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- Chris Jericho Is The New ROH World Champion
Chris Jericho is the new Ring of Honor World Champion!
- Death Before Dishonor 2022 Results
Death Before Dishonor 2022 Results **CONTAINS SPOILERS** ROH: DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2022 was broadcast live on July 23rd from the UMASS Lowell Tsongas Center in Lowell, MA! The night 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. Colt “Boom Boom” Cabana vs. Anthony Henry (with JD Drake)! Anthony Henry was making his Ring of Honor debut tonight. Henry ignored Colt’s attempt at a handshake and recognizing the Code of Honor. Henry and Cabana displayed beautiful chain wrestling. Henry clubbed Cabana with forearms. Anthony Henry blocked a sunset flip from Colt and then wrenched Colt’s neck. Henry mounted Colt and ground and pounded him. Henry took Colt off his feet with a thrust kick to the midsection. Henry locked Colt in the bow-and-arrow but Colt escaped. “Colt is trying everything he can to stay in this game,” said Caprice Coleman. Cabana was riled up after Henry kicked “Boom Boom” in the chest. Henry spiked Cabana with a piledriver for a near fall. “Henry looks like he belongs in the Pure Division with what we’re seeing tonight,” said Ian Riccaboni. Colt connected with a whirly bird into a suplex on Henry. Cabana employed Larry Holmes-style jabs and then the “Boom Boom” elbow. After the Flying Apple, Colt nearly decapitated Henry with a huge lariat. Outside the ring, JD Drake sucker punched Cabana. Henry tried to capitalize with a frog splash but Colt kicked out before the three-count! Henry grabbed a front choke but Cabana countered with the Billy Goat’s Curse in the center of the ring. JD Drake jumped on the ring apron but Cabana shoved Henry into Drake. After a moonsault, Colt pinned Henry! “That’s two-for-two in Ring of Honor since April,” said Ian Riccaboni. Shinobi Shadow Squad—Cheeseburger & Eli Isom vs. Trustbusters—Ari Daivari & Slim J! “Eli Isom is a real Blue Chipper,” said Caprice. The fans came alive for Cheeseburger, chanting his name in unison. Slim J taunted Cheeseburger and then knocked him down with a running clothesline. Ari tagged in and smacked Cheeseburger with a chop. Cheeseburger delivered a forearm and then made the tag to Eli. Eli used a Mexican Arm Drag on Ari. Slim J tagged back in while Cheeseburger grabbed a blind tag. Cheeseburger stretched Slim J in a submission. Ari kicked Cheeseburger in the back as Burger hit the ropes. The Trustbusters used a wheelbarrow flatline on Cheeseburger for a near fall. Eli delivered forearms to the Trustbusters. Eli splashed Ari in the corner and then used a Blue Thunder Bomb. Cheeseburger came in but Slim J sent Burger flying with a butterfly suplex. Eli unloaded with strikes on Slim J but Slim J planted Eli and then used a high crossbody. Ari jumped off the top rope with a frog splash and pinned Eli Isom! Lexy Nair was backstage with Prince Nana! Prince Nana said he used his family’s riches and purchased Tully Blanchard Enterprises! Six Man Tag Match! The Embassy—"The Machine” Brian Cage & The Gates of Agony—Kaun & Toa Liona vs. Alex Zayne, Blake Christian, & Tony Deppen! Deppen slapped Brian Cage. Deppen slid under Cage’s legs and nailed him with a knee strike. Brian Cage grabbed Tony Deppen and began mauling him, whipping Deppen into the turnbuckles. Kaun tagged in and Tony hit double foot stomps on Kaun. Zayne tagged in and smashed Kaun with a guillotine flipping leg drop. Liona tagged in and rammed Zayne with a running shoulder tackle. Brian Cage rocked Zayne with a deadlift suplex off the ropes! Zayne cracked Cage with a risking knee strike. Cage fired back with a wheelbarrow suplex. Blake Christian tagged in and planted Cage with a DDT! Christian flipped over the ropes outside the ring onto the Gates of Agony—but they caught him! Tony Deppen evened up the odds with a cannonball senton onto the Gates of Agony! Cage waffled Deppen with a discus clothesline. Brian Cage powerbombed Tony Deppen. The Gates of Agony and Cage triple teamed Deppen and then pinned Tony Deppen! “Prince Nana’s investment paying immediate dividends here tonight,” said Ian Riccaboni. Allysin Kay vs. Willow Nightingale! Allysin and Willow locked up and it was a stalemate. Willow bodyslammed Kay. Willow clipped Kay with an enziguri. Willow charged in but ate a big boot from Kay. “No wasted movement from either woman,” said Ian. The crowd rallied behind Willow. Allysin Kay clocked Nightingale with a high kick but Willow Nightingale fired back with a lariat. Kay locked a triangle choke on Willow but Willow managed to escape. “What a back and forth encounter we’ve seen here,” said Ian Riccaboni. Allison Kay was looking for the AK-47 finisher but Willow fought back with the pounce! Willow doctor bombed Allison Kay and pinned her! “Big time victory for Willow Nightingale,” said Ian Riccaboni. “That’s gotta put her in the top 5, if not the number one contender for the Women’s Championship” replied Caprice Coleman. The opening contest of the main card began with… ROH World Title Match! “The Octopus” Jonathan Gresham (c.) (with Prince Nana) vs. The Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli (with William Regal)! This match kicked off the show as there was a coin toss earlier to determine which of the two co-main events would conclude the show. The Code of Honor was observed. William Regal joined the commentary team for this match. The crowd was split, with dueling chants for Claudio and Gresham. Claudio grabbed Gresham with the Giant Swing! Claudio went for the cover but Gresham bridged out. Gresham dropkicked Claudio’s knee. Gresham put pressure on the ankle with a drop toe hold. Claudio created space by pushing Gresham away with his boot. “The Octopus” dropkicked Claudio in the legs again, doing his best to neutralize the “Swiss Superman”. Claudio rallied back with a big back breaker and then a European Uppercut for a near fall. “Claudio is on wobbly knees,” said Caprice. Claudio hit the double foot stomp on Gresham for a two-count. Gresham blasted Claudio with a shotgun dropkick. Gresham grabbed an ankle lock on Claudio, but Claudio managed to get the rope break. “Claudio knew his leg was in trouble so he had to go to the rope,” said Regal. Gresham chopped at Claudio but Claudio delivered an uppercut. The champ started chopping at Claudio’s legs. Claudio hoisted up Gresham, looking for the UFO, but Claudio’s legs gave out. Jonathan Gresham went into high octane mode with a German Suplex. Claudio planted the champion with a big-time lariat! “Folks, this is the sport of professional wrestling,” said Coleman. Claudio employed the hammer and anvil elbow strikes on Gresham. Claudio spike Gresham with the Ricola Bomb and pinned Gresham! And new Ring of Honor World Champion…Claudio Castagnoli! After the match, Gresham and Claudio adhered to the Code of Honor. ROH World Six Man Title Match! The Righteous—Bateman, Dutch, & Vincent vs. Dalton Castle & The Boys—Brent & Brandon! Dalton grabbed Bateman with a T-Bone exploder suplex. Dalton and the Boys used triple offense on Bateman. Dutch snuck in a blind tag and decimated the Boys with a double lariat! Vincent tagged in, cutting the ring in half, hitting Brent with a running knee strike. Bateman tagged in and headbutted Brent. Bateman blasted Brent with a spinning back elbow. Dalton Castle caught a tag and sent Bateman down with a basement DDT! Castle cleaned house on the Righteous with gut wrench suplexes! Dalton dished out the Boys, throwing them over the top rope onto the Righteous! Vita Von Star jumped on the ring apron and distracted the Boys and Castle. Dutch dove over the top rope with a flipping senton onto the Boys outside the ring. Vincent jumped off the top rope with Death From Above but Castle broke up the pin for his team! Vincent came back with Orange Sunshine on Brent! Dalton cleared the ring and planted Dutch with a German Suplex! Castle nailed Bateman with the Bang-A-Rang and pinned him! And new Ring Of Honor Six-Man Champions…Dalton Castle & The Boys! ROH Pure Title Match! The Blackpool Combat Club’s Wheeler Yuta (c.) (with William Regal) vs. Jericho Appreciation Society’s Daniel Garcia! William Regal joined the commentary team again. Josh Woods, John Walters, and Ace Steel were the judges for this match. Yuta and Garcia chain wrestled and then Garcia slapped Yuta in the face. Yuta applied pressure with a straight jacket hold on Daniel Garcia. Wheeler Yuta transitioned to a single leg crab. Yuta planted Garcia on the neck with a German Suplex, and then another! “This is a great challenge for young Wheeler here,” said Regal. Garcia smacked Yuta in the ear with open palm strikes. Yuta jumped off the top rope with a dropkick, right on target! Yuta used an inverted atomic drop. Garcia and Yuta traded strikes, and Yuta knocked Garcia to the mat. Yuta went right to a German Suplex on Garcia for a near fall. Garcia rolled away from Yuta and began smashing Yuta with hammer and anvil elbows. Yuta caught Garcia’s arm and suplexed him. Garcia cranked back into a sharpshooter but Yuta escaped. Garcia grapevine the legs and put Yuta in the Regal Stretch. The fans chanted “This is wrestling! This is wrestling!” Yuta put Garcia in the Walls of Jericho but Garcia grabbed a rope break, the first rope break of the match. Garcia spiked Wheeler Yuta with a piledriver for a two-count. Garcia grabbed Yuta’s arms, ready to stomp on him. However, Yuta trapped Garcia’s arms, pulled him down and pinned him! After the match, Garcia flipped off retaining champion Wheeler Yuta. Battle Of The Brothers! Rush (with Jose the Assistant) vs. Dragon Lee! Rush pie-faced Dragon Lee, but Dragon Lee fired back with heel kicks. Rush rocked Dragon Lee with a forearm to the jaw and then taunted his younger brother. Rush hit the shotgun dropkick to Dragon Lee and then followed up with a tope con hiro. Rush whipped Dragon Lee into the steel guardrails. Rush used a Buzz Sawyer slam on Dragon Lee for a near fall. The momentum shifted as Dragon Lee rocketed over the top rope onto Rush! He set Rush on the time keeper’s table and then harpooned Rush through it! Dragon Lee double stomped Rush off the top rope for a two-count! “It’s very