Search Results

**CONTAINS SPOILERS** ROH: DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2023 was broadcast live on July 21st, 2023, from the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, NJ! The event began with the ROH: Zero Hour preshow kicking things off on the official ROH YouTube Channel! Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman were the commentary team for tonight’s event. Pure Rules Match! Josh Woods (with “Smart” Mark Sterling) vs. Tracy Williams! Your judges were Christopher Daniels, Jimmy Jacobs, and Jerry Lynn. Williams fired in with a big clothesline and then a suplex for a one-count. “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams and Josh “The Goods” Woods traded forearms. Williams smashed Woods with a piledriver, but Woods grabbed a rope break with his boot. Josh hit a gut wrench powerbomb. Josh Woods won via submission as he trapped Williams in the ropes with a choke submission and Williams was out of rope breaks. Action Andretti & Darius Martin vs. The Workhorsemen—J.D. Drake & Anthony Henry! Anthony Henry nailed Darius with a double stomp. The Workhorsemen planted Darius with a combo powerbomb. Their tandem offense was on point tonight. Action Andretti tagged in and cleaned house on the Workhorsemen, even hitting a double shooting star and a double pin for a near fall. Action spiked JD with a satellite DDT. Action hoisted up Drake while Darius helped him hit a whirlybird neck breaker for the pin on J.D. Drake! “Legit” Leyla Hirsch vs. Trish Adora! Leyla worked over Trish’s arm. Trish used a low German Suplex with a bridge for a near fall on Leyla. Trish pump kicked Leyla to the chin for another close call. Leyla rallied back with a basement dropkick. Leyla submitted Trish with an armbar. After the match, Trish tried for the Code of Honor, but Leyla grabbed another arm bar. Skye Blue ran out and chased off Leyla. AR Fox vs. Shane Taylor! AR Fox went into outer space twice with dives over the top rope onto Taylor outside the ring! Taylor backed Fox into the turnbuckles with an onslaught of offense. Fox hit a shooting star into a 450 to Taylor on the arena floor! Shane Taylor tried for a lariat, but Fox ducked it. Taylor splashed Fox for a near fall. Fox spiked Taylor with a DDT. Fox smashed Taylor with a basement cutter. Fox finished Taylor with a 450 splash and pinned him! The pay-per-view portion of tonight’s card opened with… Gravity vs. Komander (with Alex Abrahantes)! Gravity and Komander cradled and countered each other. Komander flew over the top rope and wiped-out Gravity outside the ring. Komander followed up with a huge shooting star press for a near fall. “What a dream match this is,” said Ian. Gravity jumped over the top rope with the Lasso from El Paso onto Komander. Gravity power bombed Komander for a near fall. “They’re now switching to this high impact moves,” said Caprice. The fans chanted “Gravity! Gravity! Gravity!” Komander climbed to the top turnbuckle, but Gravity knocked him off the perch. Gravity followed up with a wristlock takeover from the top. Komander walked the ropes for momentum and dropped a moonsault on Gravity. Komander used a super frankensteiner. After both men hit the mat, Gravity cradled Komander out of nowhere and pinned Komander! ROH World Television Championship Match! Samoa Joe (c.) vs. Dalton Castle (with The Boys)! Stokely Hathaway joined the broadcast booth for this match. Dalton DDT’ed Samoa Joe. Castle connected with a boot and followed up with a splash to Samoa Joe. Samoa Joe fought back with a hard elbow drop to Dalton’s back. Dalton chopped Joe, but Joe whipped Dalton into the corner and charged at him with an elbow. The crowd was split down the middle with “Let’s go Dalton! Let’s go Joe!” chants. Samoa Joe snap suplexed Dalton Castle, continuing to work over Castle’s back. “Samoa Joe is like a methodical juggernaut,” said Caprice. Samoa Joe smashed Dalton with a snap powerslam. Dalton was gasping for air after that. “Joe knows that Dalton’s back is a sweet spot,” said Stokely. Castle tried for a tope suicida. Samoa Joe moved but the Boys caught Castle. Dalton tried again for a tope and the second time was the charm. Dalton Castle sent Joe for a ride with a suplex. Castle followed up with a running knee strike. Castle planted Joe with a German Suplex. Samoa Joe screamed at Stokely, “Fix this!” Stokely Hathaway got up from the table and ordered the Boys to the back! As the ref was distracted by Stokely, Samoa Joe nailed Dalton with a low blow. Samoa Joe locked on the Coquina Clutch submission and won the match via ref stoppage! ROH World Tag Team Championship Match! The Lucha Bros—Penta El Zero Miedo (c.) vs. The Kingdom—Matt Taven & Mike Bennett vs. Aussie Open—Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis vs. Best Friends—Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta! Taven dropkicked Chuck Taylor. Taven tagged in Bennett. The Best Friends dropped double elbows on Mike Bennett. Taven grabbed a blind tag and the Kingdom used tandem offense on Trent. Rey Fenix and Kyle Fletcher tagged in for their respective teams and traded strikes until Fenix used a spinning kick. Aussie Open utilized quick tags in and out to combat Rey Fenix. Penta El Zero Miedo tagged in and smashed Aussie