The ROH Pure Championship shines in Universal Studios!

AEW continues in Universal Studios, and the ROH Pure Championship is back in action! Will Wheeler Yuta retain his title against Premier Athlete, Tony Nese?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Willow Nightingale VS Ashley D’Amboise; Nightingale wins.
• Nick Comoroto & Aaron Solo VS Matt Vandagriff & Knull; Comoroto & Solo win.
• Matt Sydal VS Jake Something; Sydal wins.
• Athena VS Amber Nova; Athena wins.
• Dante Martin VS Lucky Ali; Dante wins.
• Julia Hart VS Valentina Rossi; Julia wins.
• Fuego Del Sol VS Marcus Kross; Fuego wins.
• JD Drake & Ryan Nemeth VS Evil Uno & Preston Vance; Uno & Vance win.
• Ariya Daivari VS Caleb Konley; Daivari wins.
• ROH Pure Championship: Wheeler Yuta VS Tony Nese w/ Mark Sterling; Yuta wins and retains the title.

QUICK NOTES

Great to see Fuego back in action, I hope we get to see him take on Sammy Guevara for that impersonation angle. Good to see Athena (Ember Moon) in action with a returning Amber Nova. Good to see Ariya Daivari on the same night as old WWE running mate, Tony Nese. And speaking of, Nese VS Yuta is going to be a good one, might even cover that one because of how unique the Pure Rules matches are.

PLAY BY PLAY

ROH Pure Championship: Wheeler Yuta VS Tony Nese w/ Mark Sterling!

The Decoder has been doing the Blackpool Combat Club proud, from Best of the Super Juniors 29 to holding onto this title. Will Yuta still have this title as AEW heads into Blood & Guts? Or will the Premier Athlete finally put some money where his 8 pack is?

The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and the 150th episode of Dark has a golden main event!

The judges for this match are BJ Whitmer, Mercedes Martinez and Christopher Daniels. The ref calls for the Code of Honor handshake, Nese is obliged to take it, but he doesn’t shake Yuta’s hand long. Fans rally for Yuta as he and Nese circle. Nese flexes on Yuta, but Yuta hooks that arm for a fireman’s carry takeover! Cover, ONE and Nese gets away. Yuta flexes back, the two circle and feel out the grapple. They tie up, Nese waistlocks and SLAMS Yuta, but Yuta sit sup and pries free to wrench the arm. Yuta drags Nese down into a double wristlock, then hammerlocks. Nese reaches back, rolls, and wrenches to wristlock.

Nese facelocks, snap suplex to a cover, TWO! Nese facelocks, Yuta slips out and hammerlocks. Nese reaches for ropes, but in Pure Rules, each man can only have three ropebreaks so he decides to forgo using one. Nese fights up but Yuta cranks the hammerlock. Fans rally, Nese drop toeholds and facelocks. Yuta slips out again and Nese is frustrated as he’s back in the hammerlock. Nese fights up again, Yuta wrenches but Nese knees low. Nese whips Yuta to a corner, Yuta reverses but Nese stops himself to elbow back. Nese goes up to moonsault but Yuta dodges! Yuta goes up and over in the corner, then scoops to SLAM and SENTON! Cover, TWO!

Fans rally for Yuta as he clamps onto the arm again. Nese fights up, but Yuta wrenches to headlock. Yuta BOPS Nese in the head, and Sterling protests! But Yuta used an open palm, it is legal! Nese shoves Yuta and argues, but Yuta rushes back in. They tie up, go around and end up on the ropes. The ref wants them to let off, and Nese DECKS Yuta with a cheap shot! Fans boo but Nese gets away with it. Nese then LARIATS Yuta and covers, TWO! Nese hurries to get a leg and he KICKS Yuta in the back over and over to get him in the HALF CRAB! Yuta endures, thinks about it, and gets the ROPEBREAK! Nese lets off, and that’s one down for Yuta.

Nese looms over Yuta, brings him up, and ROCKS him with a forearm. Yuta staggers to a corner, the judges are making notes, and Nese whips Yuta corner to corner hard! Yuta bounces off buckles and flounders around while Nese flexes. Fans rally, Nese drags Yuta up, but Yuta throws body shots. Nese whips Yuta hard into another corner! Yuta writhes, Nese covers, TWO! Nese hurries to facelock Yuta and bring him up for a suplex! Cover, TWO! Nese wraps on the body scissors! Yuta endures, fans rally, but Nese puts on the squeeze. Nese dares Yuta to use a ropebreak but Yuta pushes back to a cover, TWO!

