ROH Wrestling Television, Episode 414

Alex Shelley decided NOT to retire, and wants a shot at THE ROH World Championship! Will he be able to defeat Matt Taven in his first match back?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• From Mass Hysteria – Six Man Tag: The Kingdom VS Alex Shelley, Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham; Shelley, Lethal & Gresham win.
• From Summer Supercard – WOH World Championship: Kelly Klein VS Tasha Steelz; Klein wins and retains the WOH World Championship.
• From Summer Supercard – ROH World Television Championship: Shane Taylor VS Tracy Williams; Taylor wins and retains the ROH World Television Championship.
• From Summer Supercard – ROH World Tag Team Championship Ladder War: The Briscoes VS The Guerrillas of Destiny; The Briscoes win and retain the ROH World Tag Team Championships.
• From Summer Supercard – ROH World Championship: Matt Taven VS Alex Shelley; Taven wins and retains the ROH World Championship.

PLAY BY PLAY

Alex Shelley called his shot!

While Jay Lethal fought his way to climb back up, and while Matt Taven declared this was HIS era, the Motor City Machine Gun came out to throw out a challenge. Shelley did not use the word “retirement” last time he spoke. And after 17 years, his professional wrestling punch card was ready to be cashed in, for a world title shot! Shelley would wait after Manhattan Mayhem to take his shot, so that he can prove to Lethal, Taven, the world and himself that he is a talent on loan from God.

ROH throws it to Ian Riccaboni and Quinn McKay.

Another huge main event coming to us from Summer Supercard, after Shelley watched very closely at Manhattan Mayhem. Matt Taven successfully retained again despite Kenny King being added to the match, and a Six Man Tag at Mass Hysteria would be Shelley’s actual return to the ring. We now cut to that match’s highlights.

Six Man Tag: The Kingdom VS Alex Shelley, Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham!

Matt Taven would have his henchmen by his side as he would square off with his Summer Supercard opponent, as well as the Franchise Player and Octopus. Watch the whole match on Honor Club.

ROH cuts to Shelley on the top rope, aimed at Vinnie Marseglia and TK O’Ryan. Shelley leaps for a big crossbody! And then he spits water in Taven’s eyes! Taven falls, Shelley catches Vinnie and TK, and Lethal helps out with an enziguri to kickstart the DDT Complete Shot combo! Fans fire up with Shelly while The Kingdom regroups.

ROH cuts to later, as Shelley, Gresham and Lethal are on the outside. The Horror King fires up and builds speed to DIVE! Vinnie wipes them out, then Taven FLIES to take them out, too! Taven is in awe of his own abilities.

ROH cuts to Vinnie giving Lethal a tilt-o-whirl Russian Leg Sweep! Taven gives Lethal Just the Tip of the Knee! Vinnie covers but Shelley breaks it! Taven fires off on Shelley, but Shelley denies the Climax. Taven denies Sliced Bread, but Shelley fires a forearm. Taven spins to forearm back, but Shelley enziguris! Taven SUPERKICKS and both men fall out of the ring.

ROH cuts again, as TK runs at Shelly, only to get a SUPERKICK! LETHAL INJECTION! Lethal DIVES onto Taven and Shelley hits TK with a DDT, right into a crossface! TK endures the Border City Stretch, and taps out! Shelley and team win!

Winners: Shelley, Lethal & Gresham, Shelley by submission

Shelley smirks at Taven as the two stare down. Will we see a Summer Supercard usurping of the throne? Or will Taven still keep his reign going?

Backstage interview with Alex Shelley.

Quinn met Shelley in Lowell to talk about the intense ending to the Six Man Tag. An incredible win, but how is Shelley feeling going into the title match in Toronto for Summer Supercard? To be clear, this isn’t just the biggest match in his ROH career, this very well could be THE match of his entire career! Shelley can’t focus on the past but only the present and future. And right now, Shelley sees a “really really good” champion in Taven, but Taven does not embody the ROH Shelley helped make back over 15 years ago. And quite frankly, Shelley has nothing to lose. And that makes him dangerous. Will that mean Taven’s reign is in danger?

ROH reviews the Allure’s animosity towards Tasha Steelz.

