McXal's Reviews

Getting the picky details out of the way first, I've gone back and forth over whether this should be Supercard Of Honor 13 or 14. The last formal 'Supercard Of Honor' was the twelfth edition back in 2018. The Supercard show did exist in 2019, but re-dubbed 'G1 Supercard' as ROH entered Madison Square Garden for a historic co-promoted event with New Japan. Ultimately I decided it had to be the 14th - since the cancelled Supercard event in 2020 was 'Supercard Of Honor 14'. With the semantics out of the way, what a huge night this is for Ring Of Honor. AEW owner Tony Khan's purchase of Ring Of Honor, liberating the once great independent promotion from Sinclair's corporate clutches, has created genuine buzz around ROH for the first time in a while. But in truth we enter this with more questions than we do answers. 

Tony Khan has openly stated he is only running this show because it was already announced, and that, due to his affiliation with AEW, his preference would be not to interfere with WWE's WrestleMania weekend. We still don't know what form - if any - the 'reborn' ROH will take under Khan's stewardship. In the post-AEW Revolution press conference he revealed he would be 'booking' ROH, meaning he is effectively in charge tonight - and that makes sense given the slew of AEW talents we'll see on the show. But he hasn't revealed anything of what his plans might be for ROH as an ongoing concern, if/when Sinclair's version of 'Honor Club' will shut down, where he thinks ROH's tape library will end up being presented, when the SBG TV show will end, whether talent will be signed specifically for ROH or solely use offshoot AEW talent. It was only formally confirmed this week that Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman - ROH's critically-acclaimed incumbent commentary team - would be returning. Delirious, Gary Juster, Greg Gilleland and other Sinclair personnel are supposedly at the show but aren't involved in running it? Rumours in the press suggest that Bandido's work visa is about to expire, whilst Gresham isn't signed (and as of writing on the Impact Wrestling roster page) - so what next for the ROH World Title too? Will we get ANY answers tonight as to what the future of Ring Of Honor will look like? 

One thing is for sure - the card is fantastic. The aforementioned Gresham and Bandido will finally determine an 'undisputed' ROH World Champion in the main event; made more spicy by the announcement that Chavo Guerrero will be in Bandido's corner. Tony Khan has promised plenty of surprises and excitement - including Tully Blanchard debuting a mysterious 'new client' to face Ninja Mack (whom was booked before the AEW buy-out). AEW have enlisted Mercedes Martinez to return to ROH and face Willow Nightingale to determine an 'interim' ROH Women's Champion - since the current champ is Deonna Purrazzo and she couldn't make it. Tony has also called upon Jay Lethal ('The Franchise of ROH'), Lee Moriarty, Swerve Strickland and Wheeler Yuta (who challenges Josh Woods for the Pure Title) as AEW-contracted talents joining us this evening. Perhaps the biggest draw, though, is the long-awaited showdown for the ROH Tag Titles as the Briscoes defend against AEW's FTR in a dream match. The question of whether this is a one-night-only reprieve, or the re-awakening of the legendary ROH from a four-month slumber remains to be seen - but for tonight we join Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman in Garland, TX for what should be a memorable night.

The opening video montage still has the previous Sinclair epic voice-over guy - and all logos, guardrails etc are still adorned with the Sinclair/ROH logo, suggesting that Khan's involvement in the show tonight may be more creative and in-ring than on the presentation of the product...

It's the first time Colt has wrestled in ROH since the end of 2019. Christian's career has seen him take in spells with TNA, WWE - but most recently has been impressing on the indies in places like GCW, and made a debut in NJPW Strong too.

No delaying, the bell rings almost immediately and ROH is back. Colt tries to go through his usual routine, goofing around and playing for a few laughs - but Christian isn't having it and repeatedly breaking up Colt's trademark sequences. He wheelbarrows into a standing frog splash for 2, MISSES a running moonsault to the floor...somehow lands on his feet, but then cakes pancaked flat on his face by Cabana moments later when trying to leap off the apron! A thumping lariat spins Blake through the air as the ROH veteran starts to pull rank. Christian continues his displays of defiance with a handspring kick then a basement 619! Bionic Elbow blocked with an enzi...RUNNING MOONSAULT PHENOM DDT TO THE FLOOR! Springboard 450 splash gets 2! Blake misses a second 450 splash, and chases Colt up the ropes to be caught with the Chicago Skyline! Cabana wins at 08:02

Rating - *** - A pretty effective pre-show match. Colt pulled out a lot of his signature stuff, which was endearingly familiar upon his return to ROH, but found an opponent who had the tenacity and athleticism to continually break up and disrupt his sequences. Christian popped the crowd with a few explosive highspots - but ultimately looked for one too many, creating the fatal mistake which led to his downfall.

