taven lets off at 4, and Taven soaks up the heat. Truth sputters but Taven tags Bennett. The Kingdom mugs Truth, then Bennett keeps Truth from Turbo with a snap suplex! Cover, TWO! Truth stays in this but Bennett stays on him with a chinlock and stretch. The fans rally as Truth endures.

Truth is red in the face but he fights to his feet. But Taven BLASTS Turbo! Bennett throws Truth by his hair! Turbo storms in but the ref has to stop him. Turbo is upset but Bennett stands on Truth’s face! Bennett clamps onto Truth with a chinlock and grinds him down with a knee in the back. The fans fire up, we pass five minutes as Truth fights up, but Taven runs at Turbo again! Turbo ROCKS Taven first this time! Truth then hits a BIG back suplex on Bennett! The fans fire up, Turbo is feeling it, and Truth crawls over! Truth staggers ot his feet, hot tag to Turbo! Turbo rallies on The Kingdom with big haymakers!

The fans fire up as Turbo scoops and SLAMS Taven! Then he scoops and SLAMS Bennett! Scoop and SLAM for Taven! Scoop and SLAM for Bennett! The fans fire up and Turbo drops an elbow! And another elbow! And then he winds up, flexes, and JUPM ELBOW DROPS! Taven runs up but Turbo kicks! Turbo reels Taven in, flexes again, and hits a BIG suplex! Turbo points to Truth, Truth tags in, and Truth goes up! FLYING FOREARM on Bennett! The Outrunners hurry to get Bennett up, but Taven ENZIGIRIS Truth to stop Boot Camp, er Vice City, or whatever they were calling it! Bennett shoves Turbo into Truth then rolls Truth up, with tights! The Kingdom wins!

Winners: The Undisputed Kingdom, by pinfall (denies The Outrunners a title opportunity)

Taven grabs the belts to celebrate and Bennett says that was too easy. But then the ref suspects shenanigans! Did Bennett pull tights? Bennett defends his innocence, as does Taven, and the ref drops the issue. Will The Kingdom do anything and everything they have to in order to stay champions?

Red Velvet & Queen Aminata speak.

The Chef and The Queen are backstage, and Velvet tells Athena, “There you go again. Stirring up the pot. Oh my gosh, we ruined your moment~! I’m done with you. Billie? You wanna hang with the big girls? You wanna get in big girl business? Then bring it on. Yes, I haven’t forgotten I beat you, twice. And I’ll do it again, and this time, I’m a beat you like your mama never did. You know why? Cuz I don’t roll with minions. I roll with royalty.” Aninata says that’s right. And Athena, oh, they feel so sorry for “ruining” the moment. Actually, Aminata would do it again and again and again. And wanna know why? Because Queen Aminata does not respect Athena as a champion!

Athena has ZERO honor! And no one knows better about honor than The Queen. And Velvet says, “Y’know what, Queen? I’m looking for a fight. Are you looking for a fight?” Aminata is definitely ready for a fight. Velvet says it is time to cook, eat, leave no crumbs, and take out the trash! This dynamic duo is ready to tear down the Forever Champion and her little buddy, will they take the gold right off Athena & Billie?

Backstage interview with The Infantry.

Lexy is now with Trish Adora, Carlie Bravo & Captain Shawn Dean, and we’ve seen them get on a roll. How are they continuing the momentum? Carlie is so glad she asked. Have no fear, you know The Infantry is here. Dean says yes, they are here. And there’s been nothing but targets on their backs. They said they’re the most popular team, and people have been after them. Carlie does realize now that they had those OG Ops, then those really big Ops, and last week, there’s Ops they didn’t even know about. But let’s not forget those really old Ops, the- Oh wait, The Outrunners walk in. Turbo & Truth are feeling good. They may not have targets on their backs, but they’ve got some guns!

Wait, wait, wait. Are they wearing brightly colored camo?! Okay, first they take the Infantry’s move, now they’re copying the swag? What’s next? Trying to take Adora and their homes? What the what, son? Dean has Carlie calm down. He’s always got great ideas. He does? Yes, because next week, Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida, they take this to where it all began! Finally, Infantry take The Outrunners to where they belong, and that’s Boot Camp! Hold on, The Outrunners have been using camo since The Cow Palace. Dean has to hold Carlie back on that one! Turbo has a better idea! Outrunners VS Infantry, Daily’s Place, where it all began!!