rare to have Rush in this predicament,” said Caprice Coleman. Dragon Lee and Rush traded forearms in the center of the ring. Dragon Lee staggered Rush with a ripcord suplex! Rush hurled Dragon Lee off the ring apron onto the arena floor with a belly-to-belly suplex! Dragon Lee rallied back with an inside-out Frankensteiner, and Rush crashed on the arena floor! Rush used Dragon Lee’s momentum and suplexed him into the turnbuckles. Rush smashed Dragon Lee in the face with the Bull’s Horns but Dragon Lee found the resolve to kick out! The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!” Dragon Lee double stomped Rush, but Rush kicked out at one! Dragon Lee followed up with the Liger Bomb for a near fall! He hit the Incinerator knee strike on Rush for a two-count! “Rush is out on his feet,” said Caprice Coleman. Rush lured Dragon Lee in and pinned his brother after crushing him with the Bull’s Horns. “Rush, building that momentum, with ten straight wins,” said Ian Riccaboni. ROH Women’s World Title Match! Mercedes Martinez (c.) vs. “The Professor” Serena Deeb! Martinez grabbed a side headlock, trying to wear down Deeb. Serena Deeb used an arm drag takeover, in control of the early goings of the match. Mercedes pulled out the spinebuster early on Deeb. Mercedes kicked Deeb in the face. Outside the ring, Mercedes chopped at Deeb, but Deeb speared Mercedes on the apron! Deeb connected with a Dragon Sleeper and then planted Martinez for a near fall. Serena Deeb delivered uppercuts to the champion. Martinez fought back with a half and half suplex on Serena. “The pendulum swings, the momentum changes,” said Ian Riccaboni. Mercedes perched Serena on the top turnbuckle. Mercedes tried to suplex Deeb off the top but Deeb fought out with back elbows. Serena had Mercedes in the Tree of Woe position and then jumped at her with a running strike. Deeb wrenched the neck of Mercedes. Deeb rolled up Mercedes for a near fall, but Mercedes escaped and tried to transition into an arm breaker. Mercedes had an inside grapevine choke on Deeb but Deeb escaped. Mercedes sent Deeb to the mat hard with a spider German Suplex! Mercedes wanted the execution forearm but Deeb was dead weight and fell down to the mat. Mercedes put Deeb in a surfboard lock but Deeb bit the arm of Mercedes to escape. “You cannot count Serena Deeb out,” said Caprice. Deeb trapped the arm and put Mercedes in the Serenity Lock. Mercedes rolled through to escape. Deeb wrenched the ankle of the champ but Mercedes powered through and sent Deeb headfirst into the turnbuckles. Mercedes planted Deeb with the OG Drop for a two-count! “This has been an absolute war of attrition,” said Ian Riccaboni. Mercedes locked Deeb into the Brass City Sleeper submission and made Deeb tap out! ROH World TV Title Match! Samoa Joe (c.) vs. Jay Lethal (with Sonjay Dutt & Satnam Singh)! Samoa Joe and Jay Lethal wasted no time and began to brawl in the aisle, as Joe was making his entrance. Lethal fired back with a dropkick to Samoa Joe. Samoa Joe used his educated feet and rocked Jay Lethal with stiff kicks to the chest! Samoa Joe was about to powerbomb Lethal through the timekeeper’s table but Satnam Singh ambushed Joe from behind. Jay Lethal placed Joe’s arm in between a steel chair while Satnam shoved Joe into the steel ring post! The match hadn’t started yet so the ref could not disqualify Jay Lethal. The ref finally began the match and ejected Satnam Singh from the ringside area. Lethal dropkicked Samoa Joe off the top turnbuckle, hitting Joe right in the shoulder. Samoa Joe staggered Lethal with a forearm. Samoa Joe surprised Jay Lethal with a tope suicida. The fans chanted “Let’s go Joe! Let’s go Joe!” Samoa Joe steamrolled Jay Lethal with a running lariat! Samoa Joe grabbed Jay Lethal with a scoop slam for a near fall. Lethal fought back with the Lethal Combination on Samoa Joe. “Lethal trying to recover here,” said Ian Riccaboni. Jay Lethal was positioning Samoa Joe for the figure four but Samoa Joe kicked Lethal in the face. Jay Lethal hoisted Joe up on the turnbuckles, looking for the Muscle Buster. Joe shoved Lethal off the turnbuckles and followed up with a leg lariat from the top! “This has been an absolute war between two of the absolute greats in Ring of Honor,” said Riccaboni. Samoa Joe was looking for the Muscle Buster but Lethal countered with the Lethal Injection for a near fall on the champion! “Jay Lethal can’t believe it,” said Caprice Coleman. Samoa Joe employed a Judo throw on Jay Lethal. Joe was looking for the Muscle Buster but Sonjay ran out and distracted the ref. While the ref had his back turned, Lethal smashed the championship belt into Samoa Joe. Lethal tried to pin Samoa Joe but Joe kicked out at two! Lethal tried to roll up Samoa Joe but Samoa Joe countered with a chokehold and forced Jay Lethal to tap out! “Against all odds, Samoa Joe retains the World Television Championship, evading Sonjay Dutt and beating the franchise of ROH,” said Caprice Coleman. ROH World Tag Title 2 of 3 Falls Match! FTR—Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (c.) vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe! “Whoever wins this match tonight can say legit they are the best tag team on this planet,” said Caprice Coleman. “You can cut the tension with a knife,” replied Ian Riccaboni. Dax and Mark began for their respective teams with a collar and elbow tie up. Mark send Harwood to the mat with a shoulder tackle. Cash tagged in and Mark utilized the Redneck Kung Fu. Harwood tagged back in, and Jay Briscoe tagged in for the Briscoes. Jay Briscoe got Dax with a hurracanrana. Jay Briscoe planted Dax down with a side suplex. FTR regrouped outside of the ring. The ringside doctor checked on Dax’s shoulder. Wheeler pie faced Jay and then Jay unloaded chops on Cash Wheeler! Wheeler shoulder tackled Jay in the midsection and then back suplexed Jay. This time the Briscoes rolled outside the ring to gather themselves. FTR used tandem offense on Jay Briscoe for a near fall. FTR picked up the pace with quick tags to one another. “Both teams decided to pick up the pace when they reset outside the ring,” said Caprice. Mark dished out forearms to Cash Wheeler. The Briscoes ran into Cash with a double shoulder tackle. Jay sent Wheeler down again with a European Uppercut. The Briscoes cut off the ring on Cash, and Mark suplexed Cash. “It’s been all Briscoes at this point,” said Ian Riccaboni. Cash caught Mark midflight and scoop slammed him. Cash made the tag to Harwood and Harwood cleaned house on the Briscoes! Harwood planted Jay with two German Suplexes. Harwood hit Mark with a right hand. Mark was about to go for the Cactus elbow drop but Cash caught Mark by surprise on the apron with a strike. Dax DDT’ed Jay for a near fall! Jay catapulted Dax into the ring post! The Briscoes nailed the Doomsday Device on Dax and pinned him for the first fall of the match! “Listen to the crowd. They’re silent. They didn’t expect this,” said Caprice Coleman. Outside the ring, Mark Briscoe chopped away at Dax’s chest. Harwood’s chest was bleeding from the chops! The Briscoes viciously attacked Wheeler outside the ring. Jay headbutted Dax Harwood. The Briscoes hit the Redneck Boogie on Dax but Dax managed to kick out at the two-count! Harwood got back to his feet and exchanged chops with Mark Briscoe. Dax got the tag to a fresh Wheeler and Wheeler came in like a freight train! Wheeler was on a roll with a perfect brainbuster on Mark for a near fall. Mark was looking for the Redneck Boogie again but Dax grabbed Jay out of the ring. Dax and Jay brawled in the crowd. “It’s a proverbial warzone here,” said Ian Riccaboni. Jay smacked Cash with the time keeper’s ring bell! Mark tried to pin Cash but Cash kicked out! The blood began to pour out of the skull of Cash Wheeler. FTR came back with the Big Rig on Jay and Dax pinned Jay. FTR took the second fall of the match! Mark and Dax traded strikes on the ring apron! Mark smashed Dax Harwood with the blockbuster on the outside! Jay grabbed Dax for the Jay Driller but Dax fought out of it and stuck Jay with a piledriver! FTR blocked a Doomsday Device from the Briscoes. FTR were looking for the Big Rig on Jay but Dax accidentally struck ref Paul Turner with a punch. Jay spiked Dax with the Jay Driller but there was no ref to count the pin. FTR caught Jay with the Big Rig but Jay kicked out! “This is the first time in history that anyone has kicked out of the Big Rig!” said Caprice Coleman. The fans were on their feet chanting “This is awesome! This is awesome! This is awesome!” The Briscoes took down Dax with the Doomsday Device but Cash broke up the pin attempt on his partner! “That Doomsday Device took everything out of everyone,” said Ian Riccaboni. Dax and Jay duked it out in the middle of the ring. Jay put Harwood into the clutch. Mark put Cash into a clutch of his own. Dax grabbed the rope to force the ref to break the hold. Mark climbed to the top turnbuckle but Wheeler jumped up there and suplexed Mark through the timekeeper’s table on the arena floor! Jay crushed Harwood with the Jay Driller but Harwood kicked out! “It’s almost an hour. We’re 50 minutes into this match,” said Caprice Coleman. Jay was on the top rope when Dax met him up there and nailed Jay with a piledriver off the ropes! Dax Harwood pinned Jay Briscoe and FTR scored the third and final fall of the match! “This is the greatest match I’ve seen in my life,” said Caprice Coleman. “Dax Harwood fought like an eight-year-old girl tonight,” replied Ian Riccaboni. “The Briscoes will live to fight again,” added Coleman. FTR invited the Briscoes into the ring so the fans could show the Briscoes the appreciation they deserved. The Code of Honor was adhered to after the match. The Blackpool Combat Club—Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, and William Regal—stood on the ramp after the match and held up their belts. FTR stood in the ring and held up their belts! “This is what Ring of Honor is all about!” said Caprice Coleman. Missed out on this historic night of ROH action?! There’s still time to order the replay of Ring of Honor: Death Before Dishonor 2022! It’s available on Bleacher Report, FITE TV, PPV.com, and all traditional pay-per-view providers! See it for yourself!