It is nice to see the 'Lucha Baddie' included in ROH's return. She was superb in the rejuvenated 2021 ROH Women's Division, had previously worked on AEW Dark as well - so is familiar with the new ownership as well. She absolutely deserves her spot and returns against the debuting, Booker T trained, AQA - who comes in having recently beaten former ROH Women's Division star Session Moth Martina in AEW...

Referee Paul Turner is back! He's another who bailed out on ROH in 2019 to join AEW. AQA is full of fire, but Alize is ruthless and smart. She rides out the opening flurry from her opponent before sweeping her legs and dropping her neck and shoulders first off the ropes. RUNNING ELBOW in the corner! Facewash scores as well, then a Hesitation Dropkick as the Lucha Baddie presses home her advantage. Miranda hits a slingshot sliding rana into the mat, but can't put AQA away. They trade strikes, until AQA almost caves in Alize's chest with a running dropkick. She climbs the ropes, but is thrown down before she can even think about a shooting star press. Miranda Rights locked in...only for AQA to counter out and blast Alize with a jumping enzi. SHOOTING STAR PRESS! AQA wins at 08:15

Rating - ** - I like both of these women, but Alize was the star here. Her ruthlessness, her aggression and her composure (albeit that sliding rana spot looked pretty average) carried the match and held together the tempestuous, all action - but at times slightly hecticand frantic AQA.

The Foundation are in the locker room (no Tracy Williams sadly). Rhett Titus promises he'll do whatever it takes to retain his TV Title against Minoru Suzuki tonight, Josh Woods vows to show Wheeler Yuta why he is the top Pure professional wrestler in the world...then Gresham promises that the only man who can 'lead ROH into the future' is he. Nice promo to re-introduce The Foundation to people who haven't seen them...

Shinobi Shadow Squad have reunited, Burger has ditched the 'World Famous CB' moniker', and they have signed an open contract to face two new recruits to 'Tully Blanchard Enterprises'. GOA are Kaun, formerly of Shane Taylor Promotions/Soldiers Of Savagery and Toa Liona...

CB starts with Kaun...who refuses the Code Of Honor and punches him in the face. Toa almost folds Burger in half with a running tackle, then completely no-sells Isom's attempt at a save to smear him into the mat with a spinebuster. Kaun dodges the Shotei...and Toa POUNCES Cheeseburger to the floor! Samoan Spike by Toa sets up Kaun to pin Eli at 02:27

Rating - N/A - Just fine for a squash match. It's a shame for Burger and Eli, and they are at risk of becoming forgotten relics of the ultimately unsuccessful Sinclair era - but time moves on and Tony Khan's vision of ROH needs to do as much as possible to differentiate itself from what came before. In many ways this match was the embodiment of that. Two of Tony's projects, led by one of Tony's trusted locker room veteran presences in AEW, crushing two of Sinclair's projects in short order. 

If ever there was an untapped talent who could find a spot in AEW or 'the new ROH' it is Joe Hendry; one of the few remnants of the Sinclair era that I think would be worth Tony's time in recruiting (if getting him from the UK isn't prohibitively expensive). His wrestling is decent, but he is also charismatic and a talented musician capable of ludicrous, bizarre entrances which become must-see events in themselves. His history with former World and TV Champion Dalton Castle is complicated. He pissed Dalton off in his very first appearance; they were rivals that became awkward tag partners. The pandemic brought an enforced end to their team, before Joe surprised Castle by becoming an unexpected participated in his TV Title defence at Final Battle 2021. 

