Will Vanilla Baby reject the Reject?

The Prince of Punk, Shannon Moore, makes his ROH debut! But will Vanilla Baby, Blake Christian, sour the mood?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Alex Zayne VS Sidney Akeem; Sidney wins.
• Mixed Six Tag: Isla Dawn & The Grizzled Young Veterans VS Carolina Cruz, Gabriel Aeros & Javi; Isla & GYV win.
• Diamante VS Aleah James; Diamante wins.
• Wheeler Yuta w/ Marina Shafir VS “Main Man” Oro; Yuta wins.
• Shannon Moore VS Blake Christian w/ Lee Johnson; Blake wins.
• The Von Erichs VS Griff Garrison & Cole Karter w/ The Frat House; The Von Erichs win.

PLAY BY PLAY

Alex Zayne VS Sidney Akeem!

The Sauce is back in ROH, but so is the Sommelier of Style! But will Zayne be too hot to handle? Or will Sidney have the complexity and finish to win it?

The Code of Honor is upheld, the bell rings, and the fans rally as the two circle. They tie up, Alex headlocks, but Sidney wrenches free to headlock then wrench again. Alex wrenches back, whips, then drops down. Sidney hops over, Alex hurdles, but then Sidney leaps over! The fans cheer the standoff, but then Alex runs up, Sidney drops down, hurdles over, but Alex cartwheels over! The fans cheer as Alex twirls his hair. Sidney runs up, Alex dodges to CHOP, but then Sidney dodges to CHOP! Sidney blocks a kick, Alex ducks, Sidney dodges, and dropkicks cancel out! Both men handspring up and the fans fire up!

The two reset, approach, but Sidney slips around, slips under, then UP KICKS! Alex staggers but comes back, into a DROPKICK! Alex goes to a corner, the fans fire up with Sidney, and he runs up to UPPERCUT! Snapmare and step-up mule kick! The fans declare, “That was Awesome!” Sidney runs up, into a BOOT! But he handsprings to dodge the lariat! Sidney jumps up, but Alex CLUBS him down! The fans rally while Alex paces. Alex drags Sidney up, ROCKS him, then brings him up. Alex whips, Sidney reverses, but Alex grabs ropes. Alex puts Sidney on the apron, KNEES him in the ropes, then SOMERSAULT AX KICKS!

The fans are torn but the majority is Team Sidney. Alex stomps Sidney, kicks him, but Sidney fires body shots. Alex DECKS Sidney, then brings him around. Alex steps through on a leg for a standing toehold! Then he grabs a hand to twist the wrist! Sidney works on his escape, and he frees the leg to stand up! Sidney ROCKS and CHOPS, then whips Alex, but Alex goes up and IMPLODER KNEE DROP! Alex rolls back while Sidney flounders to the apron. Alex runs and baseball slide, but Sidney frog hops over! And then CROSSBODY! Down goes Alex and the fans fire up! Sidney puts Alex in, goes up top, and CROSSBODIES again! Cover, TWO!

Alex survives and Sidney is frustrated, but the fans rally up. Sidney blocks a shot, spins Alex, and hooks him up, PUMP HANDLE SIDE EFFECT! Cover, TWO! Alex survives again but the fans continue to rally for Sidney. Sidney stands Alex up, but Alex CHOPS! Sidney HEEL KICKS, but Alex BOOTS back! Both men are down and the fans rally up again. A standing count starts, Sidney stirs at 3 of 10, as does Alex. They rise up at 5, and stand to fire forearms! The fans rally as Sidney then CHOPS! Alex CHOPS back! Sidney goes back to forearms, Alex fires a flurry, then ROLLING ELBOWS! Sidney goes to a corner, Alex runs in, but Sidney BOOTS him away!

Sidney goes up, but Alex returns, DRAGON RANA! Then a scoop and BAJA BLAST! Alex goes up, up, but Sidney stands! Alex still leaps, but Sidney goes Matrix to avoid the Dragon Rana! Then Handspring STUNNER! Cover, SIDNEY WINS!

Winner: Sidney Akeem, by pinfall

Spicy yet smooth, Sidney comes away tasting sweet victory! Will the Sommelier of Style look to score a perfect 100 here in ROH?

Backstage interview with Isla Dawn.