WHAT!? Didn’t they just- Fine, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! Oh yeah? The Outrunners will do Infantry one better and THEY will accept! Let’s roll out! Copy that! WHAT!? Stop copying them, Outrunners!! But will Dean & Carlie finally get through the delusional duo and make them find their own schtick?

Backstage interview with Johnny TV & Taya Valkyrie.

Lexy is with Mr. & Mrs. TV Ready and notes the season finale of Johnny Loves Taya just dropped. How are they feeling? Amazing~! Everyone loves their show, they worked so hard on it for months. Ten episodes, the grand finale, it couldn’t have gone any better. And think about it: awards season! The acceptance speeches, the red carpets, the fashion moments. But in sneaks Aaron Solo. That sounds fun! Though they would’ve won more awards if they had this face on the show. Maybe next season? Johnny says maybe Aaron would’ve been on the show, if he supported it once. He didn’t tweet about it once! All their real friends did.

Uh, Aaron is the Retweet King! Especially those first three episodes. Aaron and Johnny argue but Taya has them calm down. Taya runs the socials for the show, and she can confirm, Aaron did retweet. Oh, well, thanks, bro. Yeah, man! Remember QTV? The handshake? They do the handshake, right down the rocket ship taking off. Aaron says see? They’re bros. Before Johnny Loved Taya, Johnny Loved Solo. Uh… No. Aaron is a loser! TV Ready people do not hang with losers. Remember how his name used to be S O L O W? They took the W away cuz he keeps getting L’s! He’s 0 and THIS CENTURY! Get a win already!

Aaron says fine, if that’s what they want, he will win. And he’ll prove to both of you that Aaron is TV Ready! Aaron heads out, and Taya says it’ scute that he’s so confident. Not that it’ll work out. And they got the last word. Aaron then says “Bye” from offscreen, so Johnny says, “Adios.” Aaron has bet on himself, but will he win out?

Triple Threat: Blake Christian VS AR Fox VS The Beast Mortos!

All Heart, The Whole Fox’n Show and the evolved Black Taurus are among the fastest, toughest and hungriest competitors around, and they’re all looking for that golden opportunity. Will Blake be rolling into NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament? Or will another big name prove they’re a big deal?

The Code of Honor is upheld between Fox and Blake, but not Mortos. The bell rings, Mortos stares down Fox and Blake. Fox runs in to RAM Mortos but bounces off! Blake RAMS Mortos but also bounces off! They both run up, but he runs them over! Fox & Blake both kip up, but Mortos choke grips them both. Mortos shoves Blake away, but Fox flips through the choke slam! Blake & Fox DOUBLE SUPERKICK Mortos down! Mortos bails out, Blake and Fox coordinate, and Fox runs. But then Blake sweeps the legs! Fox ends up on ropes, Blake runs to BASEMENT 619! The fans boo but All Heart also has some brains.

Blake aims from the apron, springboards in and MISSILE DROPKICKS! Fox flounders to a corner, Blake runs in, but Fox puts him on the apron. Blake RAMS into Fox, slingshots, but Fox goes out to then slingshot SENTONS! The fans fire up, Fox suplexes for ANARCHY! Blake bails, Mortos LARIATS Fox down! The fans fire up as Mortos roars, and Mortos drags Fox up. Mortos suplexes, Fox slips free to waistlock but Mortos switches. Mortos shoves, follows, then rolls off Fox’s back! Mortos SOBATS, KNEES, ELBOWS and snapmares, to then NECK TWIST! Then SNAP POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO!

Fox survives that onslaught but Mortos roars again. Mortos drags Fox up, wrenches and grabs a leg, for a SHIN BREAKER! Fox writhes, Mortos gets legs and steps through, and Mortos ties Fox up for a NAVARRO DEATH ROLL! Fox endures the leg lock, but Blake DIVING DOUBLE STOMPS Mortos! The fans fire up and Blake smirks as he runs in at Mortos. Mortos BOOTS Blake, SLING-DOGS, then CRUCIFIX DRIVERS! Blake wobbles, Mortos whips to POP-UP SAMOAN DROP! Cover, TWO! Blake survives but Mortos snarls. Mortos drags Blake up, UPPERCUTS him down, and Blake flounders to a corner.