Hendry (who is much beefier than he was pre-pandemic) declines a handshake and instead looks to use his power to grind Castle down in the opening minutes. Dalton takes a break to run laps of the ring with the Baby Chickens, which obviously disrupts Joe's momentum and leads to him walking into a sliding DDT. HENDRY BODY SLAMS HIM TO THE FLOOR! The Scotsman is in a rage; repeatedly ramming Castle's body into the guardrails showing no regard for his notoriously fragile lower back. Once they return to the ring he hits a diving clothesline to the midsection as well, staying on that area of Castle's anatomy. Hendry is so pumped he appears to set up a dead-lift superplex to the floor, but thankfully Dalton escapes that and rocks him with a knee to the head. Joe survives that and drops Dalton right on the back again with a tilta-whirl slam. Castle tries another running knee...but Hendry moves and Dalton crashes and burns to the floor! Tiger feint rana off the apron nailed! Hendry MISSES a running tackle on the floor and collides with the ringpost in response! ONE ARM SPINEBUSTER by Hendry! Bang-A-Rang out of nowhere from Castle - who wins at 09:45

Rating - *** - My favourite match on the show so far. Throw a better finish on that and we'd probably be talking a higher rating. Hendry was awesome; showcasing some of his new power-based style to the American audience and structuring a fantastic, easily digestible story around Castle's constantly-injured lower back. A great example of what he could offer if he were to be brought in full time, and among his best ROH singles performances. If anything Castle's victory felt sudden and out of keeping with the rest of the contest. 

Chavo Guerrero is backstage with Bandido, and reminds the world that Bandido was never beaten for the World Championship. Chavo says he doesn't work for ROH or AEW so is here solely to represent Bandido's best interests. The Most Wanted tells Chavo he doesn't want any cheating in the match - which Guerrero agrees to, albeit with a promise that he'll do 'whatever it takes'...

This match was announced by Sinclair before Tony Khan's buy-out, and there was some speculation about whether it would still take place. Strickland subsequently signed with AEW of course, and now makes an ROH debut as part of his extremely hectic return to the independents after a somewhat surprising WWE release. Zayne has a commendable record in ROH, with an Honor Rumble victory and very few losses on his record. 

Zayne tries an early satellite headscissors, except Strickland simply ricochets off the ropes back onto his feet! Standing corkscrew senton by Alex, suggesting that he has a moderate athleticism advantage over Swerve. Strickland seemingly agrees as his response is to go after the legs. Running super rana COUNTERED TO A TKO OVER THE TOP ROPE! Strickland climbs on top of Zayne and looks to control him with a chinlock, again looking to slow him down. Running somersault super rana by Zayne, into a somersault axe kick for 2! Strickland retorts with a springboard dropkick to the leg and a half crab, looking for another method to negate the constant daredevil antics of his opponent. It means Zayne is too slow running the ropes looking for a dive...but Alex is nothing if not innovative. He rolls onto the apron and hits a RUNNING REVERSE RANA FROM THE APRON TO THE FLOOR! Both men are flat out after that! CRUNCH WRAP NAILED! Swerve kicks out at 2! Lets generously say that was because Strickland had worked the knee to reduce the impact of one of Alex's signature moves. Taco Driver blocked - with Swerve landing a knee drop right across Zayne's injured leg. Somersault flatliner, into the SWERVE STOMP! ZAYNE KICKS OUT! Pop-up knee strike by Zayne! Baja Blast blocked! Strickland kicks at the bad knee again and hits the JML! Strickland wins at 11:38

Rating - **** - This was a kick-ass opener to a pay-per-view. Sure it was slightly scrappy at points, but it was relentless in tempo, featured multiple jaw-dropping moments, a real story at its core as Swerve found himself unable to cope with Zayne's unorthodox and constant flippy sh*t so attacked the knee...which factored directly into the finish and led Strickland to victory. I really enjoyed this

Mack is another highflying athlete who was booked by Sinclair before Tony Khan's take-over. He also comes into this with something of a buzz after unmasking to participate in GCW's BloodSport event the previous evening (although the mask is back on tonight). He had an 'open contract', and it has been taken by Tully Blanchard's other new client. Unfortunately for Ninja it is the return of 'The Machine' Brian Cage! He has been gone from AEW for some time but now makes a return to TV and gets a huge pop.

SASUKE SPECIAL by Mack...but Cage matches him and powerbombs him on the apron! Drill Claw blocked, but Mack's only reward is to get bludgeoned into the canvas by the rampant Machine. HUGE German suplex launches poor Ninja most of the way across the ring, leaving him writhing in pain. Mack somehow flips off the top rope and pops off a few kicks in Cage's direction...but Brian easily blocks the brutal kick which beat Yoya at Bloodsport and lands the Drill Claw to win at 02:46

Rating - N/A - A second enjoyable squash for 'Tully Blanchard Enterprises'. Cage was a genuinely welcome surprise and someone who could have been in ROH a long time ago under different circumstances. Ninja Mack was very clearly a Sinclair choice rather than Tony Khan's but he actually did a good job with what he had to work with here - namely bumping like a maniac and taking a great ass-kicking.