Open with double DDT’s. Taven unloaded on Aussie Open with Flight of the Conqueror. Mike Bennett climbed to the top, but Trent met him up there and superplexed Bennett to the outside and onto the other competitors! Trent was isolated by the Kingdom. The Kingdom cut off the ring and worked over Trent. Trent fought back with a dropkick off the top rope. Before Trent could make the tag to Chuck, Bennett ran across the ring and slugged Chuck. Taven splashed Trent. Bennett was looking for the Spicolli Driver, but Trent countered with a DDT. Penta El Zero Miedo tagged in and spiked Taven with a pump handle driver for a near fall. Aussie Open came in and steamrolled the other competitors with tandem offense. They sent Penta down with the Whirly Bird, but Taven jumped in to break the pin attempt. The Kingdom nailed Fletcher with the Rockstar Super Nova for a near fall. Taven climbed to the top rope, but Trent tagged in and he and Chuck double suplexed Matt Taven! Trent nailed Fletcher with a Gotch style piledriver. Davis came in and spiked Trent with a piledriver of his own! The Lucha Bros planted Davis with a double stomp package piledriver! And then the Kingdom used the Hail Mary on Penta, but Penta kicked out! The Kingdom double superkicked Penta. They tried for the Proton Pack, but Penta escaped. Trent tagged himself in and the Best Friends used the Strong Zero on Bennett. Trent tried to pin Bennett, but the Lucha Bros pulled the ref out of the ring! Penta waffled Trent in the head with a steel chair. Aussie Open pinned Trent after the Coriolis and became new Ring of Honor Tag Team Champions! ROH World Six-Man Championship Match! The Mogul Embassy—The Gates of Agony—Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona, and “The Machine” Brian Cage (with Prince Nana) (c.) vs. Leon Ruffin, and Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi! Kaun smashed Ruffin with a chin breaker. Kaun continued to inflict damage on Ruffin. The Mogul Embassy had Ruffin cornered. “Ruffin looks like a sacrificial lamb here,” said Caprice. Ruffin hit a DDT out of nowhere on Kaun! Wato grabbed a tag and used a bulldog to take down Kaun. Cage entered the ring but was sent down by a leg lariat from Wato. Toa tagged in and planted Wato with a belly-to-belly suplex. Taguchi managed to tag in, and he hit his Funky Weapon on the Gates of Agony. Wato put Kaun in an ankle lock. Cage connected with a 619 on Wato. Taguchi grabbed a small package on Kaun for a near fall. Ruffin battered Liona with kicks. Ruffin went for a springboard, but Liona caught him and rocked him with a back breaker. The Mogul Embassy hoisted up Ruffin and then spiked him onto the mat. Liona sat on Ruffin and pinned him. ROH Pure Championship Match! Katsuyori Shibata (c.) vs. Daniel Garcia! Your judges were Christopher Daniels, Jimmy Jacobs, and Jerry Lynn. Garcia battered Shibata’s arm, stomping on it and ramming it into the apron. He was trying to neutralize Shibata’s arm since Shibata keeps the sleeper in his arsenal. Shibata dropkicked a downed Daniel Garcia in the corner. He followed up with a float over suplex. Shibata put Garcia in the bow and arrow, but Garcia escaped by using a pin attempt for a near fall. Garcia applied the Dragon Tamer on Shibata, but Shibata fought out of it. Shibata chopped Garcia’s chest and locked on the sleeper. Garcia tried to dance out of it, but he faded to the mat. Shibata blasted Garcia with the PK and pinned him. “Garcia went down swinging his hips, but he went down swinging,” said Caprice. After the match Garcia flipped off Shibata. Shibata grabbed Garcia’s finger and forced him to adhere to the Code of Honor. Lexy Nair interviewed new ROH World Tag champions Aussie Open backstage! Fletcher said they collect gold and Ring Of Honor is no exception. “Crowns up!” Fight Without Honor! The Righteous—Dutch & Vincent, and Stu Grayson vs. The Dark Order—Alex Reynolds, Evil Uno, & John Silver! Stu Grayson speared Evil Uno off the apron and through a table on the arena floor! John Silver grabbed a 2x4. Dutch had a 2x4 wrapped in barb wire. Silver dropkicked the barb wire 2x4 right into Dutch’s face. Dutch, busted open, splashed Reynolds in the turnbuckles. Vincent gouged the barb wire into Alex Reynold’s forehead. John Silver emptied a bag of thumbtacks onto the mat. Dutch sidewalk slammed Silver onto the thumbtacks! Evil Uno cracked Stu Grayson in the back with a steel chair. Uno hit Vincent with the chair! Vincent turned the tables and grounded and pounded Evil Uno. Vincent tore away at Evil Uno’s mask. The Righteous, like a pack of dogs, swarmed John Silver. Reynolds saved Silver by going after the Righteous with a steel chair. “You can see thumbtacks on every man inside of that ring,” said Caprice. Evil Uno pulled out a bag of his own. He opened it and poured out Lego bricks onto the mat! The Righteous regrouped, though. Dutch power bombed Evil Uno onto the Legos and thumbtacks! Stu Grayson frog splashed Silver through a table outside the ring. Vincent power bombed Evil Uno onto the Legos for a near fall. Dutch pulled a table covered in barb wire from beneath the ring. Grayson picked up Reynolds, marched him up the stairs and tried to run him off…but Reynolds escaped with a DDT. Dutch splashed Reynolds. Alex Reynolds