- Death Before Dishonor 2022 PPV Preview
Ring of Honor comes back to pay-per-view this Saturday night with a return to one of the premier tentpole of ROH's calendar: Death Before Dishonor! One of ROH's signature events, DBD has been an essential part of ROH ever since 2003, and save 2020 in the midst of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, has not missed a year yet! The event has been host to history on multiple occasions from jump street when 2003 featured the legendary Dog Collar Match between CM Punk and Raven as well as Paul London's emotional ROH farewell as he tried to take the ROH World Title from Samoa Joe. The 2005 edition was the night Punk turned his back on ROH to begin The Summer of Punk, 2006 put ROH inside the Cage of Death against an ultraviolent onslaught, and 2013 marked the first of three times time Adam Cole would claim the ROH World Title. Last year's event witnessed the birth of the ROH Women's World Title when Rok-C won the tournament to crown the first champion, but it was also the night Jonathan Gresham lost the Pure Title to Josh Woods, bringing an end to his 317 day reign as Pure Champion. Death Before Dishonor is as integral to Ring of Honor's identity as The Code of Honor, and this Saturday night, it returns with five huge championship matches on par with anything that has come before! The World Title, Pure Title, Women's World Title, TV Title, and World Tag Titles will all be on the line at the Tsongas Center in Lowell with tickets available here or at the box office, and watchable on Bleacher Report, all major TV/satellite providers, as well as FITE TV and PPV.com for the international audience! ROH World Title Match Jonathan Gresham(c) vs. Claudio Castagnoli Come Saturday night at Death Before Dishonor 2022, it will have been fourteen years almost to the day since the last time Claudio Castagnoli challenged for the ROH World Title in a one-on-one match. July 26th of 2008, during the New Horizons IPPV event, Claudio challenged Nigel McGuinness for that championship, but after nearly 20 minutes of battling in front of the Detroit faithful, Claudio would come up short against McGuinness. That would not be the final shot Claudio had at the ROH World Title, just his last singles bout to try and claim the belt, his final championship match would come one week later during the Death Before Dishonor VI event at the historic Hammerstein Ballroom. That night Claudio would comprise one of three challengers to Nigel's title in an Elimination Match. He, Bryan Danielson, and Tyler Black would all ultimately fail to claim the ROH World Title as their own, with “The Swiss Superman” the first man removed from the fight, knocked out by “The American Dragon”, but the history of those two Blackpool Combat Club members is a story for another time. Claudio's ROH solo career prior to those two nights would see him challenge for the ROH Pure Title in its original incarnation, and his singles career after them would put him in contention for the World TV Title when Christopher Daniels reigned as champion, but a singles championship was never something Double C claimed during his ROH tenure. For nearly a decade he, as part of The Kings of Wrestling with Chris Hero, stood as the longest reigning World Tag Team Champions in ROH history, and may still be if not for ROH's 2020 pandemic hiatus helping to boost the Jay Lethal & Jonathan Gresham championship reign, but he never once tasted the sweetness of solo success. The same cannot be said for “The Foundation” Jonathan Gresham; while he and Jay Lethal do hold the record for longest World Tag Title Reign, Gresham has been a singles champion in ROH. Clearly he is the reigning and defending ROH World Champion, has been so for over 220 days, and in the process had racked up seventeen championship defenses across the wrestling landscape. During the months of ROH's post-Final Battle 2021 hiatus, Gresham took the belt to IMPACT, to GCW, to England, to Ireland, and numerous wrestling promotions across the United States, and kept the name of Ring of Honor at the forefront of the wrestling scene. As “The Foundation”, Gresham made it his mission to carry on his vision of what ROH's legacy means, and it has made him an incredibly successful World Champion. Prior to that, Gresham also reigned as a highly successful Pure Champion, the first such champion in fourteen years after Bryan Danielson unified the title with the ROH World Title in August 2006. Gresham would win the championship on October 30, 2020 in a Tournament Final over Tracy Williams, and hold it for 317 days before falling to Josh Woods at...Death Before Dishonor 2021. Of the three matches Gresham competed in at DBD events, that would be his only loss, with 2019 showcasing a victory over Jay Lethal and 2018 marking a win over Beer City Bruiser in a dark match available on the ROH YouTube channel, primarily notable because it shows how far Gresham came in that one year. Claudio, on the other hand, has seven DBD events to his Ring of Honor resume from 2006 through 2010, and with that a 3-4 record end bookended by two of ROH's most classic matches: Cage of Death at DBD IV and a bloody tag team war against The Briscoes at DBD VIII. Together, these two pinnacles of different ROH generations have an opportunity to come together and create magic for the beginning of a new era of honor. Claudio is one of the most versatile wrestlers the ever grace the squared circle, something he demonstrated by seamlessly going from a wrestling clinic with Zack Sabre Jr. at Forbidden Door to the Blood and Guts Cage just days later against Jericho Appreciation Society. Claudio is the kind of man who tries something once, and becomes a master of that thing. He speaks multiple languages, is quite possibly the strongest wrestler in all of AEW, and can soar through the air with a grace akin to Rey Fenix. He is a true one of a kind athlete, and even with all of Gresham's opponents, with all the worldwide travel he has done in his career, and all he has learned since beginning his wrestling journey seventeen years ago, he has never face a foe like Claudio Castagnoli. So too will Double C find himself tested by Jonathan Gresham, he's dubbed “The Octopus” for a reason, he earned the moniker of “The Foundation” for a reason, the ROH World Champion is world-class through and through. While he's demonstrated prestigious technical ability, and the wrestling world knows of his ability to tie a foe up in notes, the power of Gresham is something that can go unrecognized until an opponent is locked in his grip. Like Claudio, his strength is scary, the power in Gresham's legs is tremendous, and it will be a fascinating moment to see how it measures up to that of The BCC member this Saturday night. Castagnoli versus Gresham is the kind of battle modern ROH fans only thought could happen in their fantasy booking, and now it will take place live on pay-per-view as part of Death Before Dishonor 2022! Will we see The Blackpool Combat Club bring another ROH championship into their camp with Claudio crowned the 36th World Champion, or will Gresham's newly formed alliance with Tully Blanchard Enterprises insure his reign as the king of honor lives on as he marches towards the top ten of ROH championship history? ROH World Tag Title 2 Of 3 Falls Match FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood)(c) vs. Jay & Mark Briscoe With twenty-two Death Before Dishonor events since July 19, 2003, there has been a veritable who's who of professional wrestling that have participated over the years. With names like CM Punk, Minoru Suzuki, Jeff Hardy, Jay White, Eddie Kingston, and The Young Bucks as just a tiny sampling of competitors who have been involved, it's no wonder DBD has been a tentpole of the ROH calendar for nineteen years. But only one team, just two men, can lay claim to have been involved in twenty of those events. Jay and Mark Briscoe, every since challenging AJ Styles and Amazing Red in 2003, have fought on DBD every year but 2005 and 2013, and technically speaking, an injured Jay Briscoe was part of the 2013 event as he got superkicked by Adam Cole in the process of handing over the ROH World Title following Cole's tournament victory for the vacant championship. All together, in the twenty-two matches The Briscoes have competed in (singles, tags, and multi) on Death Before Dishonor events, they've amassed a 9-13 record. With seven championship matches in that number, the brothers from Sandy Fork, DE are 2-5; suffice to say Death Before Dishonor has historically not been their friend. All that taken into consideration, that is just one specific event in the Hall of Fame career Jay and Mark have built since day one in ROH. In the big picture, we are talking about Dem Boys here, the 12 time ROH World Tag Team Champions, former ROH Six Man Champs, former NEVER Open weight Six Man champs and IWGP Tag Champs in New Japan, former GHC Jr. Tag Champs in Pro Wrestling NOAH, and in Jay's case, a former 2-Time ROH World Champion. Jay was part of the first official match in ROH history versus Amazing Red, and from that point on, save 18 months from 08/04-02/06 when both Mark and Jay stepped away from wrestling, they've bled Ring of Honor through-and-through. No men have carried the ROH flag like these two competitors, and there are none more synonymous with those three letters over the last twenty years. Where as Jay and Mark Briscoe bleed Ring of Honor, Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood just want to make them bleed, and as evidenced since Final Battle 2021: End of an Era when FTR snuck one on Dem Boys, they will do whatever they feel is necessary to insure they are seen as the greatest tag team in pro wrestling today. At this moment, with the AAA Tag Titles, the IWGP Tag Titles, and the ROH Tag Titles in their possession, it is rather hard to argue with FTR's claims to be just that. Their status as the number one ranked team in AEW for fifteen consecutive weeks despite not receiving a shot at the championship during all that time also speaks to their status as the top team. Add in the fact that they invaded Ring of Honor, assaulted Jay and Mark at Final Battle 2021, and then came back to take the ROH World Tag Titles at Supercard of Honor 2022, and FTR's case just keeps getting stronger. The fans have even taken notice, particularly after that Briscoes bout, and have taken to treating Cash and Dax as heroes to be celebrated rather than villains to be reviled. They've earned the respect of the fans, now they want to beat it into Jay and Mark, and they're so confident in their ability to do so, that FTR actually issued this 2 Of 3 Falls challenge to Dem Boys, possibly without knowing their history with that match stipulation in ROH. Although it's been fifteen years, in 2007 Jay and Mark went undefeated in 2/3 Falls matches, winning four in a row without dropping a single fall, and dropping one fall to the No Remorse Corps team of Rocky Romero and Roderick Strong in that fifth of the year. Four of those matches were also successful championship title defenses it should be noted, and although The Briscoes lost their last 2/3 Falls Match to The Young Bucks in 2017, their overall record in such a stipulation stands at 5-3 since 2004. Jay and Mark were monsters in this match for that five bout streak, and given the stakes of this Saturday's bout, how personal it has become, they are going to be monsters once again. Will FTR be the team to represent ROH as we continue moving forward in this new era of honor, or will the ROH originals bring the belts back home to Sandy Fork for the 13th time? Do not miss Death Before Dishonor 2022 to see this rematch of one, if not the, best match of 2022 thus far! ROH World TV Title Match Samoa Joe(c) vs. Jay Lethal Eighteen years ago, July 17th of 2004 at Reborn: Completion to be exact, a young wrestler named Hydro was about to enter into a tournament to crown a new ROH Pure Champion. The title had been vacated several months earlier after AJ Styles was pulled away from Ring of Honor competition, and now a pair of Four Corner Survival matches (a staple of ROH match types) would determine the two men to battle for the championship. Hydro, at the time a member of a group of rich kid ravers known as Special K, had been drifting away from the party mentality and getting more serious about his wrestling. He even recognized the Code of Honor after a loss to CM Punk several weeks earlier, and on that night Hydro had his first opportunity to become a singles champion in ROH. He'd had Tag Title bids alongside his Special K cohorts, but this was different, this was serious, this was something real to Hydro, and became even more so when one man stepped to him and challenged him to be better. That man was ROH World Champion Samoa Joe, and that night, although he lost in the Four Corner Survival, Hydro would fully drop the trappings of Special K, and return to the name that he'd begun his career using, one since made synonymous with ROH as its franchise player: Jay Lethal. In a mentor-protege relationship, the history-making ROH World Champion took Lethal under his wing and together they went into battle with the likes of The Rottweilers (a group that included Rocky Romero and Homicide), Generation Next, and Prince Nana's Embassy of Alex Shelley and Jimmy Rave. They even unsuccessfully battled BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Jacob over the vacant ROH Tag Team Titles at Best of American Super Juniors, Joe was there when Lethal won his first ROH championship with the Pure Title... ...and it was Joe who ultimately ended Lethal's Pure Title reign at the legendary Manhattan Mayhem event in May 2005. The dynamic between the two was good, strong, but in December 2005 it all fell apart when Lethal challenged Joe for a fight at ROH's Steel Cage Warfare event. It started as Lethal trying to fully step out from Joe's shadow by besting him in battle, and it became Jay using a chair to devastate Joe's knee, before ultimately pinning his former mentor with a Dragon Suplex. It was a statement win by Lethal, one in which he stepped out from under Joe's shadow, but one that opened him up for retaliation from a vengeful Samoan. Joe and Jay's rivalry would expand beyond ROH borders, with battles in IMPACT as well as other independents, but it has been nearly thirteen years since their last collision in the ring. Throughout those trials and tribulations, Jay has repeatedly said how much of a mentor that Joe was to him throughout his career, in ways seen in front of the curtain, and behind the scenes. As with many such relationships, it had its strains, but it became obvious how strained when Samoa Joe made his shocking return to ROH at Supercard of Honor 2022 to break-up Lethal and Sonjay Dutt's beating on Jonathan Gresham. With Samoa Joe firmly entrenched in AEW, as well as returning to promotion over which he reigned as World Champion for a likely never to be matched record 645 days, and Jay Lethal also under the umbrella, it was obvious these two would be destined for a clash down the line. In short order, Joe would qualify for the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, he would defeat Minoru Suzuki to claim the ROH World TV Title and become a Triple Crown ROH Champion in the process, and find himself on the receiving end of beatdowns from Lethal, Dutt, and their newest ally, the massive “One In a Million” Satnam Singh. Joe's arm would be assaulted time and again, still he made it to the finals of The Owen against Adam Cole, working through the injury, but eventually Lethal and company would put Joe on the shelf. Since then, with the safety of knowing Samoa Joe was not in the house or even cleared to compete, Lethal, Dutt, and Singh have verbally berated, mocked, and challenged Joe to put his TV Title on the line in a fight with Lethal. When