Back at Death Before Dishonor last year Lethal put Moriarty over hard and bemoaned the fact that Lee was only appearing once before joining AEW. Little did Jay know that he would soon be following Moriarty after Sinclair announced it was releasing all its contracted wrestlers. He still calls himself 'The Franchise of ROH' though, and returns under Tony Khan's ownership to test his skill against the man he put over so hard last year. Lee has his mentor, former ROH Tag Champion Matt Sydal (on crutches) in his corner...

I don't like Jay's AEW theme, bring back 'Scorched Ops'. Moriarty swipes out at him during the opening formalities, seemingly taking offence at Lethal smiling and doing a Ric Flair strut. He roars triumphantly as he almost snares 'The Franchise' in a pinning combination in the first couple of minutes too. He counters the Lethal Injection seconds later and almost pins Jay again! It's Lethal's turn to get frustrated; angrily shoving Moriarty into the corner and engaging him in an elbow strike duel. Lee is so frazzled by that he doesn't have a counter for the Lethal's hiptoss/dropkick combo, putting the former World Champion in charge for the first time. He hits a shinbreaker, followed by a dragon screw as he starts setting up the Figure 4 Leglock. Springboard dropkick to the apron lands, leaving Lee hobbling around outside the ring...in prime position for Lethal's signature Tope Trilogy. Moriarty evades the third dive and hits a LIMPING HEAT SEEKING MISSILE! That was awesome! Lethal keeps kicking at the leg...but Moriarty won't go down and instead hammerlocks The Franchise into a lariat for 2. He wrenches Lethal's arm to block a superplex, only to blow his knee out again trying an ill-advised knee strike off the ropes. Lethal Combination, except it hurts Jay's shoulder as well! Ace Crusher - with arm-selling - nailed! Hail To The King COUNTERED by Lee, grabbing the shoulder and using it to crucifix Lethal into a pin for 2. He keeps coming at Lethal with pinning attempts...then clings desperately to the apron as Jay tries to put him in the Figure 4! LOW BLOW by Lethal! Holy sh*t the crowd absolutely hated that! Even Lethal looks on the bring of tears at having to do it! LETHAL INJECTION! Lethal wins at 14:50

Rating - **** - My favourite match on the show so far. The story of Lethal, 'The Franchise' of ROH returning to his old stomping grounds and seemingly in control of a pretender to his throne...only to find out that he didn't have enough in his arsenal to beat the young gun clean so having to break the rules to win, was fantastic. Lee's selling of the arm, and Lethal's selling of the shoulder were, for the most part, compelling. Lethal's facial selling of his confliction after hitting the low blow was INCREDIBLE. 

He was conflicted about what he did to Moriarty - but after the match Jay snaps completely. He knocks one of Sydal's crutches out of his hand, causing Matt to fall to the ground where Lethal mounts him and beats him senseless. Huge heat for Lethal as he walks out...

ROH couldn't come to terms with Impact to align their schedules to get current ROH Women's Champion Deonna Purrazzo on the show. Instead Tony has brought back Mercedes Martinez, someone who goes back an incredibly long way with ROH. She faces Willow, one of the stand-out performers of ROH's 2021 Women's wrestling renaissance. Their personalities may be different, but these two are no strangers to each other and are both hard-hitting, powerful athletes. This could be a hell of a fight...

Martinez opens up with a big slap to the face, laying down an early marker in the match! Willow doesn't step back though and retorts by tackling the veteran to the canvas. Rolling butterfly suplexes by the Latina Sensation, floated into a butterfly submission when Nightingale tries to block it, again showing how much experience Mercedes is bringing to the contest. Nightingale tries to use her power...but simply walks into a lungblower and a mafia kick as Martinez continues to out-class her in the early minutes. Bull Run blocked with a thrust kick by Willow...but she can do little more than collapse alongside her opponent, such is the damage she has sustained thus far. LARIAT by Willow, ignoring an elbow strike from Mercedes on the way! Willow is growing in confidence and now overcoming the veteran when it comes to strike exchanges. BACK DROP DRIVER by Mercedes! AIR RAID CRASH! But Nightingale kicks out! She powers Mercedes into an Olympic Slam as well. POUUUUNCE! Cannonball senton nailed, but Mercedes is up before Willow can make it to the top rope. OG DROP! WILLOW KICKS OUT! Even Mercedes looks rattled now - wildly swinging at the dazed Nightingale in the corner. Willow retaliates by trapping her in a tree of woe and absolutely pummelling her with forearms! WILLOW MOONSAULT NAILED! FOR 2! Martinez looks absolutely toast after that...but somehow snares Willow in a dragon sleeper (dubbed the 'Brass City Sleeper') to win at 12:38

