ROH Wrestling Television, Episode 415

Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham team up again to take on LifeBlood! But will The Octopus play fair or resort to dirty tactics to win?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• From Summer Supercard – No Disqualifications: Rush VS Dalton Castle; Rush wins.
• 2019 Top Prospect Tournament Opening Round: Dante Caballero VS Joe Keys; wins and advances to the next round.
• From Summer Supercard – Six Man Tag: Stuka Jr, Caristico & Soberano Jr VS Hechicero, Templario & Barbaro Cavernario; Stuka Jr, Caristico & Soberano Jr win.
• From Summer Supercard – Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham VS LifeBlood; LifeBlood wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

ROH relives the closing moments of Summer Supercard’s world championship match.

Taven hits Shelly with with Just the Tip of the knee, but Taven isn’t done! But Shelley counters Climax, to a quarter stack! TWO, CLIMAX OUTTA NOWHERE! Cover, TWO to ghost pin! TWO, JUST THE TIP AGAIN! Headlock, CLIMAX! Cover, Taven wins!

Now we hear Taven’s words after the match.

“You just saw another name get added to the long list of people that were forced to bow down to the king!” Taven has beaten them all! The undefeated PCO, the undefeated Jeff Cobb, everyone. Taven is on pace to be the GREATEST ROH World Champion of all time! Fans boo in disagreement. But why is Taven the best? “Because IIII’M Matt-” Wait! El Toro Blanco, Rush, heads out to the ring! There is still one man Taven has yet to beat. And Rush joins Taven in the ring as fans chant his name. Taven doesn’t care who Rush is, he is the champion! Taven waves bye bye but will Rush still storm his way to a title match?

ROH throws it to Ian Riccaboni and Quinn McKay.

Team IQ is still buzzing over the undefeated Rush asserting himself as a contender in Toronto. Taven should count his lucky stars that he’s been champion this long, because he and Rush have met before in CMLL. That past might be an example of what will happen should they meet in ROH. As for Rush, ROH shares highlights of the No Disqualification grudge match between him and The Peacock, Dalton Castle!

No Disqualifications: Rush VS Dalton Castle!

The full match is available on Honor Club, but ROH TV jumps in as The Peacock brings Toro Blanco around the corner on the outside of the ring. Castle sits Rush down in a chair, then rocks him with a big right. Castle then struts and runs in to dropkick Rush out of the chair! Castle leaves Rush behind as he goes back into the ring, to mock Tranquilo! Fans boo and Rush slowly stirs. Castle is on him with forearms, but Rush shoves him away. Rush runs in, to get a German Suplex to the floor! Fans fire up as Castle says, “He’s dead!”

Cut to moments later, and Rush is not dead, he’s pushing the timekeeper’s table aside. Rush grabs the Beer City Cooler and tosses it into the ring! Hopefully the Bouncers won’t be offended. Castle avoids being hit by the falling cooler, but Rush is also throwing in other items, such as the ring crew’s case and the chairs. Rush slides in but Castle throws a part of the apron skirt? That must’ve been torn off during the match. It blinds Rush long enough for Castle to SMACK him in the head with the trash can! But it is the plastic kind, not the metal kind, so it really only annoys and angers Rush. Castle keeps trying but Rush dodges to give Castle a German Suplex! Rush kicks things out of the way to take aim corner to corner… BULL’S HORNS! Cover, Rush wins!

Winner: Rush, by pinfall

The undefeated Toro Blanco is on a roll, and as we know, he makes his intentions known to Matt Taven and all of ROH. When and where will Rush and Taven meet in the ring for a title match?

Backstage interview with Jonathan Gresham.

Quinn asks him about the match alongside Jay Lethal against LifeBlood. How does Gresham feel about that match? Gresham suggests she ask Lethal about that. With that said, we cut away to break. Is this a sign to the side of the Octopus we’ll be seeing tonight?

Backstage interview with Jay Lethal.

Quinn did as Gresham suggested and she talks with Lethal about the match later on. Lethal is sure Greham is worried. What is at stake is so important. They want to be ROH World Tag Team Champions, it’s a title Lethal hasn’t had. And just like every great tag team, they’ve had speed bumps, but they’re past that. They have tunnel vision, and Lethal promises they will do something they’ve never done yet and win those tag team titles! The Franchise Player is confident, but will it be that easy against LifeBlood?

ROH takes a closer look at Top Prospect Tournament participants, Dante Caballero and Joe Keys.