rallied back and shoved Dutch off the stage and down through the barb wire table! John Silver had a kick pad full of thumbtacks and blasted Vincent with machine gun kicks. Grayson pulled a ladder out from beneath the ring. Grayson set up the ladder in the ring. Grayson climbed the ladder. Evil Uno got to his feet and shoved the ladder, sending Grayson crashing down through two tables outside the ring! Like a sacrificial lamb, Grayson offered himself up to the Dark Order. Uno and Reynolds hoisted up Grayson while Silver charged at Grayson, planting him onto the thumbtacks and Legos like a pendulum. Evil Uno covered Stu for the pin! ROH World Championship Match! Claudio Castagnoli (c.) vs. “The Bastard” PAC! The champ hoisted up Pac and drove him into the barricade. Pac kicked Claudio before Claudio could put him in the Big Swing. Pac left the ring and crawled up to the stage. Claudio followed him and put him in the Big Swing…on the stage! Claudio did it a second time! Claudio was going to try the Neutralizer on the entrance ramp, but Pac back dropped the champ. Pac moonsaulted onto Claudio on the arena floor. Pac set up a table, but Claudio clocked Pac with a European Uppercut. Pac connected with a shotgun dropkick. Pac rocked Claudio with thrust kicks. Pac nailed Claudio with a super brainbuster from the top turnbuckle! Claudio press slammed Pac and threw him over the top rope and through a table on the arena floor! “We are speechless here,” said Ian. Claudio jumped off the top rope with an elbow on Pac for a near fall. Claudio battered Pac with the hammer and anvil elbows. Pac escaped the Neutralizer and fired off a kick to Claudio. Pac went for a springboard rana, but Claudio countered with a flipping flapjack. Claudio smashed Pac with the Neutralizer, but Pac kicked out at the two-count! Champ and challenger traded strikes in the center of the ring! Pac German Suplexed Claudio but Claudio answered with a vicious lariat! Pac superkicked Claudio twice. He followed up with a German Suplex on Claudio for a two-count. Claudio was attempting the Ricola Bomb off the top rope, but Pac countered with a Splash Mountain Frankensteiner! Pac climbed to the top rope for the Black Arrow, but Claudio dodged it. Claudio turned Pac inside-out with a clothesline. Claudio went for the Ricola Bomb, but Pac countered with a standing Brutalizer, bringing Claudio to his knees. Claudio used his raw power and reestablished his vertical base. With Pac on his back and refusing to let go of him, Claudio climbed up the turnbuckles and jumped back with an Air Raid Crash on Pac! The fans chanted “R-O-H! R-O-H!” Wheeler Yuta ran down to the ring and distracted Pac! Claudio planted Pac with the Ricola Bomb and pinned Pac! Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix sprinted to the ring and helped Pac to his feet! “The Death Triangle stand united!” said Ian. The Death Triangle stood toe to toe with Claudio and Wheeler! The Death Triangle attacked Claudio and Wheeler. Best Friends came to the ring and attacked the Lucha Bros! Orange Cassidy came to the ring and drilled Pac with the Orange Punch! Orange jumped at Wheeler Yuta, but Yuta ducked, and Cassidy clocked Claudio with the Orange Punch! ROH Women’s World Championship Match! “The Fallen Goddess” Athena (c.) vs. Willow Nightingale! Athena and Willow traded forearms. Willow got the upper hand. She rattled the champ with a suplex. Athena used a crucifix for a near fall. Willow hit a fisherman’s buster for a two-count. Athena walloped Willow with the Side Effect on the apron! Athena smashed Willow with double knees in the corner turnbuckles. The champ kicked Willow in the spine. Willow tried a senton, but Athena moved out of the way. Willow and Athena chopped one another. Athena connected with a charging forearm and then a kick to the back of Willow’s head. Willow dug deep and hit a cross body off the apron onto Athena. She power bombed Athena onto the apron. Willow sandwiched Athena against the ring steps with a cannonball. Athena fired back with the Shimmering Warlock on Willow. Athena followed up with a standing moonsault. But Willow powered up and rocked Athena with the Smash Mouth! Willow booted Athena and followed up with the Royal Butterfly for a near fall! Athena heart punched Willow and then planted Willow with a driver for a two-count. Willow drilled Athena with a reverse DDT! Athena came back with Obliteration on Willow! Athena power bombed Willow for a two-count! Athena climbed to the top rope, but Willow met her up there. Willow sent Athena flying with the Spicolli Driver off the top! Athena connected with a throat thrust. She rammed Willow into the ring steps. Athena drilled Willow with the O-Face, but Willow kicked out at two! “I’ve never seen anyone kick out of that!” said Caprice. Willow rallied back with the powerbomb, but Athena kicked out! Willow placed Athena on the top turnbuckle. Athena punched Willow off the ropes and then hit the O-Face! Athena applied the cross face for good measure. The ref stopped the match as Willow faded. Athena retained her championship! Missed out on this historic night of ROH action?! Don’t worry—there’s still time to order the replay of Ring of Honor: Death Before Dishonor 2023! It’s available on pay-per-view and Honor Club!