In a Fatal 4 Way contender’s match, the up-and-comer outsmarted the veteran Angelina Love to get a title shot, #Ocurrr? And then she got the better of Love in Mass Hysteria, #Ocurrr? Steelz felt so good winning, but not for long as Velvet Sky hairspray’d her in the face, and Love gave her the Botox Injection boot! Kelly Klein respects Steelz doesn’t back down from a fight, and ran off the Allure for. But their Summer Supercard match was still to come. Would the Boricua Badass beat the Pretty Badass to be THE badass WOH World Champion?

ROH throws it back to Ian and Quinn.

Team IQ talk WOH as Steelz is just one of many big names in the division. Sumie Sakai is back, Maria Manic has been lurking, and even the Allure is running strong. But Steelz has a force of will and earned Kelly’s respect. The entire match is on Honor Club, but here are some highlights from that very Summer Supercard showdown!

WOH World Championship: Kelly Klein VS Tasha Steelz!

The Gatekeeper is ready to test the young and hungry La Reina de la Cultura to see if she is worthy of this title. Will Steelz past the test? Or will she come up short as the Summer comes to a close?

ROH cuts to Steelz building speed. Steelz DIVES and just clips Klein down! Cut again, and Klein reverses Steelz into a DDT! Cut again, and Klein throws Steelz with the Fall Away Slam! Another cut, and Steelz denies Klein a suplex. Klein clubs away and gets the lift but Steelz slips out, OCURRR~! The cutter hits but Klein ends up under the bottom rope! Steelz crawls and drags Klein back, but Klein holds on. Steelz keeps trying but the ref backs her off. One last cut, and Klein runs corner to corner, only to dodge Steelz’s boot. Klein fireman’s carries, K-POWER! Cover, Klein wins!

Winner: Kelly Klein, by pinfall; still WOH World Champion

A pretty badass match between two brands of badass, but it was the Pretty Badass herself who comes out on top. But Klein shows Steelz respect by still raising her hand. But no respect is shown by Angelina Love as she blindsides both from behind! The Allure’s contender doesn’t care about honor or respect, as she gives Steelz a Botox Injection! And one for Klein! Love lifts the world title up as she stands over Klein in the ring. But will she be standing at all after Klein gets her hands on her?

Backstage interview with Angelina Love.

Quinn gets a word with the smug contender about the statement made in Toronto. “It’s what I do.” But before Love can say more, Klein comes back for revenge! They brawl until security pulls them apart! Will the war between Klein and Allure only escalate as ROH moves into the Fall?

LifeBlood speaks.

“Yo, Marty. I should’ve seen it coming.” Mark Haskins and The Villain go way back from their days in the UK. Haskins has seen Scurll at his lowest of lows and highest of highs, so Haskins should’ve known better. Scurll and his Villain Enterprises did damage to LifeBlood by recruiting Flip Gordon and make him a Trojan horse. Haskins should’ve known better. He should’ve known Scurll would be at his most villainous, but that only pushes LifeBlood to be their most relentless.

Tracy Williams speaks up and says that Villain Enterprises ran away last time. They ran because of that beating in the Philly Street Fight. And if LifeBlood can win a Street Fight, they’ll damn well beat Villain Enterprises in a straight up match. So bring the fight and give LifeBlood a title shot. Bandido wants to know if Villain Enterprises is ready. LifeBlood will be the future of ROH! At Honor For All, we see which side finally wins faction warfare!

ROH throws it back to IQ.

Ian and Quinn are excited to see Honor For All settle things once and for all between LifeBlood and Villain Enterprises, but also the second Defy or Deny match for Matt Taven’s reign! Of course, that is if Taven made it through Shelley in Toronto. And before even all of that, Saturday Night at Center Stage, Marty Scurll and Bandido face off in a first-time-ever singles match. Which man gains major momentum for their side going into Honor For All?

Of course, there was still question if Tracy Williams would be able to compete at Summer Supercard for the ROH World Television Championship. Not because the Notorious Hitman, Shane Taylor, did anything. It was Scurll’s Mercenary, Flip Gordon, who attacked! The insidious Intern could not keep Hot Sauce from fighting, and ROH now shares highlights from that title match!

ROH World Television Championship: Shane Taylor VS Tracy Williams!

Things were heated already between Hitman and Hot Sauce when Williams earned this shot in a Proving Grounds match. Will he be the man to take down the baddest champ in ROH?