The fans cheer as Mortos drags Blake back up. Mortos reels Blake in to back suplex, but Blake lands out! Blake dodges in the corner, then whips to ropes. Mortos reverses but Blake handsprings, wheelbarrows, SPLASH 182! Both men are down and the fans fire up! Mortos and Blake stir while Fox returns. The fans rally, Fox and Mortos stand first and Fox throws a haymaker! Blake adds a haymaker, he and Fox pinball Mortos around! They put him in a corner, throw more hands, then Fox goes up to rain down fists! Mortos shoves Fox away so Blake rains down fists. Mortos shoves him away, Fox returns to A-LIST LARIAT!

Mortos slumps down, Blake adds a LOW CROSSBODY! Fox skins the cat to DROPKICK Mortos, and then Fox goes to the apron. The fans fire up as Fox goes up, but Blake ROCKS him first! Blake goes up, brings Fox up, but Mortos adds on! The fans are going nuts already for the SPANISH FLY BOMB!! Cover on Blake, TWO! Cover on Fox, TWO!! Mortos snarls but he drags Fox back up. Mortos trophy lifts Fox, but Fox slips free to BOOT! Mortos tumbles out to the apron, and Blake SPEARS him down! Blake hurries to build speed so he can DIVE! Mortos stays up!? So Fox FLIES! Down goes Mortos and the fans fire up!

Fox puts Mortos in but Blake aims first! Springboard 450 SPLASH! Fox adds the SWANTON BOMB! But then Blake TOSSES Fox to cover Mortos, only for Fox to break it! Fox has had it with Blake being so sneaky, and TOSSES him out! Blake is on the apron, he ROCKS Fox, but Fox stops the slingshot! Fox has Blake in ropes, step-up DRAPING DDT! Roll through, but Mortos reels Fox in! Scoop and MORTOS DRIVER!! Cover, Mortos wins!

Winner: The Beast Mortos, by pinfall

Blake and Fox couldn’t say on the same page, and that allowed the minotaur of lucha to take the win! Will nothing stop The Beast Mortos from stampeding his way to a championship opportunity?

My Thoughts:

A good episode of ROH here at an hour and 38 minutes, but that made for quite a bit of filler. I did like the Six Meaty Men Slapping Meat Tag match of Mogul Embassy VS 1 Called Manders, BEEF and Calvin Tankman, but of course The Embassy won. Good return matches for Johnny and Taya, but I liked their promo with Aaron Solo better. It was a good use of continuity bringing up the failed QTV to pivot into a new story for Johnny TV now that Dalton Castle is moving on. Good promos from Mark Sterling, but a bit redundant again to have him hype up Ariya Daivari, then for him to talk directly to Ariya and the others.

Another confusing thing was the promo from The Infantry and Outrunners. Well, the promo wasn’t confusing, the timing was. Perhaps it was a victim of poor pacing as we’ve seen all over AEW & ROH. But I do appreciate we’re finally seeing these two teams have it out for ROH at Daily’s Place “next week,” aka prerecorded sometime this week. Outrunners had a good match with The Kingdom but of course The Kingdom won. But we’re getting an interesting detail where Maria wants her new boys, Griff & Karter, to go for those ROH World Tag Team Championships while her old boys, Bennett & Taven, still have them. Some sort of Kingdom Civil War angle in the works here?

Really good stuff with Zay winning by going to new lows, and really good Six Man Tag to give Top Flight momentum going into their title match with Bang Bang Gang. Really good promo from Bang Bang Gang and of course White & The Gunns are going to retain. And at least they did just what I was hoping by having a promo from Bullet Club Gold on ROH so that it counts as them being on this show. Just needs to keep happening, maybe with some in-person appearances. Not even matches, just BCG watching other trios fighting it out because they’re scouting, aka foreshadowing, new opponents.

Great main event Triple Threat but also a fast one, Mortos with the big win over Fox and Blake. While there’s something brewing for the ROH World Championship with Mark Briscoe being around Dalton Castle and The Premier Athletes, maybe Mortos can find himself in the world title scene for the next ROH PPV. And then great promos from Athena & Billie as well as Velvet & Aminata. We’re definitely getting a tag team match that will end up earning Velvet a shot at the Women’s TV title and Aminata a shot at the Women’s World title, and those will be awesome matches.

And if either of the champs is losing, I’m actually thinking it’s more Athena losing to Aminata than Billie losing to Velvet. I’ve said it before, Aminata’s proven herself worthy, and if she wasn’t gonna be inaugural Women’s TV Champ, might as well make her the woman that dethrones the undefeated Athena.