Caballero is from the Island of Paradise, but he sails into ROH to take advantage of a golden opportunity. He will take everything and give nothing back. No matter who it is in his way, he will show them all that he can get the job done. On the other side, the sensual and head-turning Joe Keys, with his perfect hair and perfect physique, is the man Fabio wishes he was. The best looking Top Prospect has come. The tournament will be hot thanks to him. Eight men, one winner, and that winner is right here. But who backs up their words with actions in the opening match of this year’s tournament?

2019 Top Prospect Tournament Opening Round: Dante Caballero VS Joe Keys!

These two used to be tag team partners in the Future of Honor, but now that they both have a chance to be a contender, that partnership means nothing. Who comes away one step closer to a shot at the ROH World Television Championship?

This full match is on ROH YouTube, but ROH TV jumps to Keys firing up and Caballero asking his old friend for mercy. Caballero says he’s sorry as he backs into a corner. But Keys throws his wrist tape at Caballero, then powers him up top. Keys throws big hands and European Uppercuts, and even a CHOP! Keys climbs up but Caballero fights back. Caballero shoves Keys down but Keys comes back with a dropkick! Caballero wobbles and Keys climbs up, to SUPERPLEX! But the arm gives out, and Keys takes the worst of the fall! Caballero’s right on Keys with a crossface! Keys endures, reaches for ropes, but taps out! Caballero wins!

Winner: Dante Caballero, by submission; advances to the semifinals

Caballero turns the tables on Keys and takes his place in the Final Four! Will Caballero do as he promised and get the job done?

ROH relives the recent incidents between The Bouncers and The Kingdom.

It was Manhattan Mayhem when “Brawler” Brian Milonas climbed up top while The Beer City Bruiser held Shaheem Ali up. Milonas leaps for the Last Call leg drop! The Bouncers would win, but the Kingdom would strike! Vinnie Marseglia and TK O’Ryan would SMACK away on The Bouncers! This would all be to avenge the loss to them and Jay Lethal in a Six Man Tag!

After the attack was done, TK and Vinnie would sit in those very chairs, and Vinnie would smoke a big cigar and blow smoke right in Bruiser’s face. “You want to get sick with me, Bruiser?” He BURNS Bruiser’s chest with the cigar!! The Horror King is truly twisted, but the Bouncers wouldn’t leave it at this,

Cut to Summer Supercard in Toronto, and the Bouncers taunting The Kingdom from the crowd. The Kingdom would trash talk back, and then take Bruiser’s cigar to tear it up and throw it back at him. So Milonas would SMASH TK with his beer! The brawl would break out and Toronto would come alive! Fans chanted “Beer! Beer!” as security rushed out to break this out. Bruiser dared Vinnie to come back for more, but the Kingdom would retreat.

Cut to backstage as the Bouncers hunted down The Kingdom. “You just saw Toronto! You just went and made the drunk guys really, really angry!” If Vinnie wants to get sick, Bruiser’ll get sick! Milonas reminded The Kingdom that the Bouncers didn’t get here by just carrying somebody’s bags. The Bouncers will fight anywhere, anytime, to the ends of the Earth! The Bouncers vowed to be standing tall and drinking tall ones at the end of it.

But somewhere else in the arena, Vinnie laughed to himself. “Don’t you understand?” Don’t the Bouncers get that the stuff they’re doing is the stuff Vinnie likes? It makes Vinnie feel great that he is finally dragging the violence out of them. Because at first, all those two wanted to do was have fun and drink some beer. But now, there’s something different. A new side no one had seen before, but a side Vinnie is interested in. If the Bouncers want to have fun, let’s have fun. What kind of twisted playtime does Vinnie have in store for Bruiser and Brawler?

ROH throws back to Team IQ.

Ian and Quinn find the silver lining in this madness: all the new merch! The Bouncers have new shirts, The Kingdom have new shirts, Rush, Jay Lethal, so many of the ROH stars have something for fans to wear and represent! And don’t forget the ROH app for everything you’ll need! And that includes when, where and how you’ll get to watch the coming Global Wars Espectacular tour! ROH and CMLL will go head-to-head from September 6th to 8th!

ROH returns from break to more Ian and Quinn.

She isn’t sure if he’s noticed, but there seems to be tension brewing between Jay Lethal and Jonathan Gresham. They’re still teaming up tonight, but Ian does agree. He’s worried that while LifeBlood is united and even warming up together, the Franchise Player and Octopus aren’t even talking to each other. A lot of this does have to do with Gresham using underhanded tactics to beat Silas Young, Kenny King and a few others. Perhaps this isn’t paranoia after all. Will things come to a head tonight when they’re supposed to be aiming for tag titles?