Rating - *** - I wasn't ready for this one to end. As expected it wasn't always pretty, but did they ever beat the sh*t out of each other! This was every bit as hard-hitting and violent as I wanted it to be. There were points where Mercedes looked like she was brutalising Willow, but by the end she looked out on her feet - particularly after that moonsault. If you consider the utter state of ROH's women's division in 2019, in-ring action of this quality really is a joy to watch. 

Arguably the top drawing match on the show, pitting AAA Tag Champions - AEW's FTR against the legendary ROH veterans the Briscoes. They are twelve time ROH Tag Champions, but enter with questions hanging over them after rumours emerged that Turner doesn't want Tony Khan to have anything to do with Jay Briscoe's inflammatory social media past. Where does that leave the Briscoes, who are synonymous with ROH having spent their entire twenty plus year careers here. After their heated confrontation at Final Battle and tense Twitter promo duels - we are finally ready to see this dream match!

This is for the old ROH Tag Title belts, which I'm definitely here for. Mark starts with Cash, but the crowd are so amped for this they spend the first minute losing their mind meaning nobody needs to wrestle at all. FTR's trunks using the old ROH font are really cool. Wheeler has the edge on the mat it seems, so Mark breaks out a little Redneck Kung Fu to escape. Jay tags and immediately calls out Harwood. Dax responds by spitting in his face and scurrying out of the ring with a smirk on his face. Briscoe retaliates with a Cactus Clothesline which leaves Harwood on his ass. Jay refuses to let Dax back into the ring...so Harwood lobs a chair at him (which is effortlessly caught by Paul Turner)! The Briscoes respond by hauling Wheeler into their corner and mauling him 2-on-1. Harwood makes a save; trading chops with an amped up Mark. He hurts his own hand punching Mark in the face, but once again the Briscoes engineer a 2-on-1 situation on Cash to get back in the ascendancy. SOMERSAULT PLANCHA by Jay! Cactus Elbow by Mark! With Wheeler reeling, the Briscoes turn on Harwood, giving him a mafia kick on the floor as well. Chaos ensues as both teams start to brawl around ringside; FTR giving Jay a slingshot into the time-keeping table, busting him open badly. That's not going to look pretty on the Impact show later! Dax looks to open it up more by repeatedly punching Jay in the head - with his hand soon covered in blood as a result. The bloody former World Champion is extremely vulnerable and escorted back to the ring for a prolonged beating from FTR leaving the white canvas covered in red stains. Jay's dogged refusal to stay down is admirable though and after several minutes he emerges from FTR's sadism and makes a hot tag to his younger brother. SICK KICK on Cash! Urinage on Dax! Harwood evades the set-up for the Froggy Bow though - but Mark spikes him into the ringpost instead. Redneck Boogie on Wheeler gets 2! LIGERBOMB/FROG SPLASH COMBO on Jay gets 2! BIG RIG BY THE BRISCOES! Wheeler breaks the pin! DDT ON THE FLOOR! DVD ON THE FLOOR FROM JAY TO CASH! It leaves Jay and Harwood alone in the ring. JAY SUPLEXES DAX OVER THE TOP ROPE TO THE FLOOR! HOLY SH*T! Doctors are on hand to check on Dax after that...and all four guys are absolutely wrecked on the floor. Cash actually has to lift Harwood back into the ring - as the dazed and confused Briscoes hobble back in as well! TOP ROPE SPRINGBOARD CORKSCREW SENTON BACK OUTSIDE BY MARK! Are you insane!? Once again it's Jay and Dax, covered in blood, standing alone in the ring laying into each other. FROGGY BOW from the returning Mark gets 2! The Briscoes look to finish Harwood off, but Cash returns and distracts them in time for Dax to block the Doomsday Device. BIG RIG NAILED! FTR WIN! NEW CHAMPIONS! 27:24 is your time...