But of course, before Taylor ever appears, Flip Gordon runs out to SMACK Williams with a kendo stick! Toronto was fired up for the furious Flip as he keeps on Williams and the bad shoulder. Security rushes out to keep Flip away but Williams says it takes more than that to send him home. If Flip thought that his bad arm was going to be why Williams misses the match, Flip’s dumber than Williams thought. You could rip Williams’ arm off and he’d still fight. Taylor’s TV title will still be his, “so get your big ass out here!” Taylor would oblige, and despite doctors’ advice, Williams fights! Watch the full match on Honor Club, ROH TV gives us the highlights.

First, Taylor drops a leg on Williams’ bad arm on the apron! Cut to Williams going up top to drop a FROG SPLASH! Cover, TWO! Williams roars as he keeps moving. Cut to Taylor trying a frog splash, only to FLOP! Williams gets Taylor in a CROSSFACE! Taylor endures, reaches, but powers his way around to use his legs for a ropebreak! Williams let Taylor go but he was still fired up. Another cut, and Taylor drags Williams up out of a corner to scoop. Greetings from the 216! Cover, Taylor wins!

Winner: Shane Taylor, by pinfall; still ROH World Television Champion

“You see this?! I’m going to be the baddest ROH Television Champion of all time!” Taylor aims for the insane record of defenses, but he might just be the man to do it! Who will be the other 30+ contenders to step to Notorious Taylor?

Shane Taylor would speak backstage after the match.

“It’s only fitting, after I defend MY ROH World Television Championship for the third time, in DEVASTATING fashion,” the first words someone says AREN’T “Congratulations! What a title defense!” No, it’s “Why did you have to do that to poor Tracy Williams?” Get it straight: Taylor promised Williams on social media to do what he had to in order to keep the title. Williams is a “grown ass man” who made his choice to fight tonight, and then got whooped like everyone else. But ROH still wants to disrespect Taylor by not advertising him, yet they’ll let EVERY OTHER COMPANY walk all over them! Maybe Taylor has to do something like that! Maybe Taylor needs to start his OWN company! Is the Hitman going to strike out on his own?

ROH returns to Ian and Quinn.

The Summer Supercard world title match will be shown in its entirety tonight, but they were also hoping to show the incredible Ladder War for the ROH World Tag Team Championships between The Briscoes and the Guerrillas of Destiny. Unfortunately, they cannot. It was too violent between two of the most intense teams in the world today, so go to Honor Club to see it all. This was truly the culmination of a feud that started in Madison Square Garden when the G1 Supercard had four teams fight for both the ROH World and IWGP Heavyweight Tag titles. GoD would win to become the first dual tag champions between ROH and NJPW, and it would only escalate from there as the pair of brothers would go back and forth. The Briscoes took the titles back in Manhattan, and Summer Supercard would be the match to settle the score. Parental discretion is HEAVILY advised for the full version, but ROH TV will share what it can.

ROH World Tag Team Championship Ladder War: The Briscoes VS The Guerrillas of Destiny!

Only the eighth Ladder War in ROH history, and perhaps the most brutal one ever between Jay and Mark Briscoe and Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa. Both pairs of brothers were ready for war the moment they came out, because #DemBoyz had chairs already in hand! Loa and Tama would get their own chairs, and the war was on! The bell would ring as chairs swing and clash in and out of the ring! Older brothers Jay and Tama would battle at the same time as Mark and Loa!

Cut to when a table was waiting outside the ring! Mark drags Loa over, but Loa denies the suplex. Jay powers Tama to a corner and chokes him as Loa reverses the suplex to slam Mark on the ground! Jay throws haymakers and stomps but Tama whips Jay into a chair in the other corner! Jay flops out of the ring while Loa sends Mark into a ladder!

Cut again, and now Jay and Tama stand in the ring together. Jay wears a crimson mask of his own blood that ROH TV pixelates. He and Tama grab a chair each, and we come full circle as Tama is ready to “do this s*it!” They start swinging and CLASH! Jay holds on but Tama gets around for a BIG German Suplex! Only for Jay to come back with a LARIAT! Toronto was on fire as both men are down!

Cut to Mark with the ladder set up! The Sussex County Chicken climbs, but Tama uses a ladder as a ramp into the ring! He leaps for a SUPER GUN STUN that takes Mark off the ladder!! Toronto is thunderous as all four men are down!

Cut again, and Tama is up top on the ladder. Jay joins him, and the two fight over the belts while throwing hands! Jay headbutts Tama back then down to the ground! Jay reaches up, grabs those belts, and unhooks them! The Briscoes win!!