Six Man Tag: Stuka Jr, Caristico & Soberano Jr VS Hechicero, Templario & Barbaro Cavernario!

CMLL was represented at Summer Supercard in this trios match, and the full match is also available on Honor Club. ROH TV jumps to Templario’s tilt-o-whirl being denied by Stuka Jr. Stuka wrenches and hammerlocks Templario to a DDT! Cover, but Hechicero breaks it up. Hechi whips but Stuka reverses and jumps, but Hechi gets the leg to bring Stuka down! And then around to a Bow ‘n’ Arrow! Stuka endures the stretch and slips out, then spins things around. Stuka whips and gets Hechi for a Stuka Especial tilt-o-whirl backbreaker! Hechicero is in the drop zone and Stuka climbs up, falling splash! But he gets caught into Hechicero’s incredible combination of Cloverleaf and Butterfly stretch! Stuka is stuck but Soberano kicks the hold apart!

Soberano runs and tilt-o-whirls to a wheelbarrow and arm-drag! Hechi bails out, Soberano seesm Templario returning. Stuka runs in to monkey flip Templario down, then he hurries to a corner. Stuka climbs, as does Soberano! Stuka LEAPS to splash down on Hechicero! Soberano LEAPS to SUPER tornillo down on Templario! Toronto fires up for this lucha libre insanity, but now Barbaro and Caristico are left. Barbaro dodges Caristico but runs into a boot. He automatically does the worm? And then gets Caristico with a SPINEBUSTER! Barbaro runs, springboard splash gets boots! Caristico covers, TWO! Caristico drags Barbaro to a drop zone then climbs up. Caristico moonsaults, but also gets boots! Barbaro covers, TWO!!

Caristico survives and Barbaro is shocked! But Barbaro drags Caristico over to a drop zone and fires up as he climbs. But Caristico springs up to SUPER SPANISH FLY! Cover, TWO!! Caristico can’t believe Barbaro wins! Things speed up, tilt-o-whirl takedown to a crossface! Barbaro taps, Caristico and team wins!

Winners: Caristico, Stuka Jr & Soberano Jr, Caristico pinning

A spectacular win for this trio! Will they and the other stars of CMLL shine during Global Wars Espectacular weekend?

Next week, ROH shares the Champions VS All-Stars match from Saturday Night at Centre Stage!

Matt Taven teams with Shane Taylor and The Briscoes against Jay Lethal, Kenny King, Jeff Cobb and Rush! Who wins when ROH puts the spotlight on the best of the best?

Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham VS LifeBlood!

Mark Haskins and Bandido, alongside Tracy Williams, are soon to face Villain Enterprises for the ROH World Six Man Tag titles, but that doesn’t mean they’ll stop there. Can they slowly make their way in the ROH (two-man) Tag Team Division? Or will Lethal and Gresham figure their tandem out and go for gold together?

The Code of Honor is upheld between all four men, which fans cheer. The teams sort out as Toronto fires up. Haskins is ready, and Gresham starts with him. The fans rally up as the two circle. They approach and feel out the grapple. Haskins gets a leg and brings Gresham down. Haskins wrenches the foot but Gresham works his way out and around and breaks free. Gresham waves hi to Bandido and Bandido returns it. Gresham and Haskins approach again as fans cheer. They tie up and Gresham spins to a waistlock. Haskins counters with a wristlock but Gresham slips through to his own. Haskins rolls, gets around and takedown to jackknife cover. TWO and fans cheer this technical exchange. Gresham and Haskins go again, and Haskins brings Gresham in for a headlock takeover. Gresham pops out and the two stand-off again as ROH goes to break.

ROH returns and Haskins backs off from the corner on the ref’s orders. Gresham tugs Haskins’ hair and Haskins gets annoyed. Haskins swings but Gresham dodges to get the headlock takeover. Haskins headscissors put Gresham pops out to repeat the headlock takeover, only for Haskins to repeat the headscissors. Gresham pops out again and tries a third time, but Haskins still headscissors. Gresham pops out once again and fans cheer this newest exchange. Gresham and Haskins cool off and shake hands again. But then Gresham steps on the handshake and tags in Lethal. Lethal is very confused by this new attitude out of Gresham, but he still steps into the ring. Fans want Bandido and Bandido wants in! Haskins obliges, and he tags to Bandido!