Ring of Honor Wrestling returns to pay-per-view this Friday night, July 21st, with the 20th anniversary of DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR! On July 19th of 2003, just an hour north of Trenton up the New Jersey Turnpike, the Rexplex became hallowed ground for the ROH faithful when it hosted the first-ever DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR, an event near and dear to their hearts, in part because it was named via fan-voted poll! Over the years this tentpole event has seen Dog Collar Matches, the beginning of The Summer of Punk, Cage of Death, Ladder Wars, chair riots, championship tournaments, and just a year ago, Claudio Castagnoli winning his first World Championship! This year will be just as loaded as every Ring of Honor championship will be defended including Castagnoli challenging “The Bastard” PAC to come to DBD '23 and fight after the events of Blood & Guts, ROH Women's World Champion Athena challenged by Willow Nightingale, the very women who eliminated her from the Owen Hart Tournament, and Samoa Joe defending his ROH World TV Title against former ROH World & TV Champion Dalton Castle! Plus Shibata versus Garcia for the ROH Pure Title, The Lucha Brothers defending the ROH World Tag Titles against three challengers, and The Mogul Embassy taking on an interesting trio in a World Six-Man Championship bout. All that and more goes down this Friday at DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2023, live from the Cure Insurance Arena, and if you can't be there in-person, be sure to catch it live on pay-per-view and for the first time ever, the event will be available on Honor Club! ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH... Claudio Castagnoli(c) vs. “The Bastard” PAC At the behest of Eddie Kingston, this was supposed to be Mark Briscoe challenging Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH World Championship, the first shot at the title since September 28, 2013 when he unsuccessfully challenged Adam Cole at A NEW DAWN. It could have been a tremendous moment in the life of Mark Briscoe, as well as one for the ROH faithful, but instead an injury to Mark necessitated a very last minute adjustment to the fight, with the intention being to announce a new challenger following Claudio's participation in the Blood & Guts Cage Match on DYNAMITE this past Wednesday. Well, whatever the intention may have been, Castagnoli took any other options off the table when he challenged “The Bastard” PAC following his abandonment of The Blackpool Combat Club in the midst of the fray. “The Bastard” was quick to respond, and it should come as no surprise to anyone who has paid attention to the man's career what he had to say in response to the ROH World Champion. So it shall be, this Friday night in Trenton, as part of DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR's 20th anniversary, “The Bastard” PAC will return to Ring of Honor for the first time since August 2007's MANHATTAN MAYHEM II event, and challenge for the ROH World Championship for the very first time as well! Coincidentally, it was one week after that ROH event that Claudio and PAC had their last singles match against one another, a Quarter-Final bout in PWG's 2007 BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES event! Their only other singles bout went down the week before MMII during a CHIKARA event, and between the two fights, Claudio and PAC are 1-1, essentially making this a rubber match in their lifetime history. That being said, both men could not possibly be more different than they were in the Summer of 2007, each having grown immensely as competitors, garnering so much varied experience in the last 16 years, and perhaps most importantly, each developing a harder edge than they've ever had. At this point in 2023, both men have become ruthlessly violent competitors, and while it may not have been a surprise with PAC, seeing how The BCC has honed Claudio into the vicious machine he is today is a bit of one. “The Swiss Superman” has always been a premiere athlete, one of the strongest men in modern professional wrestling, and knowledgeable in multiple styles of the game, but it wasn't until he entered the AEW arena last year and became part of Blackpool Combat Club that his viciousness bubbled up to the surface. But is he on the level of “The Bastard”? Both are utterly terrifying men when their anger rises, and after the events of Blood & Guts, there is no doubt that the rage is overflowing, which is going to lead to something that is less a wrestling match and more a knockdown drag-out fight. It was one year ago at DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2022 when Claudio captured his first ROH World Championship, and over the years the event has seen Castagnoli participate in bouts like Cage of Death in 2006, a No DQ war against The Briscoes with Chris Hero at his side in 2010, and historically he's 4-4 at DBD over the years. Which side of that W-L record will 2023 fall on for the defending ROH World Champion? Will the .500 record tilt towards the win or the loss, and we will be calling “The Bastard” PAC the new Ring of Honor World Champion will all is said and done in Trenton on Friday night? ROH WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH... “The Fallen Goddess” Athena(c) vs. Willow Nightingale This is the rubber match that ROH fans have been waiting for: Athena versus Willow Nightingale Round III, and the ROH Women's World Championship is once again the line! The first time out, the second episode of ROH ON HONOR CLUB, Willow succumbed to the defending champion after nearly fifteen minutes of hard-hitting action. To be fair to Willow, she nearly had Athena beat with her devastating Doctor Bomb, but the champion managed to get her shoulder off the mat moments before the referee's hand struck the mat for the three count, and the only reason “The Fallen Goddess” walked away still champion was because she lured Nightingale out of the ring, shoved her fingers into the challenger's eyes, slammed her on the ramp way, and slammed Willow head first into the stairs before tossing her back into the ring. That onslaught left Nightingale an easy victim for the O-Face, and allowed Athena to leave as champion. Their second outing took place just a few weeks ago, four months removed from that first encounter, but rather than a championship being on the line, it was a spot in the Finals of the Women's Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. This time around it took Willow Nightingale just under 11 minutes to defeat the ROH Women's World Champion, and advance to the Finals, where she would go on to defeat Ruby Soho and become the 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament Champion. That victory over Athena, combined with her win in The Owen, led Jerry Lynn and Stokely Hathaway to set-up this rubber match for DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2023 that, despite the protestations of the champion, was