Winners: The Briscoes; still ROH World Tag Team Champions

The Ladder War was won by #DemBoyz! Is this the last the Briscoes will have to worry about the Guerrillas of Destiny fighting for ROH’s tag titles?

Summer Supercard will continue to spill onto ROH TV!

Before LifeBlood goes for ROH Six Man Tag gold, we will see how they did against Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham! Or rather, we will see if Lethal can help Gresham see the light before he is lost to the dark side.

The 2019 Top Prospect Tournament comes to ROH TV!

ROH will show us highlights of the heated opening match of Dante Caballero and Joe Keys. Two former tag team partners look to show how well they know each other, and to prove who was the stronger partner all along. Who moves on to the second round of this returning tradition?

ROH World Championship: Matt Taven VS Alex Shelley!

The Kingdom’s king took his throne at G1 Supercard, and would survive contender after contender. Not Flip Gordon, not PCO, not Mark Haskins, not even Jeff Cobb, Jay Lethal or Kenny King could take the title, but none of those men were as experienced as Alex Shelley. Will experience prove to be the edge against Grand Slam Taven?

The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and the entirety of this match will be played after the break!

ROH returns and the Code of Honor is upheld. The bell rings and fans cheer for Shelley. Taven is just annoyed, but he circles with Shelley. They tie up and Shelley gets the arm. Shelley wrenches but Taven wrenches back. Shelley drops down and spins around to drop toehold Taven to a facelock. Taven slips out to his own, but Shelley slips out to get a headlock. Taven headscissors and squeezes tight, but Shelley slips around to pop out. Shelley sits up, to blow SNOT on Taven! Taven SLAPS Shelley back! Shelley backs off and the two stand off. Fans duel and cheer while both men slowly circle again. Taven still wipes some of Shelley’s snot off before he and Shelley tie up again. Shelley headlocks then hammerlocks then whips Taven to a snapmare. Shelley steps over to get the headlock then spin Taven to an arm-drag. He keeps going, pulling Taven into a ghost pin! TWO, and Taven is growing frustrated.

Shelley dares Taven to keep going, and circles with him again. They tie up, Shelley wrenches to double arm-drag and then rolls him around to another ghost pin! TWO and Taven goes to ropes. Shelley lets Taven take his time to come back, showing off by doing jumping jacks. Taven and Shelley circle again and tie up. Shelley gets Taven down, turns him over, and floats to yet another ghost pin! TWO and Shelley does push-ups as Taven backs off to ropes. Taven talks back to fans before he and Shelley tie up again. Shelley calls for a test of strength, but Taven rakes the eyes! Taven steps over to headlock, but Shelley turns the Climax into a Fujiwara armbar! Taven gets out fast and headlocks again, but again Shelley makes it into an armbar! Shelley wants his Border City Stretch but Taven gets a ropebreak first! Shelley lets Taven go and Taven bails out. Taven walks around the ring but Shelley gives chase.

Taven cartwheels over Shelley as he slides in, but Shelley side-steps Taven. Taven springboards for an arm-drag into his own float over to a cover, TWO, into the ghost pin! TWO, and Shelley pokes Taven back! Shelley styles and profiles while we go to break.

ROH returns and Shelley flexes as he has Taven reeling. Shelley grabs Taven, uses the post to get up, but Taven denies Sliced Bread by slamming Shelley through the timekeeper’s table!! Toronto is thunderous for that one! Taven leaves Shelley behind for the ring count to climb. Shelley drags himself over to the ring, using a microphone as a cane! The ring count passes 10 of 20, then reaches 15. But Shelley stands at 16, only to flop over! The count keeps going, and Shelley is in at 19.9! Taven is furious and stomps Shelley down! Taven drags Shelley up to CHOP over and over! Shelley flops down and Taven hears the fans. Taven soaks up the heat before running in at Shelley. Shelley elbows back, then runs, but his crossbody is caught to a swinging backbreaker! Cover, TWO!! Shelley survives but scrambles to ropes. Taven is on him and choking him against the bottom rope. The ref counts and Taven lets up.