Bandido and Lethal stare down and fans are dueling. Bandido and Lethal circle and as the tension mounts, tie up. Lethal powers Bandido back but Bandido puts Lethal against ropes. Bandido lets up and rolls back to aim a finger gun. But Lethal just nods and circles with Bandido again. They tie up and now Bandido pushes Lethal back, only for Lethal to put Bandido on the ropes. Lethal lets off to “WOO~” at Bandido. Bandido is ready to draw on Lethal, but Lethal says there’s no need for that. Lethal and Bandido circle and tie up again. Bandido headlocks but Lethal powers out. Things speed up and Bandido handsprings but Lethal gets clear. Lethal handsprings but Bandido gets clear. Bandido chicken wings and spins Lethal out but Lethal whips to hip toss, but Bandido rolls through so Lethal cartwheels to keep up. Bandido sweeps and covers, ONE and the sweep is returned to a cover, ONE! Bandido handsprings up and fans are fired up for this stand-off!

Lethal and Bandido circle again, and then shake hands. They tie up one more time but Bandido throws big knees. Bandido brings Lethal over and tags in Haskins. LifeBlood whips Lethal for a hip toss to cradle to rewind toss! Double basement dropkicks sends Lethal to the apron! Haskins brings Lethal back in to go after the leg. Lethal pushes Haskins away then clubs away. Haskins throws forearms but Lethal returns them. Lethal ends up in LifeBlood’s corner and Haskins grinds forearms into the face. Haskins CHOPS then tags to Bandido. Bandido snapmares Lethal and runs for a hot basement dropkick! Cover, ONE! Bandido waves hi to Gresham in return for earlier. Lethal fights back with body shots but is caught in the corner again!

Haskins tags in before Bandido enziguris Lethal hard. Haskins climbs while Bandido wrenches, ax handles to the arm! Haskins keeps on that arm but fans rally up as Lethal fights back. Lethal CHOPS then runs and sunset flips, but Haskins spins through to STOMP the arm! Cover, TWO! Haskins keeps on that arm with a high wristlock but Lethal fights up and out. Lethal headlocks but Haskins powers out. Gresham tags in as things speed up, and he catches Haskins in the air with a waistlock! Lethal triangle dropkicks Bandido down while Gresham drags Haskins with the high-angle German Suplex! Fans fire up behind Gresham as he grinds feet into Haskins’ face. Gresham gets some cheap shots in but Haskins gives shots back. Gresham clubs Haskins down as ROH goes to one last break.

ROH returns once more, and Lethal brawls with Bandido. They trade forearms, and Bandido wobbles only to come back with more! Bandido runs but Gresham dumps him out! The Octopus is getting sneaky again but Lethal is not having it. Gresham just ignores his scolding and tags in. Gresham rams Bandido into barriers, then the apron! Then the apron again, and again! Gresham throws the security guard out of his chair, to take it for his own! Gresham puts Bandido on the apron, and takes aim with the chair! But Lethal stops him, having no idea what’s going on with Gresham. Gresham and Lethal fight over the chair, and Lethal gets it away, only for Gresham to shove Lethal down! Gresham goes back to Bandido but Bandido kicks him away. Tag to Haskins and Haskins DIVES on Lethal!

Haskins shoulders into Gresham then slingshots over to feint and JAB! Gresham is rocked but Lethal tags back in. Haskins didn’t see it, but he gets a CHOP from Lethal! Lethal whips, Haskins reverses and Bandido hits Lethal in the corner with a kick! Gresham runs in to CHOP Bandido, but Haskins forearm smashes Gresham. Haskins runs but Gresham follows to CHOP! Bandido runs in but Gresham manages to get him up and over the ropes to then punch down! Gresham still uses Lethal for the wheelbarrow booster, Cornett Cutter CAUGHT! Haskins uses Shoulder Soldier Roll to throw Gresham onto Lethal! Cover on Lethal, TWO!! Lethal lives and LifeBlood can’t believe it! Toronto fires up as Haskins has Lethal’s legs. Lethal shoves Haskins away but Haskins rolls him up. TWO, jackknife roll through, fireman’s carry to Samoan Driver! Cover, TWO!! Haskins is shocked again as Lethal lives.