further supported by ROH President Tony Khan. Athena recently surpassed Mercedes Martinez as the longest reigning ROH Women's World Champion since Rok-C first won the title at DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2021, and she also stands as the most successful champion with 11 defenses to date. On top of that, prior to her loss against Willow on RAMPAGE last week, Athena had not lost a one-on-one match in ROH or AEW since ALL OUT 2022's TBS Championship bout with Jade Cargill, and as far as Ring of Honor-related competition is concerned, “The Fallen Goddess” remains undefeated in 31 battles. She is an absolute warrior who has no qualms about assault and violence above and beyond what's necessary to win a fight, or for that matter, to perpetrate her attacks after the match has ended. Whether one likes the way Athena conducts herself or not is inconsequential, because the bottom line is that it has brought her great success, and made her the measuring stick of the ROH Women's Division. Can Willow Nightingale take that mantle this Friday night in New Jersey and become the litmus test for women in Ring of Honor? Can she score her second huge championship win of the year after defeating Mercedes Mone to become the 1st NJPW STRONG Women's Champion? It's clear Nightingale is in the head of Athena after toppling her in The Owen, there may be no better opportunity for Willow to take a second victory over “The Fallen Goddess”! ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH... The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix)(c) vs. The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) vs. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs. Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) This is quite the interesting scenario surrounding the ROH World Tag Team Championship held by The Lucha Brothers. It has been two months since Penta and Fenix last defended the titles, and their last two bouts on ROH programming were in multi-man bouts nearly a month ago. As a point of fact, despite being one of the greatest tag teams of this generation, The Lucha Brothers have not actually competed in a tag team affair since their last championship defense against The Blackpool Combat Club back on the May 31st edition of DYNAMITE. Meanwhile The Kingdom of Matt Taven and Mike Bennett have been working on rebuilding themselves after their brutal Fight Without Honor loss to Action Andretti and Darius Martin. The former 2-Time ROH World Tag Champions and former IWGP Tag Champions have won six of their seven fights since that FWH, including that Four Corners match Thursday night on Honor Club. They are primed for the fight, ready to take back the championship they lost to The Briscoes at FINAL BATTLE 2021: END OF AN ERA, and were unable to claim at SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023's Reach for The Sky Ladder Match. As for Best Friends, Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta had a great deal of experience in Ring of Honor from 2017-2019, including challenging for the ROH World Tag Titles and World Six-Man Championships, but their involvement in the new era of honor has been limited. A tag match win on episode 9, a multi-man victory on episode 10, a failed Proving Ground match against Claudio Castagnoli for Chuckie T, a failed Television Title fight for Trent against Samoa Joe, and several Roppongi Vice bouts involving the ROH World Tag Titles in 2022. On top of that recent ROH history, the big picture is that The Best Friends have never held a Tag Team Championship anywhere during all these years spent together. It's been nearly a decade since their first time teaming up, and now, more than ever, Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta have their sights on becoming champions here in Ring of Honor. This is their golden opportunity...and something similar could be said for Aussie Open. Prior to Mark Davis' injury, they were riding high as both IWGP World Tag Team Champions and NJPW STRONG Openweight Tag Team Champions but had to vacate both as a result. With their inclusion in this bout, not only do Aussie Open have an opportunity to add a new championship to their title case, but they will have the chance in Davis' first match back since said injury occurred in May. As far as their ROH resume, prior to the injury, Aussie Open was 3-1 in tag team competition, with that one loss marring their record stemming from the Reach For the Sky Ladder Match at SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023. So, technically speaking, one could say they are an undefeated tag team in that they haven't been pinned or submitted, they merely watched Penta and Fenix ascend a ladder and acquire the tag team championship belts. So what we have here is quite an intriguing array of team all vying for the ROH World Tag Team Championship, and whether they are the defending team, the only former champions in the field of challengers, or the two teams looking to taste ROH gold for the first time, all are top tier fighters capable of walking away as champions. Penta and Fenix are at the greatest risk, they do not need to be beaten to lose these titles, thus they need eyes in the back of their heads for any pinfall or submission attempt that could take place. Statistically speaking, the history of DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR is in their favor though, in the 11 tag title matches that have taken place across the history of the event, nine of them have seen the champion retain, only once has the defending team lost, and in the 11th instance the titles were vacant with the 2012 edition hosting the Finals of the tournament to crown new champions. So will history repeat itself, will we see the champions retain as they did last year when FTR defeated the Briscoes in an epic 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match, or will it be like 2017 when The Motor City Machine Guns dethroned The Young Bucks? ROH WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH... Samoa Joe(c) vs. Dalton Castle With 464 days under his belt as ROH World Television Champion, Samoa Joe stands as the third longest reigning champion in the title's thirteen year history, just five days less than the length of Dragon Lee's reign, but full disclosure shows that the length of Dragon Lee's reign could be attributed to his inability to defend the title during pandemic restrictions, having no matches from February 29, 2020 until December 18, 2020. That is absolutely not said to discount Dragon Lee's amazing work as ROH World Television Champion, simply to illustrate there's a very real possibility Samoa Joe would be number two on that list behind Jay Lethal's 567 day reign. So while Joe has a long way to go to catch up to that, just as he needs to defeat many more challengers to match the 36 defenses Lethal netted during that reign, almost none of Joe's dozen challengers have come close to ending this run. Mark Briscoe and Juice Robinson probably