Tony Khan made the official announcement following Forbidden Door that ROH would return to pay-per-view on July 23rd with Death Before Dishonor, it seemed inevitable that this would be the location of their clash, and that assumption would be confirmed on July 7th. So it will be this Saturday night, for the first time inside an ROH ring since 2006, Samoa Joe and Jay Lethal will collide with the ROH World Television Title on the line! Joe may be new to this championship, it did not even exist during his dominant reign over the promotion, but it is a title with which Jay is quite familiar. Over the course of two reigns, Lethal held the title for a total of 798 days, with his second reign holding the record length of 567 days, and featuring a total of 36 successful defenses over men like Kyle O'Reilly, Mark Briscoe, Tetsuya Naito, Matt Sydal, as well as Jushin Liger, and for a time Lethal even simultaneously held the TV and World Titles! Jay truly lived up to “The Franchise of ROH” moniker, one earned through hard work as well as by putting the company on his back much the same way Joe did during his original run as World Champion. Now at Death Before Dishonor, an event that Joe ushered in when he defeated Paul London in a ROH World Championship bout, and where Lethal tasted his fair of successes and losses, these former allies will go to battle once more. Will it be a fair fight between two of the best to ever step into a ROH ring, or will Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh be lurking at ringside waiting for their opportunity to swing the match in their man's favor? ROH Women's World Title Match Mercedes Martinez(c) vs. Serena Deeb Over the course of ROH's history, there were many women who worked hard to change what it meant to be a female competitor in the sport of professional wrestling. Allison Danger, Alexis Laree (Mickie James), Daphne (as Lucy Furr), Daizee Haze, Lacey, Sara Del Rey; those women, along with an assortment of others in the earliest days, strove to evolve women from mere eye candy at a man's side, from props in the affairs of the male competitors, to athletes, to competitors in their own rights, and though it took years to evolve the perceptions, it was a goal worth striving to achieve, and one that continued over the years with competitors who stepped into the ROH ring, and worked behind the scenes, such as the original ROH Women's World Champion Rok-C, Willow Nightingale, Trish Adora, Quinn McKay, Deonna Purrazzo, Britt Baker, Thunder Rosa, Athena, MsChif, and Maria Kanellis-Bennett. And while neither may have spent a great deal of their time competing in Ring of Honor, a handful of matches to each of their resumes, Mercedes Martinez and Serena Deeb are another example of two women who have worked tirelessly to continue changing the game for women in professional wrestling. Both women have traveled the landscape, competing anywhere and everywhere to hone their craft, and have even collided with one another in a pair of singles matches that both resulted in victories for Deeb. For a time, Serena even stepped away from active competition, instead focusing on trying to teach the next generation of wrestlers the lessons she had learned, but in time would return to active competition with a renewed fire in her belly, That fire brought her to All Elite Wrestling, it won her the NWA Women's Title, but in time that fire turned from self-motivation into something aimed at the rest of the women around her. It began with Hikaru Shida, and the feelings of disrespect that swirled around their series of matches, but grew to consume anyone Deeb laid her eyes upon. First it was these Five Minute Rookie Challenges in which “The Professor” seemed intent on humiliating as many competitors as possible, then it became her mission to put Shida on the shelf, a mission which she successfully, albeit temporarily, accomplished. Following that, taking the AEW Women's World Title from Thunder Rosa became the mission, but one that ultimately proved unsuccessful. Coming out of that failed title bid, Deeb seemed to find a vibe with the ROH Women's World Champion as her tag team partner. Now Mercedes, having won that title in an Interim fashion at Supercard of Honor 2022 before solidifying her position as champ by defeating Deonna Purrazzo on the May 4th edition of Dynamite, spent the weeks following that unification match successfully defending her title against all-comers. Trish Adora, Hyan, Mazzerati, and Viva Van all fell to “The OG Badass” during the month of May, and Martinez has spent the weeks since waiting for some new challenger to step to the challenge. In the wait, that is when she and Serena found their success as partners. That being said, they may have been successful in terms of victories, but they were not so successful in gelling as a pair. They managed to succeed in spite of their inability to operate on the same page, and thus it was of little shock when Serena chose to assault Mercedes following their fifth consecutive victory on the July 8th edition of Rampage. For Deeb, it was all about the ROH Women's World Title and getting closer to it by getting closer to Mercedes. It appears it was just a matter of Serena waiting for the right moment to slide a knife into the champion's back, and blatantly declaring her intentions to take the championship for herself. In these dawning stages of a new era of honor, each and every match is of utmost importance, and reigning as champion for your division carries an added weight. Deeb longs to carry championship gold to support her claims as the best woman in wrestling today, and after failing to dethrone AEW Women's World Champion Thunder Rosa, the ROH Women's World Champ has become her target. Mercedes has let her actions as champion speak for her, demonstrating why she is a force to be reckoned with, how she has become such a respected veteran in this industry, and why anyone coming for her hard-earned championship should be very afraid. Their paths have been intertwined for years, they have paved the roads for those who have come after to follow, and with the future of Ring of Honor beginning now, only one of these women can move forward as the reigning World Champion! Will it be “The Professor of Professional Wrestling” taking her opponent to school, or will the defending “OG Badass” pay her challenger back the recent betrayal? ROH Pure Title Match Wheeler Yuta(c) vs. Daniel Garcia This championship bout has spiraled out of the bitter rivalry between The Blackpool Combat Club and The Jericho Appreciation Society, but it runs quite a bit deeper than just the issues between the two warring units. For Daniel Garcia and ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta, this is the culmination of two young wrestlers journeys to hone their craft, become the best version of themselves they could hope to be, and how that path has smashed them together once again. Wheeler Yuta, 25 years old, began his career in 2014, and credits multiple individuals with bringing him to the dance before William Regal and The BCC took Yuta under their wings. Chuck Taylor, Drew Gulak, Orange Cassidy, Tracy Williams, & Cheeseburger's Worldwide Dojo have all helped shaped Yuta into the competitor that he's grown to be, tours of Michinoku Pro in Japan and WXW in Germany expanded his horizons very early in his carer, and competing all across the independent wrestling landscape helped young Yuta hone his burgeoning skills. He battled everyone from Homicide to Nick Gage to Tracy Williams to Chuck Taylor in order to improve every aspect of his game, but it wasn't until his reign as IWTV Independent Wrestling Champion that the eyes of the wrestling world truly began to open on Wheeler Yuta's potential, and it was one specific fight with Daniel Garcia that served as a true breakout bout for both individuals. For Garcia, his was a career that nearly came to an early end before that 8/8/21 night in New Jersey. Having started his career in 2017 at 18 years old, Daniel broke into the Buffalo area under the tutelage of The Blade and Brandon Thurston, but he rapidly spread his wings into Ohio, Pennsylvania, and even into Canada, where he strove to become the best. There was barely a week that went by where Garcia didn't wrestle at least once, if not multiple events, and he was tested against competitors such as Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, Matt Cross, and even Hurricane Helms. But one night in January 2019, when traveling from an event in Montreal, the car Daniel Garcia was traveling in with fellow wrestlers Kevin Blackwood, Puf, and Kevin Bennett hit a patch of black ice and spun out, sending the vehicle crashing into the guardrail and, as Garcia recounted on Chris Jericho's podcast, “...basically split the car in half”. Garcia, sleeping in the backseat woke up as the car was spinning out, and recalled Kevin Bennett asking him if he was okay, to which Garcia responded, “Yeah, I'm good. I think I broke my legs though”, and he was correct. Garcia would suffer a broken femur in his right leg, as well as a broken fibula and tibia in his left shin/ankle. It was a collection of injuries that easily could've brought an early end to a promising career, but for Garcia it proved motivation to heal up, get back in fighting shape, and dive straight back into competition less than six months after the accident. Not only did “Red Death” return to competition, but he went at it harder than ever before; it wasn't just wrestling once a week, it was sometimes wrestling multiple matches in a single day for several different promotions. On 8/8/19 for example, barely seven months from suffering two broken legs, Garcia worked three matches in one day for two different wrestling promotions! He was fighting like a man possessed with purpose, and it would first bring him to AEW in September 2020 for a pair of tag team bouts on AEW Dark alongside his Buffalo Brothers mate, and fellow accident survivor, Kevin Blackwood. He would return to AEW in May 2021 for a pair of singles matches on Dark, all the while working his way around the independents and continuing to improve every step of the way to the point many touted his name as an early candidate for the Independent Wrestler of the Year thanks to bouts like his Limitless Title fights with Lee Moriarity, JD Drake, and Jake Something. Then came the most important seven days of Daniel Garcia's professional career, the week of August 4, 2021 through August 11th changed the direction of his life and brought him to where he is today as a proud member of The Jericho Appreciation Society. It began on the August 4th Dynamite: Homecoming 2021 broadcast when Jeff Parker and Matt Lee selected Garcia to be their third man in a fight with Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston, and Darby Allin. That 2pointTrio may have lost, but it heralded the arrival of all three man onto the scene in All Elite Wrestling, and was just the beginning of this seven day journey. It continued on 8/6 with Garcia's entry into the Scenic City Invitational Tournament where he went nearly 16 minutes in the first round, then followed that up on 8/7 with two more matches that tacked on another 27 minutes of ring time to his total on the week. The next day Garcia trekked up from Tennessee to New Jersey where he would clash in that career changing battle with Wheeler Yuta over the IWTV Title. For sixty minutes, the two young men threw everything that had at one another to no avail. Neither would give it up, neither would relent, and in the end, when the one hour time limit expired, both men had demonstrated why they were the future of professional wrestling. And yet Garcia's week wasn't done yet, he still had another date on Dynamite, this time in Pittsburgh, and now in a one-on-one battle with Darby Allin. That one week, the frantic pace of matches, that's just who Garcia is and who he continues to be to this day, this is a man who fought in 13 matches during the month of January, three of them all on the same day as part of PWG's Battle of Los Angeles tournament! It's only the physical toll of being PWG World Champion, being a member of The J.A.S, and competing in matches like Anarchy in the Arena and Blood & Guts that has slowed his schedule down the last couple months, but it doesn't mean Garcia is any less hungry. And this war between The BCC and The J.A.S, if anything that has only made him hungrier, and for Yuta it has only served to pull out this violent soul that existed deep inside the body of the technical wrestling marvel. Since coming under Regal's tutelage, Yuta has successfully defended the Pure Title on two occassions, traveled to NJPW for the Super Juniors, and found the crowd rallying behind his every move. It's generated a confidence, a self-belief, that despite Yuta's great successes prior to AEW, had perhaps been hidden behind self-doubt and a small impostor syndrome issue. It took Yuta leaving his trainers behind to really find himself as a wrestler in AEW, whereas Garcia already knew who he was, The J.A.S just gave him a place to fully vent the violence in his heart. Now this Saturday night, for just the fifth time in its existence, and the second since the championship was resurrected, the ROH Pure Title will be at stake on a Death Before Dishonor event! History shows that, with this event, the odds are in the champion's favor, as only in 2021, when Josh Woods defeated Jonathan Gresham, has the Pure Title changed hands at a DBD event. Doug Williams retained it on both 2004 events, Samoa Joe did the same in 2005, and Nigel McGuinness retained as well in 2006, one of his last defenses before the World Title unification. Will Wheeler Yuta maintain that championship dominance this Saturday night when he meets Daniel Garcia inside the squared circle? Or will “Red Death” make 2022's event a repeat of 2021's and give fans another new Pure Champion at Death Before Dishonor 2022? ROH WORLD SIX MAN TITLE MATCH The Righteous (Bateman, Dutch, & Vincent) vs. Dalton Castle & The Boys (Boy #1 & Boy #2) At Final Battle 2021: End of An Era, The Righteous of Vincent, Bateman, and Dutch captured the ROH World Six Man Titles from the Shane Taylor Promotions trio of Kaun, Moses, and Shane Taylor. For Vincent, it marked his fourth time earning that championship, but it was a first for his Righteous cohorts. Now wince ROH's hiatus began following that December event, The Righteous have been remained active around the independent circuit, Vincent in particular with IMPACT Wrestling, but the Six Man Titles have sat idle while the landscape of Ring of Honor has transformed over the last seven months. With this Saturday night, they will be idle no longer... As part of the Death Before Dishonor PPV extravaganza, the Six Man Titles return to the forefront as The Righteous defend make their first defense of the championships against a three individuals who themselves are former Six Man Champions: Dalton Castle and The Boys. It was 6/23/17 at the Municipal Auditorium in Lowell, MA when Dalton and his Boys upset The Briscoes and Bully Ray to become the 3rd ROH World Six Man Champions, and although they were only champions for less than sixty days, Dalton and The Boys were the first champions to defend the titles outside the United States, and did so in London against the legendary Jushin Liger, Mistico, and Delirious. The reign may have ended two days later in a collision with the BULLET CLUB trio of The Young Bucks and Hangman Page, but Dalton and The Boys made it a historic two months. As for Vincent, his hold over the Six Man Titles has been a dominant one in the near six year history of the championship. Of the twelve title reigns in their existence, Vincent has been a part of four of them, the previous three with The Kingdom unit of himself, Matt Taven, and TK O'Ryan, and in total that's over 525 days spent as