Tag to Bandido and LifeBlood focuses on Lethal. Haskins whips Lethal into Bandido’s kick! Haskins suplexes, Falcon Arrow! Bandido Frog Splash! Cover, but Gresham breaks it! Bandido tags back to Haskins but Gresham throws Bandido out. Haskins kicks and whips but Gresham reverses. Haskins slides under, but Gresham and Lethal whip. Haskins reverses to send Gresham away, then he kicks at Lethal. Lethal blocks the kick, hands it to Gresham, enziguri to Dragon Screw! Lethal drags Haskins around while Gresham keeps Bandido out. Figure Four get a cradle counter! Now Bandido holds Gresham back, TWO! Lethal escapes and BOOTS Haskins to an enziguri! Gresham throws Bandido away and runs in. Gresham kicks out Haskins’ legs for Lethal to powerbomb lift. Gresham DIVES onto Bandido as Lethal BOMBS Haskins! High stack, TWO, to the Figure Four! “WOO~” for the Flair Drip as Haskins endures!

Haskins crawls and reaches but Lethal drags him away! Gresham and Bandido struggle on the outside as Haskins fights through the pain. Bandido drags himself and Gresham in as Haskins keeps reaching. Lethal drags Haskins away again, but Bandido powers Gresham up to BOMB him onto Lethal!! Haskins is free, all four men are down, and Toronto is thunderous for “ROH! ROH!” A standing count begins and all four men start to stir. Gresham and Lethal regroup and Gresham stands at 6. Bandido sits up right after, and now these two aim finger guns at each other. Time for the shoot out of forearms! Fans duel as the forearms fly, and pick up speed! Neither man backs down, but Bandido uppercuts, only for Gresham to kip up and enziguri! Gresham runs but into Bandido’s POP-UP CUTTER! Lethal handsprings, but into a torture rack! Bandido pops Lethal off for the X-Knee! And then 21 PLEX! Bridging cover INTO the Sharpshooter! Bandido FLIES to take out Gresham! Lethal TAPS!! LifeBlood wins!!

Winners: LifeBlood, Haskins by submission

Mr. Overkill and the gunslinger luchador take out a high caliber team, and make the former ROH World Champion tap out! Will this lead to even more gold in ROH for this rising faction?

ROH hears from Matt Taven.

“PCO. Mark Haskins. Flip Gordon. Tracy Williams. Jeff Cobb. Jay Lethal. Kenny King. And now… Oh, one of my personal favorites, Alex Shelley.” What do all those great wrestlers have in common? They all have fallen to The King. The ROH World Championship, like it or not, stays with Matt Taven! And he hasn’t forgotten what Rush did to him in their days together in CMLL! Taven’s hair looks like this because of Rush! But that was in Rush’s home turf. ROH is Taven’s Kingdom. And Taven has waited a long, long time for revenge. Taven vows to put Rush at the very end of the list, with a line underneath it, “because it will be the most joyous victory of them all.” Rush and ALL of ROH will have to get used to this title being on this waist. Why? Because the greatest ROH World Champion of all time is Matt Taven. Will this royal decree survive an encounter with El Toro Blanco?

My Thoughts:

I don’t to take anything away from the match we got to see in full, or the parts we got from the other matches, or what ROH is trying to do in getting fans all caught up with all these huge events through just the TV airings, but ROH is clearly struggling if this is how they’re going to be going. I knew Rush would be next to challenge Matt Taven, but I don’t think we needed to waste time watching only part of a match where Rush beats Dalton Castle. Give that time to the Top Prospect Tournament so we get all of the only nine minute match that ROH put on their YouTube beforehand anyway. For that matter, the entire opening round is there, and in total, it is only 39 minutes. This is a bad sign that the tradition isn’t big enough to get attention on TV anymore. It’s probably why Jeff Cobb was used to literally cancel the tournament with his interruptions last year.

The bit of the CMLL trios match we got was a lot of fun. In similar fashion, why didn’t we get all of that match? It was only 17 minutes, and I’m pretty sure cutting out Rush VS Castle would’ve given us time for that. At the same time, things must not have worked out for Summer Supercard if we’re getting even this much from it. The recap of Bouncers and Kingdom from Manhattan Mayhem and then Summer Supercard at least made for good story. I feel like Bouncers VS Kingdom in No Disqualifications or a Street Fight would be really good to push that “sick” side they’re bringing out. Then the one good thing on tonight’s episode was the main event tag match. I like that Gresham was about to throw away the match by using that chair, it shows he’s growing frustrated being a Face when he wants to go Heel so bad. Surprisingly, this match was only 11 minutes for Summer Supercard but commercials sure helped stretch that out. Lethal VS Gresham in a grudge match has to be coming, and that will be a great one, too.

My Score: 7.5/10