came closest, pushing Joe into his longest championship defenses thus far, but still coming up short in their respective bids. Enter: Dalton Castle. A former ROH World Television Champion himself, albeit owning one of the shortest reigns in the title's history, much like Samoa Joe, Dalton Castle is one of the men who can claim Triple Crown Status in Ring of Honor. In addition to the TV Title, Castle is a former ROH World Champion and a 2-Time ROH World Six-Man Champion alongside The Boys, but in all that success, he's never fought a man like Samoa Joe. He dethroned Cody Rhodes to claim the World Title, and conquered EVIL, Punishment Martinez, and Jay Lethal, among others, during the course of the reign, but none of them are Samoa Joe. That's not a knock on their abilities, all are world class athletes, but none have that x-factor that Joe has, the one where a mere look sends chills of terror down your spine, and standing toe-to-toe with him makes one quake in their wrestling boots. There are few men who are able to strike terror in the hearts of their opponents the way Samoa Joe can with just a look, and may heaven have mercy on you if you're a foe who actually angers the ROH Legend. For as hard-hitting as he is, for as deadly as he can be in the submission game, Joe is generally a very cerebral fighter who picks apart his opponents, often with a wry smile on his face, but if you anger the man, be prepared for violence unparalleled, and there are few things more anger inducing than someone trying to take his championship away. That is what Dalton Castle has in store on Friday night in Trenton; he has to stand across the ring from the longest reigning ROH World Champion in history, a man who also happens to be a former Pure Champion, and who is revered by the ROH faithful regardless of how reprehensible some of his actions can be, i.e. choking the life out of CM Punk after seemingly shaking his hand following their Owen Hart Foundation Tournament battle. Now Dalton is strong, deceptively so as evidence by his ability to pull off a Bang-a-rang on Shane Taylor on Thursday night, but whether or not he'll be able to put that strength to use against Samoa Joe is a whole other question. Whether or not he'll be able to put his suplexes to use against Joe is definitely a big question mark, but one thing that is not a question mark is how throughout his career, Samoa Joe has proven vulnerable to a flash roll-up pinfall like the one CM Punk used to defeat him. Perhaps that's the best strategy for Castle if he hopes to become a 2-Time Television Champion, work towards one of those pinfalls and hope it brings him the same luck. If not, he may find himself on the receiving end of a Muscle Buster sooner than later, or on the wrong side of being choked out by the defending ROH World Television Champion, and if Dalton Castle fails as the other 12 men did before him, who will be the next to step up and try their hand at ending this epic run Samoa Joe has been on since taking the title from Minoru Suzuki? ROH PURE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH... Katsuyori Shibata(c) vs. Daniel Garcia At SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023, Katsuyori Shibata defeated the only 2-Time ROH Pure Champion to claim the crown as his own, a fitting championship for a man billed as “The Wrestler” and a title he's successfully defended on three occasions, including one against his own student Alex Coughlin. With the last defense taking place on June 2nd in San Diego, it has been over six weeks since Shibata's last title fight, but doesn't mean he's been sitting around waiting for the next challenger. In fact, he knew Daniel Garcia had begun making overtures towards reclaiming the Pure Championship he lost to Yuta at FINAL BATTLE 2022, and had been winning several Pure matches to prepare himself for the confrontation he craved with Shibata. One of those victories was even against another of Shibata's L.A. Dojo students, The DKC, and it was that one that really got the attention of “The Wrestler”. So much so that Shibata would come to AEW, team with Orange Cassidy, and wage tag team battle against Garcia and NJPW World Television Champion Zack Sabre Jr. That bout led directly into a battle at FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023 over Orange Cassidy's AEW International Championship, a fight Cassidy would win by pinning Garcia, but it didn't quell Garcia's drive to face Shibata in a head-to-head clash. Well this Friday night in Trenton, a year after he lost to Wheeler Yuta in their Pure Title clash at DBD '22, Daniel Garcia will get his wish when he finally steps between the ropes to face “The Wrestler” one-on-one! Much like when he faced, and defeated, Bryan Danielson, this is a dream come true for Daniel Garcia, but unlike that fight, it doesn't appear that Garcia carries the same respect for Shibata that he did for Danielson. This fight for the championship is about Garcia showing the world he deserves to be spoken of in the same breath as this man, as Danielson, because he truly believes he is just as good as them now, and will surpass them as his career continues. Shibata's career is already a miracle given that he had to medically retire from competition several years ago, with no one believing he would ever compete again, but Shibata proved everyone wrong the first time he stepped back into the ring, and has demonstrated that he's better than ever with the fights he's had since that return grappling exhibition. Capturing the Pure Championship was the icing on the cake of the comeback, and he isn't likely to let it slip away easily in this fight with Daniel Garcia. If Daniel wants the championship, Shibata is going to make him earn it every step of the way, and that means Danny may have to dip into every trick he learned from Chris Jericho in order to get the job done. ROH WORLD SIX-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH... The Mogul Embassy (Bishop Kaun, Brian Cage, & Toa Liona w/ Prince Nana)(c) vs. Leon Ruffin and Six or Nine (Master Wato & Ryusuke Taguchi) Collectively known as Six or Nine, Master Wato and Ryusuke Taguchi have been teaming on-and-off since 2020 and even reigned as IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Champions for 121 days in 2022. Now they will bring their stylings to Ring of Honor this Friday night for the very first time, Master Wato's very first wrestling trip to the United States it seems, where they will team with a very unlikely third man in Leon Ruffin. We haven't seen Ruffin in ROH since his loss to Brian Cage back in April, but he will be making his return alongside this pair from New Japan, looking to dethrone this dominant Mogul Embassy trio. Many have tried before them, all have failed, can this ragtag trio for disparate parts of the wrestling world shock the world and claim these ROH championships for themselves? FIGHT WITHOUT HONOR... The Righteous(Dutch & Vincent) and Stu Grayson vs. The Dark Order (Alex Reynolds, Evil