Shelley still crawls as fans rally up. Taven says that won’t help Shelley. Taven drags Shelley up, snap suplex! Float over cover, TWO! Taven keeps on Shelley with a Bow ‘n’ Arrow stretch! Shelley endures, fans rally up, but Taven makes the stretch even deeper! But Shelley pops out to a cover, TWO! Taven ducks a fist to whip Shelley to a corner. Shelley walks into a backbreaker, then Taven flips him around for underhooks. Butterfly backbreaker! Cover, TWO!! Shelley still lives and Taven is frustrated. Taven looms over Shelley and dares him to stand. Shelley moves but Taven stomps him down. Taven grabs the legs, and turns Shelley over for a Boston Crab! Fans duel as Shelley crawls and gets the ropebreak! But Taven drags him away! Shelley spins Taven off but Taven cartwheels through it.

Shelley counter CHOPS and CHOPS, then whips to give Taven an atomic drop! Taven ducks the clothesline to hit the Russian Leg Sweep to Moonlight Drive! Cover, TWO!! Shelley’s 17 years are proving to pay off! Taven keeps his cool as he drags Shelley to ropes. Taven wants to end this by any means necessary! But Shelley denies the suicidal suplex to enziguri back! Shelley slingshots to DDT Taven to the floor!! Toronto loves that one as Shelley leaves Taven down and out. The ring count climbs up and Shelley watches Taven closely. Taven crawls and pushes a chair over. Shelley goes after Taven, to get water to the face! Taven throws big forearms, but gets a Complete Shot to the railing! Shelley cravats Taven, standing Sliced Bread onto the railing!! Shelley almost breaks Taven and Toronto is thunderous!

Shelley climbs back up but gets a BIG enziguri! Taven manages to walk, and run back, to FLY! Taven bowls Shelley into chairs! Taven tosses Shelley back to ringside then back in the ring. Taven climbs up top, leaps, FROG SPLASH gets knees! Cover, TWO!! Shelley waistlocks, spins Taven around, SIDEWINDER! Cover, TWO!?! Shelley can’t believe it! But he won’t give up, either. Shelley tunes up the band like the Heartbreak Kid. Taven rises, Shelley runs out, SUPERKICK! But Taven flips Shelley off and says “F You!” Shelley just returns the favor as he tunes up again. Taven stands, SUPERKICK again! Then, SLICED BREAD!! Cover, TWO!?! BORDER CITY STRETCH! Taven’s toughness only gets him more damage, but he pops to a cover, TWO! JUST THE TIP!

The knee hits, but Taven isn’t done. But Shelley counters Climax again, to a quarter stack! TWO, CLIMAX OUTTTA NOWHERE! Cover, TWO to ghost pin! TWO, JUST THE TIP AGAIN! Headlock, CLIMAX! Cover, Taven wins!

Winner: Matt Taven, by pinfall; still ROH World Champion

Somehow, some way, The Kingdom’s king survives to keep his throne. But with another Defy or Deny on the way, will Taven be able to maintain this astounding streak? Or is something going to give sooner rather than later?

My Thoughts:

I’m starting to worry about ROH. This is the fourth episode we got recaps and highlights of PPV events available on Honor Club instead of material that’s actually new. There’s a rule of threes, and that includes wrestling. This week should’ve at least been that Top Prospect Tournament they reminded us about late in the show. Seeing first round highlights for that would’ve been nice. Instead, we’re getting stuff from Summer Supercard, which leads me to believe that ROH did NOT get the money out of that event they were hoping for. Seeing all the highlights through tonight’s episode, that stadium was so bare it makes WWE’s lowering numbers look good. I applaud the fans that did go for being 100% into everything, but I suppose that’s what happens when ROH punches above its weight class scheduling this for the same weekend as WWE’s SummerSlam Toronto weekend…

Also, it doesn’t help that Summercard apparently kept much of the status quo. What was shared of the WOH World, ROH World Television, and ROH World Tag Team championship matches shows each match was pretty good, but Summercard ends up being a filler PPV in a desperate attempt to stay afloat. I do appreciate everything Shane Taylor said in his post-match promo. He takes shots at WWE and AEW with what he was saying, and ROH really does need to think of him as the face of the company, or at least up there with how they’re booking Taven.

For that matter, they’re booking Taven almost too well. I applaud that Taven is being forced to do this on his own because of the Kingdom’s ringside ban. But while that match of Taven VS Shelley was great, Taven winning again was more or less disappointing. The air went out of the crowd when he won, but they would’ve EXPLODED if Shelley won. Taven’s second Defy or Deny, a major milestone for an ROH World Champion, is probably still going to go his way, as I still expect things to head for Taven VS Rush, as I said last time.

My Score: 8.1/10