Lexy Nair is with the former White Witch and asks how she feels about this highly anticipated ROH debut alongside the Grizzled Young Veterans. Isla says she is buzzing! ROH is somewhere she’s wanted to be for a long time, but then in steps The Premier Athletes. Smart Mark Sterling is back, arm in a brace, as he insultingly asks if ROH is just giving anyone interview time around here. This is ridiculous, but he does welcome Isla to ROH. He also introduces The Premier Athletes, who are in fact undefeated in Mix Tag action. If Isla needs any advice, ask them. Isla asks if that’s advice on where to get cheap suits or how to be an a-hole.

Stori Denali steps up, but in step the GYV! Gibson & Drake ask these “dweebs” have a problem with Isla. Sterling has everyone stand down, this is for the ring. The Premier Athletes head out, and Gibson says this is a big opportunity, don’t let those guys get in her head. This is what they’ve all been waiting for, will Isla & GYV teach everyone how to #GritYourTeeth?

Mixed Six Tag: Isla Dawn & The Grizzled Young Veterans VS Carolina Cruz, Gabriel Aeros & Javi!

The trios sort out and James Drake starts against Big Body Javi. The fans rally, the two tie up, and Drake headlocks. Javi powers up and out, but Drake runs Javi over! Drake goes for an arm, wrenches to a wristlock, but Javi ROCKS Drake! Javi ROCKS Drake again and again, then whips, but Drake ducks ‘n’ dodges to CROSSBODY! Tag to Liverpool’s Number One, and GYV whips Javi to a corner. BOOT, ELBOW, LARIAT, then a CALF KICK! Gibson drags Javi up but Javi CHOPS! Gibson CHOPS, CHOPS, and CHOPS! Gibson whips Javi but Javi reverses, only for Gibson to ELBOW Javi away from the corner.

Gibson goes up while Javi staggers, and Gibson MISSILE DROPKICKS! Javi flounders, Carolina tags in, and the fans fire up! Isla steps in and the fans really fire up! The two tie up, go around, and Isla waistlocks. Carolina switches, Isla switches, roll-up, TWO! Isla dodges, waistlocks, half nelson and KNEE! Then a spin for a snap suplex! Carolina flounders, Isla storms up in the corner, but Carolina YANKS her into buckles! Carolina runs in, handspring and ELBOW! Then a snapmare, and Carolina runs to SLIDING LARIAT! Cover, TWO! Carolina clamps onto Isla with a chinlock and she grinds Isla down.

The fans rally, Isla fights up, and Isla fires body shots. Carolina CLUBS Isla, then whips, but Isla reverses to LARIAT! And LARIAT! Carolina swings but Isla dodges to ROUNDHOUSE and SAIDO! Carolina flounders, tag to Aeros. Isla stares down the Parea while he tells “toots” to step out. Isla DECKS him instead! The fans cheer, Drake runs up, ENZIGIRI! Tag to Gibson and he scoops to SLAM Aeros! Then he scoops Drake to SLAM him onto Aeros! Then Gibson gives Isla a lift for a LEG DROP! The fans cheer while Gibson drags Aeros up. Aeros JAWBREAKERS, then says he’s too smart. But Gibson BOOTS Aeros and ROCKS Javi!

Gibson then wrenches Aeros to headlock, tag to Drake as Gibson whips Aeros away. Drake trips Aeros for Gibson’s basement DROPKICK! MAYHEM IN MOTION on Javi! Carolina storms in, GYV steps aside so Isla can BOOT her down! Isla then drags Carolina up and for the DRAGON SLEEPER! Then TOTAL ELIMINATION on Aeros! Cover, GYV & Isla win!

Winners: Isla Dawn & Grizzled Young Veterans, by pinfall

But now The Premier Athletes attack! The fans boo as Tony Nese blindsides Drake and Ariya Daivari stomps down Gibson! Isla gets in Nese’s face, but Stori CLOBBERS her! Stori then clamps onto Isla with the guzel! SEVEN STORI CHOKE SLAM! The Premier Athletes just ruined the debut, but will Isla & GYV have their revenge soon enough?

Deonna Purrazzo speaks.

The Virtuosa tells Trish Adora, “You are a veteran. So that means at some point you and the Infantry boys took an oath of honor. But now it seems like you’ve forgotten what that word means, because attacking me from behind doesn’t feel very honorable. And that’s exactly why this division needs saving. If you wanted my attention, great, cuz now you’ve gotten it. And I hope I’ve kept yours, because the next time we stand face to face in that ring, you will learn the difference between fighting for something, and being it: PURE.” A powerful message for the AfroPunk, but will Deonna make this ROH Women’s Pure Championship tournament into her masterpiece?