Uno, & John Silver) It was a shock to The Dark Order's system when Stu Grayson, one of the founding members of the unit, chose to align himself with The Righteous of Dutch and Vincent shortly after his return to the fold, rather than remain with his brothers in The Dark Order. That choice has led down a path where Vincent, Stu, and Dutch have continued to push, poke, and prod and Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds, and John Silver, to get back to their roots, to remember who they were, and reclaim the thing that once made them a feared part of AEW. After losing so many friends in the last year, be it Preston Vance abandoning them for LFI, Stu for The Righteous, or someone like Alan Angels just leaving, the final thing that cracked The Dark Order was the feeling of betrayal and heartbreak that came from Adam Page reconnecting with his Elite brethren and, in the eyes of The Dark Order, abandoning those who had been their for him in his darkest times. “No more fake friends” So for the first time in the nearly 21-year history of the match's existence, there will be a Trios Fight Without Honor going down this Friday night! This means there are no rules, no restrictions, nothing holding competitors back from unleashing the worst of themselves on their foes. Joe/Ki, Jay Briscoe/Cole, Shane Taylor/Kenny King, Homicide/Corino, McGuinness/Rave; those are just a few of the men who've engaged in this kind of warfare over the years, and the new era of honor has seen The Kingdom versus Action Andretti & Darius Martin. It can be bloody and violent, it can be ultra-physical and stiff, whatever form the FWH takes, it will leave its mark on the men involved and potentially change them forever. ONE-ON-ONE... Gravity vs. Komander There's not a lot to be said about this beyond it being an exhibition of two of Lucha Libre's most spectacular talents competing today, at least not as far as ROH history! Beyond Ring of Honor, Gravity and Komander are two men quite familiar with one another, having operated as the Golden Guns with other like Bandido and Rey Horus, they've been part of each others lives at least since 2019, but haven't gone one-on-one since August 2021. Much of their time has spent been competing as partners in tags, trios, and other multi-man affairs all around Mexico, but also here in the United States from time-to-time. Now their exceptional talents will be showcased on this twentieth anniversary of DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR! Komander has a bit more ROH experience than Gravity, fighting Claudio for the World Title several weeks ago, battling El Hijo Del Vikingo over the AAA Mega Title at SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2023, as well as competing on several episodes of ROH ON HONOR CLUB this year, Gravity is a newer face to the ROH scene, having debuted opposite Rey Fenix back in June, with this being his return to ROH's squared circle. Be prepared for a stunning display of aerial artistry and Lucha stylings when Komander and Gravity go head-to-head this Friday! DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2023: ZERO HOUR... DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2023 is coming to you this Friday night live from the Cure Insurance Arena, and it is loaded with championship matches, the first-ever Trios Fight Without Honor, Lucha Libre action, and more! If you can't be there in-person, be sure to catch it live on pay-per-view, plus for the first time ever, the event will be available on Honor Club!

2 top young luchadores go 1-on-1 on pay-per-view when Gravity and Komander face off at Death Before Dishonor! ROH DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2023 CURE Insurance Arena Trenton, NJ July 21st, 2023 Bell time: 7:00pm ET BUY TICKETS ORDER PPV

IT'S OFFICIAL! Samoa Joe will defend his Ring of Honor World TV Title against the challenger & former TV Champion Dalton Castle LIVE ON PPV at Death Before Dishonor! ROH DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2023 CURE Insurance Arena Trenton, NJ July 21st, 2023 Bell time: 7:00pm ET BUY TICKETS ORDER PPV

The Mogul Embassy will defend their ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Titles against Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi, and Leon Ruffin LIVE on pay-per-view at Death Before Dishonor. ROH DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2023 CURE Insurance Arena Trenton, NJ July 21st, 2023 Bell time: 7:00pm ET BUY TICKETS ORDER PPV

After months of mind games, Dark Order get their hands on The Righteous in a FIGHT WITHOUT HONOR! ROH DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2023 CURE Insurance Arena Trenton, NJ July 21st, 2023 Bell time: 7:00pm ET BUY TICKETS ORDER PPV

Ring of Honor “Death Before Dishonor” Pay-Per-View to Stream on WatchROH.com Friday, July 21, at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) - WatchROH.com will broadcast special pay-per-view event worldwide for $39.99 - July 20, 2023 -- Ring of Honor (ROH) will present “ROH: Death Before Dishonor” this Friday, July 21 at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT). For the first time, the new WatchROH.com will carry the pay-per-view for subscribers worldwide. A proving ground for some of wrestling’s biggest stars, the highly anticipated event will feature multiple championships on the line and numerous marquee matchups. The card for “ROH: Death Before Dishonor” includes: ROH World Championship: Claudio Castagnoli (c) vs. PAC ROH Women’s World Championship: Athena (c) vs. Willow Nightingale ROH World Television Title Match: Samoa Joe (c) vs Dalton Castle 4 Way Tag Team Match for the ROH World Tag Team Titles: The Lucha Brothers (Rey Fenix & Penta El Zero M) (c) vs. The Kingdom (Mike Bennett & Matt Taven) vs. Aussie Open (Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher) vs. Best Friends (Trent Beretta & Chuck Taylor) ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship: Mogul Embassy (c) vs. Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi & Leon Ruffin ROH Pure Championship: Katsuyori Shibata (c) vs. Daniel Garcia 6 Man Tag Team Match: The Dark Order vs The Righteous  Gravity vs. Komander *Additional matches may be announced in the lead-up to Friday’s event. “ROH: Death Before Dishonor” will take place live from the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, NJ, streaming on WatchROH.com and the Bleacher Report app, website, and connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, FireTV and Xbox for $39.99. Fans must complete their purchase via WatchROH.com. Tickets to the live event can still be purchased here and at the box office at the CURE Insurance Arena. Tickets start at $25, plus fees. About Ring of Honor Wrestling Entertainment, LLC Ring of Honor (ROH) is a professional wrestling promotion acquired in 2022 by Tony Khan, CEO of AEW, Chief Football Strategy Officer of the Jacksonville Jaguars and GM/Sporting Director of Fulham F.C. The acquisition, which was completed through an entity that is wholly-owned by Tony Khan, included ROH’s extensive video library dating back to 2002, brand assets, intellectual property, production equipment and more. ROH features numerous championships, including the ROH World Championship, ROH World Television Championship, ROH Pure Championship, ROH World Tag Team Championship and ROH Women’s World Championship. For more info, check out: RingOfHonor.com; facebook.com/ringofhonor; twitter.com/ringofhonor; instagram.com/ringofhonor; youtube.com/user/ringofhonor