Rating - ****1/2 - This lived up to the hype, and will undoubtedly be one of the absolute best matches from any promotion over WrestleMania weekend. Tag team wrestling at its absolute finest; I'm thrilled they got almost a full half hour meaning they didn't have to go full pelt from the opening bell. The crowd were PSYCHED for this, and the longer time allowance meant these experts in tag team wrestling had scope to turn the screw, dial up the drama - and by the end they were going absolutely nuts on each other. It was beautifully paced, bloody, exciting...full of nuance and drama. Jay and Dax as the antagonists; Mark at his crazy best - it really did deliver everything you wanted to see, yet in thirty minutes you felt like they'd only started scratching the surface together and kept plenty back for a potential rematch. Genuinely an all-time great ROH Tag Title bout.

FTR bow to the Briscoes after the match, and Jay and Mark in turn hug the victors and present them with the Tag Titles. The future is uncertain for Jay and Mark, but if this truly is their last ROH match they've finished up with back to back classics (at Final Battle vs OGK and tonight...). They get a standing ovation and 'thank you Briscoes' chants. THE F*CKING YOUNG BUCKS ARE HERE! SUPERKICKS! BTE-TRIGGER ON JAY! FTR sprint back to save the Briscoes! What a moment! FTR challenge the Bucks to a match right now, but they refuse since it's perfect for a 'Wednesday night' then gloat about leaving ROH, putting it out of business then buying it...

This was a late addition to the card, and gives Rhett a deserved spot at the onset of another new era for ROH. His TV Title win at Final Battle 2021 was one of the most emotional moments of the entire show, and he returns alongside his Foundation colleagues to defend his belt this evening. The challenge facing him tonight is stern though. Suzuki is one of the most feared competitors on the planet and returns to ROH looking to win his first US championship. The only thing stopping him from being an absolutely indomitable favourite is his insane schedule this weekend - he's basically on every show it seems!

RHETT SLAPS SUZUKI! Is he insane? Unsurprisingly the challenger totally mauls him, battering Titus to the floor via a hanging armbar in the ropes as well. Minoru laughs in Rhett's face as the champ throws a couple of elbows...but has the smile wiped off his face as Titus nails a belly to belly suplex and a Saito suplex for 2. Suzuki goes to ground and almost snaps Rhett's leg with a kneebar. It is only Rhett's height which saves him there as he got his fingertips on the ropes. Gotch Piledriver blocked into the big Dropkick for 2. GOTCH PILEDRIVER! Suzuki wins at 05:52

Rating - ** - This was in a tough spot. Whoever came out after Briscoes/FTR had a rough deal, and this was actually a pretty good choice even if the match lacked much substance. Suzuki's entrance popped the potentially fatigued crowd, Rhett's slap meant the match started hot...and after that they kept it short and focused on all the things people love about Suzuki (namely his sadistic smiles and violent offence). Rhett, like Eli and Burger earlier, is resoundingly dismissed as a potential relic of the 'old' ROH as Tony Khan clears the decks and prepares for whatever his new vision may entail.

Christopher Daniels, BJ Whitmer and Colt Cabana are all at ringside to watch this

Yuta was a participant in the Pure Tournament in 2020, delivering one of the best matches in that tournament but losing in the first round to eventual winner Jon Gresham. He eventually found his way to AEW and enters hot having impressed against Bryan Danielson on Dynamite; to such an extent that William Regal seemingly extended his respect to the youngster. Woods is no stranger to AEW fans having appeared regularly on Dark, alongside Pure Title defences on the independent scene. He defeated Gresham, whom many consider to be the epitome of Pure Wrestling, at Death Before Dishonor last year, he used the Pure division to reinvigorate an ROH career which had previously seen him as Silas Young's goofball sidekick...and he ended the year on a tear with nobody able to take the Pure Title from him. Can Wheeler 'decode' the Technical Beast on a night of title changes?

Woods instantly forces Yuta to take his first rope-break by trapping him in the Gorilla Lock inside thirty seconds. Wheeler grows in confidence though, effortlessly countering a submission a couple of minutes later which Caprice attributes to his ability to 'decode' an opponent. He seems happy to trade holds with Josh on the mat, but just doesn't seem equipped to inflict any real damage...and soon has his second rope-break stripped from him as Woods traps him in a shortarm scissors. Yuta slaps Woods; seemingly looking to shake the composure and confidence the champ has exuded thus far. It instantly opens up an opportunity to apply a bridging deathlock, which leaves Josh with no choice but to take his first rope-break. Woods goes after Wheeler's shoulder, with the challenger still looking to rattle his composure by repeatedly elbowing him in the jaw. He climbs the ropes and lands a flying elbow; knocking Woods to the floor. Elbow suicida by the challenger as well, still chipping away at the dominance of the champion. MID-AIR knee strike by Woods! Slingshot German suplex lands, but Yuta survives and hits a German of his own. SPINNING BRAINBUSTER INTO THE BOTTOM TURNBUCKLE! Yuta uses his last rope-break to stop the pinfall after that. Beast Slam blocked into DANIELSON MMA ELBOWS! Yuta rolls Woods up to win the Pure Title at 12:48