part of a championship trio. This Six Man division has belonged to Vincent in one form or another, and with The Righteous finally returning home to ROH after seven months away, he, Bateman, and Dutch are not about to let the titles slip away, let alone at one of ROH's tentpole events like Death Before Dishonor. Now in the history books of ROH, Vincent is quite familiar with the antics of Dalton and his Boys. As part of The Kingdom, before Vincent stabbed Matt Taven in the back to form The Righteous, he helped to successfully defend the Six Man Titles against Dalton's trio on three different occasions, and even beat the all-star trio of Castle, Jay Letha, and Hiroshi Tanahashi to retain the belts. Suffice to say, Vincent has thrived in this realm, and this Saturday, with the eyes of the wrestling world on Lowell, MA and ROH, he and his devilish trio aim to continue that trend. It will be an amazing clash of personalities, that is for sure, with one side being the flamboyantly extravagant presentation of Dalton Castle and The Boys, and the other this cult-like, foreboding atmosphere created by The Righteous. Under the bright lights of ROH's return to pay-per-view, which trio will step out of the Tsongas Center decorated in championships? BATTLE OF THE BROTHERS Rush vs. Dragon Lee This is unprecedented in the careers of Rush and Dragon Lee; never before have the two competitors faced in a singles bout, and perhaps ten times in their wrestling lives have they ever been on opposite sides of the ring. That's not to say they haven't fought over the years, given that Rush is the older brother of Dragon Lee, it's good chance they've had their share of fights over the years, but in the wrestling world, as ROH's incarnation of La Faccion Ingobernable with their father La Bestia Del Ring, Kenny King, and Amy Rose, they both achieved great success. Rush claimed the ROH World Title on two separate occasions, his second reign officially coming to an at the Best in the World 2021 event last July after 498 days, making his run the third longest in company history behind Samoa Joe's nigh-untouchable 645 days and Nigel McGuinness' 545 days at the top of ROH. While his brother was finding that success as ROH World Champion, Dragon Lee was finding his own in the ranks of tag team wrestling with Kenny King, and as a solo competitor in the World TV Title division. Twice he and King reigned as the champions of tag team wrestling, and on two occasion Dragon Lee claimed the ROH World TV Title which he would hold for a combined total of 600 days, putting him in second place behind Jay Lethal for both overall length, as well as the length of a single run with the championship. Lee clocked in at 469, while Lethal set the record at 567 days, but both did something few men in ROH ever accomplished; holding two championships at the same time. For Dragon Lee it was the TV and Tag while Jay managed too claim the TV and World and the simultaneously. All that history being stated, in the present Rush has reconnected with Ingobernable original Andrade El Idolo in All Elite Wrestling, and thus become embroiled in a bitter rivalry with The Lucha Brothers that's seen LFI strip both Penta Oscuro and Rey Fenix of their masks. Dragon Lee, in 2022, has spent a great deal of time teaming with he and Rush's other brother Dralistico across Mexico, even unsuccessfully challenging FTR for the AAA World Tag Titles back in March. Now this Saturday night, for the first time in their careers, Dragon Lee and Rush will return to the ROH stage to go one-on-one with each other! This is going to be one explosive outing as no one fights harder than family! ROH: ZERO HOUR Allysin Kay vs. Willow Nightingale Willow Nightingale has been an impressive athlete since her entrance onto the AEW stage, but prior to that, Willow was impressing ROH audiences since her Ring of Honor debut just over a year ago. As part of the revamped Women's Division, Willow jumped right into the fire with a match against Alex Gracia, and never looked back in her pursuit of one day becoming the ROH Women's World Champion. Jumping ahead to today, Willow has had that opportunity on three occasions, but back in August 2021, when the Women's World Title was in its infancy, Nightingale was just one of fifteen women competing to become the first. Her entry into the tournament started on August 4th, and was summarily ended that same night by none other than “The AK-47” Allysin Kay. It has been nearly two years since All Elite Wrestling last saw Kay, when she battled Serena Deeb for the NWA Women's Title at Full Gear 2020, but “The AK-47” last graced the ROH ring during the Final Battle 2021: Hour One pre-show as part of a Six Woman Tag. Since then, Kay has stayed in consistent competition across the wrestling landscape, even capturing multiple tag titles with her partner in The Hex, Marti Belle. Suffice to say both she and Willow, who over 2022 has shared the ring, as partners or foes, Athena, TBS Champion Jade Cargill, Red Velvet, Mercedes Martinez, and even Allysin Kay. Now, with both women looking to make their mark on this new era of honor, Willow Nightingale and Allysin Kay will once more do battle in the ROH ring, and it's a safe assumption that both have aspirations of facing the ROH Women's World Champion down the line. To even begin that thought process, a win on the Zero Hour is an absolute necessity! Join us as we kick off Death Before Dishonor 2022 with the Zero Hour pre-show absolutely free on the official ROH YouTube channel, the home for twenty years of the greatest pro wrestling on the planet! SIX MAN TAG Tully Blanchard Enterprises (Brian Cage, Kaun, & Toa Liona) vs. Alex Zayne, Blake Christian, and Tony Deppen At Supercard of Honor 2022, fans witnessed Tully Blanchard pull together a new enterprise around his name. Between The Gates of Agony and “The Machine” Brian Cage, Blanchard had quite the impressive trio, and with the recent addition of ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham, it's safe to say Blanchard represnts the most formidable collection of talent in ROH. Now, for the first time, three of his charges will be in trios action together during Zero Hour as they unite to take on another nascent trio consisting of former ROH World TV Champion Tony Deppen, Alex Zayne, and Blake Christian! Christian made his debut for ROH at SoH '22 in a bout with Colt Cabana, while Zayne returned to ROH competition to face Swerve Strickland that same night. Deppen, as a former TV Champion and member of VLNCE UNLTD alongside Brody King, Homicide, and Chris Dickinson, has seen more ROH ring time than his partners, or anyone else in this match save Kaun, a former ROH Six Man Champion in his own right. It's going to be a tremendous test of all six athletes, but one they've all demonstrated they're ready for over the course of their impressive careers. Will Deppen, Zayne, and Christian show and prove against Tully's men, or will this be a statement victory for TBE in their first outing together? This will trios battle is just a taste of what this new era of honor has to offer, and fans will be able to experience it absolutely free as part of the Zero Hour, available live on the ROH YouTube account starting at 7pm EDT! ONE-ON-ONE Colt Cabana vs. Anthony Henry (w/ JD Drake) A bit of the legacy and a bit of the new era; as with his bout at Supercard of Honor 2022, this Saturday night during the Death Before Dishonor: Zero Hour pre-show, Colt Cabana will welcome a brand new face into the ROH ring. While Anthony Henry is quite familiar to AEW audiences, as well as followers of the independent landscape, due his escapades solo, as well as those with JD Drake as part of The WorkHorsemen, he has never set foot in side Ring of Honor's squared circle. Colt Cabana, on the other hand, has been part of the ROH family since making a surprise arrival during the Unscripted event back in September 2002, and going on to compete in some of the most memorable matches in ROH's twenty year history. A former multi-time ROH Tag Team Champion, Cabana helped establish Ring of Honor in its infancy, and throughout its history has been one of the featured players both in the ring, as well as in the commentary booth. With this first time match-up, Henry has an opportunity to make a big impact in his ROH debut, but facing such a well-traveled versatile veteran as Colt is a large mountain to climb. Blake Christian tried it at Supercard of Honor 2022, and although he impressed, Cabana proved to much for the debuting athlete. Can Henry succeed where Christian did not? Death Before Dishonor has not historically been kind to Colt as his 2-8 record on the event shows, so perhaps this will be the night Henry rises up! TAG TEAM BOUT Shinobi Shadow Squad (Cheeseburger & Eli Isom) vs. Trustbusters (Ari Daivari & Slim J) There's a lot of ROH history right here; Cheeseburger is part of the lineage of the ROH Dojo that first began in 2004 and eventually spawned the Worldwide Dojo that Burger operates out of the old ROH offices in Bristol, PA. It's the spot where athletes like ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta and Leyla Hirsch honed their craft, being tutored by the ten year student of the game who himself was trained by Delirious and Daizee Haze, as well as being taken under the wing of the legendary Jushin “Thunder” Liger. For a decade Burger has traveled the wrestling roads, learning everything he can about every style he can, and finding his niche in the Pure Wrestling Division that evolved in ROH over 2020 and 2021. He also found a gift for training, and one of those men who sings CB's praises as a trainer is the very man he unites with this Saturday, Eli Isom. With five years under his belt, “Infinite” Eli Isom cut his teeth fighting for survival against The Briscoes, The Kingdom, Kenny King, and Silas Young, with perhaps the biggest moment in his career coming a year ago when he battled Dragon Lee for the ROH World TV Title. Together, as The Shinobi Shadow Squad, Cheeseburger and Eli did their best to survive The Gates of Agony at Supercard of Honor 2022, and now they return to ROH competition to face another new pairing in The TrustBusters! Ari Daivari and Slim J, collectively known as The TrustBusters, are two men with a bit of history in Ring of Honor. Slim J, a 21 year veteran of the sport, has ROH roots dating back to 2002 when he was a member of the Special K faction, of which Jay Lethal claimed membership at the time, and although he would go in a different path early in 2004, Slim J would return for several matches between 2015-2019, including teaming with a very young Griff Garrison, now of AEW's Varsity Blonds. His wild, high-flying style of the team endeared him to fans despite his association with the rich kid ravers, and with another decade-plus under his belt since those initial ROH days, Slim J has only gotten better. As for Ari Daivari, his ROH history is brief, just two matches in 2015 in which he was tested by Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish, but his wrestling roots run deep. Having been in active competition since 2006 after training by his brother Shawn and Arik Cannon, Ari has been in the ring with the best around throughout his career, and over the last 10 months has really pushed himself into competition. He's been seen on AEW programming, on NJPW Strong, and in the NWA, as well as putting in work across the indie wrestling world in places like Glory Pro and F1RST. Now, Ari and Slim J will unite for the first time this Saturday night during the Zero Hour to show the world what The TrustBusters are all about! We got our first tease of this on AEW Rampage Friday night, and now it will all come together on the free pre-show prior to Death Before Dishonor 2022! Can the more seasoned, as a team, Shinobi Shadow Squad find victory after their SoH '22 mauling by The Gates of Agony, or will The TrustBusters find early success in this new era of honor? Saturday marks Ring of Honor's return to pay-per-view with Death Before Dishonor 2022 live on Bleacher Report, FITE TV, PPV.com, and all traditional PPV providers! With six huge championship matches on tap, the Tsongas Center is going to be rocking all night long! Join us as the foundation of pro wrestling returns to action with one of its longest running, most historic events, this Saturday night starting at 8pm EDT/7pm CDT, with the free Zero Hour pre-show kicking it off on the official ROH YouTube Channel at 7pm EDT!
- ROH Announces Updated Card For Death Before Dishonor, And HonorClub Restructuring
July 16, 2022 – Ring of Honor will storm into Lowell, Mass., with one of the hottest pay-per-view events, ROH: Death Before Dishonor. Featuring world-class talent in electrifying championship bouts, Death Before Dishonor will stream live from the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell on Saturday, July 23, at 8 p.m. ET in the U.S. on Bleacher Report and all major cable/satellite TV providers for $39.99. International fans can access the event via FITE and PPV.com. Fans can pre-order the event on Bleacher Report here. Tickets to the live event can be purchased here, and at the box office at the Tsongas Center. Tickets start at $29, plus fees. The current matchups for Death Before Dishonor include: - ROH World Championship Match: Jonathan Gresham vs. Claudio Castagnoli - ROH World TV Championship Match: Samoa Joe vs. Jay Lethal - ROH Pure Championship Match: Wheeler Yuta vs. Daniel Garcia - ROH World Tag Team Championship Match: FTR vs. The Briscoes * 2 out of 3 falls * - ROH Women’s World Championship Match: Mercedes Martinez vs. Serena Deeb Additional matches will be announced in the days leading up to next Saturday. HonorClub Transformation Ring of Honor is also currently revamping its HonorClub program with enhanced elements and functionality. During this ongoing transformation, there will be a pause on accepting new memberships. Current memberships (as of July 16, 2022), will be extended at no additional cost until the refreshed HonorClub platform is launched in early fall 2022. Fans will be able to subscribe to HonorClub for a monthly fee of $9.99. New HonorClub content will become available 60 days after the events happen live. Sign up here to be notified of all updates and announcements related to HonorClub. Note that any refund requests by current members will be compensated with a $10 ShopHonor/ PWTees credit for every month remaining on the subscription. For questions or additional information, please email help@rohwrestling.com. About RING OF HONOR Ring of Honor (ROH) is a professional wrestling promotion recently acquired 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. With more than 20 years of rich wrestling history, ROH has launched the careers of numerous AEW stars, including CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Hangman Page, Dr. Britt Baker, Adam Cole, Samoa Joe, among others. Additional members of the AEW roster have made their mark in ROH, including the late Brodie Lee, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, ReDragon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly), Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent? Beretta), Jay Lethal, Christopher Daniels, Matt Sydal, Mercedes Martinez, Serena Deeb, Frankie Kazarian, Scorpio Sky, Keith Lee, Eddie Kingston, Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, QT Marshall, Danhausen, Lance Archer, Griff Garrison, Thunder Rosa, Wheeler Yuta, Luchasaurus, Orange Cassidy, Ethan Page, Austin Gunn, PAC, Kip Sabian, Jon Moxley, John Silver, Alex Reynolds, Jerry Lynn, BJ Whitmer and Sonjay Dutt. ROH currently 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. Tony Khan’s purchase of ROH signifies a new chapter in the future of professional wrestling as AEW’s meteoric rise continues to draw the youngest- skewing wrestling audience on television.