The 20th anniversary of DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR is twenty-four hours away, and we now know Claudio Castagnoli will defend his ROH World Championship “The Bastard” PAC, Athena will defend her ROH Women's World Championship against Willow Nightingale, Samoa Joe will find out his ROH World TV Title opponent very shortly, and The Lucha Brothers will face three other teams with the ROH World Tag Championship on the line! The final night before DBD '23 begins this Thursday, exclusively on Honor Club, with the latest episode of ROH ON HONOR CLUB coming at 7pm ET/6pm CT! We will see The Righteous will take on The Boys in tag team action, ROH Women's World Champion Athena will be in Proving Ground competition Dalton Castle and Shane Taylor will clash with a shot at Samoa Joe at stake, and The Kingdom will have a taste of what's to come on Friday night with a Four Corner Tag Team battle! Plus Trish Adora takes on Stardom's Utami Hayashishita, and two Pure Rules bouts go down as Daniel Garcia prepares for his championship fight with Shibata, and Josh Woods keeps his Pure game fresh with eyes on becoming a contender himself! ROH WORLD TELEVISION TITLE ELIMINATOR FINAL... Dalton Castle (w/ The Boys) vs. Shane Taylor For the first time since November 2013, and for the very first time in Ring of Honor, Dalton Castle and Shane Taylor will go one-on-one this Thursday night with a shot at Samoa Joe's ROH World TV Championship at stake! They have battled in Trios bouts, Tag Team fights, and most recently in that Six Man Mayhem two weeks ago, but this will be the first time they go head-to-head in ROH and that stakes could only be higher if a championship was on the line! Instead, what each man is vying for is the opportunity to etch their name in the ROH history books as the man who dethroned Samoa Joe as ROH World TV Champion. That title is one both Taylor and Castle are quite familiar with, Shane standing as one of greatest TV champs in that titles history with his 218 days while Dalton's reign was unfortunately quite brief, lasting just 22 days before Rhett Titus dethroned him, certainly a piece of history he'd like to change as it ranks him near the shortest reign in history. But before either man can look ahead to that fight with Joe, they've got to worry about one another this Thursday night on Honor Club when they meet up just twenty-four hours ahead of DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2023 (https://www.ringofhonor.com/howtowatch)! For each man this an opportunity to become part of ROH history, which one will seize their moment and head into war with the ROH Legend? ONE-ON-ONE... Trish Adora vs. Utami Hayashishita Trish Adora has really stepped up to the forefront as of late in Ring of Honor, aligning herself with The Infantry of Carlie Bravo and Capt. Shawn Dean in their battles with The Kingdom, but this week on Honor Club she's not going into battle alongside those two men, but rather in solo action against one of the toughest competitors in the world. Utami Hayashisita, at just 24 years of age, is one of the longest reigning World of Stardom Champions, is the longest reigning Future of Stardom champion, as well as a 2-Time Goddesses of Stardom Champion (that promotions tag team championship), and a former Artist of Stardom Champion (their equivalent of the Trios Championship). She's a competitor quite familiar to former AEW Women's World Champion Jamie Hayter, and now looks to leave an impression on the ROH faithful at the expense of Trish Adora. This could be a huge win for Trish should she have her hand raised at the end of the fight, but even hanging tough with a world class competitor like Hayashisita will do bolster Adora's already impressive credentials. And whether this is just a singular stop in Ring of Honor for Utami, or it turns into something more, she is a must-see athlete and will absolutely bring out the best in Trish Adora this Thursday night! TAG TEAM FOUR CORNER SURVIVAL... The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett w/ Maria Kanellis-Bennett) vs. The Workhorsemen (Anthony Henry & JD Drake) vs. Bollywood Boyz (Girv & Harv Sihra) vs. Action Andretti & Darius Martin We already know that this Friday, at DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2023, The Kingdom will have their chance to become ROH World Tag Team Champions once again as part of the Four Corner Survival pitting them against ROH World Tag Champions The Lucha Brothers, The Best Friends, and the returning Aussie Open, but this Thursday night on Honor Club, they've got to survive another Four Way battle first! The Workhorsemen, The Bollywood Boyz, and familiar foes in Action Andretti and Darius Martin, will all be gunning to dampen the spirits of Mike Bennett and Matt Taven as they head into Friday's pay-per-view event. There must be a particular drive from Action and Darius to put The Kingdom down again before their title fight, a reminder of just who won that Fight Without Honor, and that The Kingdom should consider themselves lucky it isn't Andretti and Martin vying for the ROH World Tag Team Championship and not them. For Taven, Bennett, and Maria, this is a chance to build on their momentum and prepare for the fight to come at DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR. It's their moment to show the three teams they're facing on Friday just who is the dominant duo in the division, and why it is The Kingdom! ALSO FEATURING: -PURE RULES: Daniel Garcia vs. Jason Geiger -PURE RULES: Josh Woods vs. James Stone -PROVING GROUND MATCH: ROH Women's World Champion Athena vs. Nikita -The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent) vs. The Boys (Brandon & Brent Tate) -Leyla Hirsch vs. Nicole Matthews Ring of Honor returns with an all-new ROH ON HONOR CLUB this Thursday night at 7pm ET/6pm CT with a stacked event headlined by that tag team four way, ROH Women's World Champion Athena on the Proving Ground just before her fight with Willow Nightingale, The Righteous in action against The Boys, Trish Adora battling Stardom's Utami Hayashishita, and so much more! Honor Club is the place for over 20 years of Ring of Honor, including the WEEK IN HISTORY playlist updated every Monday, the Joe/Punk Trilogy, and plenty more content featuring competitors such as Samoa Joe, Claudio Castagnoli, The Kingdom, Kevin Steen, Tyler Black, and countless others who have helped to define the last two decades of professional wrestling!