Rating - *** - AEW continues to sweep the remnants of the old ROH aside. This won't have been for everyone because it was methodically paced in the extreme...but I thought there was a lot to like. As a follow-up to Yuta's match with Danielson it was really good. I loved his approach; taking a beating from Woods but constantly nagging at him; upsetting him with slaps and strikes and continually breaking up his momentum with his 'decoding' style. Using the American Dragon elbow spot at the end was a great finish. Woods' title reign has felt a little flat, and the Pure Rules do feel like they worked better in the empty arena environment. If there were any ROH title Tony Khan should retire, I'd argue it should be this. The Pure Tournament was excellent pandemic-era wrestling television, and the Pure Title itself served its purpose by elevating Gresham to become a credible World Champion (as it did for Nigel McGuinness in the past). It is such a niche style; even I struggle to see that it remains overly relevant in 2022...

This was our scheduled main event for Final Battle 2021, with Bandido due to defend his title against #1 contender Jonathan Gresham. But after shocking the world by defeating Rush, then confidently assuming the mantle of the 'Most Wanted Champion', it was only Covid-19 which was able to end Bandido's championship reign. He was forced to miss Final Battle, meaning Gresham and Jay Lethal did battle for the vacant/'Original' ROH World Title. Bandido has retained the previous belt and still believes he is the rightful champion. He confronted Gresham at Terminus and has demanded this match to determine who the undisputed ROH Champion truly is. It is billed as Gresham - the recognised champion - versus Bandido - the 'lineal' champion...winner take all. What role will Bandido's newly-enlisted manager Chavo Guerrero play tonight?

Bandido comes out dressed in all black and disagrees with Chavo about whether to follow the Code Of Honor or not. Gresham knows he needs to keep Bandido on the ground and in the early going it seems that the Most Wanted is happy to test his skills against The Octopus on the mat. The pace quickens, and Gresham surprises Bandido by busting out a lucha armdrag then punting him in the shin. The luchador is visibly frustrated and retreats to seek advice from Guerrero. He returns with a running rana and a dropkick - then gets right in Gresham's face to taunt him. Mexican surfboard applied soon after - with Bandido going back to his roots after a consultation with Chavo and getting ahead with lucha staples. Gresham shows incredible power by muscling out of the surfboard though and trying to snap his leg with an Anklelock. Octopus Stretch applied briefly, but way too close to the ropes meaning Bandido can simply collapse into them and break the hold. Gresh stays on the arm...only to be repelled by another lucha armdrag by Bandido. TORNILLO scores! STALLING SIXTY SECOND SUPLEX! That went on for so long they had Paul Turner checking for a submission/knock-out on Gresham too! RUNNING LARIAT by Gresham! He captures the arms and hits a straightjacket German suplex, then cradles the arm whilst pounding Bandido with a flurry of elbows. Crossface blocked...Anklelock blocked...OCTOPUS STRETCH! Gresh kicks at the free arm as well to stop Bandido grabbing the ropes, but for a second time the luchador is saved by collapsing into them. Bandido, his arm in real pain, collapses to the floor...and when Gresham looks for a pescado Chavo Guerrero SHOVES Bandido out of the way! It's on the borderline of cheating, but Bandido has no time to complain as he returns to the ring blasts the champ with a Shining Wizard for 2. The arm gives out as he attempts the X-Knee, and Gresh unleashes a crazy flurry of pinning combinations in frantic search of victory. Twenty minutes in and they still can't be separated! SLAP by Gresham! Superkick by Bandido! Paul Turner gets clipped, and as he stumbles Chavo NAILS Gresham with the title belt! Bandido refuses to pin Gresh and orders the ref to eject Chavo from ringside! That kerfuffle gives Gresham time to recover and he blocks the Revolution Fly. POP-UP CUTTER by Bandido instead gets 2! 21-PLEX...BUT GRESHAM BACKF-FLIPS OUT! KNEE DROP TO THE ARM! BRIDGING PIN BY GRESH...GETS 2! SUPERKICK! RUNNING MOONSAULT TO THE FLOOR BY BANDIDO! X-KNEE! 21-PLEX! GRESHAM KICKS OUT! He lands a tope suicida and scuttles back in to snare Bandido into a pin. GRESHAM WINS! In 24:44 he is the undisputed ROH World Champion!