- Mercedes Martinez Defeats Deonna Purrazzo To Become The Undisputed ROH Women's World Champion
ROH Women’s Championship Unification Match from the May 4th episode of AEW DYNAMITE broadcast live from the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena in Baltimore, MD! ROH Women’s Champion Deonna Purrazzo vs. ROH Women’s Interim Champion Mercedes Martinez Deonna kicked away Mercedes’ hand, not observing the Code of Honor. Mercedes wrestled away wrist control from Deonna. They locked up and Mercedes pushed Deonna into the corner. They had a stare down but Deonna shoved Mercedes away. Deonna targeted Mercedes’ arm with a kick. They began to slug it out! Mercedes took down Deonna with clothesline and then a backdrop! Mercedes connected with a high running boot to Deonna in the corner for a near fall. “Textbook cover there by Mercedes,” said Excalibur. “That right arm of Mercedes is having some issues,” noticed Jim Ross. Deonna used a moonsault press for a near fall on Mercedes. Mercedes came back with a fisherman’s buster. Deonna turned Mercedes inside out for a near fall! Deonna was looking for the arm bar but Mercedes cradled her for a near fall. Deonna climbed to the top but Mercedes planted her with a curb stomp! Mercedes was reaching back and locked in the dragon sleeper and Deonna tapped out! The Undisputed Ring of Honor Women’s World Champion is Mercedes Martinez!
- Supercard of Honor Recap: Samoa Joe Returns! Jonathan Gresham is Undisputed!
GARLAND, Texas – A new era of Ring of Honor saw the shocking return of an ROH legend at the end of the show. After Jonathan Gresham defeated fellow ROH World Title claimant Bandido in a fantastic main event at Supercard of Honor Friday night to become the undisputed ROH World Champion, Jay Lethal entered the ring and said he wanted to be Gresham’s first challenger. Gresham said Lethal had changed and acted without honor, a reference to Lethal’s actions earlier in the night (more on that later). Lethal and Gresham went nose to nose, and Sonjay Dutt, a good friend of Lethal’s who appeared frustrated with him, got between them. Suddenly, Dutt attacked Gresham. As Lethal and Dutt stomped Gresham, Lee Moriarty hit the ring to attempt to make the save, but he fell victim to a Lethal Injection. At that point, Samoa Joe appeared on the stage! The ROH Hall of Famer and record-holder for the longest reign as ROH World Champion entered the ring and confronted Lethal. As Lethal slipped out of the ring, Joe snatched Dutt and choked him out. Joe helped Gresham back into the ring. It was announced that Joe will appear on AEW Dynamite this Wednesday. In a dream match that more than lived up to the hype, FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) defeated the Briscoes in a bloody brawl to become ROH World Tag Team Champions. It will be extremely difficult for any match taking place this weekend to top that one. After the match, FTR showed the 12-time ROH World Tag Team Champion Briscoes respect by giving them the ring. Out of nowhere, The Young Bucks sneak-attacked the Briscoes. FTR came back to the ring and chased away the Bucks. FTR challenged the Bucks to face them right then, but the Bucks declined. The match between FTR and the Bucks scheduled for AEW Dynamite this Wednesday was originally supposed to be for FTR’s AAA Tag Team Title, but now it will be for both the AAA and ROH titles. The ROH World Television and Pure titles also changed hands at Supercard, and an Interim ROH Women’s World Champion was crowned. Here are the complete results of the pre-show and main show: SUPERCARD OF HONOR ZERO HOUR Colt Cabana defeated Blake Christian Cabana, who spent nearly half of his 23-year career in ROH, returned to an ROH ring for the first time since 2019. Christian, a rising star, was making his ROH debut. Christian came within an eyelash of pulling an upset after hitting a Springboard 450 Splash, but Cabana recovered and hit Chicago Skyline for the win. AQA defeated Miranda Alize AQA made an impressive ROH debut by knocking off Alize, who was a finalist in the ROH Women’s World Title Tournament last summer. Alize hit a ripcord cutter and then applied a crossface, but AQA rolled on top of Alize for a two count. AQA landed an enziguri and followed with a shooting star press for the victory. Gates of Agony (Kaun & Toa Liona) w/Tully Blanchard defeated Shinobi Shadow Squad (Eli Isom & Cheeseburger) Blanchard introduced Kaun, formerly one-third of the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions, and Liona as the newest members of TBE (Tully Blanchard Enterprises). The GOA made quick work of 3S. Liona hit a pop-up Samoan Spike on Isom for the win in just over two minutes. Dalton Castle defeated Joe Hendry The former tag team partners had a falling out at Final Battle in December when Hendry nailed Castle in the back of the head with the ROH World Television Title belt during a Four Corner Survival Match. This is the first time they’ve faced each other in a one-on-one match. Hendry used his strength advantage to stay on the offensive for much of the match, but Castle rallied and hit Bang-a-Rang for the victory. SUPERCARD OF HONOR PAY-PER-VIEW Swerve Strickland defeated Alex Zayne The first meeting between these two dynamic stars did not disappoint. Zayne hit an insane Poisonrana off the apron to the floor that popped the crowd. Zayne hit Crunch Wrap Supreme for a near fall. Strickland, making his ROH debut, hit a rolling flat-liner followed by the Swerve Stomp for a near fall. Strickland finished off Zayne with the JML Driver. Brian Cage w/Tully Blanchard defeated Ninja Mack Blanchard revealed Cage as his newest client and Mack’s mystery opponent. Mack is an impressive athlete, but he was simply no match for Cage. Mack tried to stick and move, but Cage repeatedly overpowered him before hitting Drill Claw for the dominant win. Jay Lethal defeated Lee Moriarty w/Matt Sydal This started out as a great, back-and-forth match, with both competitors adhering to the rules and trading near falls. However, Lethal grew frustrated after Moriarty countered Hail to the King and Lethal Injection to score near falls. Lethal nailed Moriarty with a low blow behind the referee’s back, and then hit Lethal Injection for a tainted victory. Sydal, who is recovering from a dislocated knee and was on crutches, confronted Lethal about his tactics after the match. Lethal kicked one of Sydal’s crutches out from under him and began attacking him. Sonjay Dutt entered the ring and tried to get Lethal to calm down, but Lethal wasn’t interested in anything Dutt had to say. Mercedes Martinez defeated Willow Nightingale to become Interim ROH Women’s World Champion The winner of this match goes on to face ROH Women’s World Champion Deonna Purrazzo at a later date. This was a hard-hitting contest between two powerhouses. Nightingale rocked Martinez with a pounce, followed by a cannonball in the corner for a near fall. Martinez answered with the OG Drop for a near fall. Nightingale hit a moonsault for another near fall. Martinez recovered and applied the Brass City Sleeper for the submission victory. FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) defeated ROH World Tag Team Champions Jay & Mark Briscoe to win the title After months of trash-talking and anticipation, two of the best tag teams in the sport were finally in the ring together to battle for the ROH World Tag Team Title and bragging rights. The atmosphere was electric, as the fans were going nuts before the match even began. After the action spilled outside the ring, FTR sling-shotted Jay Briscoe into the bottom of a table, busting him wide open. FTR continued to punish Jay for several minutes before he was able to tag in his brother. The Briscoes hit Redneck Boogie for a near fall. FTR hit a powerbomb/splash combination on Jay for a two count. The Briscoes answered with Big Rig on Harwood for a near fall. From the apron, Jay suplexed Harwood to the floor. With all four men down on the floor, the trainers checked on them. Both Briscoes and Harwood were bleeding. After the action resumed, Jay hit a neckbreaker on Harwood, and Mark followed with Froggy Bow for a near fall. The Briscoes set up for the Doomsday Device on Harwood, but Wheeler knocked Mark off the top rope to the floor. FTR hit Big Rig on Jay for the win. Both teams shook hands and embraced after the war. FTR now holds both the ROH World and AAA tag team titles. They are former AEW World, WWE Raw, WWE Smackdown and NXT tag team champions. Minoru Suzuki defeated ROH World Television Champion Rhett Titus to win the title Having won numerous championships in Japan throughout his storied career, the legendary Suzuki captured his first title in the United States. After several minutes of back-and-forth action, Titus nailed Suzuki with a dropkick. Titus has finished off many opponents with that move, but Suzuki kicked out at two. Shortly thereafter, Suzuki planted Titus with a Gotch-style piledriver for the win. Wheeler Yuta defeated ROH Pure Champion Josh Woods to win the title The competitors exchanged holds and counter holds during the first 10 minutes with neither man able to sustain an advantage. Woods rocked Yuta with a spiral suplex into the turnbuckle and made the cover. Yuta used his third and final rope break to stay alive. The challenger rallied, stunning Woods with a series of elbow strikes. Yuta then rolled Woods into a pinning combination and scored the biggest victory of his career. Jonathan Gresham defeated Bandido w/Chavo Guerrero Jr. to become Undisputed ROH World Champion Gresham came to the ring with the original ROH World Title belt, while Bandido had the current version of the championship belt. Bandido was accompanied by Chavo Guerrero Jr.. Bandido made it clear to Guerrero in a pre-match interview that he did not want to win by cheating. In an amazing display of strength, Bandido held Gresham in a vertical suplex position for a minute before completing the move. After a series of near falls by both men, Bandido was outside the ring and Gresham set up for a dive. Guerrero pulled Bandido out of the way, which did not sit well with Bandido. After the action returned to inside the ring, Bandido superkicked Gresham, who inadvertently knocked down the referee. With the referee temporarily incapacitated, Guerrero nailed Gresham with one of the championship belts. Bandido was irate at Guerrero and ordered the referee to eject his manager. Bandido hit a pop-up cutter for a near fall and then attempted 21 Plex, but Gresham landed on his feet and caught Bandido in La Magistral Cradle into a bridge for a near fall. Bandido got on a roll, hitting Fosbury Flop and Go To Sleep before completing 21 Plex. Remarkably, Gresham kicked out. Bandido landed three superkicks, but Gresham answered with a springboard moonsault. Gresham then countered into a cradle for the three count.