BREAKING NEWS!

A huge ROH World Championship rematch is set for Wednesday, October 29th, in Edinburg, Texas! On a night when AEW Dynamite, Collision and even ROH all converge on the Bert Ogden Arena, Bandido will put up his title against Mascara Dorada in a big rematch from Global Wars: Mexico! Will the King of the Ropes make it a go on the second time around? Or will The Most Wanted still be golden? Tickets on sale now at AEWTix.com!

ROH shares a clip from The Good, The Bad & The Hangman.

The Cowboy says, “For me, it was a lot about trying to figure out if I belonged. And just winning the championship for the first time and holding it didn’t mean I had that completely figured out. The person that I am now is maybe the person that I should have been for the past two years. I can’t really do anything about that lost time. I can just try to make the most of today and tomorrow.” Hangman works on building trust with his cows, walks the long country road, and admits that he wishes none of that with Swerve ever happened. But two years later, he’s coming out of it better than he was before it began. He is more certain of who he is now than he ever has been.

Hangman knows the fans deserve him to be something better than he’s been, and to live up to his potential. If there’s anything he wants to say to his family, his wife and kids, as they see this days, weeks, months, years later, it is that he is so happy right now. The full version of AEW Stories: The Good, The Bad & The Hangman, premieres Friday, October 17th, 5 PM Eastern, free on YouTube.

Shannon Moore VS Blake Christian w/ Lee Johnson!

A storied career of almost 30 YEARS finally leads to ROH! The Prince of Punk Rock is here, will this be a career resurgence like no other? Or will Vanilla Baby reject The Reject?

The Code of Honor is upheld, but then Blake kicks low! The fans boo and the bell rings as Blake fires off haymakers on Shannon in the corner. The ref counts, Blake digs his boot in, but Blake backs off at 4. The fans boo but Blake soaks up the heat. Blake storms back over, whips corner to corner, but Shannon reverses. Blake goes up and over, handsprings, mule kicks, then front kicks. Blake whips, Shannon reverses, but Blake slips around to shove Shannon. Blake hurdles, drops down, then DROPKICKS! Blake kips up, then he unwinds the middle finger. The fans boo but Blake whips Shannon, only for Shannon to slide under!

Shannon arm-drags, then arm-drags again! Then he whips, but Blake reverses, only for Shannon to WHEEL KICK! The fans fire up with Shannon, and he whips Blake. Blake reverses, runs up, but into an ELBOW! Shannon goes up to CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO! Shannon rallies the fans and he runs corner to corner, only for Blake to dodge and DROPKICK him in the back! Blake then TOSSES Shannon out, calls his shot, and builds speed, but then slides out instead, only for Shannon to dodge! Shannon shoves Blake at steps, Blake goes up and over with a flip, then he dodges Shannon. Big Shotty is there to talk trash, and Blake SUPERKICKS Shannon down!

The fans boo, the ref reprimands, but Blake rolls into the ring. Blake builds speed again, and this time he DIVES for the Fosbury Tope! A little risky but it still hits the mark. Blake then whips Shannon hard into barriers! Fans rally for Shannon while Blake stalks him, and Blake pushes Shannon into the barrier. Blake hops up to step on Shannon! Blake struts, then he AX HANDLES Shannon down. Blake puts Shannon in the ring, pushes him down, then hooks up the legs. Blake does a dance before he STOMPS Shannon’s legs! The fans boo but Blake stalks Shannon to the ropes. Shannon fires body shots, kicks, but Blake deflects to SNAP GERMAN!

Blake mocks the “old timer” while Shannon goes to the corner. Blake runs up, but Shannon ducks! Shannon LARIATS! And ELBOWS! And LARIATS again! The fans fire up with Shannon as he whips Blake, but Blake reverses. Shannon BOOTS back, goes up, up, and WHISPER IN THE WIND! Cover, TWO! Blake survives but Shannon stays focused. The fans rally up, Shannon feeds off that energy, and he goes up the corner. But Blake UPPERCUTS first! The fans boo but Blake skins the cat to RANA Shannon down! Blake then goes out, takes aim, and springboards, but has to roll through as Shannon moves! Shannon runs up, but into a SNAP POWERSLAM!