Rating - **** - I'm sure some will hate on the Chavo Guerrero stuff, but I actually get it. If you look at it from the perspective of someone who hasn't been watching ROH for the last couple of years (i.e. most fans), they don't have much of a reason to invest in these guys, beyond how admittedly fantastic they are. Adding Chavo was cheap, but his interference was absolutely what triggered this match kicking into the higher gears. The crowd reaction before and after Chavo's ejection tells you everything about why Tony booked it, and why you can clearly argue it was a successful, logical addition to the main event. Putting that aside though, I thought this was a gorgeous match. It won't have excited fans of high-spot wrestling early on, but the way Gresham and Bandido move about the ring is beautiful to watch. They both possess uncharacteristic power for their size too, which made everything feel so physical and utterly unique. You had Gresham trying to stretch out Bandido, who consulted with Chavo and got on top every time he went back to his roots with a Lucha Libre staple spot. And when the time finally did come for them to unload on each other...that finishing sequence was spectacular. Gresham constantly winning matches in different ways means you bite on almost everything as a potential nearfall. That 21-Plex kick-out was incredibly tense too. I'm certain this match will get a mixed reaction because the Chavo stuff will upset people, and others will have been thrown off by the more methodical, mat-based pacing of the early exchanges...but I really rated this one.

Gresham tries to give a victory speech, but is immediately interrupted by Jay Lethal. These two are former friends, stable-mates and Tag Champions...and Lethal wants a title shot for everything he has done for Gresham's career. He attacks the champ, and shortly after Sonjay Dutt (Lethal's friend) comes out, seemingly to call Jay off...but instead jumps Gresham as well. Lee Moriarty comes out trying to make a save, but is dropped with a Lethal Injection. Lethal celebrates with the belts...BUT F*CKING SAMOA JOE RETURNS! YES! Holy sh*t! He marches down to the ring and confronts Lethal, the man he once mentored in ROH! CHOKE ON SONJAY! Lethal flees, Joe congratulates Gresham and they celebrate together as this momentous night ends...

Tape Rating - **** - We came in knowing very little about what the future of Ring Of Honor looks like, and we leave knowing little more. But in many ways Supercard Of Honor 2022 was a joyous watch; even euphoric at times. It may not be what the modern era ROH fans want to hear, but Tony Khan cleansing the promotion of post-2018 Sinclair-era booking was a necessary step. A huge chunk of ROH's core roster over the last couple of years wasn't even booked. Those that were, for the most part, were swept aside. From the pre-show through to the semi-main event, signed AEW talent were promoted and put over. We may not know much about what ROH's future might look like, but in one night Khan cleaned the slate and closed the book on Sinclair-owned Ring Of Honor - leaving it in a holding pattern with AEW contracted talent in prime positions whilst he finalises the details of what happens going forward. Modern-era fans may not like this, but the reality is that there just weren't enough of them to sustain ROH as a viable promotion - because that product had zero mass appeal and had gotten so far away from the original ethos of Ring Of Honor, which was to provide the best wrestling on the planet. I'm not AEW's biggest fan, I'm certainly not a Tony Khan disciple - but so much of this resembled what I would recognise as being closer to the 'classic' ROH I grew up watching. In Briscoes/FTR Ring Of Honor may well have delivered the best bout of the entire WrestleMania weeked from any promotion. Samoa Joe's incredible return and the Young Bucks' shock appearances will be some of the most memorable moments of the weekend too. The card was impeccably paced to give the matches we really wanted to see ample time to deliver. We saw great wrestling, a variety of styles, title changes, a legitimate US MOTYC, perhaps THE feel-good moment of the weekend as Samoa Joe came home, and perhaps the end of a 20-year odyssey as the Briscoes contested what may well be their final match in the promotion they are synonymous with. It's impossible not to recommend this. 

3) Jay Lethal vs Lee Moriarty (****)

2) Jonathan Gresham vs Bandido (****)

1) Jay Briscoe/Mark Briscoe vs FTR (****1/2)