- Supercard of Honor 2022 Preview
On March 31, 2006 the very first Supercard of Honor took place in Chicago Ridge, IL at one of the most important venues to ROH's earliest years. That night, a jam-packed Frontier Fieldhouse crowd of 1,200 fans witnessed Bryan Danielson and Roderick Strong battle for nearly an hour over the ROH World Title, and watched in awe as six men from Dragon Gate Pro Wrestling changed the game with their 2006 Wrestling Observer Match of the Year award winner. Almost every year since then, Ring of Honor has presented Supercard of Honor, establishing the tradition so many have followed in running an event around the wildest wrestling weekend of the year, and presenting some of the most unforgettable moments of the last 20 years. The announcement that Sinclair Broadcast Group bought ROH happened at a Supercard! ROH selling out Madison Square Garden happened at a Supercard! Jerry Lynn, Jay Briscoe, and Matt Taven all became ROH World Champions at a Supercard! The Young Bucks claimed ROH World Tag Team Titles at a Supercard! Jay Lethal fought the legendary Jushin Liger at a Supercard! Suffice to say, it is an event where history has been occurred, where moments have taken place, and memories have been made, and this year will be no different! Because, after two years without a Supercard event, and four months since Final Battle 2021: End of An Era left ROH with an undefined future, the most influential pro wrestling company of the last twenty years is back in action Friday night in Texas! With the recent acquisition of ROH by All Elite Wrestling CEO Tony Khan, there are so many possibilities for what the future may bring, but one definite thing is that on April 1st, Supercard of Honor 2022 will be coming your way LIVE on HonorClub, Fite.TV, and PPV.com, as well as InDemand Cable & Satellite providers! Limited seating is also available at ROHTix.com so if you can be there in-person, do not miss out on the opportunity to see this loaded event first-hand! ROH WORLD TITLE UNIFICATION MATCH ROH World Champion Bandido vs. Original ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham Just days before Final Battle 2021, the news broke that ROH World Champion Bandido had to be pulled from the event in observation of ROH's stringent COVID protocols. It seemed as if the ROH World Title that had been carried by the likes of CM Punk, Nigel McGuinness, Samoa Joe, Matt Taven, Adam Cole, and Bryan Danielson would not be a part of the potential final event in ROH's near 20 year history. It also seemingly robbed Jonathan Gresham of a championship opportunity he earned the hard-way: in a fight with Brody King at Honor For All 2021 one month prior. All Elite Wrestling, in a goodwill gesture, allowed former 2-Time ROH World Champion Jay Lethal to step up in Bandido's place to face Gresham. The rich history of these two Foundation members, their rivalry that gave way to mutual respect which in turn led to the longest World Tag Team Title reign in company history, it made for an emotionally loaded contest between “The Franchise of ROH” and “The Octopus”. But before the bell could even ring, before the PPV proper even started, it was revealed on the free Final Battle 2021: Hour One broadcast that the match between Gresham and Lethal would be for the Original ROH World Title belt that was retired in 2010 and had since been in the care of former owner and current ROH Ambassador Cary Silkin. Gresham would ultimately defeat Lethal in the main event of the evening, just as he did in their Pure Title match on the 500th episode of ROH TV, and be awarded the original title belt held by three men from the 1st ROH Hall of Fame class. After sixteen years of honing his craft, Jonathan Gresham could now etch his name alongside that of men who helped inspire him to become a professional wrestler, who shaped how he viewed the sport, and as impressive as that accomplishment was, what “The Octopus” has done with the last three and a half months has been even more impressive. Since beating Lethal, Gresham has embarked on a whirlwind tour of the professional landscape, both in the United States and outside the country, defending his ROH World Title against every competitor who has stepped up to the challenge, and with many of those bouts being contested under Pure Rules. All told Jonathan has defended the belt on 15 occasions against challengers like IMPACT's Chris Sabin, Kenny King, and Josh Alexander, the NWA's Nick Aldis, the legendary 2 Cold Scorpio, AEW's Santana, PROGRESS' Chris Ridgeway, and so many others around the world. The numbers alone make Gresham the most prolific champion since Jay Lethal's second reign, but the speed in which he has accomplished these defenses, it is unquestionably faster than any champion before him, and it likely could not have happened under normal circumstances. The state of ROH since Final Battle 2021 wrapped has allowed Gresham to continually test himself against a wide variety of opponents from around the world, fighting in some 28 matches over the course of the last 15 weeks. In a wrestling landscape in which many competitors fight once a week at best, Gresham has been on a schedule unlike any other, but he is going to need all that experience in order to walk out of the Curtis Culwell Center as the Undisputed ROH World Champion. As for his foe this Friday night, since being cleared after his COVID precautions, Bandido has also stayed in steady competition. He's successfully defended his ROH World Title on one occasion, against Baron Black at Gresham's Terminus event in January, but has also been active in Mexico for multiple promotions, as well as in GCW, and on Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's Battle of Los Angeles 2022 events. Bandido fought the likes of Penta El Zero Miedo, Taurus, Dante Martin, El Hijo de Vikingo, and others, and he too is primed for the fight coming at Supercard of Honor 2022. Still, Bandido has made some last minute additions to his game plan to get ready for this fight: Bandido may have Chavo Guerrero in his corner now, and that is something Gresham needs to be wary of, but it does not change the fact that both of these men want to enter this new era for ROH as the Undisputed ROH World Champion, and each is going to give it their all this Friday night in Texas! ROH WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH Jay & Mark Briscoe(c) vs. AAA Tag Team Champions FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) At Final Battle 2021, the war of words between AEW's FTR and the 11-Time ROH World Tag Team Champion Briscoe Brothers finally moved beyond the social media sphere and into the reality of a professional wrestling ring. As can be seen in the video embedded above, Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood crashed the party after Jay and Mark beat The OGK (Matt Taven and Mike Bennett) to reclaim the title belts for the first time in two years. FTR and Dem Boys being in the same ring erupted into chaotic brawl that required mass amounts of security to separate, leaving nothing settled between the four men, and the fans wanting some resolution to the situation. Fans wanted a match, they craved a match between the two teams, the only ones who possibly wanted the fight more were the men themselves, but for numerous reasons, it seemed like a bout destined for the field of dreams. The war felt destined to remain verbal, stuck in the Twittersphere with the two teams jousting back and forth, that is until the sale of ROH to AEW CEO Tony Khan changed the landscape, and then the man himself made the impossible a reality on March 18th! The dream match had become a reality; The Briscoes and FTR finally had the date with destiny they'd all been craving for months, and to top if off, the ROH World Tag Team Titles would be on the line at Supercard of Honor 2022! Of course, as the date gets closer, the verbal barbs between teams have only gotten harsher: The day is almost upon us, the time when two of the greatest teams in pro wrestling today finally meet inside the squared circle, with one of wrestling's most coveted championships at stake! It's The Briscoes versus FTR this Friday night in Texas; there's no question this is a dream match for the ages, but can anything actually contain the fight? ROH PURE TITLE MATCH “The Technical Beast” Josh Woods(c) vs. Wheeler Yuta Pure Rules: *Competitors expected to obey the “Code of Honor” (shaking hand's before & after the match) *Each wrestler has 3 rope breaks to stop submission holds and pinfalls. After a wrestler has exhausted their rope breaks, submission or pin attempts on/under the ropes are considered legal. *Closed-fist punches to the face are not permitted. Punches to other parts of the body, excluding low blows, are permitted. First use of a closed fist receives a warning, the second results in a disqualification. *Title matches have a 60 minute time limit. If the match goes past the time limit, three judges will determine the outcome. *Any wrestler who interferes will be automatically terminated from the roster. Josh “The Goods” Woods has been the ROH Pure Champion since September 12th when he defeated Jonathan Gresham at the Death Before Dishonor 2021 event, and in that time he has successfully defended the championship on seven separate occasions. Much like how the man Woods bested for this championship has done with the OG ROH World Title, so too has Josh taken the Pure Title outside the auspices of Ring of Honor in an effort to continually raise its profile as his predecessor has done since the championship's reintroduction. Even prior to Final Battle 2021 where he defeated the loathsome Brian Johnson, Woods defended the title against Ricky Shane Page at No Peace Underground, and since ROH's hiatus began, he has brought it to Iron Heart Pro Wrestling in Minnesota, United Elite Wrestling in Virginia where he fought ROH TV Champion Rhett Titus to a Title-For-Title draw, and to WrestlePit in Pittsburgh. Woods has also stepped into competition inside the All Elite Wrestling ring on several instances, fought Lee Moriarty at the first Terminus event, and has looked superb in every outing. As the man who beat Jonathan Gresham for the Pure Title, the bar has been set incredibly high for Woods but he has proven time and again that he can exceed all expectations. That is something Woods has in common with his Supercard of Honor 2022 challenger Wheeler Yuta. Just as Woods has repeatedly surpassed expectations, so too has Yuta perpetually impressed fans and wrestlers alike with his skills. While it has been over ten months since the last time Yuta set foot inside a ROH ring, during his outings, especially in Pure Rules situations, he has proven more than capable of holding his own alongside some of the best wrestlers in the world. And during the months removed from the ROH landscape, Yuta has continued to hone his craft in AEW, New Japan Strong, Defy, Beyond Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. He has fought the likes of Jon Moxley, Adam Cole, Jeff Cobb, Penta, PAC, and been inducted into NJPW's CHAOS unit as a result of his affiliation with The Best Friends and Rocky Romero. Yuta has proven himself repeatedly, just like Woods had to do en route to claiming the Pure Title and continues to do in the months since, and the combination of the talents, drive, and hunger of these two competitors has all the makings of a must-see fight! As fans witnessed during the original run of the Pure Title in 2004-2006, and have seen since the title was reborn in 2020, the unique rule set for these matches can make for quite the intriguing chess match, resulting in some of the most unpredictable contests in pro wrestling today. With every pinning predicament and every submission applied, the victim must make split-second decisions about their rope break situation. Even the one in control of the situation can lean into the psychological warfare of putting a foe in situations, such as applying a submission well within reach of the ropes, thus encouraging foes to use up their breaks early. A Pure Rules match can be as much a psychological war as a physical one, and when a championship held by so many living legends of the sport is on the line, it forces the combatants to step up their game even further. This Friday night at Supercard of Honor 2022, we will likely bear witness to Josh Woods and Wheeler Yuta at peak performance as they battle it out to see just who will carry the Pure Wrestling torch into this new era of ROH! INTERIM ROH WOMEN'S WORLD TITLE MATCH Mercedes Martinez vs. Willow Nightingale The last time the ROH Women's World Title was seen inside a Ring of Honor ring was on the Christmas Eve episode of ROH TV. That night Rok-C defeated Holidead to retain her championship, but did so with the memory of Final Battle 2021 fresh in her mind. On that night, after Rok-C successfully retained her championship over Willow Nightingale, the Women's Champion was challenged by IMPACT Wrestling competitor, and reigning AAA Reina de Reinas Champion, Deonna Purrazzo. The confrontation would lead to a bout between the two champions on the January 13th edition of IMPACT Wrestling in which Purrazzo was victorious, and has since seen “The Virtuosa” defend both her titles simultaneously in the “Champ-Champ Challenge”. Essentially she has allowed her challengers to pick which of the two belts they've wanted, and has led to her successfully defending the ROH Women's World Title on five instances since defeating Rok-C. Unfortunately for the ROH faithful, Purrazzo's potential sixth defense via the 3C is set for IMPACT's Multiverse of Matches event on April 1st and thus she is unable to appear at Supercard of Honor 2022. Fortunately for all in attendance at SoH '22, and for all those watching around the world on the various providers, an alternate plan was enacted! So it will be Willow Nightingale, the woman who took former champ Rok-C to her limit at Final Battle 2021, going head-to-head with “The OG Badass” for just the second time in their respective careers! Four years ago, inside the Berwyn Eagles Club that SHIMMER Women Athletes calls home, Mercedes took the measure of a very young Willow and found her wanting. Since that meeting, Martinez has said she kept an eye on Nightingale, watched her grow into the amazing athlete she is today, and knows that means there's a fight coming this Friday! The winner of