Blake somersaults to the apron to springboard 450 SPLASH! Cover, TWO!! Shannon survives and the fans fire up! Blake is annoyed, he kicks Shannon around, then storms up to put Shannon in the ropes. Blake goes to the apron but Shannon fires body shots. Blake kicks, Shannon blocks, but Blake ENZIGIRIS! And then DROPKICKS his way back into the ring! Blake runs, Shannon avoids the slide, and he mule kicks! Then ASAI MOONSAULT! Down goes Blake and the fans fire up again! Shannon stalks Blake, puts him in the ring, and the fans chant, “You Still Got It!” Shannon goes up, up, and FLYING NECKBREAKERS! Cover, TWO!!

Blake survives and Shannon takes a breath to stay calm. The fans rally, but Lee gets on the apron! The fans boo, the ref reprimands, but Blake LOW BLOWS! Lee backs off, Blake handsprings, LETHAL INJECTION! Then VANILLA CHOKE ZERO! Shannon TAPS, Blake wins!

Winner: Blake Christian, by submission

Blake sours everyone’s mood, this ice cream has gone bad. But will nothing stop The Swirl from taking over ROH?

It’s an all-new edition of QTV.

Aaron Solow spritzes his mouth spray, and Harley Cameron says that can be for more than just your mouth. Oh? QT Marshall walks in and asks what they’ve got this week. Uh… Oh, right, Don Callis Family. Harley? Yes, roll the footage! No, no, QT already knows what this footage is: Rocky Romero talking about how he wrestles in 16 different companies yet no one likes him; Trent Beretta complaining about how some little kid tore his triceps; Don Callis himself saying “Big Boom AJ is an abomination to professional wrestling.” Good one! Or how about this. Harley does her best Callis voice as she says, “I’m Don Callis, and I love adopting people.”

Solow has one! “I’m Don Callis and I’m afraid of The Rizzler.” That’s not as good as Harley. But she says she stinks, she’s gotta go. Harley leaves and Solow admits, there’s a scent. But then THE Don Callis walks in, and he says he has always liked QT. But c’mon, just look at that picture of Big Boom AJ. The caption reads “Needs a Partner?” but it’s more like “Needs a Salad.” Is this really what it’s come to for QT? He’s a talented wrestler, but he’s gonna end up the fourth wheel, ranked after Big Justice and that friggin’ Rizzler. Seriously? This is pathetic! QT is the biggest mark Don Callis has ever seen in this business!

QT tells Callis to back off. But then Rocky DECKS QT, and Archer THROWS Solow into a wall! Trent storms in, “You wanna make jokes, QT? You wanna joke about my arm!?” Trent uses his good arm to DECK QT! The Don Callis Family laughs, and they say QTV sucks! Callis KICKS QT while he’s down, literally! But is this only ensuring that QT will help AJ against the Callis Family all at Full Gear?

The Von Erichs VS Griff Garrison & Cole Karter w/ The Frat House!

Marshall & Ross were betrayed by Sammy Guevara, were cheated by LFI, but that doesn’t mean they’re calling it quits! Will The Von Erichs get back on the horse and ride back up the ranks? Or will The Ivy League MVP & Diamond in the Rough win this one for the Fraaaaat House~?

The teams sort out and Ross starts against Karter. The Code of Honor is upheld, the bell rings, and the fans rally. The two tie up, Karter headlocks, but Ross fires body shots. Ross powers up and out, Karter RUNS him over, then Karter flexes. Things speed up, Ross hurdles then DROPKICKS! The fans cheer Ross and he brings Karter up. Tag to Marshall, the Von Erichs double whip to dropdown and DROPKICK! Cover, ONE!! Karter shows some grit but Marshall drags him right up. Karter CLUBS Marshall, ROCKS him, then bumps him off buckles. Tag to Griff and he BODY BLOWS! The ref reprimands but Jameson tries to start a “FRAAAT HOUSE~!” chant.

Griff throws forearms on Marshall, then whips. Marshall reverses, and he LARIATS Griff down! Griff flounders, the fans cheer Marshall as he tags Ross. Marshall whips Ross in and he DROPKICKS, for Marshall to FOREARM SMASH! Snapmare to a PENALTY KICK and STANDING MOONSAULT! The fans rally up, but Jameson talks trash on Ross. The fans boo the distraction, Griff runs up, but Ross dodges! Griff stops from hitting Jameson, and Ross fires hands! Jameson argues with the ref while Ross whips, but Griff reverses, and Preston Vance is there to trip Ross up! Vance drags Ross out to LARIAT!