Nese keeps on the squeeze but Yuta still endures. Yuta pushes back again, another cover, TWO! Yuta throws elbows back and gets free! Fans rally but Nese RAMS Yuta to a corner! Nese puts Yuta up top, climbs up after him, but Yuta fights the suplex. Yuta throws body shots and Nese hops down. But Nese rolls to SHORYUKEN! And then a fireman’s carry, but Yuta is holding ropes! That’s ROPEBREAK #2! The ref counts, Nese lets go and everyone, even Sterling, makes note. Yuta has one ropebreak left, will Nese make Yuta use it? Nese kicks Yuta around, pie faces him, but Yuta CHOPS! And forearms! Yuta fires off forearms but Nese shoves him away.

Yuta runs in at the corner, Nese BOOTS him away, then leaps, into an atomic drop! ENZIGURI! Yuta fires up, goes corner to corner, A-LIST LARIAT! Nese staggers, Yuta goes up top, FLYING LARIAT! Fans fire up and Nese goes out. Yuta kips up to build speed and DIVE! Direct hit at the ramp! Fans rally up for Yuta but Sterling tells them to shut up. Yuta puts Nese in, but Sterling trips Yuta!! Nese gets Yuta in a facelock, and now the third ROPEBREAK is used! Sterling cheers like that’s the win already! Yuta is upset but he storms up to Nese. Nese trips Yuta into the BOSTON CRAB! Yuta endures, and he throws Nese away!

Nese returns but Yuta DECKS him! Wait, that was a closed fist to the face! Those aren’t allowed in Pure Rules, so that’s a warning on Yuta! Sterling tells Yuta that’s what he gets! Yuta calms down but Nese eggs him on. Nese SPITS at Yuta, and Yuta rushes in! Nese fireman’s carries, Yuta slips off but Nese elbows him away. Yuta uses ropes to rewind and waistlock, GERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, TWO! Nese escapes and Yuta, a bloody nose or lip, is roaring! Fans fire up with Yuta and he rushes in at Nese to whip him to ropes. Nese reverses, slips under to pump handle and scoop, PILEDRIVER! Cover, TWO!!

Fans fire up as Yuta survives, but Nese puts on the BOSTON CRAB! No ropebreaks means Yuta has to get free on his own! Yuta fights, reaches out, gets the ropes out of instinct, but then climbs the ropes and uses leverage to trip Nese up! Nese comes back to HEEL KICK Yuta! Yuta flops, Nese goes to the corner. Nese climbs up top, for a PREMIER 450 FLOP as Yuta moves! HAMMER ‘N’ ANVIL ELBOWS! Then the STF!! With a STRAITJACKET VARIANT! Nese taps, Yuta wins!!

Winner: Wheeler Yuta, by submission (still ROH Pure Champion)

Yuta was up against it, but he came out the victor! And though Nese doesn’t want to, he shakes Yuta’s hand to uphold the Code of Honor. The Decoder proves he can grit it out and fight through the blood, but will he be able to help Blackpool Combat Club make it through Blood & Guts?

Wait, speaking of! Daniel Garcia LEAPS off the stage and CLOBBERS Yuta! Jericho Appreciation Society’s Red Death punches away on Yuta’s bloody face, and then Angelo Parker & Matthew Menard join in! They all stomp Yuta, put him back in the ring, and stomp him more! Fans boo as Menard gets the mic. “Take a look! Take a look! You like it, Yuta? Huh? Blackpool Combat Club, huh? Take a look! Tomorrow night, live on Dynamite in Detroit, Michigan, BLOOD & GUTS! You think you’re ready? I don’t think so! YOU GOT NOTHING!”

Parker then takes the mic and says the Jericho Appreciation Society proved they are the five-star symbol of excellence. So at the end of Blood & Guts, the AEW Galaxy will see that Yuta and his “pro-wrestler pieces of garbage” APPRECIATE them! Garcia stands on Yuta and says, “After Blood & Guts, I’ma strip you of your honor, and I’ma strip you of your belt, too.” Garcia stakes his claim to the Pure Championship, but will he have to survive pure carnage inside that double cage?

My Thoughts:

A very good main event from Yuta and Nese, and I like that there were some great parallels between this match and Yuta’s previous ROH Pure title defense, such as running low on ropebreaks. Yuta wins, of course, but then a great go-home bit with the attack from JAS. Garcia, Parker and Menard gave good promos there and it is clear this is going to extend past Blood & Guts, regardless of who wins the match. There’s still so much about Garcia that makes me think he should be in BCC rather than fighting them, but Garcia VS Yuta is going to be an awesome ROH Pure Championship match. You can bet the Code of Honor won’t be upheld there, though.