this will be crowned the Interim ROH Women's World Champion, and thus will meet Deonna Purrazzo (or whomever is champion) at a later date to crown one woman the Undisputed. Whose desire for championship greatness will win out at Supercard of Honor 2022 this Friday? Whether it is Nightingale or Martinez who wins the match, it is truly the fans who will win when these two world-class wrestlers collide in Texas! ROH WORLD TV TITLE MATCH... Rhett Titus(c) vs. Minoru Suzuki “The King” Minoru Suzuki has not set foot inside an ROH ring since the G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden in 2019, and that night it was simply as one of the competitors in the Honor Rumble alongside men like Jushin Liger, Great Muta, King Haku, Cheeseburger, and many others. Coincidentally Rhett Titus was also part of that Battle Royal situation, but they did not touch during that fracas. While MiSu never step foot into the ROH ring again, Rhett Titus would continue doing what he had done since his first match back in January 2006, he kept grinding. He went to work in the gym and in the ring, harder than ever, and continued refining his diet. Titus got himself into the best shape of his life, arguably the best condition of any person on the ROH roster, and it was something that came onto the radar of the men who would compromise The Foundation. Jonathan Gresham, Jay Lethal, and Tracy Williams would bring Titus into their organization, essentially dubbing Rhett as THE foundation of Ring of Honor given his tenure with the company. After all, Titus is an ROH Original more than anyone else who saw the company through until Final Battle 2021. He trained in the ROH school under former World Champion Austin Aries, had his first match in ROH, traveled the roads to each and every city ROH ran, all while simultaneously setting up the ring, competing in matches, and then packing back up to do it all again the next day. Given sheer time with ROH, Titus is the longest tenured wrestler in the companies history. Jay and Mark Briscoe may be Day One, and they may have shut it down like Titus, but the 12-Time Tag Team Champions were absent for 18 months between August 2004 and February 2006, and it was during that time frame that Rhett first stepped under the ROH umbrella. As much as Jay and Mark are synonymous with those three letters, so too is Titus, and all that hard-work, dedication, and drive would pay off at FB '21 when Titus beat Joe Hendry, Silas Young, and defending champion Dalton Castle to claim the ROH World Television Championship. He was the final Top of The Class Trophy Holder, he had been a World Tag Team Champion (albeit short-lived through no fault of his own) with Kenny King, and had claimed those titles again with Foundation partner Tracy Williams. But this was Rhett's first singles title after nearly sixteen years of scratching and clawing for every inch of ground he got in ROH, sixteen years of fighting for recognition with fans and peers alike, sixteen years of pouring his heart and soul into Ring of Honor and it finally paid off. If this were a movie about Titus' life, that would have been the perfect final scene before fading to the credits, but this ain't a movie, and the unknown future of Ring of Honor did not stop Rhett from continuing to fight wherever he could. Beyond, H2O, NWA Powerrr; wherever there was a match to be had, Titus went for it, even going to a draw in a title-for-title bout with Pure Champion Josh Woods. Sixteen years and the work ethic of Rhett Titus has never faltered, the desire to be the best has never changed, and all of that is going to get put to the test this Friday night at Supercard of Honor 2022 when he steps into the ring with Minoru Suzuki. If you're unfamiliar with a man the wrestling community lovingly refers to as “Murder Grandpa”, then read this piece from 2021 prior to his AEW fight with Jon Moxley, and just know that Titus is in for a fight unlike any other he has ever seen. And that is saying a lot given that Rhett has been in the ring the Briscoes, Kevin Steen, Homicide, Brody King, and plenty of other violent individuals. He's also fought the likes of Kenny Omega, Tyler Black, Bryan Danielson, Jay Lethal, and Jonathan Gresham over the years, and thus has experienced a great many styles of foe. But none of them are like Minoru Suzuki; the man would just as soon take his foe down to the mat to choke them out as he would go strike-for-strike in the center of the ring as he would throw a chair at their skull. He is wild, unpredictable, and the living embodiment of chaos, which means Rhett has his work cut out for him in his very first defense inside an ROH ring of the World Television Title. It would not be the first time a competitor from New Japan Pro Wrestling came to ROH, beat the champion, and took the belt back to Japan with them, Tomohiro Ishii did it to Roderick Strong in 2016 before Bobby Fish reclaimed it for Ring of Honor. Problem is, if Suzuki does the same thing, is there anyone who will be able to step up and take the belt back? There are going to be a lot of eyes on this battle between the King of Pancrase and the man with Pro Wrestling's Best Dropkick; can Rhett handle the pressure? ONE-ON-ONE Alex Zayne vs. Swerve Strickland Following the Undisputed World Title Match, this first-time ever meeting between two of wrestling's hottest talents was the next announced for Supercard of Honor 2022! Both Strickland and Zayne come into this fight with bright spotlights shining down on their careers, a great deal of fans with vested interest in their respective successes, and for Swerve this is also his first shot at stepping inside an ROH ring. Now Alex has had his taste of ROH competition in the recent past, including beating Bandido in his debut match in January 2020, as well as having the distinction of being the last man Bandido defended his World Title against inside an ROH ring back on the November 5th edition of ROH TV. Each man comes into the fight with something to prove, and on a night when the eyes of the wrestling world will be on Supercard of Honor 2022, there are few better opportunities to show and prove! Will Swerve step up in his ROH debut and turn the Curtis Culwell Center into Swerve's House of Honor? Or will Zayne score the “W” in his return to ROH competition? SINGLES MATCH “The Franchise of ROH” Jay Lethal vs. Lee Moriarty This next match certainly makes for an interesting tale of the tape. In one corner will be Lee Moriarty, a man who has stepped between the ROH ropes only one time in his career, and that was back at Death Before Dishonor 2021 last September. Standing in his corner however will be Matt Sydal, a former ROH World Tag Team Champion with “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels, who first entered the company 18 years ago and helped to establish it as a dominant force in independent wrestling through both his solo work as well as his part in the Generation Next faction. Sydal would return to ROH in 2014 after seven years away and compete consistently for the next several years before stepping away in 2017. After several more years away, Matt returned to the fold as part of 2020's Pure Title Tournament where he fell to eventual winner Jonathan Gresham and although he is currently rehabilitating an injury, Matt Sydal will once again return to ROH this Friday night, but it will be alongside Lee Moriarty! In All Elite Wrestling, Sydal has been serving as a mentor to Moriarty for the last several months and now aims to bring that dynamic to ROH when #Taigastyle faces “The Franchise of ROH” Jay Lethal! As for Lethal's side of the tale of the tape, well his Ring of Honor history certainly makes his inclusion in a Hall of Fame an inevitability. After being plucked out of the chaos of Special K by Samoa Joe, Lethal became the ROH legend's protege which ultimately led Jay to a Pure Title reign in 2005. It would be just the first of many titles captured by Jay that would all come after a lengthy hiatus from ROH competition. His first TV Title reign started in 2012 while his second that began in 2014 still holds the record for longest at just shy of 600 days. Jay simultaneously held that TV Title with the ROH World Title during his first run with the latter, and when combined with his second World Title reign, “The Franchise of ROH” has spent more days as the ROH World Champion than any other man in the company's twenty year history! Perhaps more so than any other individual, Lethal can make a credible claim that ROH was carried on his shoulders the last several years, and with that in mind, this is a gigantic opportunity for Lee Moriarty to score a statement victory! He has looked great in AEW in bouts with CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, and Bobby Fish, but they all have one thing in common: defeat. What Moriarty needs is that big victory to establish his bonafides, just as Lethal needs one to get himself back on track after suffering AEW defeats, albeit via cheating, against Adam Cole and Ricky Starks. Will a return to his roots get “The Franchise of ROH” back in the right space, or will it be the breakout moment in Lee Moriarty's career? Watch it all unfold live on pay-per-view this Friday at Supercard of Honor 2022! HEAD-TO-HEAD... Ninja Mack vs. Tully Blanchard's Newest Client Houston's own Ninja Mack has been impressing fans throughout Texas for several years now with his ultra-athletic wrestling, and rather magnetic charisma that comes from it. In doing so, he also caught the eye of GCW who brought him to Florida, New Jersey, Illinois, and he even united with a man named Dante Leon to fight The Briscoes over the GCW Tag Team Titles. He stole the match he was in when GCW debuted in the Hammerstein Ballroom, and has since traveled to Mexico and Germany to hone his craft. In doing all this, Ninja Mack also caught the eye of Ring of Honor, and he was contacted for a spot on Supercard of Honor 2022 prior to the purchase of ROH by AEW CEO Tony Khan. As the weeks progressed towards this Friday night, fans speculated what would happen with Ninja Mack at this event, guessed at just who he would wrestle, and fans finally got there answer twenty-four hours before SoH '21...or did they? As can be seen in the tweet embedded above, the legendary Tully Blanchard has announced that he will be bringing his newest talent acquisition to Ring of Honor to face off with Ninja Mack! Until recently in AEW, Blanchard was associated with FTR before they fired him several weeks ago and his status with Shawn Spears seems to be up in the air, that combined with Tully's statement that this wrestler is a new acquisition for him has now prompted new speculation as to show Ninja Mack will have to face. This event is a first-time affair for both Mack and Tully, will it also be one for whomever he is bringing along? Is it a wrestler familiar with Ring of Honor, or one for whom this trip to ROH will be a maiden voyage? There are a great many possibilities, but all of them put Ninja Mack at a disadvantage; his foe knows who they are facing so they can game plan the fight, Mack does not have the same luxury. He just has to focus on doing what he does best, and fighting like there is no tomorrow! In addition to the matches announced above, Scotland's own Joe Hendry was also signed for this Friday night, and he shared his thoughts about the event, and what it means to him, on his Twitter account! So with multiple championship matches on tap, dream matches, and plenty more on tap, Supercard of Honor 2022 is primed to be the premier wrestling event of the entire weekend, and likely to be a historic night in the history of ROH! On April 1st, Supercard of Honor 2022 comes to wrestling fans LIVE on HonorClub, Fite.TV, and PPV.com, as well as InDemand Cable & Satellite providers! There is seating available at ROHTix.com as well, so if you are in the area for the weekend, do not miss out on the chance to watch this piece of wrestling history unfold before your very eyes!
- TONY KHAN CONFIRMS DETAILS FOR ROH SUPERCARD OF HONOR IN DALLAS ON FRIDAY, APRIL 1
-- Curtis Culwell Center hosting the 15th installment of Ring of Honor’s legendary PPV, featuring matches for the ROH World and ROH World Tag Team Championships -- March 22, 2022 – On the heels of announcing an agreement to purchase the world’s most prestigious independent wrestling promotion on the March 2 edition of AEW: Dynamite, Tony Khan has confirmed that the upcoming Ring of Honor “Supercard of Honor” pay-per-view on Friday, April 1, will feature must-watch matchups with major championship implications. Tickets for the live show at the Curtis Culwell Center in Dallas, Texas, start at $25 plus fees, and can be purchased online. Supercard of Honor will be available for purchase for $29.99 on FITE and on PPV.com, as well as via InDemand Cable and Satellite providers. In addition, the event will be streamed for HonorClub members. Supercard of Honor starts at 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET). The special pre-show on YouTube starts at 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET). The current lineup for Supercard of Honor includes: • ROH World Championship: Jonathan Gresham vs. Bandido • ROH World Tag Team Championship: The Briscoes vs. FTR • Alex Zayne vs. Swerve Strickland • Jay Lethal vs. Lee Moriarty Of note, more than 40 members of the All Elite Wrestling roster have appeared in Ring of Honor during their careers. The promotion launched the careers of numerous AEW superstars, including CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Hangman Page, Dr. Britt Baker and Adam Cole. Additional members of the AEW roster have made their mark in ROH, including the late Brodie Lee, The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson), Kenny Omega, ReDragon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly), Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent? Beretta), The Hardys (Matt and Jeff Hardy), Jay Lethal, Lee Moriarty, Christopher Daniels, Matt Sydal, Mercedes Martinez, Serena Deeb, Frankie Kazarian, Scorpio Sky, Keith Lee, Eddie Kingston, Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, QT Marshall, Danhausen, Lance Archer, Griff Garrison, Thunder Rosa, Wheeler Yuta, Luchasaurus, Orange Cassidy, Ethan Page, Austin Gunn, PAC, Kip Sabian, Jon Moxley, John Silver, Alex Reynolds, Brody King, Colt Cabana, Jerry Lynn, BJ Whitmer and Sonjay Dutt.