The fans boo, Marshall protests, but Vance puts Ross in for Griff. Griff drags Ross to tag in Karter. Karter stomps Ross, stomps him again, and he drags Ross up to DROPKICK! The fans boo but Karter grins. Karter drags Ross up, Marshall and the fans rally, “Go, Ross, Go!” But Karter fires hands on Ross in the corner! Tag to Griff, they mug Ross, but the ref counts. Griff stops at 4, the fans boo more, but Griff storms back up. Griff ROCKS Ross, Ross goes to another corner, and Griff whips corner to corner hard! Ross falls in a heap, Griff pushes him to a cover, TWO! Griff clamps on a chinlock and he grinds Ross down.

The fans rally up as Ross endures. Ross rises, and he fires body shots! Ross runs to BLAST Karter, then ROCK Griff, and repeat! But Griff KNEES low! Griff reels Ross in, back suplex, but Ross lands out! But Vance YANKS Marshall from the apron! Ross is isolated and Griff brings him up, ATOMIC FACEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Ross stays in this but Griff brings him back over. Tag to Karter, Karter fireman’s carries, but Ross slips free! Ross shoves Karter into Griff, and hot tag to Marshall! The fans fire up as Marshall DECKS Karter, DECKS Griff, repeat! Marshall fires up, the fans are with him, and he LARIATS Griff in the corner!

Then Marshall runs to LARIAT Karter in the corner! Marshall goes corner to corner, but Griff BOOTS him away! Griff goes up, but Marshall DROPKICKS Griff to the floor! The fans cheer, and Marshall has Karter for a whip. Karter ducks ‘n’ dodges, and he KNEES Marshall down! Cover, TWO! Marshall survives, Karter is frustrated, but the fans rally back up. Karter CLUBS Marshall, CLUBS him again, then rains down fists! Karter soaks up the heat, then he reels Marshall in for a suplex! Karter goes up a corner, calls his shot, but Ross SHOVES Karter down! Griff returns, Marshall dodges, and Marshall LARIATS him down!

Hot tag back to Ross, and the fans fire up with The Von Erichs! Vance & Jameson get on the apron, but they get BOOTS for it! Then DOUBLE IRON CLAWS on Karter & Griff!! Karter & Griff tap, Von Erichs win!

Winners: The Von Erichs, by submission

Marshall & Ross got down and dirty, but turnabout is fair play when it gets them the win! Will Sammy Guevara y Rush have to watch their backs with The Von Erichs after them and those ROH World Tag Team Championships?

My Thoughts:

A very good ROH here, but mostly a lot of filler. Zayne VS Sidney was a very good opener, great win for Sidney. And while I skipped them, Aleah James and Oro Mensah got great showings against Diamante and Wheeler Yuta, even in defeat. I appreciate we’re getting to see a lot of former NXT UK/WWE talent here, including Big Body Javi being part of the jobber team that faced Isla Dawn & GYV. I also appreciate we’re getting a feud of former NXT UK VS NXT/205 Live, and then Stori Denali on top. That’ll be great stuff because I’m pretty sure ROH will give them all the freedom to do the best they can do.

Good promo from Deonna to hype up her Pure Rules match with Adora, and as great as Adora is, Deonna is also great and should really move on to the next round. The proper finals for this Pure Rules tournament really should be Virtuosa Deonna VS Professor Deeb, even though the long term story has been Aminata VS Deeb. I really liked this week’s QTV, though Harley did the heavy lifting again. QT is clearly heading into Face, he’ll clearly be Big Boom AJ’s partner for Full Gear, and we’ll get a really fun match as AJ & QT beat RPG Vice in like the “Tailgate Brawl” for that weekend.

The only downside is what they chose for main event. While the Von Erichs and their story to get back to the tag titles might be the bigger deal to ROH, but those fans did not quite warm up to Von Erichs VS Frat House right away. I would’ve had Shannon VS Blake main event. They were hyping up Shannon’s ROH debut, and they’re clearly building Blake up, why not let that combination be a main event match? Blake then gets a big main event win to further build himself towards the ROH World Championship, but also what feels like a rematch with Jay Lethal. Bandido VS Mascara Dorada in a couple weeks will also be awesome stuff, can’t wait to see it.

My Score: 8.7/10